Camp Nano is in two days.
That’s enough to cause some palpitations right there. Even though it’s spring, and I’ve never actually been to camp in spring, it reminds me of summer camp. I participated in a few YMCA summer camps as a kid (as I was a latchkey kid growing up). While all the other kids were excited and frantic with wild energy, I didn’t really want to go. It meant you had to be social… and do… outdoorsy stuff. That was punishment for a kid that just loved to sit inside and read all day.
So, while the other kids were happy and excited to meet old friends (and make new ones), I lived in dread. That meant no reading for weeks. Participating in games and activities that you had to be at least the tiniest bit athletic for. Getting poked and prodded by nature. Uncomfortable showers and bathrooms. Unidentifiable meals (with the possibility of extra protein in every bite).
I was the kid that was ALWAYS at the arts and crafts tables… using my creativity and showing up the other kids with my color-coordinated, eight-pointed god’s-eyes and moss and stick art that made the other kids look like they shit in their hand and smeared it on their canvases. I wasn’t at the lake (even though I fully knew how to swim). You wouldn’t catch me in a canoe, paddling across a placid lake (let’s see who gets that one). You might catch me at the archery range (loved that), but not if it was busy… and it always seemed busy.
Mostly… I missed home (and my books/library) and tried to stay out of the way as best I could. Summer camp wasn’t really a pleasant experience for me.
Now, we have Camp Nano. Last July was my very first experience with Camp Nano… and it was great. It was the toe dip into the waters of writing (and I found the waters to be very pleasant). Then, there was Nano… where I thought I might drown, but kept my head above water and made it through, relatively unscathed.
Now we have my second version of Camp. This time in the spring… and this time it’s not writing, but editing. I have a feeling of dread, like this is the camp that has that questionable counselor… the one that isn’t all happy like the others. I think I hear ominous music playing in the background too. I’ve set a goal for myself to edit my Nano novel. All sixty eight thousand words of it.
I’ve also set up a secondary goal of publishing said book by the end of the next month. Then, I can plug out a short story in July (add to my stock of stuff), and tackle my new book in November (although, chances are I’ll just tackle it right away. I find it very difficult to hold back on writing when it comes to me.
So, my stomach is roiling because I know the bus is coming to pick me up in only a few short hours. The only thing keeping me sane? I actually have friends that are going to be there… and I love each and every one of them.
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