Camp NaNoWriMo July 2018

I'm writing this on Day 11 of Camp, so I'm a little late!

My experience so far is going really, really well. Better than any of my previous attempt at NaNo. I was a little contemplative over entering this month due to my April NaNo. I completely failed, bailed, and then cried wimpishly at myself.

I can recognise why I failed: I didn't dedicate enough thought to my story. I outlined it but everything was like a spider web and rather than being the spider, I was the fly--caught, trapped, unsure which  way was forward. I didn't know what to do in my tangles of words. I think I barely got to 11K in three weeks. It just didn't work for me - and as someone who prides themselves on word counts, I struggled with that.

At the time, I was trying out several different manuscripts - none of them were quite clicking to work with me. Nothing was coming out right on the page. So I took a long, long break from writing. I worked on my TBR pile instead and tried to find the story out there waiting for me to reclaim my writing. I read avidly, knowing I wouldn't find my answer in books but knowing it would distract my brain from overthinking the problem.

Eventually, it hit me. I wanted a story with the more relaxed ruling of Lords; I wanted another female-centred cast, and I wanted adventure. My world-building absolutely sucks so this new story had to test that. Had to build on my lacking skills rather than run from them. During my long break from my laptop, I picked up a fresh notebook and began visualising my new story. Character names came swiftly; they all fit the images I had in my head. The world they all lived in fleshed in my mind; the layout and system of the world came to me. I took my notebook to work with me, as well as on holiday, and planned like I'd never quite planned before. With over 50 pages just in notes alone, I came back from my holiday in time for Camp, feeling determined and insistent that I could succeed.

So, for my Camp NaNoWriMo I'm working on a story about four girls, all from very different backgrounds and cities, all sent on one mission to retrieve a precious Jewel that controls the world they live in. It belonged to the High Queen, ruling over the whole world, and controlling  the Lord who claim each city, and was stolen. There are high stakes, good ships, and hopefully varied locations!

At Day 11 I'm already several thousand words ahead of schedule, at just over 25,000 words. Share your NaNo stories with me over on Twitter @ShaneDReid!