I know I bang on about NaNoWriMo and its summer offerings in Camp NaNo, but I’m going to do it again. Today is the N day and it seemed an appropriate time to bang this drum again.
I’m sure you know all about the National Novel Writing Month. You have to write 50,000 words in the one calendar month. This year the two Camp NaNo competitions let you choose your total word-count targets. A nice touch, though I’m going to stay with the 50,000.
Why do this?
To push yourself. My J post was about Just Do It, if you want to write a novel, work out how to find the time to do it. Sure, it might take you two years to write that first draft, but at least you’ll be writing.
Well, NaNoWriMo lets you get a massive kick-start to a new writing project.
Last August, I wrote the first 50,000 words to my other WIP: A Scream in the Woods and I finished the draft later in September. Without NaNo I doubt whether I would have even started writing it. The competition, the announcement on my blog that this is what I planned to do, all spurred me on to complete the draft.
I wonder what they thought when the first NaNo took place in 1999 and just 21 people entered the competition. Did they even dare to dream that by 2011, the number of participants would swell to over 250,000 and over 35,000 of those would complete the challenge?
This year I plan on taking part in the July edition of Camp NaNo. I will write the sequel to my Police Procedural. I have a title, but I’m not sharing that with you yet. As soon as I have finished the third draft of I Can See You, I will start planning my next one. I know that even if I don’t hit the 50,000 target, I hope to break the back of the first draft. At least get into a good daily writing routine.
NaNoWriMo is good like that.
So, will you be one of the 2013 participants? Are you Camping right now?
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This is my N post for the A to Z Blogging Challenge. A list of all my A to Z Blogging Challenge posts are to be found here.
Today my photographs are from the Natural History Museum. I headed to London to see Prince at the 02 back in August 2007. Before the concert I took in some sights and this was one of the main items on my list as I’ve always wanted to go and see the Dinosaurs.
Pete Denton 
Beautiful photos of the Natural History Museum!. Good luck with Camp NaNo Pete!
Thanks, Julie. I wish we had a hallway for that Dinosaur 🙂
I’ve not joined in NaNoWriMo and I’m not sure that April is a good time to be convincing Pete 🙂 With another gaggle of posts to write for A to Z it’s difficult to think that far ahead.
We visited the National Museum when we were in London a few years ago but mainly to see the Annual Photographic Competition which was superb. I did think at the time how much my grandchildren would love the dinosaurs though 🙂
Bizarrely, I’ve been thinking a lot about NaNoWriMo whilst doing the AtoZ and wishing I were writing another novel rather than having to think up 26 blog posts!
I think it’s one of the must visit places when you’re in London. And the dinosaurs are for children of all ages 😉
Nanowrimo is an amazing way to just do it, for sure. I’ve not tried the camps, but I’ve completed the November challenge twice. Great pics of the museum, I bet Prince was awesome 🙂
Prince was awesome. Seen him 4 times now and each time he was fabulous.
I’ve only done last August’s Camp NaNo, but will do July and if I’m feeling mad enough, I might do November as well 🙂
I did one NaNo in the proper November time – dog’s dinner really – still haven’t gotten a grip on it BUT I did my 50 thou. I did another with BuNo (Burrowers’ Novel Writing Month) last year and am very happy with that – I actually kept going and finished the sucker and am now in my third or fourth revision (who knows?) So it’s a wash for me I guess. I am so totally a seat-of-the-pants writer with not the slightest bit of planning before I jump right into the story – that can be a bit tough with a nano but hey! It’s all writing, neh?
I don’t think I could do a NaNo without planning so well done for that. And any writing is good, exercises the brain.
Good luck with the revisions. 🙂
I’ve done NaNoWriMo in the past and was successful two out of the three years I participated. I’m doing CampNaNo this year as well with a word count of only 30,000 and finding I can definitely write 1000 words per day! Great post!
Thanks, Julianne. I like the fact you can set a revised word-count this year. Good look with Camping 🙂
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I am camping now, I set my word count at 20,000 words. I like the concept of cabins even though, I went through three quiet cabins, before I ended up in one that actually wants to talk and write.
Other than two people who commented, my cabin was quiet last year. I preferred that to be honest, I just wanted to keep my head down and write.
