I’m going to Camp NaNoWriMo this Summer

NaNoWriMo Camp Participant

The thought of being locked in a wooden cabin with 11 other people for a month, fills this introvert with dread. But luckily Camp NaNoWriMo in July … is a virtual camp, so I’ll enjoy every minute.

NaNoWriMo Camp Participant

What is Camp NaNoWriMo?

Camp NaNoWriMo is a virtual writer’s retreat, designed for maximum flexibility and creativity. We have Camp sessions in both April and July, and we welcome word-count goals between 30 and 1,000,000. In addition, writers can tackle any project they’d like, including new novel drafts, revision, poetry, scripts, and short stories.

What is Camp NaNoWriMo

My plan is to write a Collection of Poetry based around the people I’ve met, and experiences I’ve had since relocating to Turkey. I’ve got a load of ideas stored up, and am using June to get an approach together, and will be ready to hit the ground running (and writing) in July.

I’ve set myself a 12,000 word target .. which means if I can write a 400 word poem each day for a month, I’ll be able to exceed that target.

And once the words are written – I’d love to throw together a few pen and ink illustrations based on the content of the poems. Not sure if my head (and creativity will be up for it) … but you’ll find out when you download the book in August!

Now please excuse me while I go off and read the Cautionary Tales for Children, by Hilaire Belloc for inspiration.

Verses by H. BELLOC
Opening lines of Henry King

Once, just once, I entered a school poetry reading contest … reading this poem “Henry King” by Hilaire Belloc. I enjoyed the rehearsals at home. It was during the miners strikes in the ’70s, and with no TV or lights available, I performed my poetry to my parents, brother and pets by candle light.

I loved the poem and was excited to perform it.

Unfortunately there was electricity on the day I performed, and standing on stage under the flood lights was a very different experience to my rehearsal conditions.

I didn’t win the competition, I don’t think I even got placed. Any hopes of finding fame and fortune on the west end stage were dashed in that moment. But the experience ignited my love of poetry.

Guest Post

I wrote a guest post on the same topic for the Alliance of Independent Authors, and you can read it here.

NaNoWriMo Guest Article on ALLi

 

Author: Roving Jay

Jay is a project manager who swapped corporate life for a nomadic existence as a travel writer. She works with authors and entrepreneurs to help them achieve their self-publishing goals and reach their target audience through content marketing. Jay has published a series of travel guides, a travel memoir, and nonfiction books about travel writing. She housesits and volunteers around the globe with her husband, a Hollywood set painter, and she’s never more that 10 paces away from a wi-fi connection.

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