What is Camp NaNoWriMo?
July brings up Camp NaNoWriMo, a month of scheduled writing to reach targets we set on any writing projects we may have. If you have never heard of NaNoWriMo before I will tell you what it is but first does any of the following points resound for you?
- You are halfway through a current novel and stuck for ideas?
- You lack inspiration and haven’t got the energy to get back into the writing zone?
- You procrastinate thinking of ideas but don’t do anything other than think?
- You want to write but never actually get round to doing it.
- You never schedule the time to write?
If you can answer yes to any of those five questions then camp NaNoWriMo is most definitely for you and you should 100% consider signing up!
What commitment will I be making?
National Novel Writing Month is approaching in July and is the ideal time for you to get back into the writing chair and either start your first novel or finish what you started.
A month of scheduled time within your day that you spend writing and adding to your current work in progress. It’s very well claiming ‘I will start tomorrow’ but actually never do it. If you participate in Camp NaNoWriMo you are making a commitment to write 50’000 words. This can be added to what you already have or will make a start on what you already have. You may feel that is a lot of words but you set your word count. If you want to do less that is fine too as is to set it at a higher word count.
What you need to do is sign up to the official page www.campnanowrimo.org and create an account. Once you have done that you can start by creating your writing project. Deciding your word count you are aiming to write in July and browse the website for the other feature on offer.
If you decide to join me and millions of other writers around the world you will have many other features to access, including chat rooms called cabins. I have created a private cabin called The Fiction Cafe. Cabins are Camp NaNoWriMo’s version of a writing group. Up to twenty writers can bunk together in a virtual cabin to create a personal writing community. Some readers are part of our Facebook writing group so most of our chatting will be done there but this is another option. There are also inspiration writing resources and forums where you can chat with other writers.
I participated in NaNoWriMo in November 2016 and won by writing 52’000 words which created the basis of my first novel Forgotten Memories. In July I will be aiming to write a further 50’000 words which will then create the basic story that I will then edit and flesh out to create my first manuscript. Writing a novel in a month doesn’t mean it has to be completed to submit. It just means you have a basis to perfect! The thought of having a novel written by the end of July is an amazing achievement and I hope that many of you will join me on my writing journey!
Madison
Madison Ward 