Camp Nano Spotlight: Katya

Good morning. Well, I survived the Toronto Ice Storm 😉 It’s Friday, I’ve got a write-in tonight, and a weekend to catch up on my Camp Nano word count and a few other things on my to-do list. Today, I’m spotlighting Katya for the A-Z challenge.

How did you find out about Camp NaNoWriMo?
In a very old-fashioned way, through email 🙂 NaNoWriMo emailed me the announcement of their First Ever April Camp, including the highlights of some of their new features.  In the end, it was because of the flexible word count goal that I signed up that same night.

Have you participated in Camp NaNo before?
If so, would you call it a success?  I believe I have; I went through a period where I was totally obsessed with all things NaNo, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I tried Camp too.  I learned some valuable things from that experience.  For example, contrary to popular belief, merely participating in NaNo does not make you a writer.Good quality writing makes you a writer.  Improving the quality of your good writing makes you a better writer. It’s not exactly what I expected to learn as a NaNoWriMo participant, but it was a valuable lesson nonetheless.

Do you know what you’re going to write about this year?
I do.  In my current project, I am going to explore some religious themes through the eyes of a teenage girl who goes to a remote Christian summer camp where good and evil and secrets of the heart live in the flesh.

What’s your favorite part of your Camp Project?
I love the fact that I can appropriately include multiple supernatural elements under the guise of spirituality/religion.  Sometimes when I read mainstream fiction, it feels too ordinary.  One thing I really like about religion-themed fiction is that things like encounters with angels/demons, the “sixth sense,” and parallel realities can be carefully woven into the story and seriously boost the plot or provide a gut-punching twist.

Sneaky Ninja Question! Are you more of an optimist, pessimist, or exactly in-between?
The glass is half-full!

Considering this blog’s audience, I’d like to end with 5 tips for writers that I have gleaned from books on creative writing, numerous articles authored by agents, editors, and published writers, as well as my personal experience.

1.       Know why you write – it will give you direction and help you to persevere through dry spells of writer’s block.

2.       Along with that, don’t write just to get published – because when the rejection slips start coming in, you will be discouraged beyond belief.  Have a more worthy, fulfilling reason to write that doesn’t depend on anyone except yourself.

3.       Quantity is not always better than quality – yes, it’s easier to polish a text that’s already on the page, but don’t forget to actually go back and polish! Pages upon pages of word vomit will get you nowhere.

4.       Read plenty of good fiction and nonfiction.  They won’t stifle your writer’s voice but rather fuel your creativity.

5.       Live a good life.  The human life is so fascinating and beautiful, you will miss out on the experience of it if you spend all of your time trying to write it down.

Thanks for the tips, Katya, and best of luck with your camp project!