Summer Writing Blues #AuthorUpdate #amwriting

Summer is in full swing! Many of you are currently on vacation or have plans for a nice summer escape whether its traveling somewhere or staying at home to simply turn the pages of a good book. Or maybe both!

My favorite part of summer is lounging outside on a comfy porch swing and reading the day away. Honestly, though, I haven't had much opportunity for such luxuries. My kids are keeping me rather busy this summer. Busier than most other summers.

And, oh, how my writing has suffered as a result! I barely wrote a word for the entire month of June! It's been constant chaos and noise (varying from laughter to crying, depending on which of my  children are getting along and which are fighting). I have 4 children (ages 2, 6, 9, & 11). Then there's swimming lessons, kid's craft workshops, Scouting activities, trips to the library and local museums and summer camps. I'm also working with my oldest this summer to prepare him for the upcoming school year. Last year, he struggled with his grades and I don't want him to suffer the summer slide that the teachers tell me often happens to students during vacation.

Needless to say, my typical writing during the baby's nap time schedule has gone with the summer wind. I resorted to writing at night again, after the kids go to bed, but I continue to struggle with this time frame since I tend to fall asleep early. Really, I love them dearly, but my kids exhaust me! Since writing at night isn't working to my liking, my next option is negotiating with them.




Maybe this will work...

"If Mommy doesn't get any writing time, 

then kids don't get any PlayStation time."

I haven't dared implement this...yet. It's my secret weapon. I'm still trying to figure out which part of the day I'm going to squeeze in a writing hour or two before I make my demands.

Also, to encourage me to buckle down and make this work, I've joined Camp NaNo. With the summer Nano, I can choose my own word count goal to suit my needs and change it as I see fit. I can also choose my own type of writing project. I've started a new novel. Realistically, I know that I won't be able to churn out 50k so I've shaved that in half for a goal of 25k this month. I'm hoping that will give me a nice chunk to begin and I can continue on in August.

I did well enough last week. This week, I've faltered. The Summer Writing Blues hit.

No time. No quiet. No escape. 

However, I know I won't give up. I've tried to in the past, it just doesn't stick. So, I'll figure it out. It might take me all summer, but I'll find my precious writing time. Even if I have to resort taking 5 to 15 minute sprints I used to write when my two oldest boys were toddlers.

I'll make it work. 

That's what writers do. 

Happy Reading!

Tricia

Camp NaNoWriMo 2014

Time for camp! Get out the smore's and gather around the campfire to tell your stories. Join the campers in Camp NaNoWriMo to get your novel written. Don't know about camp? Here's a little info from their website:

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to creative writing. Participants work toward the goal of writing a 50,000-word draft during the month of November. Valuing enthusiasm, determination, and a deadline, NaNoWriMo is for anyone who has ever thought fleetingly about writing a novel.

Camp NaNoWriMo is a more open-ended version of our original November event. We have Camp sessions in both April and July, and we welcome word-count goals between 10,000 and 1,000,000. In addition, writers may attempt non-novel projects. Camp is a creative retreat for whatever you’re working on!

Sounds like fun, right? I enjoy participating in Camp NaNo more than the November version. First, because November is inevitably a busy time as I get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas and other family-related events that take most of my attention away from writing. Not that I don't write, but there's so much more to distract me.

Second, I love the fact that we can pick our own word-count for camp. I love challenging myself, but sometimes 50k in one month is just a bit much. On an average day, I can easily write between 500 - 1,000 words. I'm comfortable with that. There are those great days when I can hammer out 2,000 a day. I love those days! But, with a family of young children (ages 3, 6, & 8), I'm pulled away from my writing by their needs. Sometimes to settle disputes (fighting over toys!) or sometimes just because they need cuddle time (I adore hugs!). This year my word count goal is 30,000 words. I'd like to go a little higher, but I tend to get easily discouraged when I see that I'm falling behind in my word count goal. If I can keep to 1k a day, I'll be happy. 

Since I write every day anyway, why do I bother signing up for camp? I enjoy chatting with other writers. Writing can be a very solitary existence. There aren't too many people who can understand a writer's fears & struggles, joys & triumphs. It's great to connect with like-minded people just so we don't feel alone. And in the past, I've made great friends by connecting with other NaNo participants.

If you aren't ready for April, there's another camp session in July. I'll probably participate in both since I have an abundance of story ideas floating around. :)

You can check my progress here.

Happy Writing!  

April Camp NaNoWriMo

Is it summer already? Not quite. But, that's okay if you're a writer. To my mind, any month is a great time to write. And joining thousands of other writers during a month-long sprint makes a solitary job not so lonely anymore.

Welcome Camp NaNoWriMo!

 

This year camp begins in April. I've been assigned my cabin and I've met my cabin mates. They all seem a decent sort, although two of them are shy and don't chat much. Or maybe they're too busy writing instead of finding ways to procrastinate!

I like to participate in these writing events. It pushes me to write more everyday and I meet many great people, too. It's a bond we share that non-writers just don't understand.

Okay, so the details for those who might not be familiar with NaNoWriMo...

What is Camp NaNoWriMo?

I think it's best explained from their website...

Based on November’s National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), Camp NaNoWriMo provides the online support, tracking tools, and hard deadline to help you write the rough draft of your novel in a month… other than November!

Camp NaNoWriMo was established in 2011 as a project of the Office of Letters and Light, the parent 501(c)(3) nonprofit to National Novel Writing Month and the Young Writers Program. 2013 Camp sessions will take place in April and July.

What: Writing a novel from scratch in one month’s time.

Who: You! (And about 20,000 other novelists around the world.) Let’s write some perhaps-awful, but definitely lengthy, prose together.

Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties.

When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster. Writing begins at 12:00 AM on April 1, and again on July 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach your word-count goal by 11:59 PM on the last day of the month. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

Here's another detail I was unaware of this time around at camp...

We can choose our own word count! That's right! You're not obligated to reach 50,000 words to finish a novel. This is great news for short story writer's! I've picked 40k this month. But, I've seen others set their goals from 20k to 60k. From what I understand any goal from 10,000 to 999,999 is acceptable.

So mark your calendars if you missed April's camp (I know I'm late getting this post out, my apologies) and make sure you sign up for July! I'll bring extra chocolate for the smores and we can entertain each other at the campfire telling our fantastic tales.

Summer Writing Camp

Yesterday was the official start of the August 2012 Camp NaNoWriMo! I've only just learned of this event in mid-July so I had some time to develop a story idea to write. To be honest, I went through 3 ideas before I settled on this one. I had 2 dreams that worked really great for stories, but I needed more time to flesh them out a bit, so I'm setting them aside for future projects.

Now for this month, I'm continuing to explore the Merriweather Witches. If all goes well, the first draft of Book 4 will be finished by August 31! And while I'm at it, I might just keep going with Book 5 in November. I actually have ideas for seven or more individual books all dealing with Merriweather siblings and their friends. So far, I've gotten a wonderful response about the first two which are published by The Wild Rose Press. Readers are asking for more! Well, I aim to please!

For those of you who haven't heard about NaNoWriMo (short for National Novel Writing Month), the idea is to finish writing a 50,000 word novel in a month. This takes place every November since 2000. Camp NaNoWriMo is a newer event and takes place during the summer months of  June and August.

If anyone would care to track my progress, you can find me in my cabin with my writing pals. We'll be sipping icy sweet tea while we type on our laptops in between eating smores by the fireside. Oh, I hope they have bug spray!