Welcome to Camp Everything NaNoWriMo

Thing number 1:

Task A. Write your synopsis - What is your story about? How would you describe it or what is the general idea of it? Describe it in 300 words.

12-year-old Pax Zimmerman lives with her older sister Nikki(Nicola), and her grandmother. Her parents...well, she has no idea, actually. She always questioned the whereabouts of her parents, but neither Nikki nor Grandma has a clue...or do they? Pax has 2 best friends, Pomona and Callista, who wonder the same thing. Every year, the girls go to a very expensive summer camp, where they get to do everything. And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Lots of activities and other stuff are located at this camp, things that people love and what interests them. At first, the madness of the camp never bothered Pax, but now, she wonders what secrets the summer camp hides ever since she got an anonymous tip telling her that the answer to all her questions can be found there. So...exactly what answers can Pax get at Camp Everything? Not many people are willing to tell her stuff, especially since a lot of those people knew her parents, who also went to Camp Everything. A lot of people don't want Pax and her friends to try and get answers, either, and lots of them are spies. Or ninjas? Or both? All of them are working to make sure she never finds out what happened to her parents. So, when some shady stuff starts happening around camp, Pax, Pomona, and Callista are determined to find out what's going on. And find out why there's a gypsy stalking their tent, along with a talking dog(I know it sounds weird, but I'm getting ideas here). Pax never imagined that for once, sunshiny happy day summer camp could be so...weird! Or surprising? Who thought that regular kids could harbor such dark secrets? And who thought that, at a place where the concept of everything is completely possible, a person could still not be satisfied with what they have?

WC: 305-ish words, not counting beginning or this footnote down here

Thing number 2:

Task B. Make your outline - What is the chronological timing of events? You can follow different structures such as Freytag’s Pyramid or The Hero’s Journey. You also don’t have to complete the whole story to get the reward. Simply achieve a minimum of 600 words.

No. 1, Week 1
12-year-old Pax Zimmerman is getting ready to go to summer camp this year. For the 6th year in a row, she's going to Camp Everything with her sister and her friends. Pax's parents had gone missing 5 years ago, and no one seems to have a clue of what happened to them. The day she's getting ready to go to camp, she is sent a strange(and anonymous)email, telling her that whatever answers she was looking for were at camp. Confused, she places it in junk mail but does not forget about it. Pax, her older sister Nikki, and their grandmother go to the train station to meet up with Pax's friends, Pomona and Callista, who are also going to camp. Pax tells them about the weird email, but they tell her not to worry about it until they find out what it means, or who sent it.

No. 2, Week 1
When the girls arrive at summer camp, everything seems alright. There's Ivy, one of the camp counselors, Miss Calla Lily, the elderly leader of the camp, Josh and his dog Billy-Bob(who can talk, due to somebody putting a voicebox on him), and Maya, the best codebreaker in camp. Everything looks completely normal. Except for one thing. Pax, Callista, and Pomona come to their cabin, the Fiery Falcons, and start to unpack. That's when Pax sees a figure outside, watching. She goes outside to see who it is and discovers that it's a gypsy who carries lots of information. The gypsy goes by Gypsy Natalya and asks Pax, who she calls Columba, to stop by her tent tomorrow. Even though she is suspicious, Pax reluctantly agrees. That day, Pax meets new campers/camp counselors and greets old ones, plus the Welcome Ceremony. The email that she received that morning was still bugging her, so she asked around about her parents. No one was willing to talk. No one. Disappointed, Pax heads to the Mess Hall for dinner. There, she gets food poisoning and is sent to the nurse's cabin. Ivy, her camp counselor(and serious germaphobe), finds it strange that she was eating the same dish as about half of the campers, yet she was the only one who got sick from the food. Maybe it wasn't just simple food poisoning after all...

No. 3, Week 1
Early in the morning, Pax gets out of bed and heads to the gypsy's tent. She pulls back the fabric and sees the gypsy already there, waiting for her. The gypsy explains that her parents weren't necessarily good or bad people, and what she was about to see was totally subjective, depending on who was watching it. The gypsy asks Pax to look into the crystal ball, and Pax sees three things: 1. Her parents are found with dangerous objects, 2. Her father is having a serious conversation with his brother, 3. Her mother is under house arrest and is speaking to her friend. Pax is confused but decides to analyze it in her head later. During one of the activities, 3 campers are seriously injured. This is very much a work of sabotage, but no one seems to think that except Pax, Pomona, and Callista. Whenever the subject of Pax's parents are brought up, everyone grows uncomfortable and shys away from the subject; except for the leader of the camp, Miss Calla Lily Banks. As being the only one willing to talk to Pax about her parents, she tells her stories of when her parents were at camp, and Pax listens eagerly. During the first week, Pax sees Gypsy Natalya and Miss Calla Lily regularly.

