I don’t know about you, but to me, April means Camp
NaNoWriMo. I’m never one to let a NaNoWriMo event pass me by. Come April 1st
and I was in my virtual Camp Cabin, chatting with my fellow writers and frantically
typing away. Camp NaNoWriMo is always a month filled with frenzied writing,
bursts of inspiration and unexpected challenges and this April was no
exception.
My first challenge came in the form of RSI (Repetitive
Stress Injury) in one of my hands, which reduced me to typing with one hand. Of
course, being the stubborn writer I am, I refused to admit defeat and strapped
my hand up in a wrist brace, bought an ergonomic keyboard, and soldiered on. While
it made writing tough for a while, I wasn’t about to let it bring my Camp to an
end early.
The next distraction came in the form of a brand new blog,
this time about writing. For a long time I’ve wanted to start a blog about
writing, but it wasn’t until this April that I actually got around to starting
one. And so, Gossiping with Dragons was born. Of course, I started it
in one of the busiest months of the whole year, but after all, that is what Camp NaNoWriMo is all
about, the challenge.
Finally, we adopted a puppy from the animal shelter. A dog is another thing I've always wanted. So, just after Easter, right at the
end of Camp when I needed to be catching up with the word count I got behind on
during Easter, I was playing with a six month old puppy with a big nose and masses
of curiosity. Nora is a bitzer, a bit of this and a bit of that, all combined
to make a puppy that is a bundle of energy and endearingly friendly.
At the end of April, after all the challenges and
distractions, what have I got? I have a Camp NaNoWriMo win, a brand new novel (in
the form of a terrible first draft), a dog, and a new writing blog. To me, that
equals a successful month.
How was your April? Like
to come and visit my new blog? Did you take part in Camp NaNoWriMo? Anyone else
got a dog with a nose like a vacuum cleaner? Any tips for avoiding RSI?
