Well I can't believe that Camp NaNo is just around the corner! After a week and a half of planning, I could not be more excited! (: I think I'm going to be one of those crazy writers who start writing at midnight tonight just to officially get started. I've heard that this can't-wait-to-get-started-feeling usually goes away shortly after you begin, so I figure if it's going to go away early on anyway, I might as well ride it out. So if I pass the daily word goal, then I think I'll keep going if I still have more in my head to write. :) That way, when it becomes week 2 and I want to stop, I'll be able to realize I'm ahead of the game and continue. But maybe I'm just dreaming. :)
The official Camp NaNo website has officially been launched as well! You can check it out and fill out your information if you are planning on participating this summer! Here is the link.
And of course, I thought it was so awesome when I found this wallpaper just for July Camp NaNo 2011. Here is a link for you to check it out. :)
So acording to my countdown clock I have on my browser, we have..
17 hours, 19 minutes, and 42 seconds until Camp NaNo Begins!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
NaNo Goals
Well we are down to the last few days before NaNo. There are officially 2 more days before the madness begins. So instead of worrying about last minute planning, character sheets and outlines, I have actually had something more important on my mind. My goals for NaNo.
You see, a lot of people see NaNo and sign up, without any actual idea of what they hope to achieve from NaNo. Then, when they don't succeed at the 50,000 word count goal, they get frustrated and discouraged. Don't get me wrong, if I don't make it to the word count goal, I'm going to be disappointed for sure. But having goals set out and knowing what you expect to achieve from the experience can really help you keep your thoughts organized and not be too hard on yourself. I have actually never participated in NaNo before, so I'm what you would call a "NaNo Newbie". But here are my goals for this year's NaNo.
Have Fun- This one seems so simple, but a lot of people can easily forget that the entire experience is supposed to be fun. They get all stressed out and actually cause themselves more stress then joy. This year, I want to have fun and enjoy myself as I take on this new writing challenge.
Grow as a Writer- For me, this goal simply means that I grow in the area of writing. Writing everyday is a good way to grow as a writer, and that's exactly what I'll be doing. Writing, pushing myself, and growing. I want to be able to have a writing experience that I look back on and say, "You know, I think that experience really made me the better writer I am today."
Just Write- For one month, I am going to attempt to just write and ignore my inner editor. This means no editing anything during the month of July. Instead, I need to focus on getting my ideas down and writing. Anyone want to help keep me accountable?
Reach 50,000- I want to cross the finish line, so to speak. At the end of the month, on July 31st at Midnight, I want to be able to officially say I reached 50,000 words on my novel.
So for this year's NaNo, these are my goals. Personally, I don't think these goals are too hard or not achievable. In fact, I believe I can succeed at every one of my goals I listed. Sure, they will be difficult to achieve at times. But I know that if I try hard and I want this bad enough, I can do it. :)
If you are participating in Camp NaNo yourself in the month of July, I strongly caution you not to be too hard on yourself. Writing a novel in a month is hard! I mean, I don't have to be a NaNo Veteran to know that. Everyone says it is difficult, and no one said it was easy. But we can do this! People all over the world, every year, accomplish it. Who said we can't be one of the people to cross the finish line? :)
2 more days until NaNo begins!
You see, a lot of people see NaNo and sign up, without any actual idea of what they hope to achieve from NaNo. Then, when they don't succeed at the 50,000 word count goal, they get frustrated and discouraged. Don't get me wrong, if I don't make it to the word count goal, I'm going to be disappointed for sure. But having goals set out and knowing what you expect to achieve from the experience can really help you keep your thoughts organized and not be too hard on yourself. I have actually never participated in NaNo before, so I'm what you would call a "NaNo Newbie". But here are my goals for this year's NaNo.
Have Fun- This one seems so simple, but a lot of people can easily forget that the entire experience is supposed to be fun. They get all stressed out and actually cause themselves more stress then joy. This year, I want to have fun and enjoy myself as I take on this new writing challenge.
Grow as a Writer- For me, this goal simply means that I grow in the area of writing. Writing everyday is a good way to grow as a writer, and that's exactly what I'll be doing. Writing, pushing myself, and growing. I want to be able to have a writing experience that I look back on and say, "You know, I think that experience really made me the better writer I am today."
