Happy Wednesday Campers! Today’s post is going to be short and sweet because – let’s be real – we’re all freaking out a little bit about camp starting! If you’ve been following my packing lists, you should be pretty prepared for camp. You should have your inspiration fresh in your mind, you characters and plot well developed, and your outline ready to go. The only thing left is to figure out how you’re actually going to make time to actually do the writing or revising.
You might be thinking “I don’t know when I’m even going to have time to write this thing,” or “I work full time and am just too exhausted to write when I get home.” And those are both valid thoughts.
The truth is: writing can be a very solitary, isolating activity. Most of the time, it’s just you and your computer/notebook. Because it’s generally a personal activity, there’s no one else there giving you deadlines or checking up on you or asking you how your story is coming along. And that makes it much easier to skip a writing session, or a week, or quit altogether.
This week’s packing list is simple. It is a three-step process, and I know – from experience – that it can work.
1. The reason.
Why are you going to Camp? Why do you want to write? Why is it that you are committing your precious spare time to crafting a story? Figuring out WHY you want to write a novel, or screenplay, or whatever it is will help you stay committed more than anything or anyone else.
Drafters and Revisers: Think about and write down your reason for embarking on this adventure. There must be a reason you signed up. There must be a reason you’re reading this blog post. Your story is important, your words are important, your voice is important, and there’s something inside you that made you want to do this. What is it?
2. The accounta-buddies.
Before NaNoWriMo last November, I announced here on my blog that I was going to be participating. My main motivation in that was to have someone – anyone – to be accountable to. With family members asking me how my writing was going, or a friend saying “I saw you’re writing a novel!”, or having readers comment their support meant the world to me. And, it meant I would have a lot of explaining to do if I didn’t reach that 50k word count by the 31st.
Drafters and Revisers: Find accounta-buddies. Tell a family member, friend, or someone else IRL (in real life) what you’re doing this April. Your Cabin-mates and other friends on social media are there to support you too, but having someone who will look you in the eye and ask how much writing you have done is the best way to keep yourself accountable (unless you’re a liar, and then you’ve got other problems).
3. The schedule.
My opinion on scheduling is very much like my views on outlining and novel-planning in general: it’s important to make it, and have it there when you need it, but it’s okay to ignore it once in a while.
Drafters and Revisers: Making a schedule is simple: divide your word count goal by 30 days, and commit to writing that much every. single. day. Write your daily goal on every single day in your planner or on your calendar, or make a chart where you can cross off major checkpoints. Having a visual, quantifiable goal for every single day will help the large-number-goal seem more manageable, and it will also keep you on track (or aware of when you are falling behind).
Like I said – I think it’s okay to skip a day or two, knowing that those catch-up days can be brutal, and amazing, and stressful, and productive.
When it comes to actually making time to write or revise, all I can do is remind you to go back to your reason for wanting to do this. Is that reason more important than a night out? Or an extra hour of sleep? Or that series that just came on Netflix? If it is, then the answer is simple: you just choose writing. Every time. It’s all about making writing a priority, and in April, writing should be pretty high up on that list.
The last packing list!
This week, there’s only one packing list. Whether you’re a drafter or reviser, your tasks are the same! Click here or the image below to download the last packing list.
Packing List #5
If you’re looking for a space to talk about your work-in-progress or just find support, join the WBT Cabin Facebook Group! Click here or the image below to join.
To all my friends joining me at Camp NaNoWriMo in April, I wish you the best! May your words be plenty and your favorite pen full of ink.
