It’s the first day of Camp NaNoWriMo and I wish I could say it was a strong start. I didn’t want to write today, but I made myself a cup of cocoa with mini marshmallows and did get some words in!
Because I wrote the first draft of this novel during NaNoWriMo, it is very much a bare bones draft. For me, this means a plot arc, main characters, and a lot of dialogue. Exposition and secondary characters are where this draft falls short, so I am definitely keeping those things in mind during camp.
Revision has been an intimidating, overwhelming, confusing process for me as a writer. It feels like the messy part of writing. You have to be actively looking for things that you haven’t done well, and how you can make your story better. It takes humility, patience, and hard work.
I also think that revision is not taught, written about, or talked about as much as story structure, character creation, and draft writing. Despite doing a lot of research on revision, it still seems like this ethereal process that just happens.
And so, as I focus this month on revision, I want to share what that actually looks like day by day. I think it can look drastically different from person to person, day to day, and story to story. My hope is that by simply documenting what revision consists of each day, I will gain a better understanding of what it is I’m actually doing.
Day 1: Revision looks like drafting a new prologue.
This month, I will be writing a few more of these “Letters from Camp NaNoWriMo”, and sharing them here on the blog as a way to stay accountable. Hopefully the rest of them will be a little more interesting after a full week of writing (and not just one day!).
If you are participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this month, I hope you had a great first day! I am cheering for you.
Which part of writing is most natural for you? Plot structure, drafting, dialogue, revision, etc.? Let’s chat in the comments!