Just Write- For one month, I am going to attempt to just write and ignore my inner editor. This means no editing anything during the month of July. Instead, I need to focus on getting my ideas down and writing. Anyone want to help keep me accountable?
Reach 50,000- I want to cross the finish line, so to speak. At the end of the month, on July 31st at Midnight, I want to be able to officially say I reached 50,000 words on my novel.
So for this year's NaNo, these are my goals. Personally, I don't think these goals are too hard or not achievable. In fact, I believe I can succeed at every one of my goals I listed. Sure, they will be difficult to achieve at times. But I know that if I try hard and I want this bad enough, I can do it. :)
If you are participating in Camp NaNo yourself in the month of July, I strongly caution you not to be too hard on yourself. Writing a novel in a month is hard! I mean, I don't have to be a NaNo Veteran to know that. Everyone says it is difficult, and no one said it was easy. But we can do this! People all over the world, every year, accomplish it. Who said we can't be one of the people to cross the finish line? :)
2 more days until NaNo begins!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Hugging Jesus
Hey everyone! (:
We're busy people, let's face it. Yes, even us teenagers. We might not start off so busy, but then we fill up our schedules with school work, friends, going to the movies, phone calls, sports and NaNo. ;) Sometimes it can be hard just to sit quietly and focus on God. Even for a few moments a day. Why is this so difficult? Just like a close friend, he longs to spend time with you and can't wait to spend some time just with you. Think about this.
If you go to the movies with your friend who you have not seen in awhile, and your friend spends the entire time texting another friend, on the phone, or talking about another close friend they have..would you feel like your friend really cared enough to spend time with you? I know I would really be thinking about how well my friendship is doing if this was to happen. Now, you do need to keep in mind that God will never look you're relationship and decide someone would make a better friend. He loves you all so much that he keeps pursuing you. Beautiful, just beautiful.
So in a way, I have a challenge for you. Spend some time with Jesus. Just time alone. Even if it for 1 hour, 20 minutes, or 5 minutes of your day. God gave his Son to us, don't you think you should be able to give him 5 minutes of your day? Jesus speaks to us in different ways and he knows our heart. You never know, you just might get a hug from Jesus. :)
We're busy people, let's face it. Yes, even us teenagers. We might not start off so busy, but then we fill up our schedules with school work, friends, going to the movies, phone calls, sports and NaNo. ;) Sometimes it can be hard just to sit quietly and focus on God. Even for a few moments a day. Why is this so difficult? Just like a close friend, he longs to spend time with you and can't wait to spend some time just with you. Think about this.
If you go to the movies with your friend who you have not seen in awhile, and your friend spends the entire time texting another friend, on the phone, or talking about another close friend they have..would you feel like your friend really cared enough to spend time with you? I know I would really be thinking about how well my friendship is doing if this was to happen. Now, you do need to keep in mind that God will never look you're relationship and decide someone would make a better friend. He loves you all so much that he keeps pursuing you. Beautiful, just beautiful.
