Alright, well, it’s official. I’m certifiably crazy, and doing Camp NaNoWriMo in April. The plan? 4 short stories in 4 weeks.
I’ve done stuff like this before, most notably for the Clarion Writeathon. I typically commit to 6 short stories in 6 weeks for that, and I don’t ever quite make it. The reason (I think)? I hardly ever have more than a plan for a story or two when I get started. I promised myself that if I could cobble together ideas for 3 stories, I would do Camp. And I have managed to figure out 3 stories. Now I’m just trolling for a fourth (and actual plot points for the 3rd, but hey)…
And, of course, I’m plugging away on Blue Gentian today in a last-ditch effort to do as much as possible before the insanity starts. The heavy reorganization parts are done, it’s just the endless drafts of polishing that are left.
We were sorted into cabins a few days ago, and I got a GREAT one this year. We’re actually talking to each other! That never happens…
Here’s what I’m writing for Camp:
There Must Have Been some Magic in that Old Top Hat They Found: England, 1814: Sam crowns his snowman with a top hat he found in a snowbank, hoping to collect pennies for the sculpture at the faire on top of the frozen Thames. But the snowman has other ideas. He thinks Sam should make a wish.
La Llorona: Chicago, 1892, : When Geneva is tasked with keeping unwanted things out of Hull House, she’s thinking intoxicated husbands, not the wailing, dripping woman on the 3rd floor who is already dead. A continuation of a sketch I wrote as a character background, here: https://caseykins.com/2013/06/08/geneva-allerton/
A Golden Apple: Italy, 1917: Hera let the thing slip from her fingers, and now a troop of half-immortal soldiers must find the golden apple hidden within the Italian front before WWI becomes a permanent conflict.
And one more, TBD… Will it be the one where Robot Rasputin runs out of batteries? Will it be the Pony Express driver who must deliver a very strange package? Will it be Dr. Pragnum and his Infant Restorative Tonic? (I think I can confidently say that it will be none of those). Stay tuned to find out!
Casey E. Hamilton 