Welcome to part three of my post series on Camp NaNoWriMo! I am a long time fan of Camp NaNoWriMo, and in this series it is my greatest goal to persuade you that you NEED to join in, and also to arm you with a bit of information on how to make your experience personal, customised, and awesome. To be clear upfront, I’m not connected to NaNoWriMo in any way. I just really love it and everyone else to love it too. In my previous posts in the series, I covered what Camp NaNoWriMo is and how it works, and how to create and customise your project. Today, I want to talk about cabins.
What Are Cabins?
Cabins are small message boards/chat rooms that you share with up to 19 other writers. They provide a writing community for you to hang out with and talk to during the month, and maybe even come away from having made some new friends. If you’re a first time Camper, I highly recommend that you join one. they can be SUPER motivating and fun.
Your cabin and cabin settings are easy to access at any time, through the ‘Cabins’ button at the top of your Camp NaNoWriMo homepage, so you can check in at any time. Cabin assignments only start happening in the week or so before the start of a Camp session, but you can get your preferences set up well in advance, or, if you choose to be in a private cabin, you can get started up to a month before it begins.
Don’t Want To Be In A Cabin?
Perhaps the sound of being in a virtual cabin with a bunch of other writers, friends or strangers, really doesn’t appeal to you. That’s ok. You don’t have to be in one. On your cabin settings page, check the top option, which says ‘I don’t want to be included in a cabin’. Once you’ve selected that option, click ‘Submit‘ at the bottom and you’re done. When cabin assignments begin, you won’t be placed in one.
No Preferences?
Maybe you want to be in a cabin but don’t have any particular criteria you want your cabin mates to fit. That kind of cabin is easy to set up. In your Cabin settings, select the second option, which says ‘Surprise me with random cabin mates’, then click ‘Submit‘ at the bottom of the page. When cabin assignments begin, you’ll be housed with writers of all ages, project types, genres, and goals.
Specific Requirements?
If you want to be in a cabin, but would rather be in with writers of your own age or genre, then you can easily customise your preferences. On the Cabin Settings page, select the third option. which says ‘I’m looking for campers that match specific criteria‘. The section will expand out to show you three options to choose from: Campers in a similar age range, campers with a similar goal, or campers in the same genre. Please note, in order to be correctly housed with writers in the same genre, you must have specified a genre when setting up your project. Select one of these three options, ‘click ‘Submit‘ and you should be housed with similar writers as soon as cabin assignments start
Host Your Own Private Cabin!
If you and some friends are doing Camp NaNoWriMo together, you also have the option to set up a private cabin. On the Cabin Settings page, select the fourth option, which says ‘I want to create a private cabin’. This section will expand out and give you a box in which you can name your cabin. You do have the option to rename your cabin later, so call it anything you like for now. Please note: only ONE of your group should create a private cabin as the others cannot be invited to join if they are already in a cabin.
Once you click ‘Submit‘, you will be taken into your private cabin. There you will have a chat box on the left, and a column for your username and picture, as well as those of your cabin mates to appear, on the right, so you can easily see who’s in your cabin. At the moment, it will just be you. On the right hand side of the screen, underneath your image, you should see a small text box. One at a time, type in your friends usernames exactly as they appear in their profile, with correct spelling and upper/lowercase selection, and click ‘invite‘. You can invite up to 19 people to be in your cabin.
When your friends next log into the Camp NaNoWriMo website, they should receive a pop-up box informing them that they’ve been invited to join your cabin, and giving them the option to join you. Unlike being in a public cabin, where you have to wait for assignments to start, your private cabin can get right down to chatting immediately.
If you and your friends have entered the private cabin, but would like to meet some strangers as well, you then you also have the option to make your cabin public. You and your friends will remain in the cabin, but when cabin assignments begin, any empty spaces will be filled with random writers. This is not necessary however, and you are welcome to keep your cabin private for just you and your friends if you prefer.
Don’t Like Your Cabin?
Sometimes, for one reason or another, the cabin you get sorted into is not right for you. Maybe you got sorted in with a group of people who never talk. Or you were sorted into a public cabin, and then a friend offered to invite you into their private cabin. If you’re looking to leave your cabin, this is easy to do. Enter your cabin and scroll right to the bottom of the screen. You should see a button that says ‘Opt out of this cabin‘. Click that and you will be able to leave your cabin. Your cabin mates won’t be notified, other than your picture having disappeared from the cabin page, and you are free to join a private cabin, or wait to be re-sorted via the algorithm.
And that’s it. I recommend getting your cabin preferences set up nice and early so that you’re all ready by the time cabin assignments start, but if you didn’t prepare early, or if you join once Camp has started, don’t worry. Cabin assignments happen every 24 hours, including during Camp, so even late joiners can hop into a cabin. I hope this post makes Camp NaNoWriMo a little less intimidating for you, and a lot more personal. If there are any other questions you have about Camp NaNoWriMo, getting set up, or navigating the website, let me know. I am always eager to help!
Camp NaNoWriMo Post Series:
What Is Camp NaNoWriMo And Why Should You Participate?
How To Set Up Your Project For Camp NaNoWriMo
