It is the July 2 and yesterday I started camp. This camp doesn’t have swimming pools or harmonious songs around a blazing campfire; This camp has pens, paper, keyboards, thesauruses, and spell check programs. We do have cabins, but they are virtual, so that means no pillow fights or mosquito bites.
This camp does require writing 50,000 words in one month. Yes, 50 thousand words in 30 days or less. For you math wiz people, that is 1,667 a day. Since I don’t have summer school, I thought I could use this summer to focus on writing. So far, that hasn’t happened, so I signed up for Camp NanoWriMo and for a writing workshop that starts soon.
I tend to procrastinate when it comes to starting a writing project. I think about it, dream about it, plan it, but when it comes time to do the writing, something happens. Self-doubt and the dreaded internal critic lurk in the shadows plotting my writing demise. Of course, life’s necessary activities get in the way as well. For example, yesterday I was ready to sit down and write when I remembered that I needed to get laundry done so I could pack since I am returning to the upstate on Sunday. This was after going to the gym and the drug store. After I finished the necessary tasks, I was ready once again to begin my writing creation, when I remembered it was Friday. Friday is the day I have to complete the reporting for my part time job. When that was done, I had to shower and get ready to go downtown to the theater. All in all my total word count for the day was 248. That is only 1,418 words short.
Today is a new day at camp. I have already written more words that I did yesterday, but it is going to take some effort to catch up. Wish me luck! I will let you know how it goes.