What I Learned at Camp: Do You Do Better Under Pressure?

Every new writing project is a chance to tell a new story… and to learn something about yourself. We’ve asked writers to share what they learned about their writing during Camp NaNoWriMo. Today, participant Juliana Xavier talks about how she’s learned what motivates her to write… and what doesn’t:

Dear Wrimos of the World,

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably looking back at July’s Camp session and thinking, “What the hell happened?” Everything was going smoothly, until something came along and distracted you to the point of not finishing your story. So what’s up with that?

For the past three years I’ve been trying to write during Camp NaNoWriMo, but I’ve only managed to reach my goal once. That’s a huge contrast to all the years I’ve done November’s version, in which I’ve won every year. It’s kind of weird if you think about it since in a lot of ways, November’s version is way tougher than Camp. Being able to set your own word-count goal and have other people to discuss things with in your own personal virtual cabin should make the month go off without a hitch. But that doesn’t seem to be the case…

While taking part in those nifty cabins, it was interesting to see that other Campers mirrored my own actions. We’d all start out with such high spirits, posting things and replying to comments often, excited for what was to come. Once the month started, most people would fall into silence. By the end of the second week, most of us would start readjusting word-count goals to smaller numbers. Still, we were getting things done. Not at the pace we wished, of course, but it was amazing to see people getting some writing done despite all the odds being stacked against them.

Out of the twelve people in our cabin, only one person won. One of my fellow Campers even went as far as to apologize to our Cabin for not reaching their goal. That took me by surprise! Maybe they didn’t finish but they did something. We should all be proud of ourselves for trying. Besides, the year is not over yet!

And that’s when it hit me.

Every single time I’ve attempted to do Camp (and failed), it has served a greater purpose. It makes me feel like I’m running out of time. That feeling actually pumps me up even more! November feels like it’s do-or-die time. The other months? Not so much. Some of us do better under pressure, that’s never been a secret. But figuring out what types of pressure are healthy work-inducers? Now there’s a real challenge.

I can see that I’m beginning to unlock the mysteries of what might help me finish Camp sessions triumphantly. But I’m glad I learned that these “missed opportunities” aren’t really missed at all. In the future I’ll try little things, like setting up more challenges and maybe even a reward system.

Till then, there’s always November ready to kick my butt into shape. I’m looking forward to it.

With Love,
Juliana

Juliana Xavier hails from São Paulo, Brazil. She’s a writer, illustrator and has a BFA in Sequential Arts from SCAD University. She loves drawing all things cute. Storytelling is her raison d'etre (and that sure explains a lot). She h ates coffee (gasp!) but thinks that Thai bubble tea makes everything right with the world. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.

Top photo by Flickr user stevendepolo.