Friday, May 11, 2012

Camp NaNoWriMo?



I realize I have said more than once that if I ever signed up for NaNoWriMo again or even mentioned I was considering it that someone should hunt me down and slap me hard until I remember how thoroughly unenjoyable that was for me in 2011.

However, this is different.  This is camp.  And you can't take camp that seriously, can you?

What I learned last November was really important for me to learn: 

1.  Writing without editing at all is insanity for me, and the end result is fifty thousand words of crap and a lot of wasted hours followed by six weeks of writer's block, melodrama, and borderline depression.

2.  Writing for more than two hours at a time isn't good for me.  It uses me up.

3.  I prefer to write 10K of something good than 50K or 100K of rambling crap. 

A tiny bit of external pressure to finish the last nine chapters of my current WIP is not a terrible idea. It's actually perfect timing. 

I was going to start something new in June anyway ... or maybe rewrite something I may have written badly last November.  It's a beach story.  And I'll be at the beach.  How perfect is that?

My plan is to write for 1-2 hours a day every day without obsessing over word count.

If anyone else is doing this and wants to hang out in a virtual cabin with me, that would be super.  My user name is Tonja.

Is it just me, or would it be super fun to have a real gathering of writers at the beach next to the Tiki bar writing away while the kids swim and the ocean waves crash?  I don't think the beach will be electronics-friendly, so I think I'm going to need to kick it old school and use a journal on the beach and type on the balcony at night.  What could be better?

22 comments:

  1. I think there's another one already for June - BunMo or JunMo - something like that! Crap, now I need to decide which one...

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    1. You would thing a bunch of writers could come up with better names. :) My little guy is doing morning summer camp for 5 weeks this summer. 4 hours a day for 25 days. In theory, if I write instead of nap or clean while he's at camp, I should be able to write a lot this summer. It's all theoretical though.

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  2. I agree about writing quality over quantity. Why write crap? That's my new motto!

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    1. We should make banners with our new motto for our blogs.

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  3. I have thought about doing it again this year. Last year I had cabin members but no one would talk or write it seemed. Going to see if we can hang in the same cabin :)

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    1. I have just requested you for my cabin. I am only writing in August because my son will be down until then for summer break :)

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    2. That's awesome! My little guy will be in real summer camp for forty hours in August, so that should definitely give me time to write.

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  4. I've never done it but would like to try. But everytime something comes up.

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    1. Every time I sign up for one of these things, something bad happens. I'm mostly hoping it gives me motivation to write those last 10 chapters this month. If I do that and nothing else, it will be all good for me.

      I wrote one today, but still need to write 10. It's like in movies when they run down a hallway and it stretches out real long and they never seem to get to the end. With every chapter I write, I end up adding one.

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  5. I got one chapter written today at the local B&N coffee shop. I really like the chapter - I think I did a good job with tiny nuances. And it was a little funny leading up to the very unfunny and tragic ending. But I didn't get to the scene I wanted to get to - where the female character does something terrible. So I need to add a chapter... and I still have ten chapters to go.

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  6. I would love to sit at a tiki bar and write while the kids splash in the pool. That is brilliant. Although, it may be hard to write while I'm drunk and talking to my new friends.
    :)
    Give yourself more credit!
    You can do it!
    I believe in you!
    Happy Mother's Day!
    HMG

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    1. It didn't even occur to me I could drink while writing at the ocean. I was full pregnant last time we were there and only indulged in smoothies and ice cream.

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  7. wishing you best of luck with your camp. NaNo is a great tool for learning what works and what doesn't. I learnt that I actually do really well when I preplan my stories before I write them. Before NaNo I didn't do any outlining, but I realised to write that many words in such a short space of time I needed some planning. Now I plan/outline all the time! ehhehehe.

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    1. I learned not to write myself into a hole without pulling back and editing.

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  8. Good luck at camp. I tend to get more social than is good for me in situations like that. I think I tend to be more focused when I have solitude. Perhaps not though, I suppose it depends on a few things about how social I can be in groups.

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    1. I thought NaNo in November would have been very social. Most of the people in my area that were chatting were teens, so it was painful to even glance at the forums. Not that my teen is like that.... I didn't do any of the meets either. It was kind of anti-social for me.

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  9. I agree with all three of your points when it comes to my writing> Which is why I've never Nanoed.

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    1. LOL. I'm just going to NaNo my way. I just need a goal, but not so many rules.

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  10. The writing camp is a great idea, and I'm sure you'll get a lot accomplished without worrying about being homesick or contracting lice! Julie

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  11. Sounds like a great idea. Right now I'm suffering from the 'writing crap' syndrome. :) I hope to rework it all soon.

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    1. Have the faith and keep writing. I suddently starting writing good stuff again (at least I think I did...)

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