It’s official, there is less than one month left before the start of the July session of Camp Nano. The site is open and ready for you to sign up and register your novel. I am so excited, and yet a bit apprehensive. There is so much left to do before the end of the month, how am I going to find the time? Because missing a Nano is out of the question.
For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about- I’ll give you a quick run down. Camp Nano is an offshoot of the main Nano, also known as NanoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. It’s a virtual writing challenge where thousands of people across the globe sign up to tackle a single venture at the same time. The main event takes place every November. The challenge: to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Nano has actually been around since 1999, but I didn’t discover it until 2013- I haven’t missed a Nano or Camp session since.
The Camp Nano is the figurative little brother of the November session. It has more of a community focus to it. If you sign up, you get the option to join virtual cabins- either of your own creation or through a bot that will randomly place you. You also get to set your own customized word count goal- whatever you want it to be. Every person in your cabin has their own project to work on, but you get to network and talk throughout the month as you all embark on the adventure together. Rest assured, it is a virtual camp- there is no ravel required, and no real roughing it unless you decide to take your laptop out on the back patio.
I am addicted, I’ll tell you that upfront- and if anyone reading this is interested in writing- I strongly suggest you give it a shot, what do you have to lose? It’s such a positive community, it is one of the few places where I feel completely accepted. My oddball interests and quirks suddenly aren’t so strange anymore. Plus- there are thousands of writers who have years of experience, tips and tricks to share. And they are more than willing to help anyone who stumbles across their path.
So here we are, at the beginning of June, less than one month out from the start of camp. There is so much to do to get ready this time around. I still have to decide what project I want to dedicate my time to this year, preferably something that wont require massive amounts of research to prepare. I think I’m going to be trying something crazy again- as I said before, the usual word count goal is 50k, which is a challenge when you have your regular life still moving forward without pause. So far I’ve managed to hit it every time. But the past few sessions I made my own private goal: one I still haven’t touched. I want to hit that coveted 100k in 30 days. That’s it- the big dream, the word series kind of goal I have fallen just shy of every other Nano.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t apprehensive- I have a lot more on my plate this year that I have had in the past. It’s quickly turning into vacation season at work- which means I will be busy covering everyone who is out of the office. Besides that, I have this blog that I refuse to neglect. There are a few side projects that I am hoping to have in full swing by the time July rolls around. And who can forget my regular life that I can’t just hide away from- there will be no living in seclusion this Camp. In spite of all of the demands for my time, I know I have to try anyways. I have to beat my old record, I have to get better this time. If I plan it right, I might be able to push for it. It’s just going to be one hell of a month.
Tipsy Typer 