It’s Write In Faith (WIF) Camp season again, and I can hardly wait to get started. Here are a few reasons why.
Reason #1: Friends
WIF Camp is a place where friendships are built. I love getting to know my fellow campers better each session and seeing what fun projects they’re working on and chatting about this, that, and the other with everyone. Spending time with like-minded Christians who also happen to be writers is great fun for me, because not only can we talk about life and faith, but we can chat about writing–where we’re stuck and needing help or what accomplishments we’ve recently had and everything in between–as well.
Reason #2: Prayer
WIF Camp is a place where prayer happens. There’s a channel (aka thread) in camp dedicated to prayer requests and praises for answered prayers. This is one of my favorite channels, because it’s where we can lay down our burdens and ask our fellow campers to come together with us in prayer over issues we’re dealing with. But it’s also a place where we can praise the Lord together because of the wonderful things He has done in our lives. There is such peace to be found in coming together in the presence of our gracious Heavenly Father, Who desires the very best for us, whatever that may look like.
Reason #3: Writing Crawls
While I haven’t had time to write any new crawls this year (work has been busy!), I am beginning to crave writing crawls, which are challenges with timed and word-goal-oriented tasks to keep us writers moving along in our individual works-in-progress (WIP). The WIF Camp crawls can net you anywhere from 3,000 to over 10,000 words per crawl, which helps dramatically in reaching one’s month-long goal in camp.
I’m hoping to make good use of the 5k Invitational challenge several times, because this one usually gets me about 6,500 words a pop. I tend to go over the goal each task when my story sucks my imagination deeper into the plot, which earns me more than the minimum number of words for the crawl.
For those who prefer writing sprints (brief timed writing sessions to write as fast and as much as you can), those are also available and a camper favorite.
Reason #4: Accountability
Writing with friends who are all reaching for their own writing goals helps keep me accountable to strive hard to accomplish my own. It’s fantastic to see the successes my friends have in their writing, and that encourages me to keep trying to carve out wins in my own journey. Camp is also good for getting pep talks, which helps with the accountability, because if I’m struggling, I can ask for particular Bible verses to help me rediscover motivation or an encouraging word from my friends to help me over the hump of frustration that might be clogging my creativity.
Reason #5: Story
WIF Camp is the perfect place to play with and discover a new story. Goodness, it doesn’t even have to be new. It can be an old WIP that needs finishing or refreshing. Either way one goes, it’s fun to dive into a story and figure out the plot and characters and arcs until the whole thing comes together in some incredible fashion that looks a lot like a finished book (or poem, song, or screenplay–whatever your jam happens to be). Story is an intrinsic part of who I am, so this is definitely one of my favorite aspects of camp.
With this one also comes writing goals. I have a busy month of November (I’m expecting an edit job the second half of the month), so I’m hoping to get the majority of my writing finished the first half. It might be insane, but I’m still aiming for the epic 50,000 words that my formerly-NaNoWriMo-loving heart got used to during this particular month of the year. If it looks like I can’t reach that goal, I will lower it halfway through camp. I don’t like doing that and rarely do, but in a busy editing month, I might have to face a different reality this time around–one in which a lower goal might be best. But I’m not willing to do that just yet, as I want to shoot for the stars and see where I land.
How About You?
What are you looking forward to most about Write In Faith Camp? Let me know in the comment section.
Registration starts today (October 16) and goes through October 27. WIF Camp begins November 1 and ends November 30, with the doors opening one day prior and closing one day after the session. You may find the form below and on our official WIF Camp page of this website.
I hope you’ll come discover WIF Camp and all its fun for yourself. I look forward to seeing you there.
WIF Camp Registration
Next month is Write In Faith Camp Autumn 2023. Registration is October 16-27, 2023. I hope you’ll join me for some writing fun!
At WIF Camp, each writer sets their own goal. They are supported by the WIF Camp community as they strive to reach new heights in their writing journey.
Will you help us grow our community by joining camp and/or sharing about camp with at least three different people? Word of mouth is still the best way to share about things we love. Hopefully WIF Camp is in that category–or soon will be–for you or someone you know.
Books to Read
Want to read one of my books? Explore my books page.
Purchasing one of my books directly supports my writing career.
Posting an honest review of one of my books on Goodreads or your favorite retail site helps other readers know whether or not they’d also like to read my books.
These books would make great Christmas gifts for the readers in your life.
Short Stories
Want to read free short stories? Explore my short stories page.
Bookmarks and Quote Stickers
I have a small surplus of bookmarks and quote stickers for Springtime in Surrey. Would you like some to hand out to your friends?
Simply use the contact form on this page to inquire about a packet of bookmarks and quote stickers to share.
Available while supplies last.