Your daily Camp Care Package is brought to you in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. Author Maurene Goo brings us this week's Camp Care Packages:

Sometimes the hardest part of writing is getting into the right headspace to dig in. A blank document can be intimidating and very uninspiring. Before starting a new project, I like to seek out that inspiration in good writing. There’s nothing like reading a good book to remind myself of why I want to write, what my ultimate goals are. So I recommend this little exercise:

Crack open your favorite books and read the first few pages. Do it until you feel the little embers of writing desire turn hot—then open up that doc, and strike while the iron’s hot. (Need any more heat metaphors?)

What are the books that inspire you? Share your thoughts with Maurene, or thank her for today's #CampCarePackage!

Camp Goings-On

• Start writing! If you haven't started your Camp project yet, go to My Dashboard and accept the challenge!
• Participate in a Tweet Chat with Maurene and our other Camp Counselors! Follow the #CampNaNoAdvice tag on Twitter this Wednesday, July 5, at 10 am PDT to ask our Counselors your writing questions.

Today's Writing Challenge

Try out Maurene's writing exercise with books from different authors. Notice if and how different authors' voices influence your own writing style, word choice, or narrative.

Maurene Goo grew up in a Los Angeles suburb surrounded by floral wallpaper and piles of books. She is the author of Since You Asked… and I Believe in a Thing Called Love and has very strong feelings about tacos and houseplants. You can find her in Los Angeles with her husband and two cats—one weird, one even more weird.