July 1st Challenge

Hi it’s Christina –

Good Morning and Happy July 1^st! Honestly, I could have used another day or two before July 1^st arrived, but it is what it is, and the insanity of Camp NaNoWriMo has begun.

I checked in with my cabin and was pleasantly surprised to see my friend, Dorothy May Mercer, was in our cabin. I have requested folks I knew every time I’ve done NaNo, but this was the first time it actually happened. I’m doing my happy dance, because I know I’ll have at least one cheerleader rooting for me to hit my goal.

You never know, when you first check into your cabin, if your cabin mates are going to be into it, if they will encourage each other, or if they really will do what they said they would do. I lucked out last time, and we had a really great cabin. I don’t remember exactly how many, but almost all of us hit our 50K goal, and we cheered each other on.

The two times before that, I was the only one who hit goal in my cabin, and I gave up trying to interact with my cabin mates, because no one was really into it. I focused all of my energy into my own novel instead of trying to motivate them. It’s strange, but I guess it does make sense in a way. Last time I probably spent more time chatting with my cabin mates, yet I hit goal with plenty of time to spare. The two previous times, I gave up on my cabin mates and I squeaked in at the last minute to hit goal. Even though I was expending more effort to keep the cabin’s spirits up, the encouragement I was receiving in return kept my momentum and creativity up.

I did decide to finish up FTQ, and let Taming Tate to rattle around in my brain for a little while longer. I think it’s the right thing to do, even if I don’t go the traditional publishing route with it. Better to finish one project before starting a new one.

On that note, I should get going. I hope you have a great day, and happy writing!

Your Last Challenge was:

You visit some place you have not seen since you were a child.

From the time I was five until roughly thirteen, I would vacation with my grandparents every summer. We would pack up the Pinto, hook up the camper, and away we’d go. Ultimately, Texas was our final destination, with pit stops in either Virginia, Georgia or Florida along the way. In Virginia we would visit colonial Williamsburg. In Georgia we would visit family. In Florida we would visit a plethora of sites, not just Mickey Mouse.

When I became a parent, I wanted my children to have some of the same wonderful experiences as I did with my grandparents. So one summer we packed up our van, and away we went, final destination Disney. We took the same route as I took with my grandparents, Route 95 South.

I told my kids that Pop-pop, my grandfather, wouldn’t allow us to stop until we hit the Maryland House rest stop, so of course we had to stop. Shortly after we were back on the road, we started to see the signs for South of the Border, and I got excited. This was another stop we made every time with my grandparents, so my kids just had to see it. We made a game of spotting the signs and counting down the miles. By the time we spotted the giant man in the sombrero, the car was practically vibrating with anticipation.

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Out of time, but what else is new? I’m sure you can see where this was going without any further explanation.

Your Next Challenge is:

_____ is the most important thing, because without _____ you can’t…

You have ten minutes (be honest). There is no right or wrong, just write. Spelling and punctuation don’t count, and NO ONE is allowed to criticize what someone else has written. Go.