Continuing Writing After Camp NaNoWriMo

We know summer camp has been over for a while now. The fun we had at Camp NaNoWriMo is replaced with school deadlines and work. Fortunately, NaNo Guest Erica D reminds us to tap into the nostalgia and have fun writing.

When I think of summer, a wave of nostalgia washes over me. Memories of going to the beach with my family, the feel of the sand in my toes, the smell of funnel cake on the boardwalk, and the thought that this should last forever. But what really stuck with me was the time I spent reading and writing during my summer vacations. My love of books blossomed over those warm months, and over time, my love of writing grew as well. 

For me, Camp NaNoWriMo embodies these memories of summer and offers an opportunity to revisit those months I spent writing. Participating in their Camp challenge encouraged better writing habits and persistence in my craft. But now that Camp NaNoWriMo is over, what should we write about? I think it would be a great time to revisit our summer experiences. It could even become a story one day!

Writing prompt: Revisit your time during Camp NaNoWriMo, or your best summer or camp experience, and write about it.

Some tips for getting started:

Reminisce – Take a moment to reflect on your best summer or camp experience, whether it be an actual trip or your participation in the Camp NaNoWriMo writing challenge. Think back to everything you did and how you felt. Try answering some of these questions:Write about YOU! – Try writing your story in the first person (this can be changed later if you would like to use it in one of your novels). Treat this like a journal entry or an autobiography. Remember that writing about yourself, and not just your story characters, is important too. 
Visit your Writer’s Tackle Box – It would not be a true writer’s camping experience if you did not open your “Writer’s Tackle Box”. This will have the tools you need to “survive” the wild unknown of where writing can take us!
Don’t forget to write for FUN! – What is most important is to have fun while writing. Writing does not have to be a chore. It can be a casual expression of yourself. Free-writing can help to clear the mind, provide practice, and get the creativity flowing. During this writing exercise, you can be vague, be descriptive…be whatever you want! Just as long as you enjoy the time spent writing. And remember the fun you had, much like during your summer experience.

Erica is a lover of retro fiction, and is developing a blog where she revisits beloved books from the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. She has several writing projects underway, and is currently working on three novels in her favorite genres of fantasy, horror, and fan fiction. As a full-time Molecular Biologist, she aspires to merge her two passions of science and writing into a career in published authorship. When not writing, Erica loves going for runs, enjoying the fall weather, and decorating for Halloween (it’s never too early!).

Top Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash