Camp NaNoWriMo

Well, I accidentally committed myself to writing a novel this summer... Yeah, don't ask. 

I know I've blogged about NaNoWriMo and ScriptFrenzy before, so now it's time for me to talk about CampNaNoWriMo.

CampNaNo is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It's a month of noveling madness right in the middle of  the summer (or winter if you're way-down-south). Last year, Camp was held in two sessions, one in July and one in August. You could pick either month (or both!) to write a novel in. 

I chose July because it fit into my schedule, and took 31 days to write most of a novel. It was called To Be Human Again, and was about a vampire traveling cross-country with a pickpocket on a quest to find a mad scientist who might be able to cure him of his vampirism. It was a lot of fun to write, even if it never actually got finished.

This year, camp is being held in two sessions again, but instead of back-2-back camp, one session will be held in August, and one will be held in June. As in, this June. As in, next week. Yikes!

Am I ready to write a novel next week? No, of course not. I'm never 100% ready when I head into a project like this. But really, that's part of the fun of it. I love when I start out with just a vague idea and get to watch a real story unfold before my eyes as I write. Doesn't that make my procrastination sound really awesome? I swear I'm not lazy, I'm inspiring!

At least I already have my vague idea for this summer's novel. I took a mini road trip to Cedar Point, and I got the idea to write about a haunted amusement park. I know, how very unlike me... I've been hashing out ideas on my own and bouncing them off of my boyfriend, who apparently enjoys listening to me ramble on and on. Go figure. I'm thinking that this story will be something like The Beast meets Freaks (1932).

Ideas are forming, characters are starting to emerge. I won't be 100% ready to write a novel come next week, but I think I'll be able to make most of it up as I go along.

So, wish me luck! And more importantly, it's not too late to sign up to write your own novel! Just go to www.campnanowrimo.org (or click on my banner link) and start writing!

Get excited campers!

EDIT:    If you'd like to support this wonderful event (and more like it), you can donate to CampNaNoWriMo's parent org, The Office of Letter and Light. Or, if that's not really your thing, there's a ton of really cool camp merch in the shop, so check it out!