It is officially May! Which means Camp NaNoWriMo is *gasp* OVER. And thus today I come to you to babble all about my April Camp NaNo experience!
Normally I’d be talking about how the month flew by and I can’t believe it’s already May and yadda yadda yadda. Buuuut these past two months have more felt like a year each. Seriously, February was at least half an age ago. *collapses*
With that said, Camp NaNo came at the BEST time. I’ve been needing a good boost in my rewrites and, since I’m stuck at home every day on these loooong days, having the push of Camp was perfect to keep me accountable and occupied.
If you recall, I’ve been working on major rewrites for my novel The Nether Isle (which you can learn more about HERE if you so desire). I had only done the first 3 chapters before Camp started. My personal goal for Camp was to get 10 to 12 chapters more rewritten. Of course, I had to actually set a wordcount goal on the NaNo site, so I did 30k words since that estimated to be about 10 chapters.
Normally, I go a biiiit wild with NaNo. Like…writing an entire 100k+ book in the course of those 30 days and totally losing my mind. Good times, good times. But since this is Camp Nano and not November NaNo and, for the first time, I was doing an editing project and not first drafting something, I wanted to take this one a bit slower. You know, more practical and manageable. Look at me. Being responsible. Ridiculousness.
The Nether Isle was one of those books I wrote the whole 117k words of in 30 days and, well, IT’S A MESS. So much word vomiting. So much nonsense. Did I even know what a sentence was when I wrote this?
So, um, yeah. Needless to say, it’s a pretty major rewriting job. As a result, I need to take my time and do it properly. And 10 chapters for the month felt like a good compromise. Something where I’ll be making progress but won’t have to work on it every single day and wear myself out.
Truthfully, I’ve been feeling pretty exhausted lately. I usually fill up mentally and creatively by getting out of the house (#extrovertprobs), and it’s been wearing me down seeing nothing but the walls of our house for the past month and a half. As I know it’s been hard on everyone. This is definitely a time to be more kind to ourselves and not push too, too hard. As a workaholic, suddenly having more free time is somehow making me even busier and more exhausted??? I’m having to very intentionally make myself rest instead of constantly using this time to edit and blog and work on my platform and the million other things we writers always feel the need to do. I could have pushed myself past my limits for Camp, but that didn’t seem wise.
In the end, I rewrote 10 chapters total for Camp NaNo, and it was the perfect amount.
In addition to the first three chapters I edited in March, 13 chapters of TNI have now been revised (yes, Christine, we all know how to do math thanks). And these revisions are going quite well! If not…slooow and a tad headache-inducing.
Like I said, this was a NaNo novel, and the last first draft I edited was Burning Thorns years ago and that novel wasn’t a NaNo novel. I’ve never actually…edited a NaNo novel before??? It’s definitely proving to be an interesting experience. XD The hilarious typos and absurd sentences I keep finding are amusing me endlessly. Like this gem:
“Smoke plumed up where the alcohol touched the mist, sending white plumes of smoke in the air.”
Brilliance, pure brilliance.
I’m having to be patient with myself because, yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve done the first round of edits on something. The last few edits of BT over the past couple of years were much more minor and of way cleaner drafts. So I’m having to keep that in mind as I look at this disaster of a novel and wonder howww on earth I’m going to make it actually, you know, readable.
But it’s coming along! I’m realizing this is definitely a macro edit. I started out trying to fine tune eeeeverything, but the farther I get along, the more I realize right now I just gotta work on the rewrites. Getting the big picture stuff in order, changing scenes, working on character development. Once all that’s done, I’ll go back for a micro edit and start prettying things up, which is my favorite.
For now though, I’m just focusing on making the actual story more streamlined and interesting and not the word-vomit fest it’s currently in. (I promise I love this story. It just needs heeeelp.)
It’s going GREAT. Despite the slow, tedious work, it’s suuuuuch a joy coming back to my dear Karis and Jonah bbys. These adorkable children are just killing me. My favorite scene to work on so far was their first official meeting. THEY’RE SO AWKWARD AND CUTE. It was also one of the scenes that needed the most rewriting.
In fact…most of these rewrites are actual rewrites. I’m barely keeping any of the original content, even if a lot of the scenes are the same, I’m rewording it all.
But honestly? It’s such a joy seeing this story I love coming along into something cleaner. There’s such a satisfaction of turning a disaster first draft into something tight and readable and good.
I still have a looong ways to go. The original draft was 25 chapters, buuuut most of the chapters were MONSTERS. So I’ve been splitting them up. I suspect this draft will end around 40 much smaller chapters. And I’m on chapter 13… So yeah, there’s a lot of work ahead, but it feels fabulous finally making progress.
I had hoped to have this done by August/September-ish and ready for beta-readers. Buut at this point, since it’ll need another good micro editing after the big rewriting, I’m not sure that’s happening. Plus, like I mentioned, I’ve been dealing with a lot of exhaustion and trying to not push myself. I will still work on rewriting for the next few months, but I’m not going to force any huge goal on myself. Like I said, right now I think we all need to be kind to ourselves. And I can’t do my best work when I’m feeling creatively drained, so the story will probably end up better if I keep at it slowly.
