The Real Meaning of Camp NaNoWriMo

We’re fast approaching the start of Camp NaNo, so we’ve asked the community for their stories and advice for campers, new and returning. Today, YWP writer Arianna Smith shares how she learned what Camp NaNo is all about, and what makes it different than November: 

I’m going to be completely honest. Camp NaNo and I don’t have the best history. Though the characters, settings, and scenes of my stories changed over the years, the ending of failure always seemed to stay the same. It was frustrating to say the least—especially since I’d proven myself capable of tackling such a challenge in previous Novembers. 

It didn’t matter how thoroughly I packed my backpack, how much I loved my cabin mates, or how excited I was about starting this new project. 50,000 was always out of reach. If my Camp NaNo word count breached a mere 10,000, it was a cause for celebration.

So one fateful July, I tried that goal on for size. 10,000 words didn’t feel like enough to me. My eventual win would feel cheap—as if I’d cheated the system somehow. It wasn’t until the next March rolled around and I was struggling to envision my new idea that I realized just how utterly wrong my feelings about Camp NaNo were.

It suddenly dawned on me that Camp NaNo isn’t NaNoWriMo. It’s not supposed to be, and their differences are where Camp NaNo’s beauties lie. 

All this time, I’d faulted Camp NaNo for not embodying the same frenzied excitement of November, and it was my own mindset that was holding me back.

Camp NaNo embodies freedom. I’d never considered not writing a brand new novel for Camp NaNo before, but who was to say that I couldn’t revisit one of those unfinished stories crying out on my hard drive? Or give scriptwriting a try? Or maybe even explore the art of short stories? The possibilities soon became endless in my mind. 

“It’s about setting a personal goal for yourself, having fun with your writing, and walking away happy no matter the month’s outcome.”

Camp NaNo is the freedom to choose your own word count. November is for pushing your capabilities; Camp is for doing what you know you can handle. There’s no shame in whatever goal you set, and no number is merely this or merely that. No time spent in creativity can be “just merely” anything. There’s even the freedom to choose how you count your success—whether it’s in words, time, or pages! It was about time I seized Camp NaNo for all it was offering. I decided to give revision a try, returning to the shores of a long neglected novel.

And even though I didn’t win by meeting my goal last year, I won in that I actually truly enjoyed my Camp NaNo experience for the first time in five tries. Thanks to great writing buddies, it was bound to be a session to remember—and that’s what Camp NaNo is really all about. It’s not earning that the giant ribbon or those winner goodies. It’s about setting a personal goal for yourself, having fun with your writing, and walking away happy no matter the month’s outcome.

So to all my fellow campers out there, keep on accepting the challenge that is Camp NaNo. Keep on making it your own. Keep on exploring those worlds stored in your brain. If you’re not enjoying your Camp NaNo experience, I encourage you to switch it up for a session. If you normally plot, give spontaneity a try. If you normally write by the seat of your pants, take your Camp NaNo time to learn how to plan. Find some new cabin mates and writing buddies to take on this adventure with. You just might be surprised with what you find.

Arianna Smith is a graduating high school student, a writer of all genres, and an active member of the YWP community. A five-time NaNoWriMo survivor and four-time winner, this is her fourth year as a Camp NaNo participant. Some of her favorite books include George Orwell’s 1984, Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogies. 

Top image licensed under Creative Commons from Justyn on Flickr.