I cannot believe that it has been three weeks since my last post.

I could use the typical excuses of being extremely busy. I do have a major project at work that has kept me on my toes. However, as a dear friend once pointed out, one should always make time for writing if writing is what one loves.

Which is why I am participating in Camp NaNoWriMo in July.

For those unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), it is a month (November) set aside where individuals will write a novel in a one month’s time. Camp NaNoWriMo is very similar to what goes down in November, but with a bit more emphasis on fun and keeping writers writing, even during the busy summer months.

I have always (and by always, I mean, ever since I became familiar with this challenge) wanted to give it a try, but truth be told? I always claimed I was too busy, or I didn’t have a fleshed out idea in mind.

The real truth is I was too scared to try, because if I tried and didn’t succeed, I would fail.

Which is completely silly when you think about it.

My goal is to write at least 50,000 words for a potential novel. I am in an online cabin with a few friends to help keep me on task, and I them. That’s it. So why does that seem so daunting?

To me, it is probably because I grow far too attached to my ideas (or as I call them, my potential bestsellers because I like to dream big 😉 and that attachment honestly hinders my work on them. I’m so scared I’ll mess up the story lines or destroy my carefully crafted characters that I do them an even larger disservice: I don’t even grant them life in the first place.

Which is why I’m sucking it up and doing Camp NaNoWriMo.

Me, myself, and I sat down around a cup of coffee and discussed how the three of us were going to accomplish this.

Me was freaking out, but myself calmed her down and told her to remember to just have fun with it. As I pointed out, that’s why you write in the first place-because you enjoy it. Because you have something to say. Because above all, it is just fun to tell a story.

The three of us also agreed that we would come up with a new story idea, fresh and with no strings attached, to eliminate hours of agonizing over…everything. Plus, creating a story idea that we haven’t completely fallen in love with would eliminate not placing the invisible pressure of wanting it to be the most excellent piece of literature since Judy Blume. Avoiding that pressure will help us focus on what the camp is all about. What the camp and writing should be about: FUN.

The camp officially kicks off July 1st, so we might experience another month of distance on here. I promise I’ll try to post updates, and of course whatever things life throws at me will force me to share my ramblings on here either way.

If you would like to join my cabin, or participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, please visit https://campnanowrimo.org for additional details!

Sincerely,

The Shoe