Regardless, I’m so glad I chose to do Camp NaNo! I haven’t joined in a Camp NaNo event since April 2014! I only ever do the November events. But I don’t know WHY. It was such great motivation! I am terrible about prioritizing everything else before my own stories (which I know is so backwards *hangs head in shame*), and on days I prooobably would have convinced myself I’m too busy or tired to edit, instead I had that Camp NaNo goal pushing me to do the thing. Accountability, people, it saves lives. (Or destroys (fictional) lives if you’re a writer like me and make your characters’ lives worse with each chapter but I digress.)
Before I conclude, how about a few snippets from the new material?
Tomorrow she would die.
It was an undeniable fact. She wouldn’t last a day on the Nether Isle. She knew the stories, heard the rumors. The infamous prison island served one purpose—to rid the world of criminals that the council was too cowardly to deal with themselves.
Had her crime been committed seven months later, once she was eighteen, she would have been sent straight to the electric chair. But it was illegal to use the chair on someone underage. So the Nether Isle it was, as if that was more merciful. At least the electric chair would be quick, she’d know what to expect. The fear of the unknown was the worst of it. Would she be mauled by a wild animal? Starve to death? Attacked by any one of the criminals who had managed to survive on the Isle? The morbid possibilities flew relentlessly through her mind.
Curse her overactive imagination.
Trying to stay still, she studied her fellow prisoner. Determination chiseled out hard edges around his face as his meaty fists clung to the cage bars. A black and green ring shaped like a snake twisted around his right forefinger. What was that? Some sort of gang symbol? Or maybe he was an assassin and had spent his life slaughtering dozens of people.
A new wave of fear heightened the tremors. Were the airship pilots going to drop her off with him? She hadn’t even made it to the Isle yet and already faced danger. Maybe she should try to befriend him before they landed. Try to get him on her side. But how did one even start a conversation with a brutish man being sent to the most dangerous place in the whole continent of Ilderwind?
“Hello, good sir. What horrific act did you commit to end up here?”
That didn’t sound quite right.
Pulling in a breath, she raised the camera and peered into the viewfinder. The room appeared through the lens and she pressed the round button. It clicked, and her heart skipped with it. But then the camera made other sounds, like the metal clink of cogs grinding against each other. Karis started when a piece of paper slid out from the slot on the bottom. She immediately snatched it out and an excited squeak slipped from her lips.
It was a little square picture. Did this camera produce pictures instantly? Normally, hours of work in a dark room were required to develop the film. The modern conveniences in this town made her head spin. She brought her little picture to the window to look at it in the light.
Her heart lurched.
The photo paper revealed a picture of the room, as she expected, except the room looked entirely different. And a man stood inside it.
She darted her gaze around the workshop. No one was there. Just her and the dust motes.
Swallowing, she brought the photograph up closer with a shaky hand.
Within the picture, the room sat bright with the electricity on and the dust gone. The man hunched over one of the tables, a pair of pliers in his hand. He looked to be in his upper sixties, wearing a buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a brown vest. Though from this angle she could only see his profile, he looked determined, lost in deep concentration.
She peered over the photograph again at the dim, dusty, empty workshop. The memory of the redhead girl’s phantom-like body returned.
“H—hello?” she whispered.
Silence.
Well, what did she expect? A pile of ghosts to leap out and greet her? There had to be another explanation.
“Whoa, Karis.” Jonah halted so suddenly it was like pulling on a wall. She turned to find him watching with puzzled amusement. “What’s going on?”
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her strung up nerves, her itching feet. At last, she had clues, something to go on, something to do, and it took every ounce of will not to run off and get started right away. But she couldn’t do it alone. He deserved to know what had happened in there. And in the water. Everything.
She just hoped he didn’t write her off as a complete loon.
“I have something to tell you.”
His face fell, seeming to sense the intensity in her words. “How about we sit?” He took her over to a stone bench, brushed off the dead leaves, and motioned for her to take a seat.
She plopped down, tapping her finger in an erratic beat on her knee.
Jonah settled next to her and then watched her with an expectant gaze.
A gentle breeze rustled through her damp hair, making her shiver. How to start where he wouldn’t find her utterly mad? “I’ve been seeing ghost girls,” she blurted out. Nope, that probably wasn’t the way.
Surprise flashed in his eyes and he paled a little, but he didn’t say a word.
She grimaced and dropped her gaze down to her fiddling fingers. “The first time was during my encounter with those crazy butterflies. I could have sworn I saw a transparent redheaded girl in the distance. But I didn’t want to tell you because it just seemed so absurd, you know? I thought you might wonder if I lived in an insane asylum before I came to the Isle.” A nervous chuckle slipped out on its own accord. With a groan, she buried her rapidly warming face in her hands. “And I’m not helping my case.”
“Karis.”
