Anyone out there doing camp? I did the one in April and enjoyed the push to complete a project. It’s also opened the door to an online writer’s community I’ve stuck with.

Here’s how it works. You create a profile on the website for Camp NaNoWriMo and set your goals. You can choose to set a goal by word count, hours, chapters, and several other ways. Last time I did a word count to push me through finishing the first draft of my novel. This camp I’m setting a goal to help me finish editing the novel.

You can join a cabin (virtually of course), which sets you up with other writers. Together everyone encourages each other, sets up times to sprint, and uses the forum to ask questions. The system tracks your progress to help keep you on task as well. It starts on July 1^st and runs the entire month.

Did I mention this is totally free? Because it is.

What are my goals?

I mentioned editing. Holy beast of burden! I am cutting a lot of useless chapters/text/characters that were fun to write about but didn’t really propel the story forward. There are holes to fill, typos and grammar to fix, as well as a plot overhaul. My goal is to have a tightened up the second draft done by the end of July. I’m about halfway through.

Then I want to sit on it for a bit, get my bearings, and do a few side projects. After I’ve recovered (haha) I’ll jump back in with another read through before I send my story out to beta readers (first glance readers who let me know what they think).

I set a goal of 40 hours, which is under what I will probably do, but I like to think it’s all I need to get me to the end.

Hope you consider joining me! You don’t have to be a novelist. Bloggers are welcome. I schedule most of my blogs a month out, this is a great way to get ahead of yourself.

If you are interested in joining a writing community on Discord with me comment below or send me a message. I’m happy to send you the link. A lot of us do camp together.

Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash