Unlike the official National Novel Writing Month in November where the goal is to write a 50,000-word novel, the Camp NaNoWriMo sessions in April and July of each year allow writers to set their own goals, whether they’re editing or writing. I have so many drafts of novels that need editing that I promised myself at the beginning of the year not to write any new novels this year. (Although I’ll probably break that promise when the official NaNoWriMo comes around.)
For July’s Camp session, I’ll be working on a poetry book. My goal is to write 60 poems next month. At roughly two a day, this goal seems reasonable for me, especially since I still have a handful of fiction projects I’m working on. For over a month, I’ve been writing and posting a poem to my second Instagram account each day, so I’ve built up some momentum going into this.
I have a certain mood or atmosphere I’m aiming for with this book, something I can’t quite define yet. Before the end of May, the only poems I had ever written were for school assignments. I had started reading more poetry lately, and on a whim, decided to write my own. I want to use poetry to explore this world I’ve created in my mind that appears now as something amorphous and hazy. With poetry, I can bring it into focus, exploring different areas in unusual ways.
It’s a dark, shadowy, fiery world, heavily rooted in nature. I try not to include modern references in any of my poems. I know mentions of contemporary things can make them seem more relatable, but I’ve always used my fiction as an escape from reality and I want to do the same thing with poetry. I have two characters (the narrator of the poems and her lover, whom she’s by turns angry with, worried for, and deeply in love with), and I want them to seem as though they’re not quite of this world.
I’m not sure how many of the poems I’ll share during the month. I want the book to tell a story, and while each poem should be able to stand on its own, I might want them read in connection to each other. I will probably have to write three a day so I have something to post to Instagram. I’ll try to keep you updated on here about my progress to hold myself accountable.
Good luck to everyone who’s participating in Camp NaNoWriMo!
Michelle Wicklow 