April is over and with it this year’s Camp NaNo. How did everyone do? Did you win? Did you finish an entire book? I’ll be honest, I didn’t do any of those things. I didn’t hit the word count, I didn’t win the challenge, and I certainly didn’t finish my book.
But what I did do, I think was almost more important. For thirty days, I wrote every single day. Sometimes I wrote 2,000 words, sometimes I wrote 50 words at 11:30, but that was still 50 words I didn’t have before. I made progress. I crossed off finished chapters. I found plot holes and fixed them, I found subplots I didn’t know I had and expanded upon them. For so long, I had felt stuck in my book. I felt as if I was never going to finish it, and that there was no point in even trying. And then, I reached the point where I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. This was a book that I could finish. And if I kept up my earlier pace, if I continued to write every day, I could finish it soon.
I had never felt that way before about a project of original fiction. I had always assumed that I would never be able to finish anything, but with the help of this session of Camp NaNo, I feel better about my skills and abilities than I have in years. And I hope that this session has done the same for you.
So, did you win the challenge? Did you finish your book? Or did you win something even greater? Because I sure did.
Lotus Flowered Lit 