Camp Nano! I'm gonna do it! Are you??

@shante3

3 жыл бұрын

I’ve got my Camp project listed! 😁 I’m probably just going to be finishing this draft of my YA thriller because it’s shaping up to be my longest manuscript yet. 🙃 I’m shante3 on Nano for anyone who wants a cheerleader!

@kanashiiookami6537

3 жыл бұрын

Even though i'm still technically writing my original NaNo project (book 3 and around 50 pages in) it does sound like a way to get my story onto computer, and it'll save me from having to count each and every word by sight. 😅 (I've put a hold on counting somewhere in book 2 after I realised I'd written 100 pages and counted nothing. Though I have still written the start and end time of every writing session, so that'll be helpful to know what I did) So if I remember this is a thing, I may do it. Bonus may be that it helps me figure out where I should be going in book 3.😁🤞

@j.s.elliot7121

3 жыл бұрын

Might set a low word count goal. Still having trouble typing much at a time, but I have an ever growing stack of projects that need tackling. Alas!

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

@@shante3 Awesome!! I'll look you up!

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

@@kanashiiookami6537 YES!!! Do it, K! :D

Awww I got name-dropped! I’m so honored. 😭 Super excited for April!

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

LOL! I'm excited too! Thanks again for the kick in the pants. :D

I love writing by hand. Especially for free writing. It’s definitely more freeing for me than to try and do it on the computer.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

I love it....in theory? LOL in reality my handwriting is atrocious so it gets frustrating trying to decipher it later. But it's really nice to get my eyes off the screen!

@kanashiiookami6537

3 жыл бұрын

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor yeah, I'm there with you on the bad handwriting. None of my family can read mine, and sometimes during a read through of my work I have to stop and print as clearly as I can above the word that made me stop, what I think it's supposed to be. Even had to write out an author name for a librarian years ago, so I wrote in all caps so that they wouldn't struggle. I was wrong. "Is that a P or a T or a...Z...or is that just a scribble?" (Because I wrote it in pen) "it's an I". It was then that I realised no one else connected all three strokes of a capital i yet I'd been doing it for years.😅 Point is, though, that you can consider bad handwriting like that writing trick people swear by of "write in comic sans" or whatever the font is. A trick that doesn't work for me, though, because I can't look at the screen when typing because I type one handed and need to stare at the centre of the keyboard to make sure I hit all the right keys. So there's no reading what I'm writing, just thought.

I would love a video about how you manage your time for all these writing projects with other things in your life one day! I’m having trouble juggling writing, learning language and my day job

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

That's a great idea! I need to get better at just getting B roll while I'm working to use in a time management video. Adding to my list of video ideas...thank you!!! And hey, you aren't alone with the juggling problems. It's HARD, especially when you have a day job!

Camp Nano is just like regular Nano, except you get to make your own goals! If you haven't already, you can go onto the Nano website and declare your project as well as your new goal :) I like to do it just to keep track of past years, but I hardly update it as I'm working

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

Aha - thank you, Kaitlin! I'll get that set up asap. Although I guess I need to set a specific goal...I kind of like the idea of making it not a specific word count. Hmm...

@KaitlinRochelleCreative

3 жыл бұрын

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I think that's what's fun about Camp is that your goal can be editing and/or revising too (unless they've changed it since I last looked haha)

I love doing things by hand. I'm using paper for my vampire sequel edits. It is so reassuring. My brain cannot handle switching between screens, so I need the pen and paper to keep me sane. :D Lovely video, once again.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, that's exactly how I feel too, Regina! It makes me feel like I have a better grip on the story. Brains are so weird. :P

Gotta love the Rosa feature. Don't feel too bad, my dogs do it, too. 😅 I'm not 100% decided what project I'll be working on for Camp NaNo, but I might focus on short stories since I'm working on refining that skill set. I definitely empathize with drafting sometimes feeling like herding cats, though. I'm especially revisiting that feeling as I'm trying to keep my shorts from having the all-encompassing scope-creep (which happens a lot, given my brain tends to work in epics). Best of luck to you on your contract projects. I know you're chomping at the bit to just focus on Dragon Balloon at this point. 🙂

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

They Eeyore sit?? I love it. 😅 Herding cats...yes, yes, that is THE perfect analogy. Focusing on short stories for Nano sounds awesome!