So in a way, I have a challenge for you. Spend some time with Jesus. Just time alone. Even if it for 1 hour, 20 minutes, or 5 minutes of your day. God gave his Son to us, don't you think you should be able to give him 5 minutes of your day? Jesus speaks to us in different ways and he knows our heart. You never know, you just might get a hug from Jesus. :)
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Almost Done Planning
Hey everyone! (:
So as I'm sure you all know, today is Saturday! Normally teens would be out hanging with their friends, watching a movie, hanging out and overall having fun on a Saturday afternoon, am I right? Well I am actually having a lot of fun! I might not be hanging out or seeing a movie(although I did do that last night) but I am having a lot of fun getting ready for NaNo next Friday. Here are some of the crazy but really fun things I have been doing to get ready for NaNo next Friday:
~ Writing outlines
~ Creating Character Sheets
~ Writing down random plot ideas
~ Doing daily writing exercises(Anywhere from 100 word to 4,000 word exercises)
~ Internet Research
~ Having phone calls, just on the topic of NaNo ;)
As you can see, I have been doing a lot of planning for NaNo. Normally when I sit down to write fiction I don't really spend a lot of time planning, I normally jump right in and hope everything goes well. But because of the huge size of this project I have decided to do some planning. Maybe too much planning that is.If you are jumping into NaNo yourself, you can choose to do some planning before you start, or jump right in. Every person has a little something different that works for them, try something and see how it works for you! The the planning part of NaNo can be a lot of fun. :) If you are currently in the crazy stage of planning for your novel, here are some tips I have learned:
Bring a Writers Notebook- This one is so important. If you don't already have a writers notebook hanging around the house, then find a good notebook to be able to bring with you everywhere. If you have to go run a few quick errands, bring your notebook and pen with you. This can save you a lot of valuable time later on. Last night while we were going to the movies, I had all these ideas for my novel and the way things should work. I had to write down some notes on my hand because I forgot my writers notebook! Don't let this happen to you. :)
Stay Organized- This one is actually an important but easy step when preparing for NaNo, or any other writing project. If you are working mainly on your computer, make sure to have a folder in your bookmarks for when you decide to bookmark websites. This can save you a lot of time later on so you don't have to dig through all your bookmarks! Also be sure to keep a folder on your computer with your different documents all related to NaNo. If you are working off of the computer, be sure to have a good few select notebooks for the task. This can save you a lot of time later!
Have a Friend- This one is so important in the planning stages, and during NaNo itself. You can't write an entire 50,000 word novel alone! Of course, you actually have to be the one writing the words, but there is no rule against having a friend be there to cheer you on! In fact, that is actually encouraged! If you don't have a close friend that loves to write, check out the NaNo website and there will be many people there ready to support you! Check that out here.
Have Fun- This is the most important point I want to make! Writing should be a fun experience. If you don't love to write, then NaNo might not be for you. Make sure to have fun during the planning stages, writing stages, and even the editing stages of writing. Writing should be a fun and stress free activity, not something that gives you more of a headache! :)
For those of you who are doing NaNo too, I hope these tips were helpful to you. :) You will be seeing(or reading) much more of me in the near future.
5 days left until NaNo!
So as I'm sure you all know, today is Saturday! Normally teens would be out hanging with their friends, watching a movie, hanging out and overall having fun on a Saturday afternoon, am I right? Well I am actually having a lot of fun! I might not be hanging out or seeing a movie(although I did do that last night) but I am having a lot of fun getting ready for NaNo next Friday. Here are some of the crazy but really fun things I have been doing to get ready for NaNo next Friday:
~ Writing outlines
~ Creating Character Sheets
~ Writing down random plot ideas
~ Doing daily writing exercises(Anywhere from 100 word to 4,000 word exercises)
~ Internet Research
~ Having phone calls, just on the topic of NaNo ;)
As you can see, I have been doing a lot of planning for NaNo. Normally when I sit down to write fiction I don't really spend a lot of time planning, I normally jump right in and hope everything goes well. But because of the huge size of this project I have decided to do some planning. Maybe too much planning that is.If you are jumping into NaNo yourself, you can choose to do some planning before you start, or jump right in. Every person has a little something different that works for them, try something and see how it works for you! The the planning part of NaNo can be a lot of fun. :) If you are currently in the crazy stage of planning for your novel, here are some tips I have learned:
Bring a Writers Notebook- This one is so important. If you don't already have a writers notebook hanging around the house, then find a good notebook to be able to bring with you everywhere. If you have to go run a few quick errands, bring your notebook and pen with you. This can save you a lot of valuable time later on. Last night while we were going to the movies, I had all these ideas for my novel and the way things should work. I had to write down some notes on my hand because I forgot my writers notebook! Don't let this happen to you. :)
Stay Organized- This one is actually an important but easy step when preparing for NaNo, or any other writing project. If you are working mainly on your computer, make sure to have a folder in your bookmarks for when you decide to bookmark websites. This can save you a lot of time later on so you don't have to dig through all your bookmarks! Also be sure to keep a folder on your computer with your different documents all related to NaNo. If you are working off of the computer, be sure to have a good few select notebooks for the task. This can save you a lot of time later!
Have a Friend- This one is so important in the planning stages, and during NaNo itself. You can't write an entire 50,000 word novel alone! Of course, you actually have to be the one writing the words, but there is no rule against having a friend be there to cheer you on! In fact, that is actually encouraged! If you don't have a close friend that loves to write, check out the NaNo website and there will be many people there ready to support you! Check that out here.
