The Camp Rebel Files: 4 Tips I Learned From Researching

In some ways, the result of my April doesn’t feel as satisfying as a typical NaNo month’s. I don’t have a word-packed document on my desktop or a pile of ink-stained notebooks in my backpack; I just have a ton of facts, quotes, and ideas waiting to be turned into something else. 

The genre I’m most interested in—research-based creative nonfiction—requires time. When you’re trying to find out all you can about a particular topic, it’s hard to just dive in and write a complete draft in 30 days. You need to refine your focus, read background information, do interviews, and find a narrative.

Camp NaNoWriMo was the perfect opportunity to buckle down and finish these steps. And even though I only have an outline to show for it, it’s an outline with a whole lot of potential. If you’re interested in using Camp’s July session as a research and outlining month, I’ve got a few tips based on my experience:

Create a goal. What do you want to have in front of you at the end of the month? Perhaps it’s rules and a character map for your fantasy world, or chapter sketches for the next installment in your sci-fi saga.

In my case, it was completed research and a framework for my first draft. Decide on the ideal outcome of your 30 days and focus on that as your target.

Figure out how you’ll be accountable. For those writing during NaNo, word count is an easy form of accountability. But for us outliners, it’s a little more difficult. How you count and record your daily efforts is up to you, but you should be consistent no matter what.

I used hours, and I “lent” myself 1,000 words on the Camp website for every 60 minutes worked.

Manage your expectations. You may feel bad when friends are finishing with 50,000-word manuscripts, but remember your goal. What you’re doing is an important part of your writing process, and you’ll have that manuscript later on. Just keep plugging away at your planning.

Write the thing. This is the most important tip I can give you. You’re researching and outlining in order to create something bigger, and as soon as you’re done, it’s time to go for it.

I’m writing my nonfiction piece this month, and I’m excited to see my work from April pay off. Ideas I had a few weeks ago are now finding full shape on the page, spare quotes are finding their place. This will happen to you, too. Make the time to plan, then get your story out there.

— Chris

What writing project did you tackle this past April?