@j.s.elliot7121

3 жыл бұрын

The guardian dogs also like putting their paws on my shoulders and their chin on top of my head. They're big~ dogs. 😅 Yeah, attempting to put together a collection or two. For context on the "epics" comment, my three primary franchise-projects are a projected 25 books, 18 books, and 12 books. I do have smaller ones, but those are the ones I am realistically going to dedicate a significant portion of my career to.

Aww always love getting a video from you, Michelle!! Can't wait for dragonballoon to come out! Also, your tips are sooooo helpful :))

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Sol! I'm so glad they're helpful. Sometimes it feels like nonsensical rambling. 😂

@solzeev9968

3 жыл бұрын

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor don't we all sometimes feel like that 😂

I just love, LOVE, when you talk about how your draft is imperfect. The way you describe it fits how my brain writes drafts. It’s really nice to hear the nitty gritty of the writing experience! ❤️

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

It is just...SO far from perfect. 😂 Thanks so much for watching, Lindsey! I hope your writing is going well! (and messily! haha)

I adore how you explain your writing process! Yes, sometimes writing by hand is needed. I had to do that a few days ago for my break into 2 scene. I think I will be doing camp though I never have been able to win during April. I blame on being my birthday month.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Esther! And hey, birthdays are a GREAT excuse to go easy on the words. 😀

Thanks for the new word, Michelle! I, too, enjoy handwriting at points in my writing process. I think it's a throwback to childhood, when all our compositions were handwritten. There's something comforting about it. Enjoy Camp Nano. I won't be participating. The energy around Nano is fun, and I understand it's been very helpful to a lot of people, but it's just another distraction for me. I'm at the point where I need to simply focus on my own process and get things done. Good luck! :)

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

I completely get that, Heather. BTW - how is your book going? Are you in the revisions stage?

@heathermacdonald6404

3 жыл бұрын

​@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor How kind of you to ask about my book. I finished my adult novel, revised it, read it and knew it was bad. It as well worth writing, however, because I learned that I can finish a book, and because I learned I don't like the sort of tension that's required to make adult stories compelling. In fact, the whole exercise made me rather sad and preoccupied. I can't have that! Not at my age. I prefer to feel good. :D So, I am pouring my energy into writing a middle-grade children's series. My eldest daughter, Quinn, who also likes to write, is co-authoring it. We're calling the series My Country Cousins. It features a 10 year old girl from the UK who regularly holidays with her Canadian cousins on their farm. Quinn and I are having great fun writing it, and we're doing our best to learn all we can about self-publishing. I began my career in advertising and public relations, (way back in 1986), so I enjoy the production and marketing end of things. That said, it's a whole new world out there and it's a steep learning curve. I need to be careful not to go blithely about spending money on the endless array of tools and courses available. We'll see what happens. For now, it's just great to have something to write that I feel good about at the end of the day. Happy writing! :)

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

@@heathermacdonald6404 WHOA. Heather!!! Okay, first of all, I'm so impressed that you set that novel aside after finishing a draft. I know how hard that is. But I'm glad you know it was still worth writing! I don't know a single author who doesn't have a few unpublished novels tucked away. Doesn't mean we didn't get anything out of them, though! Second of all - MG series!! With your daughter! This makes me SO happy. What a delightful premise, too. And hey, a background in marketing will definitely come in handy for self-publishing. This is so exciting!

