Camp NaNo: Cabins, Questions, And Updates!

Beginning August 1st on Camp NaNoWriMo, the cabins feature will become available to campers. It has been announced that we're doing genre cabins - which is not quite what I thought was going on, but still pretty cool - and that announcement has both made me excited and put a thought into my head. For all of you reading and/or following this blog, this is the official cabin role call!

What cabin will you be camping in this August?

I am going to be camping in the Fantasy Genre Cabin. (Anyone joining me?)

XOXOXOXOXOX

I have some questions about Camp for my fellow bloggers/blog readers. Because I am lacking in both time and information, at the moment, I was hoping you could answer some of these.

1. Does anyone know whether or not a 'friends' feature will be introduced at Camp?

2. Are we, at any point, going to get forums? Or are we just going to use the NaNo ones permanently? 

3. Are the cabins going to receive fun names, as they were in the beginning phases, or has that been edited out?

4. Are we going to have a participation user badge feature like what we have on NaNo?

XOXOXOXOXOX

 

 

Updates!

I've got some blog updates regarding next month. During Camp NaNoWriMo (August), the blog will be turning into a somewhat different place. Namely, a Camp Site. Every Monday and Friday, instead of doing a normal post (with exception of one or two), I'll be doing a 'Camp' post. Meaning, I'll be posting updates about my Camp novel and what sort of Camp related stuff is going on.

I'll probably post things like a book cover (loose idea), a Camp novel soundtrack, a novel summary, word count updates, competitions, and various other things.

 

Anyone else care to join me in this Blog to Camp Site transition?

XOXOXOXOXOX

 

 

Last thing. Next year, I'm totally making a tent for Camp and posting pictures of it.  (This may or may not be just an excuse to build another tent...)

Norway

So, this post is off schedule, but I didn't feel it was appropriate to wait until Friday.

Over the weekend and for a good part of today, I was without internet access (Both my Friday and Monday post were scheduled posts this week, due to my planned absence.). I am also not an avid news-reader or a TV-watcher, so I heard/read nothing about the events that took place in Oslo, Norway.

For those of you who also haven't heard, there were terrorist attacks in Oslo, Norway and on Utoya Island in Norway last Friday. Explosions downtown injured and killed numerous people. At least eighty people were killed on Utoya Island.

More information can be found here: Oslo Norway attacks

There really aren't words for events like these. At least, not proper ones, and nothing that can ease the pain or terror. But, for what it's worth, my thoughts are with all of you in Norway and all whom were affected by these attacks.

We - my family, friends, and I - send our love, well wishes, and condolences.

Be strong, Norway.

Things will be well again in time.

Hugs and best wishes,
K. L. Stevens

Camp NaNoWriMo And The Brick Wall

Okay, for those of you who don't know already, Camp NaNoWriMo in July is kind of a beta test run. As in, you participate and the people who run this gig - Office Of Letters And Light - look for bugs and what not in the site. (They've already fixed the stats page - which was, apparently, glitching up. I don't know. I didn't see it, but thanks for taking care of that problem OLL!)

Anyway, here's the deal.

July has become extremely busy for me. I'm still participating in the beta Camp NaNoWriMo, but I'm not holding many illusions in my head. There's a pretty good chance I won't finish this month.

The thing is... there's another Camp NaNoWriMo next month! As in, another chance to try my hand a writing 50,000 words in a month. I'm pretty happy about this and I am nearly bouncing in my seat with excitement for the new features coming to Camp NaNoWriMo. Cabins, anyone?

Okay, so, I don't actually know what cabins are, yet, but they look like possible fun.

Hopefully you'll all be joining me next month. 

Now, moving on.

Ever have one of those days where you stumble into a realization that feels more like a brick wall than a thought? And then, for quite a while afterward, you just sit there thinking about said 'wall' and wonder how you failed to notice it before? 

