Camp NaNoWriMo is next month!
Camp NaNoWriMo is an offshoot of National Novel Writing Month, which began in 1999 and takes place every November. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write at least 50,000 words in one month. All genres, even fan-fiction and meta-fiction, are welcome. Participants can sign up on the site, and they submit their writing at the end of the month to see if they've made the goal. The concept is to get the novel written. Do not worry about proofreading. Do not worry about editing. Do not worry about plot holes. Get. The novel. Down. Once the month is over, and the novel is actually written, then you can worry about making it into something readable.
NaNoWriMo originally took place in July before being moved to November "to more fully take advantage of the miserable weather." In 2011, however, the program's founder, Chris Baty, seemed to realize that July has its fair share of miserable weather.
(actual footage of me in July)Thus, Camp NaNoWriMo was born. It's a little different from traditional NaNoWriMo for a couple of reasons. First is that it takes place during a different time of year. Next, is that writers in the camp version can make their own word count goal. There is still the 50,000 word suggestion, but it is not a hard and fast rule like with National Novel Writing Month. Finally, writers can be assigned to "cabins," which function a bit like the forums in the original NaNoWriMo. They are meant to be a source of support. Once a writer is signed up for camp and has filled out a description of their writing project, they're assigned a cabin unless they indicate an alternative. Alternatives for random cabin mates include choosing not to be assigned to a cabin, starting one's own private cabin or wait to be invited into a private cabin, or setting parameters for what kind of cabin they want to be assigned to. Writers can choose to be assigned to a cabin with writers that have the same word count goals, writers similar in age or writers working on the same genre.
National Novel Writing Month, no matter when a writer wants to take part in it, has proven to be an effective program for both new and veteran writers. In the last 10 years, there have been approximately 100 NaNoWriMo novels that were published in traditional publishing houses. Notable works include Sara Gruen's "Water for Elephants," which was made into a film in 2011, Marissa Meyer's "Cinder" and Jason M. Hough's "The Darwin Elevator." Still more have been self-published or published by non-traditional means. If you've got a project you've been meaning to work on, next month is the time.
Good luck to this year's participants!