@reginaduke7451

3 жыл бұрын

@@heathermacdonald6404 OMG you are in the perfect position to go indie! You know about marketing!!! I had to learn inch by inch, and i'm still not great at it. It takes so much time. (Half an indie writer's career is usually some kind of marketing or advertising, etc.)

@heathermacdonald6404

3 жыл бұрын

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Can't thank you enough, Michelle, for your enthusiasm and your mentoring here on KZread. I have learned so much from you. :)

Never clicked a video so fast, seeing that you were going to write by hand. 😂 As I've commented a fair bit already, I'll just leave you with a comfort tip for writing (unless you love your desk or working like that. To each their own.) but clipboard, cozy place to sit or lay down, and maybe some pillows to prop it and your arm up on while you hold it and write. (Though your arms probably don't get tired as fast as mine, so you may not need that as much) it can save your neck in the long run, though you may have to angle your pen differently so that it still writes smoothly if you choose to lay down. 😁

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, K!!! I might have to try that. I do enjoy working at my desk (I didn't have one for years so it was a treat to move into an apartment with a built in desk) but I'm all for anything that eases arm discomfort. I'll give it a shot!

@kanashiiookami6537

3 жыл бұрын

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor hopefully it works for you. Being disabled means I have to constantly be aware of what will bring the least pain and help me do what I want to get done, but because I have both neck and arm problems, it involves a lot of laying down or being as close to reclined as possible with pillows and blankets aiding me in holding what I'm working on (clipboard, binder, or computer) at just the right angle while I hold it to be sure it doesn't slip and fall. It sucks, health-wise to spend my days like this, but so does popping acetaminophen for migraine like headaches just from having my neck support my head for 2 hours. 😬 So I definitely envy people who can use a desk, or even a standing desk to do all their writing. 😅 Anyway, happy writing, and enjoy your weekend! Good luck on your work!☺💜

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

@@kanashiiookami6537 Ugh, that must be so frustrating. :( I'm glad you've found a way to write that causes the least amount of discomfort, but I'm sorry you have to deal with it at all!

@kanashiiookami6537

3 жыл бұрын

@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor oh, I've been disabled since I was born. (Though the neck bit is a few years old, or at least I've noticed it more in the last few years) so it's my normal. I don't like it, obviously, but I also don't know what it's like to not be disabled, so in a sense that's a plus because I don't fully understand (beyond seeing people do what I can't) what I'm missing out on. I just have to do things differently, but I've been doing that my whole life. 😁 I think it helps with my writing too, though explaining how and why is a bit much for my brain to put concisely right now. 😅 Anyway, I better let you get on with your day. And thank you for always taking the time to respond to me. It always makes my day. 💜☺

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

@@kanashiiookami6537 I'd be very interested to hear how that helps your writing! Your productivity and prolificness are impressive no matter what. :) Thank YOU for taking the time to watch and comment!!!

As people already said you can update that you’re doing camp on Nano but you don’t have to. Everyone is setting their own goals which I think feels more “low pressure” and more fun. Everyone’s just committing to try and achieve something/support each other.

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

That honestly does sound more fun than a race to 50k words. :) Thanks, Nichole!

👍👍

I imagine you do the whole website thing for camp too, i don't do the website but I sometimes do camp!

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

I think I'll try the website! I've heard...not great things about it, haha

Also re: NaNo, I say I'm doing it, and I keep track, but their website is not elder friendly, so I don't always get everything onto the official charts. LOL

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

Oh yay, I'm excited you're doing it too! And you are definitely not the first person I've heard complain about the site...I'm a little apprehensive about using it. We'll see!

I love the enthusiasm around Nano time but personally pass on the word count stress. 😂 I am not a fast writer! But I’ll enjoy the vibes, nonetheless. I’m excited to see more of this journey your on with your YA book! 🤗

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor

3 жыл бұрын

I totally get it, J! I'm thinking about setting a goal that isn't word count specific...that sounds more fun and less pressurey. :) (Also, thank you for watching!)