Camp NaNoWriMo


Writing a book. It's hard work. In fact, it can be A LOT of hard work. Writing long chapters, exploring different elements and characters - not to mention reading over your work and editing. It can all be a long winded process that can take you months or years even. So... writing a book in a month? 
It sounds way too crazy to be true
It sounds way too crazy to be true. But thanks to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), it's actually a real thing. The main NaNo event takes place in November, where writers all across the globe can come together and do their best to write as much as they can in a month. The standard word goal set is 50,000 words because that's the minimum requirement for a novel. That's 1666 words of writing per day! 
However, sometimes November is too busy of a month to write, or sometimes, you have another story you want to push out quickly. That's where Camp NaNoWriMo comes in. 
It takes place twice a year
It takes place twice a year. This year, the first one already happened in April, the second one takes place this month. People head on over to campnanowrimo.org where they make a commitment to write a certain amount of words on a project and take part in the event. The website is good as it contains many forums full of advice, youtube videos for LIVE write-alongs and they also assign you a 'cabin'. A cabin is a group of NaNoWriMo writers who get put together during that entire month. It's like a group chat. Think of your cabin like you support group. You share ideas with each other, offer opinions and most importantly, help each other get through that stressful month! It's a great way to make friends and send encouragement if someone is going through an "I hate my entire book why am I writing this" stage. 
If you don't believe it's actually possible to write a book in a month, here's a list of well known published books that were actually written or at least started during NaNoWriMo: 
If you don't believe it's actually possible to write a book in a month, here's a list of well known published books that were actually written or at least started during NaNoWriMo: 
FANGIRL BY RAINBOW ROWELL
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS BY SARA GRUEN 
THE NIGHT CIRCUS BY ERIN MORGENSTERN 
CINDER, SCARLET, AND CRESS BY MARISSA MEYER 
WOOL BY HUGH HOWEY
THE DARWIN ELEVATOR BY JASON M. HOUGH
That's right! All these books were once NaNoWriMo ideas that expanded into what they are today. If these authors can do it, why not you?   
NaNoWriMo is the best way to connect with other authors, gain wisdom, and support as well as help you reach those pesky deadlines! I wrote my novel 'Dissolution' during a NaNoWriMo and I can confidently say it was one of the best feelings ever to push out a new chapter almost every day and type that final sentence. It was also a bit of a daunting feeling like, "Oh my God. I just wrote a book in a month without barely stopping. Is it actually any good?" The mixed emotions had me like: 
However, I once read an amazing quote that said:  "In the first draft, your job is to tell yourself the story, and in the second draft, your job is to tell others the story
However, I once read an amazing quote that said:  "In the first draft, your job is to tell yourself the story, and in the second draft, your job is to tell others the story."
So the best advice I could give anyone who plans on writing a novel in a month is: Don't stop. Don't question things. Just keep writing. If you start to look over your work and worry about small things, you'll never get your book done in a month. Instead, spend the month focusing solely on just getting it finished. Editing and reviewing can come later. 
If you can't participate in the month's Camp NaNoWriMo or it's too late, don't worry! You can still get yourself ready for the main NaNoWriMo event in November or even make your own little NaNoWriMo event just for yourself, setting any word count you'd like.
If you are participating this month like me, I wish you the best of luck and I hope that you reach your word count. If not, never worry. As long as you've made an attempt, that's plenty. 
Writing a book in a month can be terrifying, horrific, stressful, worrying, annoying, tiring and many more emotions, but it can also be very rewarding. Fight through the pain for your victory, then it'll all be worth it. 

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