Have Fun- This is the most important point I want to make! Writing should be a fun experience. If you don't love to write, then NaNo might not be for you. Make sure to have fun during the planning stages, writing stages, and even the editing stages of writing. Writing should be a fun and stress free activity, not something that gives you more of a headache! :)
For those of you who are doing NaNo too, I hope these tips were helpful to you. :) You will be seeing(or reading) much more of me in the near future.
5 days left until NaNo!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Camp NaNoWriMo!!!
Hey everyone! (:
I know it has been forever since I posted here, and for that I really am sorry! I have thought back and forth about closing the blog down, but now that I have something to update the blog with, it will stay up. (: So you might have looked at the title, and went, "What the heck is that?" Kinda an odd title, huh? Well here is some background on Camp NaNoWriMo.
In order to have any idea what Camp NaNo is, you have to know what NaNo is in general. Here is a basic idea of this madness.
"National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30."
Now you see why I chose the word "madness"? It seem to fit the bill. Who is this for? Here is some more information taken from the site.
"NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved."
So now that you know a little more about what NaNo is, feel free to check out the official website here. So you might be wondering why I am telling you all about this. Well, I decided to participate this year. I wanted to participate in the actual NaNo last year, but found out about it too late. But you may have noticed that the actual NaNo is in November. That's a long time away. So as you can imagine, I was so excited to find out that they were starting a summer camp! Over the month of July and August, they will be having NaNo! (: Camp NaNo is exactly the same thing as NaNo, just being held in a different month then November. So I have officially jumped on the band wagon to participate in camp going on this next July.(next month) I decided that I will use my blog to keep everyone updated on how my word count and writing goals go. There is something about being help accountable that helps writers, well...write. I know we are about a week away or so now from "Camp" but if you want to join me in this insane madness, feel free to go ahead! But let me know you decided to join! I think this will be a lot of fun, but maybe I'm just crazy. Looking forward to keeping you all updated this next month. (:
Does anyone want to join me in this crazy month? If so, let me know using the contact form at the top of the blog, I would love to have someone to do this craziness with! :)
Here are some links you might find helpful when looking into NaNo:
Main Site: http://www.nanowrimo.org/
NaNo in a Nutshell: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3699214
Novel-Writing Guidelines: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/taxonomy/term/2536
I know it has been forever since I posted here, and for that I really am sorry! I have thought back and forth about closing the blog down, but now that I have something to update the blog with, it will stay up. (: So you might have looked at the title, and went, "What the heck is that?" Kinda an odd title, huh? Well here is some background on Camp NaNoWriMo.
In order to have any idea what Camp NaNo is, you have to know what NaNo is in general. Here is a basic idea of this madness.
"National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30."
Now you see why I chose the word "madness"? It seem to fit the bill. Who is this for? Here is some more information taken from the site.
"NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved."
So now that you know a little more about what NaNo is, feel free to check out the official website here. So you might be wondering why I am telling you all about this. Well, I decided to participate this year. I wanted to participate in the actual NaNo last year, but found out about it too late. But you may have noticed that the actual NaNo is in November. That's a long time away. So as you can imagine, I was so excited to find out that they were starting a summer camp! Over the month of July and August, they will be having NaNo! (: Camp NaNo is exactly the same thing as NaNo, just being held in a different month then November. So I have officially jumped on the band wagon to participate in camp going on this next July.(next month) I decided that I will use my blog to keep everyone updated on how my word count and writing goals go. There is something about being help accountable that helps writers, well...write. I know we are about a week away or so now from "Camp" but if you want to join me in this insane madness, feel free to go ahead! But let me know you decided to join! I think this will be a lot of fun, but maybe I'm just crazy. Looking forward to keeping you all updated this next month. (:
Does anyone want to join me in this crazy month? If so, let me know using the contact form at the top of the blog, I would love to have someone to do this craziness with! :)
Here are some links you might find helpful when looking into NaNo:
Main Site: http://www.nanowrimo.org/
NaNo in a Nutshell: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3699214
Novel-Writing Guidelines: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/taxonomy/term/2536
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