What I Learned at Camp: Traveling off the Planned-Out Path

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 Katy Pool shares her Camp travels through swamps, around plot holes, and into the winner’s circle:

Dear fellow Wrimos,

This July was a chance for me to get back into the groove of writing—specifically, writing a first draft. I’d been toiling long and hard on a project for almost two years, and this summer I was finally ready to set it aside and dive into something fun and brand new! 

I spent all of June brainstorming and plotting for this new novel, and by the time July began, I thought I knew my characters, their world, and their goals inside and out. Turns out I was dead wrong. 

As soon as I sat down to actually begin writing, I realized how very little I had actually planned out. It was like all of June I was drawing this map to get from Point A to Point B… and when I finally started on my trail, I found strange terrain, terrifying creatures, broken bridges, poisonous plants—you get the idea. But there was also unexpected beauty: sunrises and waterfalls, wildlife and ancient trees. Things I never would have been able to predict just from looking at my map.

There were definitely times when I had to stop, take a rest, and wonder where I was. Sometimes I consulted my map and tried to get back on track, and other times I kept going, trusting that my intuition and natural sense of direction would get me through.

My work in July was far from perfect… and I still have a lot left to do. But even if this turns into the worst first draft I’ve ever written (and it is starting to feel that way!) it will have been worth it for those moments of unexpected beauty. The moments that, ultimately, keep me going: thinking that just around the next bend could be a snappy line of dialogue, a perfectly worded description, or a line that gives me new insight into my characters. 

Yes, a lot of days I felt like I was wading through a swamp or edging around a deep plot hole, but no matter what comes of this project, I have learned a lot from the journey. And that is what Camp is really all about: gaining new experiences, learning new skills, and, hopefully, finding something worth writing home about.

With love,
Katy

Katy lives in Berkeley, California, where she writes code by day and novels by night. She loves all things science fiction and fantasy. Her appetite for books is matched only by her appetite for tacos. You can find what she’s reading on Goodreads, or check out her Tumblr.

Top photo by flickr user MontyAustin.