July Camp NaNoWriMo: The End
Well, I feel like I have some explaining to do.
Photo by @adigold1 from Unsplash.
“I think the hard work of writing is just how long a book is terrible before it’s good.”
I haven’t talked about Camp NaNoWriMo for a few weeks, and for good reason. Because I didn’t follow through and finish it.
Well, to be honest, I kind of did. I went through, I made some awesome revisions, and then, I decided to scrap it for reasons we can get into later. The gist: I’ve been editing this book for too long. Not like how long I held Probably Nothing to my chest, but I keep making the same mistake, which is editing endlessly. Sometimes, you’ve just got to say you’re done, because even though the book isn’t perfect, it’s yours, and it’s likely finished.
So, yes, technically I finished Camp NaNoWriMo, go me! And some cool things I’ve learned while writing last month:
Even though Just Us isn’t going to be the first in a series, I want to write my book how David Mitchell does: with all the books existing in the same universe, but with different characters and storylines in each one.
The characters for my next book (TGOFT, for short) will include some of the characters I wrote during my revisions, which were ultimately discarded.
In writing the revisions, I’ve also solidified the major plot points of TGOFT, so now I just need to get the finer details to begin writing.
So now that my attempted revisions for Just Us are out of the way, I’m going to begin prepping my materials for graduate program applications this month. I don’t know if I’ve covered that topic here at all, but I’ve decided to try and get an MFA in Creative Writing. I think it’s one of the best paths for me to make connections with other writers and professionals in the creative writing field and find a more concrete idea of what I want to do with my writing in the future. Book publishing is the dream, but I need to figure out the path to get there first.
Are any of you guys in graduate programs? What for? Let me know in the comments!
Also, consider checking out my Patreon for weekly poetry, monthly personalized poetry, and a monthly poetry chapbook. I just released my July chapbook yesterday, The Gods Do Not Look Like Us, which you can only read if you’re a subscriber! Can’t wait to see you there.