“Hmmm?” she moaned through her fingers.
“I’ve seen her too.”
“Jonah,” she said carefully, “has the Isle attacked you much?”
He stilled. Several silent seconds passed as he just stared at the potato. “No.” His answer came in almost a whisper. He leaned back on his heels, letting the potato fall to his side. “I’ve seen so many people eaten by the earth, yet I never am. And I wonder…” He poked at the dirt, brow creased. “Why? Why does everyone have to die and I’m still here?”
She blinked. It upset him that he was still alive? No. It upset him that he had to watch so many people die and yet he kept on living, with no explanation as to why. The weight of that pressed against her.
“Well.” Her voice cracked. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Maybe the redheaded phantom doesn’t have anything against you.”
He glanced up at her, eyes wide, lips parted, as if he couldn’t quite grasp what she was telling him.
“You said it yourself,” she tried to clarify, “she’s been watching you. So maybe she was trying to see if you’re a threat or not. I guess so far you haven’t caused any trouble.”
His brow lowered and he stared back at the ground, seeming to ponder this. “The blue-eyed woman has been calling for my help, and I haven’t done anything about it. All this time.”
Her heart pinched. In her attempt to make him feel better, she brought him guilt instead. Typical. She scooted closer to him. “No, no. It’s like you said to me, you’re not like the other prisoners sent here. You’re…you know…nice.”
His gaze slid up to hers, and once more they held a question, uncertain, searching for something.
She struggled not to squirm under his intense stare. Was he looking for that question that kept plaguing her?
Why was she here? Why was he here?
As anxious as she was to test it out, it did feel nice resting her leg and filling her stomach. While she carefully peeled into her second potato—not the easiest task without utensils—she dared a peek across the flames at Jonah. He had fallen silent a while ago, and now sat absently digging into his potato, taking small, slow bites, as if chewing was an effort. His eyes drooped, and a yawn broke loose.
A sickening lump formed in the pit of her stomach. Had he slept at all the night before? She scrambled through her memory. He had said he had spent all the previous day searching for her…then he kept watch while she slept…and then the island rearranged itself… She gasped. “Jonah!”
He started at her sudden outburst, looking ready to spring up and face a new threat.
“Oh no, no. Sorry.” She held out her hand, shaking her head at herself. “It just occurred to me, have you slept at all in the past twenty-four hours?”
“Ah.” He dropped his gaze, messaging the back of his neck.
That was Jonah Language for “no”. Her heart shattered then and there. This whole time he had been running on zero sleep. How selfish could she be?
“You should take a nap. This instant.”
He peered up at her, and the longing in his eyes was evident. Even so, he hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Am I— Jonah, you’re about to fall over. You will sleep this moment, mister. No argument.”
That soft smile of his tugged at the edge of his lips, but he still seemed uncertain. “I know you were anxious to get to the town. I can wait.”
She stifled a groan. There he went again, being selfless while she had slept the night away and hadn’t even considered him. “The camera needs some time to dry anyway. And, truth be told, my leg could use a good rest itself.”
“Well. I suppose I could take a quick nap.”
Ah, of course. She had to manipulate him with his own niceness. He could justify sleeping in the name of giving her wound time to heal. Unable to hold back a grin, she waved him off. “Goodnight.”
Smiling, he tossed his potato peelings in the fire, stretched out on his back, and closed his eyes. She had barely taken three more bites of potato before his chest rose and fell with deep breaths. Guilt wracked her again. He really had been on the verge of falling over. Every one of his actions had been considerate of her wellbeing, and she hadn’t even begun to return the favor. She had to be more vigilant, had to keep him safe. He was her ally after all. Though that word didn’t feel quite right anymore. It sounded so…impersonal.
She watched as the light of the flames danced around his face. Even in sleep his lips held a slight upturn, his features relaxed in peaceful contentment. So very not criminal-like. She sighed.
Who are you, Jonah?
I am definitely calling this Camp NaNo a SUCCESS.
I hit my NaNo wordcount goal of 30k on April 22nd. But that ended up being 9 chapters, and I was determined to do 10. So I edited one more chapter on April 28th, officially finishing my personal April goal! Not to mention ending Camp with 35k words (re)written!
Annnd this was the most lax NaNo even I’ve ever done in my 10 and a half years of NaNo’ing. Like…I actually went days without working on my book. Where with normal NaNo, I basically spend every waking second writing. But this time I simply rewrote 2 to 3 chapters every week, leaving days in between to work on other things and the weekends to recharge.
For right now, it was the perfect schedule, and I may try to keep to it throughout May more or less. Just keep working on this slow and steady.
Am I glad I joined in Camp NaNo for the first time in aaaages? ABSOLUTELY. It was just the accountability I needed to finally make some progress on this project and get momentum going, not to mention a great distraction from the you-know-what.
Who knows? I may even join in July’s Camp NaNo. We’ll seeee!
LET’S TALK!
