April 1st is nearly upon us, which can mean only one thing, right? What, no I don’t mean the day when you make fool of all your family and friends – well, it is, but no, it is also the beginning of this years writing marathons; Camp NaNoWriMo.
It’s easy to think: “What’s the point of taking part in a writing month, when the ‘real deal’ takes place in November?”
It’s true that NaNoWriMo is much more popular than it’s summer alternatives, so at times it can be difficult to find the support base (if you find one at all) to help get you through the month. Which, of course, often means that you need to move forward on your own motivation, but there are immense benefits, but the most important way to look at is, is as a:
Introduction to NaNoWriMo
For a lot of writers – including those who have done it before – the sheer notion of writing 50,000 words in just 30-days is just mind-numbingly, well, we often believe that it is not going to happen. The truth is, it is possible to do, but yep, it takes a lot of hard-work, dedication and a support-unit is always helpful.
However, despite the lack of support (although, don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot of support, it’s just very different and on a much smaller scale), Camp NaNoWriMo should be seen as a “light” version of the main event. Why? Because you get full control of how many words you choose to have as your overall monthly goal.
Sure, many writers do choose to work towards 50,000 words, and some crazy so-and-so’s (who I have a lot of respect for) even go a lot high higher than that, but if the idea of writing 50,000 words puts you into a mild state of panic, then don’t feel pressurised into doing that. If you don’t want to jump in with both feet, that is okay, and no one will judge you. If you feel more comfortable dipping your toes in, to test the water and see how well you can do initially – that is absolutely fine.
Personally, I did 15,000 words for Camp NaNoWriMo in 2013, and I managed to whip that out in just over two weeks, whilst other months it could take me the entire month to get that many words out – so, I guess you just have to trust yourself and your instincts.
Another awesome thing about Camp NaNoWriMo is that you don’t even have to write a novel, if you don’t want to: perhaps you are working on a script, or a book of poetry – work on whatever you like, because it all counts!
So what are you waiting for? Get yourself signed up and I will see you at the starting line first thing tomorrow ;)
