Camp NaNoWriMo: April 2015

Okay, friends, here is the official announcement: I’m doing Camp NaNoWriMo this April. I also plan to participate in the Camp NaNoWriMo in July, but that is Summer Kate’s issue.

For those of you who don’t know, Camp NaNoWriMo is a month-long event in which writers commit to their personal writing goals. Unlike National Novel Writing Month in November, where writers challenge themselves to write 50,000 words, during Camp NaNoWriMo, writers can write, edit, revise, plot, etc. however much or little they like.

My goal for April is to write the first draft of my next novel. Logically, I should probably be writing the sequel to The Cogsmith’s Daughter. However, I have decided to postpone writing book two in The Desertera Series until The Cogsmith’s Daughter has been finalized and is on its way to publication. Instead, I will be writing the first book in an intended trilogy, titled Desert Child.

Desert Child will be (I think) a young adult (or new adult) dystopian novel. I’m also thinking about writing it in first person, which will be a drastic change from The Cogsmith’s Daughter, but it feels right so far.

Desert Child follows the life of Izel, who lives in a small village in the desert – a la the Native Americans of the U.S. Southwest. The novel opens with the death of the village’s high priestess. After her funeral, the witch doctor (better name to be constructed) declares that the high priestess must be replaced. He summons Izel and other young women from the village to go through a series of spiritual and physical trials to determine which one of them is destined to be the next high priestess. Magic, near-death experiences, and teenage angst ensue.

There’s also a pretty cool twist at the end. But, obviously, I can’t tell you that.

To get a better feel for Desert Child, check out my inspiration board on Pinterest.

Supporting me during Camp NaNoWriMo journey is my writing mascot, Baby Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. This Baby Groot figurine was a Valentine’s Day gift from Daniel, and I cannot wait to write with him. You can follow our writing adventures on Instagram at #babygrootwrites (even though I’m probably the only person on the planet who will use it).

My other support will come from my cabin of groovy gals (guys allowed, just unrepresented). The Camp NaNoWriMo website encourages writers to join or gather “cabins,” which are basically virtual support groups. There are seven of us in the cabin right now, but I believe Camp allows 12 in a group. So, if you are doing Camp NaNoWriMo and want to join us, leave your username in the comments and I’ll add you!

Well, that’s it for me today! Feel free to give me your initial reactions to my next novel idea, and let me know if you’ll be at Camp this April, too!