For all those who joined in Camp NaNo, how did it go??? I want to hear alllll about it. And how was April for everyone? I do hope you’re all doing well, and if there’s ever any specific prayers you need, please don’t hesitate to let me know! I hope you all have a bright May! <3
Woohoo!!!! Congratulations, Christine, on editing 35000 words! Those snippets you gave us sound like IMMENSE fun and I’m weirdly excited for you to finish your edits!! (As for my Camp NaNo, I reached my goal of 50000 and unfortunately only wrote half….obvioulsy, I have to tone it down on the ramblings. :D)
Oooof, I’m so sorry that March and April were such terrible months, but yeah…they kind of are despite knowing WHY this quarantine is happening. If you (or anyone passing by this :p) need any prayers, I’m happy to pray for y’all as well!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Awww! You’re enthusiasm is motivating me to keep at it! 😀
CONGRATS ON REACHING YOUR GOAL!!!! That is fantastic! But, man, I feel you on the ramblings. My books always turn into such monster. It’s just terrible. XD
That means so much. Thank you! It has certainly been an exhausting time, but spending time with family, praying, and just seeing how the world has come together and shown so much kindness has definitely helped. God is going to get us through this and one day things WILL be back to normal. <3
Wow!!! Well done, Christine! I’m so glad to hear you had such a successful Camp NaNo! And THESE SNIPPETSSSSS—I literally just gobbled them UPPPP. I ADORE Karis—and Jonah is such a precious soul! (Well, they BOTH are) *squeals*
While I didn’t write nearly as often as I meant to during Camp, I still managed to accomplish my teeny goal, and feel pretty good about the little bit of progress made. I still didn’t quite make it to “the End”, but it is certainly progress regardless!
And now we’re in May!!! Happy almost Summer! And have a fantabulous week, girlie!!! <333
AWWWW!!! Thank you, dear Sarah! You make me grin so big! <3
That so fantastic you reached your goal! And YES. Every single bit of progress counts. You're just one step closer to "The End"! YOU'VE TOTALLY GOT THIS!
Happy almost summer, girl! I hope you have an amazing one!
congrats, Christine! <3 okay, those snippets are AMAZING. i need "the nether isle" NOW 😍.
AWWWWWK. *flails and blushes* THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
AAAAHHHH I’M SO GLAD CAMP WENT SO WELL AND LKSJDJLK THOSE SNIPPETS AND JUST ALL OF IIIT! 😀 JONAH IS PRESH. And it sounds so mysterioussss! :O And just AWK! I need it!
I’m so so glad that Camp was a success! And, girl, you REWROTE 35K words in a month! :O THAT IS HUGE! So, so proud of all your accomplishments!
It sounds like Camp was exactly what both of us needed to give us that push to actually, y’know, work on our stories, and I LOVE THAT. I’m glad you’re glad you joined in! And YES, with Camp it doesn’t have to be so insanely write-every-single-day as regular NaNos, and I love that!
CONGRATS on your Camp NaNo win and thanks for sharing all the details! I absolutely loved this post! ^_^ Best of luck on your continued rewrites goals, and I’m so glad you’re not pushing yourself too hard. It’ll come, it’ll come! Have an amazing May! <3
AJKSJDLJ:LJKSDK:HFKSJLDKJF. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DEAREST CELTI!!! You helped me so much stay motivated and keep at it. I couldn’t do this thing without you! <3
I absolutely love that Camp helped us gain momentum and make progress. April was an exhausting month, but it was also such a satisfying, productive one! I definitely need to do it more. The relaxed goals is great. ^_^
Thank you again!!! For this precious comment AND just always supporting me and cheering me on. Love you, girl! Hope your May is as fabulous as you are (which is a LOT!).
OMW CHRISTINE I LOVE YOUR SNIPPETS AND THAT COLLAGE SO MUCH!!! Your story is sounding so cool!!! And your story cover is beautiful. <333 AND CONGRATS ON ALL THOSE WORDS!!! That's awesome. 😀 My Camp Nano didn't go /fantastically/, but it was fine and I got a few words in. XP Have a lovely May. <333
EEP. THANK YOU!!!! Giiiirl! You’re giving me just the motivation I need to keep at this thing. ^_^
Awww! So sorry it wasn’t the best Camp, but every. single. word. is progress! You should be proud of what you accomplished. And right now I know it’s hard to focus. I think we just have to be patient with ourselves. I know I’m having to be! One day things will return back to normal. <3
Hope you have a wonderful May too!
Congratulations on a successful Camp NaNo, Christine!!! That’s awesome that you got so many words edited. Best of luck on continuing edits!
And THOSE SNIPPETS ARE AMAZING. Jonah has already stolen my heart, and Karis sounds like a FANTASTIC main character!! <3
AWK. NICOLE! YOU ARE TOO PRECIOUS!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the snippets and Karis and Jonah! These two dorks really are a lot of fun to write about. ^_^
Thanks so much, girl!!! <3
Love this update– AWESOME JOB. I’m still enamored with the premise of your story and those SNIPPETS. *heart eyes* Karis and Jonah DO sound adorkable. <3 You are such an amazing writer! Editing can be *doesn't have a word to describe what editing can be* sometimes, but YAY YOU, pushing at it at a nice and steady [and healthy] pace!!
