July is coming up shortly, and that means more sunshine, more heat, and CAMP NANOWRIMO!

One of the things I love most about NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo is that these events give authors the kick in the pants to just write it all down.

Similar to its parent event, Camp NaNoWriMo is a month of slamming out words and hoping your ideas are semi-coherent, though it’s less (or more) intense than November’s full NaNoWriMo depending on what goals you choose to meet. And that’s another glorious part of Camp: you make your own goal. It can be the standard 50,000 words, something more manageable like 25,000, or more determined like 75,000.

You are only bound by your own limits.

The whole idea is to get words on the page. They may not be the perfect words, and they certainly aren’t the final words, but they’re words and once you have words, you are no longer starting at square one. Planners and pantsers alike should, at the end of the month, have a great leaping-off point for their novel, which can then be molded into their personal masterpiece.

However, while I could hype up NaNo for days, the main point of this post is that bit about getting words down on the page.

Whether you write them during and event, at your leisure, or have a strict writing schedule, all books begin with words on a page. Without those words, there is nothing to correct, nothing to polish and perfect and publish. While blank pages have been “published” for comical purposes, your story is likely anything but a joke, so it still needs to be written.

Have a wonderful July, and have fun at Camp if you decide to participate!

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Did this article help inspire you? Let me know in the comments! And be sure to check out our other Tips & Tricks articles:

• Part One: 5 Ways to Approach a Writing Prompt
• Part Two: 3 Ways to Use Your Prompt Response
• Part Three: What to Expect from Sharing Your Work
• The Importance of Writing Crap
• Why You Need Featured Images for Your Blog Posts
• How Writing about Writing can Improve Your Writing
• Why You Should Write a Character Based on Yourself
• How to Use PATHOS to Maximize Your Reach
• 5 Reasons to Stop Comparing Your Work with Others
• Why You Should Make a Soundtrack for Your Novel
• Why You Should Follow Your Passion (like, NOW)
• I Should Really Write that Down
• Keeping Track of WIPs
• Finding Time versus Making Time
• Allowing Yourself to Write the Mundane
• How to Tell if You’ve Found Your Calling

Please feel free to share any additional tips or your personal experiences with writing/blogging in the comments, and stay tuned for more prompts every Thursday!