"When I’m feeling discouraged about a writing project, I try to think of my writing in terms of..."

“When I’m feeling discouraged about a writing project, I try to think of my writing in terms of pottery. When a potter makes a jar, she doesn’t start with nothing. She has her base material—clay—to shape into something beautiful.

 

We writers have to start out not by making a beautiful jar, but by creating our base material out of words. Think of your first draft as the clay. It’s okay if it’s messy and imperfect. The shaping and detail will come later, in editing. For now, create the clay.”

-

Alexandra Duncan is an author and librarian. Her YA sci-fi novels, Salvage and Sound, are available from Greenwillow Books, as is her forthcoming eco-thriller, Blight. She loves learning new things, especially anything that lets her get her hands dirty: pie-baking, leatherworking, gardening, drawing, and rolling sushi. She lives with her husband and two monstrous, furry cats in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Your Camp Care Package is brought to you in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Sign up to receive more Camp Care Packages at campnanowrimo.org.