Thursday 30 June 2016

Camp NaNoWriMo is Here Again

I wasn't going to do it this summer, but then I figured "why not?".

I registered for Camp NaNoWriMo, and have committed to 10,000 words written in July. Instead of tackling a novel this time around, I am going to work on a collection of short stories. The tentative title of the collection is Wandering Minds. Earlier this week I jotted down over twenty ideas for stories, which will give me a good starting point.

I have always had more trouble with short stories, but after changing my way of thinking it is getting easier to write them. I like to include details in my stories, which makes a novel ideal. I have a lot of opportunity to paint a picture (with words) of what I am seeing in my head in a novel. With a short story, I have to limit the details while still getting the point across.

By registering for Camp NaNoWriMo I am hoping to explore some genres I don't usually write in. Plus, I enjoy "meeting" new people via the cabin assignments. It is always nice to have the encouragement from others as the days go by, and the word counts increase. Last summer our cabin exceeded its word count by tens of thousands, if I recall correctly.

If you are a writer or are considering exploring the writing world, why not give it a shot? By setting a 10,000 word goal, it will help motivate you yet not feel overwhelming. My first novel was written during NaNoWriMo, which had a minimum word count of 50,000. For a first-time fiction writer, that was a challenge for me. I could easily write non-fiction, and at that point had already self-published a few titles. Fiction was a whole new world for me, but as I wrote I found it easier. The best part was, I have since written a second book in the series, and am working on the third.

I do have to say, I am stuck on the third. Losing my dad suddenly almost two years ago has made that particular story a difficult one to write. I know the best thing to do is to just get back to it, but I know it will be an emotional one to do. My personal goal is to get it finished before November. It will mean going back and reading the first two novels in the series and the first 27,000 words of the third, but I have to keep going.

Have you ever participated in Camp NaNoWriMo or NaNoWriMo? If so, did you meet your goal? If not, are you willing to try? To register, visit.http://campnanowrimo.org/ You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians!

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