Camp Nanowrimo

November is National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo for short).  So, every year since 2001, thousands of aspiring writers have tried to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.  In 2011, Camp Nanowrimo was born.  It operates on the same basic principles as Nanowrimo, except it takes place in the summer. 

I'm going to be doing Camp Nanowrimo this July-and blogging about it.  (Because what does one do after writing 1,667 words a day? Write a blog a post about it.)

There are a whole bunch of exciting changes taking place; you can set your own targets (but I'm sticking with the classic 50,000 words) and write in a wider variety of formats.

I'm really enthusiastic about doing it this year.  I did it last year in June and it was a great experience.  I would encourage anyone who is interested in writing a novel (or script) to participate.

Sign up for Camp Nanowrimo!

Deserted Island Books

"Which five books would you bring with you if you were stuck on a deserted island?"

Seems like an innocuous question, but as every bookworm knows, it's anything but.

Five books? Only FIVE? Is that even legal?

But, if pressed, here is the answer I give:

How to Get Off a Deserted Island

by er... John Smith? (Some versions of this game state that the books can't help you survive on, or get off the island, so this wouldn't be allowed)

The Complete Works of Shakespeare

Yes, I am one of those people who reads Shakespeare in their spare time.  So far my favorite is Macbeth, but I think that they are all incredible.  Also, this book would have the advantage of being very long, which, let's face it, you would need if you were stuck on a deserted island.

The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse

This is a book that I've wanted to read for a long time now, but I never seem to be able to.  Either I can't find it in the library or I'm really busy or I have an important deadline...

But there are no deadlines on deserted islands.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Need I explain?

Encyclopedia Britannica

When I was younger I used to read encyclopedias for fun; I literally wore out two encyclopedias by the time I was about eight.  I would like to try that again sometime, and I could also use this book to figure out which fruits, plants and berries would be safe to eat.

If you had to choose five books to bring with you to a deserted island, which books would you bring?