Camp NaNoWriMo - A Musing

Greetings to you, my dear reader - it seems we meet again.

I bring to you a little musing about a rather spectacular event. Have you heard of that special month? That one, I mean - the one when writers abound gather together, call upon my kind for aid, and create whole worlds and tales that could never be created at any other moment.

National Novel Writing Month.

Once upon a time, merely November, but now it's expanded furthermore - to April, to July, to August, and... yes, you see what I'm getting at. It's several days into the fourth month of the year now, and my contractor's typing away on our collaboration despite her busy schedule. Now, these past few days weren't without its problems, so I've decided to share with you some advice, but first... well, you don't need the advice if you don't participate. 

Therefore, this first musing upon the event will also attempt to convince you, my dear reader, to take part in NaNoWriMo, camp version or otherwise. Join now, this very moment. It's April, after all, and although you can decide upon your own word count, if you are writing a novel, I will ask of you to strive for the much coveted 50,000. Yes, 50k in 30 days - it might be a strain, but... well, it's really my duty to challenge humans, you see.

I'm a muse, don't you know?

It's just what I do.

How to NaNoWriMo

1) Do NaNoWriMo. It's as simple as that. To NaNo, using the name as a verb, you simply have to do it. Yes, it's not the most eloquent of phrasings, but some people just don't get it if I'm not blunt. Everyone who is on this blog should participate, because if you are here, you will enjoy it. If you have any passion, even the mildest little spark of interest in the art of writing, simply drop your inhibitions and plunge - headfirst, feetfirst, eating breakfast, I don't care - into the sea of words. I don't care if you can't swim. Let the words overtake you, the characters drag you in, the ideas seep into your body and fill you. 

50,000 words in 30 days?

It's possible.

2) Do 50,000. Some of you are asking why. I am asking you, 'Why not?' because really, all this, it's meant to be a challenge. Fun for sure, but a challenge, because if there's no difficulty, there is no thrill... and that thrill is why people keep coming back. The thrill is what keeps people going - in fact, make it too easy, and you lose the experience. The desperation to complete the tale, the race against fleet-footed Time, and the urging support of all your friends, new and old.

Imagine the sheer bliss of completion

The larger the number, the higher the risk

The higher the reward

3) Shut up. Ah - no, my apologies, my... where are my manners. I mean, 'Please be quiet before anything regretful leaves your mouth.' I know that look. You're wondering how I could possibly know what you were about to say? Well, I'm almost certain that it was along the lines of "I'm far too busy for such an event" or "I can't win starting so late, so there's no point" or maybe even just "Well, I'm no good at writing", and if so, then I will abandon courtesy once more to tell you again to 'shut up'. No one does NaNoWriMo to be good at it. Your schedule does not matter. Your skill matters less.

You do it to indulge yourself, your passions, and your muse.

You do it to try and kindle that spark of interest and see if it becomes a flame.

You do it to inspire and spur you to The End of a story.

That sweet end that so few can reach.

...

......

...

(It's also just amusing to see the results of too little sleep and too much caffeine.) 

(If nothing else, do it for that.)

((Sable, holy crow, you left me in the middle of a chapter to do this?! Come on, I'm not even at the main part of my novel yet and I'm already stuck and behind on my word count and you can't do this to me! I have homework to do but you wanted me to write instead, so I am, but then you disappeared, and -))

Ahaha! It seems that I've been summoned. 

My dearest reader, it's time that I take my leave.

Don't fret - I will return in good time, and it's no good for me to stay. 

Muses are fickle creatures, you see.

All the same, if it's you, dear reader...

... well, I hope to see you again.