Writing Challenge Update

I'm fully involved in the Camp NaNoWriMo virtual writing challenge. This will be short. If it is too long, you should crack the whip and yell at me and say, "Bad Gina! Get back to writing. August is only so long and you need to work on that book!"

Fast fingers!

KatieKrueger / Free Photos

It's been rough. I won't lie. I tend to write and edit at the same time. Which can be good and bad. Good in that once it's finished, little editing needs done, which feels awesome! Bad in that editing (which I call revising, too) as I write the book (paragraphs and scenes, etc.) sucks up an incredible amount of time. That is time I desperately need to write and FINISH the book (or at least the 50,000 words per month challenge with Camp NaNoWriMo) by the end of August.

I'm still psyched. I am writing and I am getting something accomplished. Which is better than the dry spell I've had of late. So I'm not trying to beat myself up...too much. :)

I have word and chapter and page goals as a guide. It hangs 4 feet in front of me right now. I do not have writer's block, thankfully, but am so critical with trying to make everything "sound right" and make it the best I can. I realize I cannot work this way if I'm attempting an actual writing challenge and am trying to just let it flow - let the words fly out of my brain and on the page and don't worry about mistakes or picking a "better" word or improving the sentence structure, etc.

It's difficult. But that's why this IS a challenge, right?! It's not supposed to be easy!

Challenge!

Ian BC North / Free Photos

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Some info about Rocked - A Chelsie Valdar Saga - 1:
>It's written in first person, like my other books.
>A difference - it's written in present tense, not past tense. You are living the experience with Chelsie.
>It's present day, not 20 years in the past or future.
>The short synopsis: A modern-day Viking warrior chick, fighting for her best chance at survival with The Apocalypse approaching and a Bigfoot stalking her.

Writing in present tense has been very difficult for me. Another challenge...but getting easier the more I write.

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And I bumped into a reader fan the other day at Walmart. She asked when the next book is coming out! She wrote notes on the first two to help her keep track of things (Unknown Touch-Werewolf Series-Book 1 & Scent-2). And is waiting to find out what happens next to Kara, Daniel, Dominic and the rest of the gang. I explained I'm actually writing a different series at the moment but will hop back to the Werewolf Series next. That pumped me up - reader loyalty and anticipation. Nice.

So, enough ranting and rambling. Back to typing many, many WORDS for the next novel!

I'm at Camp for August-Writing My Heart Out

Dear Fans, Friends, Family, and Righteous Supporters:

This summer, I'm going to camp. It's a virtual writers' retreat where novelists (or aspiring novelists) from around the world gather to bash out 50,000 words of fiction in a month.


It starts today. The virtual creative writing camp is called Camp NaNoWriMo. BTW, that stands for National Novel Writing Month. While I'm there, my goal is to finish an entire novel during this one month.


That's right! I've committed to the Camp NaNoWriMo goal of writing 50,000 words in a month plus MORE since my novels average 80,000 - 90,000 words! And that would be for this month of August... *throat clearing* ...of THIS year!! Not by next year! So, stop chuckling! (You can follow my progress on any of my social network sites. Here's my Twitter link. And on my site you can see the Twitter feed.)

And to reach my goal, I am going to need all the encouragement I can get!

So take that, "normal" summer camp and your archery classes, any fishing lessons, pottery or painting or other craft classes, tree identification, swimming, insect collecting, playing sports, sweating buckets doing chores, hiking nature trails...wait - that last one sounds okay! As long as my laptop is charged and in my backpack so I can plunk down on a tree log in the shade and type scenes to my new novel!!

Camp NaNoWriMo is free. But I'm also raising money to help the nonprofit that puts it on every year to keep the virtual campfire glowing and keep the inspiration flowing for me and thousands of my fellow campers all around the world.

Every dollar I raise will keep my spirits high as I write my way towards the realization of my creative goals. More importantly, your contribution will help the Office of Letters and Light, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit that hosts Camp NaNoWriMo, build a more engaged and inspiring world.  I'll receive some truly nifty prizes for my fundraising efforts on behalf of The Office of Letters and Light. Your donation will help provide free writing resources for even more kids, teens, and adults around the world! 

Or, there are a number of inspirational items in the online Camp Store that will help get me through the month. You could send me a Camp NaNoWriMo Care Package full of campy encouragement, a Camp NaNoWriMo T-shirt declaring my goal for the month, a Campfire Mug to fill with writer fuel, or a poster for my writing nook.

Here's my Camp NaNoWriMo Sponsor Link for anyone who'd like to sponsor me.

Sponsor

I will post brief updates throughout the month on my progress, like the number of words written and how I'm doing. I will partially go into hiding while working on this project but will occasionally visit all my social network sites to pop in a few one-liners and say that I'm alive. Feel free to give me a shout out...give me a few days to respond. 

Thank you so much for your support as I write my novel. Wish me luck! I need the encouragement to survive this month at "camp"!

Gina Marie Long