Day 75 - Completing Camp NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo is a challenge held in November to write a 50,000 word novel in one month.  Camp NaNoWriMo is a similar challenge held in April and July but the word count target is flexible and the written work doesn’t need to be fiction.  I’ve taken part in, and completed, NaNoWriMo a couple of times but since becoming a mummy, 50,000 words has been a bit too much of a challenge.  Camp NaNoWriMo gives me a more realistic challenge to aim for – this time 20,000 words covering different pieces of writing and this morning I managed to complete my word count.

Day 47 - Church magazine archives

One of my roles at church is editor of the church magazine which comes out on the first Sunday of the month.  This means that the end of the month is always very busy as I always seem to leave things to the last minute and then have to frantically put the magazine together ready to send to the office for printing.  One of the regular features which I write is ‘From the Archives’.  I love looking back at the old issues of the magazine, reading the church family news from years ago (my husband’s birth was one item mentioned!)

Life in rhymes

Before we had children our Christmas newsletter was always written in rhyme. It started when I sat down to write our first joint newsletter and my husband grumbled that every suggestion I made for the first line was either too cliched or jumped in too abruptly into our news. We switched back to prose after Jessica's arrival - discussing her heart condition and surgeries in rhyme felt too flippant. This year, life has felt more 'normal' and although I wasn't originally planning to write a rhyming newsletter somehow I couldn't resist the challenge. Not sure I'll manage it every year though!

Small challenges

Although the big writing challenge for this month is over, I will be trying to keep going with a much smaller writing challenge in the weeks ahead – continuing to try and write 100 words on a daily basis. Some days are so much easier than others – particularly if it has been an eventful day and the 100 words come easily. Other days are quiet and mundane and I’m lacking any creative inspiration and so 100 words are much harder particularly if I feel like I have to try to write something interesting. The main thing though is just to write.

Completing another month of Camp

July will soon be coming to an end and with it another month of Camp NaNoWriMo. I set myself a target of writing 25,000 words for this month which I managed to complete today. I'm quite pleased with myself for managing to complete both months of camp this year although would never have managed it without being able to set my own word count target - writing 50,000 words in a month is just too much these days. I think it will be a while though before I will be able find the time to embark on another writing challenge!

Trying to stay on target

It’s been a busy day with most of my ‘free’ time spent focusing on church tasks as I needed to finish editing our monthly church magazine and email it to the office for printing tomorrow. It feels as though I have done a lot of writing today although most of it has been typing up other people’s articles and so keeping up with my word count target for Camp NaNoWriMo has been a bit more of a struggle. Somehow I have managed to keep on track although I am very thankful I am not aiming for 50,000 words this time!

Another challenge begins!

Another month of writing madness has begun. It’s the start of the second month of this year’s Camp NaNoWriMo (after a month of camp back in April) and so once again I have decided to take up the challenge. The option of a flexible word count target which was introduced this year has made the challenge achievable once again and my target has been set for 25,000 words. With Pod due to make his or her arrival shortly before the start of NaNoWriMo later this year, I suspect this will probably be my last writing challenge for a little while.

Camp NaNoWriMo challenge complete

Being able to choose a target word count for this month’s Camp NaNoWriMo was fabulous – after a couple of unsuccessful attempts at meeting NaNoWriMo targets since embarking on motherhood, I have finally managed to complete this month’s challenge thanks to setting a more achievable word count. It feels good to be writing a bit more again and it is quite satisfying to have completed the challenge this month. The next Camp NaNoWriMo challenge is in July. I’m quite tempted to have another go then as once Pod arrives, I suspect I won’t be having very much free time for writing!

Camp NaNoWriMo

It’s the start of a new month and the start of another writing challenge. Once again, I have decided to take on the challenge of Camp NaNoWriMo – although for this month’s camp there have been some changes. Being able to choose your target word count for one. Trying to write 50,000 words in a month whilst juggling the demands of full-time mummyhood has proved pretty much impossible so far (having tried and failed twice) but 25,000 words seems like an achievable target. So far I’m managing to keep on track – hopefully I will be able to continue to do so.

A Face in the Crowd

It was so crowded by the seafront. She sighed as her eyes wandered across the beach, trying to find him amongst all the sunbathers and surfers, the children eating ice-cream, dog walkers. So many people. She knew he’d be there. It was just a question of knowing where to look for him. She searched all around, but he didn’t seem to be anywhere. And then she spotted him. Right where she’d been looking first. How she’d not seen him before she’d never know. But it was definitely him. The glasses, the striped jumper, the bobble hat. She’d recognise Wally anywhere.