Enjoy your camping 🙂
N … for
NaNoWriMo is a popular topic today.
Denise at Organization and Inspiration for Fellow Writers, participant of A to Z Blogging Challenge
Denise Reashore on Facebook
NaNoWriMo is popular today isn’t it? Deserves it too 🙂
50K words! I’m reeling. Good luck!
Thanks. I think this A to Z Challenge is harder even though it’s fewer words. I’m hoping to do the 50k in July. Hoping 🙂
My N was NaNoWriMo also! I think it’s such a fantastic event. I’ve done it for ten years now, and even though I haven’t finished every time, it’s never been a bad idea to try for it!
Wow, 10 years is very impressive. Leave me a link to your blog. I only get to your gravatar from your image.
I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo for the past two years, although I have yet to finish. It’s been challenging to commit to that much writing with two jobs and a family, but each year I manage to do a little more. If nothing else, it forced me to get all my ideas down in a layout and gave me the gumption to keep going and know I could do it. Someday my novel will be done, but that someday is definitely sooner than later thanks to NaNo.
Excellent. Anything that gets us into a writing routine. I know what you mean about life getting in the way. NaNo seems to be good for most of us.
Good luck finishing your book!
Beautiful pictures. I did Nano in 2011, but didn’t finish. I finally finished my WIP in June and then have been working on editing it ever since. I might try Nano again this year.
Thanks.
Well done for continuing on after NaNo to compete your draft. A lot of people give up completely so happy editing 🙂
Definitely a smart thing to do capitalising on last years NaNoWriMo and backing up again this year . Love the dinosaur. You might enjoy this novel http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6457081-remarkable-creatures?auto_login_attempted=true
I’m going to try at least one NaNo a years for a while. Thanks for the link. I’ll check it out when I get in.
Pete I’ve decided to do NaNo this Nov. I had no idea what I was going to do.
But as I’ve gone through the AtoZ it’s made me think that Lizzy might work as a book… What do you think… o wise one…? 😀
auntyamo
http://ficticiousamo.wordpress…
I’d give it a go. You have her voice and if you have some more adventures for her to get into, go for it. 🙂
http://elegsabiff.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/yay-i-got-an-award-and-now-i-get-to-give-you-one/
Thanks for the nomination. 🙂
I almost wrote about he Natural History Museum today! That place is amazing, as much for the exhibits as the architecture. 🙂
It is a beautiful place and great exhibits. Would have been worthy as a post. 🙂
I’ve started NanoWriMo twice and never finished. November is just not the month for me to write a first draft. One day, though, one day. I’ve written a first draft in 4 months, but never in 30 days. I want to know how anyone has that kind of time. I did write 40,000 words in a day once when my brain wouldn’t stop in the middle of my novel. So I guess it is possible. Just gotta get those ole brain juices flowing. Great Post! I’m 794 on the list, if it hasn’t changed.
Thanks for your visit. I’ll swing by later.
They do the July one this year if that’s a better fit. It is a lot to do in a month, but even if you don’t hit the target, it can help with the draft.
Happy writing 🙂
I’d like to do NaNo one day.
I went to that museum ages ago, not during my last London trip though. It’s spectacular.
Sure is a great place. Enjoy NaNo’ing whenever you decide to take part. Intense fun. 🙂
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You sure have me thinking about July! And what you are doing here with the A-Z challenge, well, I am speechless but enjoying them all.
Thanks. This challenge is I tough. I hope July NaNo is easier. 🙂
Hi Pete, you’re posting some great AtoZs, good luck for the remainder of the month. I also like the inclussion of the photos in each post too. Last November’s NaNoWriMo was my first, and only hit the 50k finsih line after 11pm on the November 30. It was a great experience for me pushing out 1000+ words a day after spending the last two years editing a WIP to death. Like you described in one of your posts I allowed myself to leave in adverbs and other “stubs” as I call them to go back later to fix and correct. My goal is to have the NaNoWriMo 50k words to a first draft of 90k by the end of June.
Thank you. The photos were a last minute idea, but seem to have gone down well.
I always say timing is everything so you utilised all November to hit the 50K 🙂
Good luck with finishing your first draft. 🙂
I wonder if that would work for me. Another thing to ponder.
After this challenge I’m really looking forward to a break and then plan July. It’s driving me to write more.