NaNoWriMo gets all the press and Twitter love. But what about Camp NaNoWriMo?
You don’t have to be an accomplished writer to join Camp NaNoWriMo. You don’t even have to like camping to participate. If you want to write and reach a goal by the end of the month, then this writing challenge could be right for you.
This blog post is for Sarah (by request).
Does your writing need a jolt? A shake-up? Anything to make it fun again?
So you’re not writing, but it’s not because you don’t like to write anymore. You wouldn’t take the time to read this blog post if writing is just a hobby that’s fading from your life. You’ve just reached that phase of writing we all hit from time to time: writer’s block.
Think about the company that has earned your undying loyalty. What is it about this business that resonates with you so strongly?
Do they provide a stellar product or service? Do they make it easy for you to purchase? Do they share your personal values? Is your experience with the company always positive and engaging? Do they express that they care about how you feel? Do they listen to what you have to say?
In short, you are loyal to this business because this business understands you.
I love running. That’s why I go for a run 4–5 days a week, be it 5:30AM, in rain, in scorching heat, in bone-chilling cold. For me, it’s never about if but when and how and where.
So when my co-worker let me know that our company was forming a team to run the Rugged Maniac, I told her to sign me up. A 5K with a few obstacles—how bad could it be?
Little did I know.
My career’s in marketing. And if you too work in marketing, you know that most (if not all) received requests are delivered as a do-this command.
What’s frustrating to a creative person about this approach is that it ignores the creative process of problem solving. In fact, it skips all the steps of solving a problem by jumping to an assumed end.
Here’s a secret: if you want to solve a problem like a creative person, never assume anything.
You have days where there just isn’t a minute to spare for your writing.
You also have days where it’s socially unaccepted to bring out your pen and stack of paper to write.
And you most certainly have days where you have all the time in the world and absolutely no motivation to write.
But your writing can’t sit on a shelf. Every day you don’t move your writing forward is not standing still but taking a step back further and further until you lose all sight of your writing project.
Here’s a secret: On all these days, you can still write without writing. You just have to approach your writing session a little differently.
For years, I wondered why only kids get the chance to run away from all their problems and express their creativity through the ritual we call summer writing camp. This is something adults want too!
Thanks to you, I know I’m not alone. I wrote this blog post last year to see if it was only me that wanted a seasonal escape. Turns out, hundreds of you also want to spend a week of your summer somewhere full of adventure where your creative writing can run wild.
So the tradition of this list continues.
