Glamping: Literary Edition
by Elizabeth Solar
For over 30 years, my neighbors have summered on Mount Desert Island, a wild, craggy and magical stretch of land in Maine. Home to Acadia National Park, it teems with magnificent wildlife, boasts gorgeous sunsets and is graced with forested valleys flanking crystalline lakes and steams. An idyllic vacation, until you consider my neighbors go camping. Outside. For two weeks.
As I was raised in a family where camping is considered a hotel stay without room service, the idea of living in the great outdoors for two weeks— sharing showers and restrooms with hundreds of people I haven’t met—leaves me cold. And most likely mosquito- bitten head to toe.
However, I did sign up for one camp. For the month of July, I am attending Camp NaNoWriMo, short for National Novel Writing Month. No need to pack your bags, or endure long lines of traffic. No tents to set up. Just set your goals, and bring your imagination, writing tools and open mind to this virtual writer’s retreat.
In the Northeast, where we worship summer with religious fervor, our energies veer from writing to water sports, hikes in the woods, day tripping/drinking, and perching on a hammock or chaise lounge to perhaps read a book, but certainly not write one. Camp Nanowrimo gets it. They provide a downloadable calendar to keep writing days organized, and allow for those days you're otherwise occupied. Bonus: Virtual stickers for every writing day — the type of external incentive generally reserved for potty training toddlers. No matter. I’ll take it.
Give Nanowrimo 31 days, and they’ll give you the structure and community to continue, or start your novel. Short fiction, essays, poems and screenplays are welcome, too. The program invites you to write from 30 to one million words, depending on your ambition and inspiration, which means you have the latitude to compose a haiku or next Harry Potter series.
Last November, our guest scribe Diane Barnes testified to successfully drafting several of her novels in her excellent piece about NaNoWriMo’s autumn online writing challenge.
A compelling feature of this online retreat is the accountability factor. When I want to shed those extra five or so pounds, I sign up for apps like My Fitness Pal to track daily calories and activity. Seeing my progress, or lack thereof, in black and white keeps me honest. Upload your prose, and watch your word count soar. Or not. Better to write something than nothing. And since no one is judging your content, feel free to write as recklessly as you want. Best writing counsel I’ve received is ‘Just let it rip, and go write a bunch of crap.’ Banishing self-judgment is its own kind of vacation.
Ready for the adventure? Sign up at campnanowrimo.org. Bring along your muse, hang in a comfy chair on the deck, glass of wine at the ready, and let the writing flow.
Photo Credit: Elizabeth Solar
