Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Camp NaNo Makes Me Insecure

It's the first Wednesday of the month and that means it's time for this month's edition of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. They are a great group of very supportive people who are working hard to make it in the writer world or who have and are sharing their success to inspire. It's a place writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. So glad to have you join me and feel free to hop over to their link and see what other's have going on.

The thing I am most insecure about today are my fears about Camp NaNo. That's not to say I don't have a lot of other things chasing it down, but it is firmly in the lead. I have been planing to write The Most Magical Place story for a while. Other things came between us and I even lost a huge amount of previous work from my first ever NaNoWriMo attempt back in January. (Same old PSA always remember to back up your writing often.) I thought about just moving on and tried to make that happen, but I kept thinking about those characters and wondering what they would be doing next. So here I am back with them. I was aiming for about 55 scenes total, but only have 34 planned in detail and it is almost go time. The other thing about Camp NaNo that is worrying me is that I have not yet made it across a NaNo finish line. I always have the best of intentions, but follow though is not my strong suit. There is a huge drawer and several closets stuffed full with half finished craft projects that will attest to this fact.

I am still working deciding what my ROW80 goals will be for the upcoming 3rd round. I should have put more effort into them by now, but I have been so distracted. Of course I always feel distracted. I saw a post today that said something like: I was trying to get my ducks in a row, but then I realized that I have too many ducks. This is me dead on. I need to decide what to cull from the flock and what to nurture, This means also deciding what is most important to me. Nuclear family and homeschooling are top on the list, but I want to put writing very closely after and have let things other people want push it further down the list. Now to figure out how to eliminate or at least reduce the guilt of telling people and things NO.

Well, I am off to start my Camp NaNo. Wish me luck.

8 comments:

  1. Hi! I'm one of the co-hosts for IWSG today.

    Good luck with Camp Nano! I love nano and have even been my area's liaison for November several years in a row. Here's what I told my group--make Nano work for you! Set your goals and go for it, but don't beat yourself up. You want 55 scenes, but what if you only get the 34 written? Is that a failure? NO! You have 34 scenes you didn't have before you tried. That's a WIN.

    I hope you find a great balance between the pressure of reaching your goal and enjoying the freedom of drafting this month. I'll be mixing drafting with editing my latest novel as well. Come find me on CampNano if you'd like--Solstice1974

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    1. Thanks for the encouraging words. I will definitely look you up. The only thing I don't like about Camp NaNo is you can't have buddies. You have your cabin, but I want to be able to keep track of some people I've met that aren't in my cabin.

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  2. Good luck with Camp Nano! I'm trying this month, but I've never done well during the summer months. Culling your list of things to do can be hard and telling people no when it's something you decided you can't or don't need to do can be nerve-wracking, but if it feels right for you... you need to get comfortable doing it! Or that craft closet full of half-completed things will only get bigger. (and I know - being the worst at letting other things get in the way and not completing so many things)
    It's tough, but worth it!! Good luck to you!

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    1. Yea, I am already getting a guild trip for not wanting to "make time" to hang out with someone. I wish all of my friends could see how important this is to me.

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  3. Even if you don't cross the finish line, it will still be more words than you would've written had you not tried. And that's still a win. Write that story!

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    1. You are absolutely correct. It is true that it is a win compared to doing the same old nothing.

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  4. If ducks are hard to get in a row, try apples. They don't move, maybe roll a little ~giggle~ It's okay, I think we (as a whole) have been there and got the trophy. Find you passion and head towards it. Sometime this journey is tough, but it is worth it. You got this!! I believe in you!!

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