I wrote 60,000 words in April!

This month I took part in Camp Nano, a writers community where you can set your own word goal for a month. Mine was 60K words and I made it today, on the threshold. It was tricky business if I’d make it at all because I also made a research trip for my next book to the UK this week (more on that later).

But I did make it.

Now, I’m dead-tired and stinking proud. The first draft of The Highland Raven is three quarters written. Yeah!!

So what is Nano?

The NaNoWriMo logo

National Novel Writing Month (mostly called NaNoWriMo) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that promotes creative writing around the world. The most important happening is the annual, international creative writing event in which writers are urged to write a 50,000-word manuscript during the month of November.

Focusing on the length of the work in progress rather than the quality, you are spurred on with your buddies to finish your first draft quickly so it can be edited later. Nano started in 1999 with 21 participants. Today there are almost 500,000 annual participants.

You register for free on the Nano website, where you fill out your profile and information on your current project and other novels. There are also regional events all over the world and in many languages.

Apart from the November event, there are two events in the months of April and July, called Camp Nano, where you can set your own goal. That’s why I did 60,000 words this month. In July I will also participate but set a more modest goal.