Author Sarah Raughley is your Camp Counselor for the third week in April, and brings you this week's Camp Care Packages:

Here’s a fun writing prompt for those thinking of how to spice up their scenes and plot. Is there a throw-away character you introduced? Someone that’s just kind of there to move the story along? A background character? A mom? A side character? The principal? A person your character passed on the street? I want you to take that character and give them an ugly backstory. Then think of how that character can be driven by their origins to royally screw up your main character’s central goal.

Make that throw away character not so throw away.

What's up at Camp?

• Got writer's block? Try our brand-new NaNoWriMo “Are You Stuck?” Flowchart! 
  
  
• Follow us on Instagram to chat to NaNo staff members about your writing project! We've scheduled all our Instagram Lives on the Camp NaNoWriMo Calendar so you can join a live conversation.
  
  
• Winner Buttons are now available to order! If you know you’re on track to complete your goal, or just want a little extra incentive to keep pushing through, use this winner button as a shining beacon of triumph.
  
  

Today's Writing Dare

Find one of those "throw-away characters" and write a scene from their perspective. Maybe it's a scene you already told from the main character's point of view, or maybe it's something brand new. Either way, you'll discover something unexpected about your story!

Sarah Raughley grew up in Southern Ontario writing stories about freakish little girls with powers because she secretly wanted to be one. She is a huge fangirl of anything from manga to scifi/fantasy TV to Japanese role-playing games, but she will swear up and down at book signings that she was inspired by Jane Austen. On top of being a YA writer, Sarah has a PhD in English, which makes her doctor, so it turns out she didn’t have to go to medical school after all. Follow @s_raughley