(You always blow me away with how fast you write, even if this was an editing month. I can barely manage 50K in a month, much less twice that much *keels over*)
Ugh, yes, quarantine has taken its toll on all of us. Even we introverts are going stir-crazy. I've had more time to write, but now the season of "SEMESTER EXAMS" have begun and it's time to slug through those xD I feel pretty satisfied with myself with completing my NaNo goal– first time trying to win a NaNo event by counting PAGES, not WORDS, and it actually worked?? Anyway, I wish you the best on your continued edits and once again, reminding you that we're waiting for you to finish writing these epic stories so that we can read them soon!! <3
MERIIIEEEE. You’re always so encouraging! Editing can DEFINITELY be [insert your word of choice here]. Yes indeedy. But it’s also really satisfying work??? It’s worth all the headaches in the end!
Oh goodness. Thank you! It’s really just proof that I don’t have a life or sanity to speak of, soooo. Yeah. XD I honestly need to calm down when it comes to NaNo. Eheheh.
It’s such an exhausting time, isn’t it? *collapses* And oh gracious, exams. YOU POOR THING. I feel your pain! I’m not even having to do school, so I am in AWE at you amazing people who are doing school online AND did Camp NaNo. Seriously. You people are EPIC. Huuuuge congrats on reaching your goal!!! I do hope exams go well. You got this, girl! *sends motivational cookies*
AWK. GIRL. That is so motivating. I will do my best to get them done. THANK YOU! <3
YAY!! I’m so glad you accomplished your goals for this month, Christine! And I hope you get the rest you need. I enjoyed reading snippets of your work (and now I’m wondering who Jonah is!) My mom sometimes tells me to take things one day at a time, and I think it’s so true of writing and editing, especially when editing gets overwhelming. (I liked your idea of editing your book in sections; I tried it once for a WIP and it wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought.)
Hope you have a great week filled with God’s blessings! 🙂
Ps (And May the ‘Fourth’ be with you this week) haha! 😉
Thanks so much, Lily!!! And awww! So glad you enjoyed the snippets!
Your mom sounds like a wise woman. That is so, so true! It helps a LOT when we don’t look at the big picture, but take it one step, one day, one task at a time. Sometimes I AM bad about looking at everything as a whole. It definitely is less overwhelming when we take things in bite-sized pieces, absolutely.
Thank you for the encouragement! God bless! <3
And YES. Happy Star Wars day! 😀
Those snippets were AWESOME!!!! This story gets more intriguing every time I hear more about it!!
It was so fun to share a cabin with you. I’m so glad you choose to do it this round! Congrats on a great Camp!
I didn’t quite hit my Camp goal, but that’s because I hit my actual goal for the month and didn’t have anything else to really work on, so that’s a win in my book! I loved each of the projects I worked on and I had an amazing overall experience!
AWWWW!!! *covers face with hands* YOU ARE TOO SWEET. I’m so happy you think so!
It was so fun! Even if I faaaaailed to stay up to date with things. *hangs head in shame* BUT I LOVE YOU GUYS! <3 It was an honor to be in a cabin together!
That is DEFINITELY a win!!! CONGRATS! That is the BEST that you had an amazing experience. I'm so glad! ^_^
AHHHH this is all so exciting! I’m so glad you were able to slow down and make progress and just EEP all the exciting things!
Your snippets, too. AGH. I want these characters in my life. 100% serious–whenever you need someone to read this, please let me know because I WANT IT xD
This is all so amazing and I LOVE IT and congrats on a successful Camp!!!! <3
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! And oh my goodness, I WOULD BE SO HONORED TO HAVE YOU BETA-READER IT. ACK. YESSS. *rushes to jot your name down* I will totally be contacted you whenever I’m ready for beta-readers. YOU’RE SO SWEET, FAITH!!! <3 Thank you again!
Oh my goodness. WHERE DO I START??? With the snippets? With screaming congratulations in your face because ASDFGHJKL OH MY GOODNESS, CHRISTINE, YOU DID IT!!!!! YOU WON NANO!!!!! You’re rewriting your book and it looks absolutely AMAZING and I am so so so SO proud of you, girl!!!! *tackle hugs* (okay, it looks like we’re starting with congratulations. XD) Oh my word. You seriously killed this NaNoWriMo! I was hoping you’d do a recap post (your recap posts are always amazing. XD) and HERE YOU ARE!! You WON!!!! You did the thing!!! And those SNIPPETS, man….
Holy guacamole, if those snippets have anything to say about it, your rewrites are absolutely magical. Karis is so relatable and ADORABLE and smol and precious, and Jonah…. J O N A H. I would die for Jonah. I would throw myself off a cliff for him. He is absolute perfection, and SO HELP ME, IF YOU TRY TO HURT HIM…. *bribes you with cookies* please don’t hurt him. He is my son now.