Today was one of those days in my writing world. Except, I think I might have known the brick wall was there and I was, quite possibly, just refusing to look at it.

You see, earlier today, I was watching this video I'm Goin To Summa Camp! Word! and I realized something. 

I have never had a traditional NaNoWriMo experience. 

This is sad, mostly because I have participated in NaNoWriMo three times (four if we're counting this month) and I have never done it properly. The point of NaNoWriMo is to write a lot and fast with "literary abandon". I write a lot... kind of slowly and with a lot of editing in the mix, which is not supposed to be happening. To accentuate my point even further, during this month, I've been working on a rewrite! Which I have a deadline for and it is supposed to be in perfect form... yeah, not a great choice.

So, shout out to LaurenLiterally, because you have inspired me to try something new.

Next month, I'm handing myself over to a real NaNoWriMo experience.

Music Recommendation: Pompeii

And... action! Or war, rather, but you get the point. This week I've been writing action scenes and I was lost for what sort of music to use as inspiration. Nothing I was listening to seemed quite right, so I went on a search for new music and I found this wonderful group.

Pompeii – E. S. Posthumus

For anyone who hasn't heard E. S. Posthumus yet, I highly recommend them. They're very talented and I've found them to have a flare that not many others groups have.

Happy listening!

The Nightly Goodness

Most people have an addiction of some sort.

This is mine. 

What's in that cup?

- hazelnut coffee

- steamed milk

- caramel topping

- and a nice, fluffy layer of whip cream

I realize that it's a bit stereotypical, given the fact that writers and coffee are often synonymous, but it really is wonderful.

In fact, it might be true love...

Harry Potter

A long time ago, in a sticky third grade classroom, there began a so-called era. (Truthfully, I don't care what they call it. It was amazing.)

It was a warm day. The windows were open to create some cool air flow, given the fact that the air conditioning in the building was faulty. My third grade teacher called all twenty-six of us students over to the reading rug - a special area of the classroom, where the teach sat on a stool and all of us students gathered around to listen to her read.

Usually, reading time was relatively uneventful. We enjoyed it, but we rarely asked for more. That day was different. On that afternoon, she opened a book with a colorful - almost jewel looking - cover that had a boy on it. All of us were intrigued. As if the cover wasn't interesting enough, then she started to read. And, for the first time in a while, nobody wanted to stop reading.

That book was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone.

And on that day, I fell in love with a story.

If I am completely honest, the Harry Potter series was a great influence on my life. It is part of the reason that I am writing today. The story wove its way into my head and I began to daydream of magic and fantasy blended with everyday life. I began to wish that I was the one attending Hogwarts, so that I could have my own magical adventures. Harry Potter made me realize that I could reach into my imagination and create.

I couldn't make a toy wand light up or fly on a broomstick.* But J. K. Rowling made magic out of words, and if she could do it, then I could make magic, too.

Today, I bring sad news...

Harry Potter is ending.

The last movie is currently in theaters. I'm going to see it on Monday. And, after I return home from the film, that will be the end. Sure, I own all of the books and all of the movies thus far, but the last movie is really the close. 

Harry Potter is not going on any more adventures - and, if he is, we, as fans, are not invited. 

It's true that Pottermore is coming out in the fall, but even that will not be quite the same.

So, today, I wrote this post as a final toast to something great. 

Dear J. K. Rowling,

Thank you. 

My cousin and I bought every single one of your books past the first two on the day it came out. We usually read them within the next three days, sometimes a week if we were trying to make it last. 

Your words have made me laugh, smile, and cry. 

You have changed my outlook on certain aspects of life. I and many others will miss the magical world that you have created. But, I'm twenty years old now and I suppose it is about time that I, and all of your other fans, start branching out and making our own magic in whatever ways we can.

Cheers and best wishes!

Sincerely,

K. L. Stevens**

*My cousin and I made wands out of wooden dolls, ribbons, sparkly wire, and metallic paints. We bought brooms from the cleaning aisle in the grocery store. My aunt made us invisibility cloaks, which very nearly work. Our cats were carted around as 'familiars' on more than one occasion (much to their chagrin). We bought spell books, which were much more like arts and craft books. We had wizard hats and potion bottles. And we probably had other things, but I cannot quite remember.

**A fan who may or may not have made a parachute out of garbage bags and sticks, taped it to a small branch, tied more twigs to the end of the branch to make a broom, and tried to jump off the roof...

Writing Tips: The Blank Page

You might have noticed that this post is about three hours late. It is now Tuesday, so you are correct. However, in my defense, I would like to say that I have spent my entire day believing that it was Sunday. Apparently, owning a calendar filled with beautiful pictures of Ireland does not mean that I will actually look at said calendar. My apologies for not updating earlier.

Anyway, right now, Camp NaNoWriMo is in full (beta) swing, so I thought it would be appropriate to do a post on writing!

Today I sat down in front of my computer and I opened three blank documents. Then I put my hands on the keyboard and... nothing. I stared at the screen like it was going to eat me and then I decided to go and do something else.

One of the most difficult things a writer faces on a daily basis is the blank page.

I'm currently terrified of it, even though I know I should be writing my Camp NaNoWriMo novel. 


The thing is, I just can't start. 


When I look at a blank page in front of me, I see possibility and perfection. It's like looking out at a fresh, thick layer of snow on the ground. It's pretty, it sparkles in the sunlight, and it's untouched. Somewhere deep inside of me, I have this overwhelming urge to run out and trample all over it. And, during the winter, I do run out into the snow. I stomp around like a little kid. I build snow forts and snow men. I make snow angels and I make snowballs to eat or throw at unsuspecting victims. And, at the end of the day, I wander back inside feeling satisfied... until I look outside.


Upon seeing the horrible mess that I've made out of the once pristine snow, I am irritated at myself for giving in to that impulse and ruining something so beautiful. 


I feel the same way about blank pages. 


I have all of these awesomely wonderful ideas in my head, but when I sit down to write, I can't do it. The blank page is pristine and anything I write on there - if it comes out as anything less than perfect - will ruin it. 

The other prominent issue I have with the blank page lies a little bit farther down the line. I know that, someday, someone else will be looking at whatever I write in that document. And if I don't think it is perfect then, certainly, no one else will want to see it. Sure, they'll ask to see it at first, but I know they'll walk away disappointed. And that fact, along with the issue of ruining perfection, keeps me from writing a single word.

This post isn't really a writing tip, you see, because it is a present issue.  Even in the middle of Camp NaNoWriMo, which is meant to get you writing with literary abandon - I cannot move. This post isn't a tip, simply because it doesn't have a solution.


This post is here to let you other writers know that you are not alone. 


Numerous people suffer from fear of the blank page.


I said this post doesn't have a solution in it, but the truth is that it only lacks a solution that I have already used. 


You can never move forward if you don't take the first step, and stagnate water is no good for drinking. 


This week, my goal is to take the first step and ruin a piece of paper without caring too much.  After all, how bad can it be? (Excuse me while I cringe and try not to think about that question.)


So, what is your goal for this week?

Music Recommendation: Colorado Sunshine

For the last few months, I've been steadily pushing my way through my independent study project. The class ended, but I still have a deadline to meet and my book is far from finished. So, I've been building a soundtrack for my novel and that means I have more songs to share with you!

This song doesn't usually hit my top ten favorites list on its own, but I would be lying if I said I don't love it. Plus, it fits one of my main characters almost perfectly. How could I not post it?

Colorado Sunshine - 3Oh!3

Happy listening!

Happy 4th of July!

Have a wonderful holiday! 

Also, Camp NaNoWriMo update:

I need to be more disciplined. Granted, I really haven't been home much, but I am behind. I hereby donate the rest of today to writing... and not playing Free Rice.

How is your word count coming?