All that glitters

He touched the little box in his pocket and smiled, looking at her across the table. He’d been thinking about this moment for some time, mentally rehearsing the words he wanted to say. It was quiet in the little alcove where they sat; the waiter had brought their desserts and left them alone. The moment had come. He took the box from his pocket, opened it and held it out to her, the light reflecting off the small gold object nestled inside.

“I love you so much…” he said, gazing at her intently. “enough to give you my last Rolo!”

The Line-Up

Davina stood at the end of the line, her shoulders back, looking straight ahead of her, mirroring the others’ poses. The tall woman paced across the floor, looking closely at each of them. Davina’s palms were sweating, her legs trembling and her heart thudding in her chest. She couldn’t help thinking about the shooting earlier and her part in it. Things hadn’t exactly gone as planned…

The woman had stopped now, was staring at her and opened her mouth to speak. Davina closed her eyes, waiting for the verdict.

 “You’re through to the next round of America’s Next Top Model.”

Jackpot

He sat on the sofa, alternately staring at the screen wide-eyed and then looking back at the ticket in his hand in disbelief as the numbers were called out. 

“I’ve got five numbers… come on… YES!!!! I’VE WON THE LOTTERY!”

She hugged him in his initial euphoria and then he pulled away, looking at her smugly.  

“I don’t need you or your money any more.  I’ve been seeing someone else, someone younger, prettier…”

She'd suspected it all along, but let him finish and then calmly replied. “And I recorded that programme three months ago and bought that ticket this morning.”

Headline News

Lisa held her breath as the gypsy took her hands and looked closely at the palms. She thought of the X-Factor application she had posted just that morning. Would the fortune-teller see a life of fame and fortune awaiting her? There was a long silence.

“I see bright lights and newspaper headlines,” the old woman said eventually, tracing Lisa’s life-line.

 Lisa grinned as she left and headed home in the dusk. Fame and fortune would be hers. Lost in dreams, she stepped into the road.

 “Woman killed in hit and run” was the front page headline of the local newspaper.

National Storytelling Week

It’s National Storytelling Week this week (26th January – 2 February) and my friend and fellow-NaNoWriMo-er Geri has set herself a challenge of writing a short story each day and has been posting these on her website. It’s inspired me to try and do the same. Now since embarking on full-time mummyhood, I’ve become a little rusty in the creative writing department, despite having plenty of opportunity in the bedtime story department, but 100 words isn’t all that much really and it sounds like a fun challenge. Watch this space and I’ll try and post the first one later on today.

Halfway through camp

I’m now approaching the mid-month point at Camp NaNoWriMo and this is when it all seems to be getting very difficult. I’m just about keeping up with my word count (well, maybe very slightly behind schedule) but this is the stage when I start floundering around in the middle of my novel, wondering where I’m going next and why I decided to take this challenge on in the first place. Once I hit 30,000 words, I seem to regain my enthusiasm but at the moment, it is hard to keep motivated. Must remember that this is supposed to be fun!

Camp NaNoWriMo - month 2

Camp NaNoWriMo. Fabulous idea – a chance to repeat the fun that it is NaNoWriMo in the summer time rather than having to wait until November. Except that because it is running for two months instead of one, there was always going to be the temptation to go mad and take part in both months and try and write two draft novels. Particularly when I know that my writing buddy is going to do exactly the same. I could say no and take things easy but since when have I ever been capable of doing that? Let the madness commence (again!)

Camp NaNoWriMo - another challenge met!

28 days into Camp NaNoWriMo, the challenge has been met and the winner’s line crossed! I have written 50,841 words and have the beginnings of a first draft (still incomplete though) and it has been good to get back into the habit of writing more regularly again. There is still another month of camp available in August so the question is am I crazy enough to do it all again next month or shall I just focus on what I’ve written this time round and finish the first draft? Of course, there’s last year’s NaNoWriMo novel to edit as well…

Camp NaNoWriMo update

This month’s writing challenge is going much better than last month’s – I’m now up to the 40,000 word mark so just another week and another 10,000 words to go. Slowing down at work has definitely helped – I have more time to write, although trying to get back into the habit of writing 1600+ words per day was a real struggle at first, but I think I’ve got into the swing of it now. And then after a good day on the writing front, what better way to finish it then by going out for a curry with some good friends?

Camp NaNoWriMo

Another month brings another writing challenge as my writing buddy has challenged me to take part in Camp NaNoWriMo with its target of 50,000 words. Last month’s ‘fun’ challenge to write 30,000 words of fiction in a month was intended to be a warm-up, although with everything else going on, creative writing quickly dropped off the priorities list and I gave up around the 5000 word mark. In the end, neither of us managed to meet the target but now that I’ve finished working full-time (although am planning on doing some postnatal visits still), I might find time to write.