Also! Your rewriting process sounds a lot like MY rewriting process! (at least, my rewriting process for everlost). I had the first draft document up, and then beside it, my SECOND draft document, and I went chapter by chapter and basically rewrote every single word. I don’t know why, but something about drafting it through a second time really helped me get a better feel for the story as a whole. Not to mention having those first draft words beside me helped erase some of the blank page syndrome. XD
EEP!!!! I am just so excited for you right now, Christine!!! CONGRATULATIONS on winning NaNo! I’m also considering participating in July, as well! I’m not quite sure yet. We’ll have to see how the world is turning. XD
(also!!!! if you’re ever in need for a beta reader for this book….. *slips you more bribery cookies*)
Now where do *I* start??? Because this whole comment is just just…EEEEEEEE!!! I HAVE NO WORDS. JUST HAPPY SCREAMING. Honestly, Kenzie, you motivated me sooooo much during this Camp. All your Camp posts and excitement over the event was contagious. You made ME so excited and driven to do the thing! Seriously, your enthusiasm is just the most contagious thing! <333 AND all your enthusiasm about The Nether Isle. UGH. GIRL. THERE ARE NO WORDS. *MORE HAPPY SCREAMING*
I'm so happy you liked the snippets. AWK. THANK YOOOUUU!!! Having people flail over my characters is like my favorite thing ever and I just can't. But how could you accuse me of hurting Jonah? ME??? *polishes halo* I would NEVER harm my characters. Nooooo. *cough*
Oh my goodness, I love how we rewrite similarly because YES. That is basically what I'm doing! I have the original draft and then just retype it all on a fresh page! And I totally agree, having that first draft as a guideline makes it feel way, way less overwhelming. Blank pages are scary. *shudders*
THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN, GIRL!!! You've been suuuuuch an encouragement through all this. AND GRACIOUS YES I WOULD BE SO HAPPY IF YOU BETA-READ. ABSOLUTELY. I will TOTALLY be contacted you when it's ready. AAAHHH!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR OFFERING. <3333
Great job! And I love it so much! I thought this sentence was a gem! “Several silent seconds passed as he just stared at the potato.” XD XD XD
You are so talented! Keep up the good work! We’re all rooting for you!
Thank you so much, Hannah! Bwahaha! Don’t you know potato staring is a serious sport? ;D Very intense. Requires lots of silence. *grins*
Thanks again, girl! All the support means more than I can express into words. <333
Haha yes! 😀
THOSE SNIPPETS!!! I NEED THESE CHARACTERS IN MY LIFE!!!! Like… NOW. Pleaseandthankyou.
Oh my goodness, Christine, those snippets are just so extremely tantalizing and I need to know all the things and I want to read this story sooooooooo badly!
““Hello, good sir. What horrific act did you commit to end up here?”” <—-absolutely died laughing. I can tell I'd like Karis quite a lot.
And Jonah seems so sweet. And the ghost-girl!??!?! I must know more!!!
Also, you are a NaNoWriMo Rock Star. I am always just so amazed at how quickly you can churn out the words. *shakes head in awe*
This was my first time joining an April camp, I've only ever done camp one other time in July of 2016. I'm editing, and I didn't hit my goal of 20k, but I did get 15k written, and that was with not joining until almost a week into April, so I was pretty happy with it. This rewrite feels like it's taking FOREVER, but I think it's going faster than I think it is because I'm pretty sure I'm cutting word-count a lot more than I think I am. It's hard to tell because I'm not keeping the chapters in precisely the same order.
Anyway, congrats on hitting your camp goal! Hope your writing in May goes well! I'm probably going to be taking a rewriting break here shortly because I've got my selkie/fae story to polish up and am hoping to publish it in June…. we shall see… there's still a lot to do in the next 6 weeks if I want to hit that goal.
*HAPPY FLAILING* JENELLLLLLE. OH MY GRACIOUS. I AM SO HAPPY YOU LIKED THEMMMM. I’m actually editing right now, and it’s been a bit…slow and tiring today, so coming here and seeing your comment gave me JUST the boost I needed. AWK. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I really do enjoy writing Karis. She always keeps me on my toes. XD
Oh goodness, usually all those words I churn out during NaNo are DISASTER. I probably should slow down. XD
So you’ve only done one Camp before too? SAME. How special we both decided to join in this year for the first time in a while! And 15k words is AWESOME. I mean, 15k words edited whiling joining in a week late AND taking care of your kids amongst everything, everything else. Um YES THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF. You’re always the rock star to ME, the way you manage to balance eeeverything! You’re amazing, girl! But I totally feel you about it feeling like it’s taking forever. I’m having that exact same problem. But sometimes we NEED to take it slow on things, which is something I’m learning with this rewrite. As much as I want to just zoom through it…that’s not gonna work. It needs to be done slow and steady. BUT I think we do make more progress than it feels like. Every word is one step closer to the end, right? We’re gonna conquer these things! *fistpump*
Thanks so much, girl! I hope you have a wonderful May too! OH OH. You’re publishing your fae story soon? *SHRIIIIEEEKSSS* THAT IS SUCH EXCITING NEWS! Can’t wait to here more! Cheering you on all the way!!! 😀
Aw, I’m sorry the whole staying-inside-thing has been hard for you. It’s easy to forget, as a hardcore introvert, that being at home all the time isn’t EVERYONE’S dream. xD I hope it gets better for you soon. <3
And AHGHASGGHGSJDGHGKHG THIS STORYYYYYY. Excuse me while I NEED IT RIGHT NOW. *flails* THOSE SNIPPETS ARE FANTASTIC.
