Camp NaNoWriMo and Staying Motivated to Write

I’ve really been into westerns recently and now I’m trying my hand at writing one. How did I get here? 

One of the books I read last month was The Name’s Buchanan by William Ard writing as Jonas Ward. That led me to watching the 1958 film adaptation Buchanan Rides Alone, directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. That led me to watching all the films in the Ranown cycle, a group of western films all directed by Boetticher and starring Scott. 

For the last few years, I’ve participated in November’s National Writing Month challenge, aka NaNoWriMo. I haven't finished any novels, but the event has helped me to finish a couple of short stories. In April and July there's a less intense writing challenge called Camp NaNoWriMo, where you can set your own word count. A friend of mine is participating so I figured I would as well. As the last two stories I wrote were sword & sorcery stories, I was in the mood to try something different. Since I’ve been reading and watching westerns, a western short story seemed the natural choice. 

We’re just past the half-way point this month. Although my daily word count has dropped, I’ve been able to write something every day. Here are the things that have helped me stay motivated to write. 

Writing Buddies

I’ve found having a writing buddy or buddies on the NaNoWriMo web page can be motivating. Checking in and seeing that someone else has increased their word count motivated me to keep going a few times. Also talking with someone. There was a point where I was stuck, and I talked with someone about a few different things and answered his questions. A little while afterwards I figured out a way forward. I didn’t realize it right away, but that talk had helped.

Reviewing 

I have read more than a few books on writing and some have been more helpful than others. With books I find helpful I take notes in a notebook. I’ve been reviewing those notes and reviewing one book in particular, Creating Short Fiction by Damon Knight. In the chapter titled "Idea Into Story" he has this to say:

“Particularize. You can’t write about a general character in a general setting — you need a particular person in a particular place, feeling in a particular way, in a particular situation.”

“Character, setting, and situation are all constraints in fiction.” 

“The more you know about your characters, setting, and situation, the more constraints there are — and the easier it becomes to decide what can and will happen in the story.” 

The advice seems obvious, but they are things that I haven’t always focused on. I found reviewing this advice helpful, especially after reading something in another book which I’ll talk about below. 

Reading 

Besides watching movies I’m reading western short stories for inspiration. Someone on Twitter recommended “The Defense of Sentinel'' by Louis L’Amour. I have it in a collection and gave it a read. The town drunk finds himself the only person left in town right before an attack. It was outstanding. 

After watching High Noon, which I really enjoyed, I read the short story it was adapted from, The Tin Star by John M. Cunningham. A PDF of the story is available to read for free online. An aging sheriff refuses to flee when a man he sent to prison is released and heads back to town for revenge. The set up is the same as the movie but the rest of the story is different. I thought it was excellent and it was interesting comparing the two. 

This month I also started reading another book on writing, Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress. I’ve had it for a long time but I’m just now getting to it. When I’m trying to write stories, I can come up with beginnings and I can come up with endings. But I always struggle with coming up with what happens in the middle and bringing everything together. 

Some of the advice Nancy Kress gives ties into the advice Damon Knight gives in his book:

“Ask yourself, “What does each of my characters want?” Once you know — I usually make a short list — you can figure out how these particular individuals would go about getting it. This in turn suggests scenes.” 

I’ve read this advice before, but once again it’s something I haven’t really focused on. I also found the idea of tying what characters want to potential scenes helpful. 

To the Finish 

The month is just over half-way over and I’m still plugging away at the story. I still have some things to figure out, but I think I have a better handle on the characters, and I have a number of scenes to work on. Best of luck to all the other writers out there.