Greetings from Camp . . .

. . . .Camp NaNo, that is! Yes, I'm off to Camp NaNo for the second year in a row. Okay, I'm not actually going anywhere - in fact, Camp NaNo looks an awful lot like my office - but my mind will be taking me on a journey into some dark woods where some really scary people hang out. Don't worry, some good guys will be there, too. And so will some people who aren't quite sure on which side of the line they fall. Should make for some interesting talks around the campfire.

Honestly, it feels more like one of those Wilderness Experience kind of things, where they drop you in the middle of nowhere with a shoe horn, some scotch tape and a bottle of water and you have to not only survive but come out stronger in the end. Okay, that's an extreme metaphor but I do feel a little lost. I'm taking this manuscript to a conference in the fall and I want it to be strong and full of all kinds of good stuff. It doesn't have to be all pretty and polished. In fact, it shouldn't be - because this is a conference on craft and, by the end of it, this manuscript should be - will be! - deeper, darker, more layered and just plain old better.

Any suggestions or tips on surviving this month? Anyone else going to Camp NaNo, too? Maybe we can share s'mores and tell ghost stories around the campfire. But, just so you know, if a bear or a wolf or a zombie show up, you're on your own.