Actually, that first snippet made me think of Parvin getting ready to go through the Wall in A Time To Die, the way she didn't know what to expect but thought there was no way she would survive. And then the potatoes made me think of A Time To Speak. Hehe.
Also I'm sure the context wasn't mean to be funny, but for some reason it really amused me when Jonah was suddenly staring at a potato. xD
Your NaNo stats are amazing. XD But that's so great so you were able to take this month more slowly! I find that when I'm working on a project, I have to keep going all-out or I'll lose my steam, so it's good you were able to have some rest days in between and then get back into your story.
On the subject of NaNo stats, mine are usually pretty so-so up until the last week or so of the month… and then it skyrockets. xD #procrastinator BUT miracle of miracles, that didn't happen this time!! I somehow was able to stay a good ways ahead of my goal (although honestly my word count goal didn't matter much this time around) AND FINISH MY BOOK AT THE END OF THE MONTH. EEP. I still can't believe it's drafted. (Or that I wrote 42k in April. o.o I truly didn't expect to go that crazy. xD)
And now it looks like you and I are in the same boat: macroedits/rewriting! (Of course, you were already in the boat. I just jumped in yesterday. xD) With Once Upon drafted, I FINALLY started working on draft 2 of my other story Roots to Claim, and WOW I'm so excited. But yeah, it's exactly like you said- no prettying the story up too much yet, just overall fixing this mess of a draft. xD
I'm so glad you had a good Camp! BEST OF LUCK with continuing your rewrites- you've got this! <3 <3
theonesthatreallymatter.blogspot.com
Awww! Thanks, dear friend! <3 I'm trying to focus on the good things. Compared to sooooo many other people, my family has been so, so blessed. So I really don't have a right to complain. God has been good!
AAAHHHHHHH I'M SO HAPPY YOU ENJOYED THEM. THANK YOU!!!!! Oh wow, I've never thought about it being like those books, but I will take that is a compliment because, you know, the Out of Time books are SO GOOOOOD. 😀 But YES. I literally cannot think of potatoes anymore without thinking of A Time to Speak. That scene just... o.o THE PAIN.
I think I'm going to have to turn potato staring into an extreme sport. Whadda think? ;D
Thank you! And I totally understand losing steam. This is actually the first project I'm taking fairly slowly in a WHILE. I definitely sometimes just need to do it all at once while I have momentum. I blame quarantine for my weird mood with this one. Lol. But working on it here and there seems to be working out all right, so I'll try to keep at this pace. *nods*
YOU DID SO AMAZING WITH CAMP! AND YOU FINISHED YOUR STORYYYYYY. I mean, EMILY. You practically did a full on November NaNo AND finished up your novel and just ALKJLSDJ:LFJSD. YOU EPIC PERSON YOU. SO SO SOOO HAPPY FOR YOU! *alllll the confetti*
Ah! Welcome aboard the S.S. Revisions. We have lots of coffee and sugary desserts, so do help yourself. And feel free to use the Nap Room. It's vital. ;D
But seriously, I do hope rewriting Roots to Claim goes wonderfully for you! That's fantastic you're excited about it. You're totally going to rock this thing!
Thanks again, girl!!! <3
I loved reading all of your snippets! I reaaally want to know what is going on now!!
Oh my goodness, that is such a compliment! THANK YOU!!! It’s always so encouraging when people are pulled in by snippets. 😀
Ahhhh, CONGRATULATIONS!!! I’m so happy that this was a great Camp for you! The snippets are FABULOUS (I wannnnnt this story…Karis and Jonah are adorable cinnamon rolls…PHANTOM GIRL WUUUT…and the mysterious camera…*flails*). And I totally hear you about finding typos that are amusing to no end. 😂
Congratulations again, Christine! You’re such an inspiration to me, and I always love reading your bubbly, fun posts! ❤️
*melts under all the sweet words* Oh my goodness, thank you! I can’t even tell you how happy it makes me to know you enjoyed the snippets! That is so encouraging! Just AWK. I HAVE NO WORDS. Your comments brighten my day every. single. time. I JUST CAN’T. You’re such a precious soul! Thank you so, so much!!! <3
Yay, great job!! I did Camp Nano too, and ended the month with 32k. I felt quite satisfied. 🙂 Also, those snippets are just too good, wow. o.o
CONGRATS ON 32K WOOORDS!!! That is fantastic! I can definitely imagine you felt satisfied. So many words! 😀
Oh my goodness. *grins uncontrollably and covers face* Thank you!!! I’m so honored you think so!
