Have you heard of Camp Nanowrimo? How about just Nanowrimo? If you think I’m talking gibberish, don’t worry, you’re normal. If the word ‘nanowrimo’ fills you with fond and sleepy memories, then you’re probably a word nerd like me.
Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write an entire novel, or at least 50,000 words, during the month of November. It’s both fun and grueling. Nanowrimo is a great push to get that novel (or other type of writing) you’ve been telling yourself you’re going to write out on paper. One of the best parts is the community. And the word count goals. I’m always a sucker for sticker charts.
Camp Nanowrimo is like the little sister of Nanowrimo. It takes place in both April and July, and the rules are a little more lax. Here’s how the website describes it:
Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writer’s retreat, designed for maximum flexibility and creativity. We have Camp sessions in both April and July, and we welcome word-count goals between 30 and 1,000,000. In addition, writers can tackle any project they’d like, including new novel drafts, revision, poetry, scripts, and short stories.
Nanowrimo attracts a community that is interested mainly in writing novels, which is great. We could always use some more novels in the world. But I think the community and the writing goals are beneficial for other types of writing, too. The flexibility of Camp Nanowrimo is perfect for blogging. This year, I’m participating as a way to push myself to write 40 blog posts during the month of April. Much of the advice I’ve heard from more experienced bloggers is that it’s important to write ahead, so that’s just what I’m planning on doing.
Of course, Camp Nanowrimo is great even if you don’t have a blog. Last year, I participated in order to work on the book I gave my husband on our wedding day. Proof that you don’t have to be a novelist to participate.
Why you should do Camp Nanowrimo
Motivation
There’s something incredibly motivating about the community and the word count goals. Each day that you write, you update your word count and watch yourself get closer to your goal, whether it’s by 15 words or 2,000. I love seeing the statistics.
Community
Community comes in two forms. There are ‘cabins’ you can participate in, which are essentially just forums of less than 19 people. I also love to follow along on social media and hear about how everyone else is doing. There’s also not a lot of writers in my day-to-day life. Writing has always felt like an incredibly private thing to me, but sometimes it’s just nice to share that experience with other people.
Focus
Reaching your goal takes incredible focus, and I find that the challenge, the daily emails, and the pep talks help me to work on my projects with more focus than I would have if I had just decided to do it myself. It’s easier to stay focused when you know there’s an end date, too. Turning down those coffee dates doesn’t feel so bad.
Projects you could work on
Write a reservoir of blog posts before summer
Fun things always come up in the summer and get in the way of blogging. If you have a reservoir of posts already written that you can pull from, that last minute trip to the lake won’t throw you off your blogging goals.
Create a free resource for your subscribers
Chances are, you could probably work on your email list. Have you been intending to put something together for a while and just haven’t found the time? This is the perfect opportunity to create one or two lead magnets.
Write an eBook
Writing an eBook doesn’t have to be as scary as it sounds. This is something you can definitely whip out in a month if you stay focused. If you have one that you’ve been intending to write, now’s the time.
Write a Course
Maybe you’ve been intending to create a course on how to blog or how to make your home more green. This would be a great opportunity to get that done before the busy summer months.
Start a Podcast
You can work on your title, outlines for posts, a synopsis on what your podcast is going to be about, and so much more.
Improve your writing—even if you don’t have a product to show for it
There have been a few times when I’ve participated in Nanowrimo and have had nothing to show for it. That’s not to say that I didn’t complete my word count. I did! But nothing happened with all 50,000 of the words I wrote, and that’s okay. The best way to improve your writing is by writing.
Probably you think I’m trying to sell you something. I’m not. Camp Nanowrimo is totally free, though you can donate if you’d like. I just really, really like the program. 🙂 Oh, and if you win (aka reach your goal), you get discount codes for some neat writing resources.
If you decide to participate in Camp Nanowrimo, leave a comment and let me know! I would love to add you to my cabin!