Congrats on your progress! I love everything about this book that I’ve heard so far. THESE SNIPPETS ARE AMAZING. There’s so much personality and emotion and imagery and I loooove it. When you are on the search for betareaders for The Nether Isle, I’d love to be on that list! 😀
Congrats again!
OH MY GRACIOUS, JAMESON. YOU ARE TOO NIIIIIIICE. I’m just sitting here grinning to death reading your comment. I WOULD BE SO HONORED TO HAVE YOU AS A BETA-READER. YES. *rushes over to jot your name down* You are so sweet to offer! Aaahhh thank you! <3
Yay for progress!!! Any progress right now is good progress haha. I went into CampNaNo with a 30K goal and I did it! I’m hoping to finish this draft in the next week or so! Then on to editing!
I definitely agree! It’s nice to be able to get ANY progress in right now. XD
YAY!!!!! You did awesome this Camp and are just zooming through that book. SO SO EXCITED!
I’m so proud of you for editing like a champ AND taking care of yourself! So glad you’re figuring out the new process of editing NaNo novels, doing Camp NaNo, and finding a balance with the rest of life. It was awesome to have a window into your writing process, past and developing. And it sounds like your novel has so much potential and is already beginning to shine!!
My NaNo went super well! I don’t push myself to write more than I’m able to, or I wouldn’t be able to do NaNo. But I always hope I can write a LOT during Camp NaNo, and I always do! It’s very nice to have some months that are super productive, and to recognize it when it falls during Camp. And I’m trying to be okay with a slower month, week, or day after a really productive one.
What I’m most proud of are the days when it started off rough, and I had to fight to keep writing–but often it turned into one of my best writing days! Which is such a victory!
Awwww! Thank you so much, Mary! It has definitely been a struggle finding a new balance and taking on such a huge project, but it’s support like yours that helps me keep going. <333 Thank you again!
EEP. I'm sooo happy you had a good Camp! And YES. That's how I always feel about November NaNo. I just set the month out to write a LOT, and then during other months when I'm not writing much, it's okay. Because I'll always have NaNo month to keep me productive. NaNo is just so, so helpful!
Aaahhhh YESSS. I love those days! It pretty much ALWAYS takes me a few minutes to get momentum going. Or a few HOURS. *collapses* But I definitely find if I keep going it gets easier as the day progresses. Those absolutely feel like victory days!
Congrats on your awesome NaNo, girl! It was so fun doing this with you! <3
I always find editing and rewriting the hardest part of writing! So it’s amazing that you did 10 whole chapters!! Congrats!
Those snippets are marvelous and just makes me so curious about this story. The characters are so soft and are such a contrast to their deadly surroundings. Basically I love it!
Thanks so much, girl! It can DEFINITELY be tedious. o.o Especially with a novel I drafted during NaNo. It’s such a mess. XD But it HAS been really nice seeing it come together.
AWK. THANK YOU!!!! So happy you like them! <333
Wow, I am super late to the party, but I LOVED this post! It was amazing to learn more about this story and read about your progress, and those snippets…wow.
Like, I want to go ahead and sign up as a beta reader because I CANNOT WAIT TO READ THIS STORY! The first snippet had me hooked, a perfect mixture of seriousness, mystery–and firmly establishing Karis’s character and youth and situation. *FLAILS*
I just love the optimism in your posts. It’s refreshing to hear you acknowledge how hard things are (and I’m really sorry you’ve been struggling so much) but also balanced with enjoyment of your story and your progress, plus the reminders to be kind to ourselves. (I definitely needed that reminder, being a workaholic and the “conceal, don’t feel” type, which, as it turns out, is a bad combination. XD)
I’m so happy for your progress and that Camp NaNo worked so well for you, and that this story is coming together! I can’t WAIT to read it!!!
Not late at all! Your comment thrilled me! And EEEEE!!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed all my rambles. Thank you!
*can’t hold back my grin* GIIIIRL. YOU’RE SO SWEET. Oh my goodness, that makes me SO happy to hear the first snippet accomplished all those things. That’s right at the beginning of the story, so it’s great to know it’s pulling its weight. Just…just…THANK YOU!!!
AWWWW!!! *hugs* Thankfully, I’m at a MUCH better place now. April was pretty grueling, but my creativity has seemed to return in full swing and I’m not feeling nearly as exhausted. I think my brain has finally adjusted to this new normal and gotten with the program. XD There are still days of exhaustion–both physically and mentally, due to everything that’s going on. But I’m definitely at a better place mentally. I feel you SO HARD on the workaholic thing though. I’m sorry you’ve been struggling with all that too! I do hope you’re giving yourself some kindness and grace, because we definitely need to right now. Praying for you, dear friend! <3
THANK YOU AGAIN!!!! Your comment just brightened my day tenfold and is making me even MORE excited to keep at this thing! ^_^