No. 4, Week 2
On Sunday, Pax goes to see Miss Calla Lily to discover that she is not there. Miss Calla Lily is gone. At first, Pax tries not to worry, but as the signs become clearer, there's no denying it; Miss Calla Lily was kidnapped. Her fellow campers start to panic. To make matters worse, during another activity, a bunch of - ninjas? - come and attack the campers. There are spies in camp, and no one knows who to trust anymore. When Pax arrives at her cabin, she sees Ivy, but soon, she learns that it's not Ivy, but an imposter. Together, Pax and her fellow campers drive imposter Ivy out of the cabin and find the real Ivy bound in one of the trunks. Ivy explained that a bunch of people(spies, Pax presumed)had came, demanded that she let out Pax's location, and when she didn't, they bound her up and hid her in the trunk. Over the next week, there's more sabotage. Campers and Camp counselors abducted and attacked, etc. More imposters. Less people to trust. It's all a big mystery. It's the last straw when someone is found unconscious by the lake. The camp is officially put under code red, and preparations are made to send the campers home. All of a sudden, the attacks stop. It's completely quiet. Abducted campers return, and no more imposters. On Friday, a letter is sent, explaining that it is completely safe for the campers again, and that whoever has been doing this has been captured.

No. 5, Week 2-3
On Saturday, everything is fine. Perfectly fine, until...Psych! More spies. No one is attacked or seized this time, but the camp grows uneasy. There was a dance planned on Friday, Week 3, but they don't know if they'll have to cancel. A letter is sent. The spies disappeared. Miss Calla Lily has still not been found. Gypsy Natalya shows Pax more visions, helping her put the pieces together. Her parents had been spies working for the good guys, but they had been the newest(and youngest at 14)recruits. Everyone thought them not suitable for the job(and weak), so when the enemy catches wind of this, they used her parents in their evil plans(and even going so far as to impersonate them). They had been arrested many times, once even imprisoned, though they escaped. They tried to avoid the enemy, but it never worked. Gypsy Natalya thinks that the enemy abducted Pax's parents. Pax is shocked. Now, the enemy wants her. She's right, but she also forgot her older sister Nikki...

No. 6, Week 3
It's Friday, the day of the dance. Everybody wants to have a good time, having everything all picked out and under control. Pax goes with her friends, all of them keeping close. Everything is all good and well and fun until Nikki comes rushing in. She says that somebody tried to tie her up and carry her away. No one notices anything out of the ordinary yet. Pax panicks for a second but tells Nikki to stay close to the crowd like she's doing. 3...nothing happens. 2...Wait for it...1...Disaster! Mr. Carlisle, one of the camp counselors, turns out to be an imposter, and then ninja spies attack! Everybody starts running and screaming. The attackers aren't looking for the other kids, but they are focused solely on two: Pax and Nikki. They run like their lives depend on it(which their lives actually do depend on it right now). They grab two sacks from potato sack races and hide in one of the cabins. Then Billy-Bob the talking dog comes along and distracts the ninja spies by telling them that he's hungry. This gives Pax and Nikki the opportunity to sack them over the head. Victory!

No. 7, Week 3-4
The campers go back home on Wednesday. Besides living in fear and not knowing who to trust, camp was very interesting that year, and maybe even a little fun. It's Saturday, and on Monday, there's going to be the annual swimming competition at the lake. Each cabin will choose one camper to participate. The Fiery Falcons cabin chooses its very own Pax Zimmerman. Pax is a very good swimmer, and this is the second time she's been chosen. She had lost last time, but she is determined to win. At the lake, when the competition starts, competitors start being snatched underwater, until Pax is the last girl standing(swimming). Then, she is yanked too, to a huge submarine underwater. There, she meets the leader of the enemy, THE enemy. She sees her parents and Miss Calla Lily in a containment unit. They had been at camp this whole time! Not only is Pax angry, but she's also humiliated, because how is one girl in a swimsuit supposed to stop this guy? But she finds out that she's not alone. Gypsy Natalya drops down from the ceiling and reveals her true identity; she is actually Pax's father's sister, her Aunt Adelheid. She had been trying to help Pax and telling her everything she knew. Her grandmother, Nikki, and her fellow campers drop down too, and together, they manage to overpower the enemy and rescue her parents and Miss Calla Lily.

No. 8, Week 4
It's Wednesday, and it's time for the campers to go home. Pax's parents are grateful that she saved them, and it seems that they have a lot to catch up on. After all, she hasn't seen them in 5 years! Miss Calla Lily thanks Pax for everything that she did, and Pax feels good, knowing that she was able to stop the enemy and save the people she loved. She hopes that maybe next time, Camp Everything will be less crazy. She is glad that her friends were there to support her, and she is glad that she found her parents. She can't wait for next year at Camp Everything!

WC: 1600+

Thing number 3:

Task C. Create your main character - This would be your main protagonist. Tell us about them - what do they look like, where did they come from, what are their strengths and weaknesses and what are their flaws. Why are they in this story and what do you want them to gain from their adventure? Be as detailed as you can regarding this. Please provide a description of at least 500 words.

Name and Birthday
My character's name is Pax Columba Zimmerman. The name Pax means "peace", as Pax is the Roman godess of peace. The name Columba means "dove", a symbol of peace. Zimmerman is a German surname(her father is of German ancestry)that means "carpenter". She is 12 years old, and her birthday is February 14th, 2010(coincidently, Valentine's Day).

Apperance
Pax is mixed, with an African-American mother and a German(Caucasian)father. She has big, dark brown eyes, golden-brown skin, and short, dark-brown, curly hair, which is currently straightened and in a bob. She is 5'1 and weighs 98 pounds.

History
Pax lives in Michigan, in the suburbs of Detroit. Her mom(Rebecca)is from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and her dad(Albin)is from New York. Pax's paternal grandparents(plus their children)emmigrated from Germany to New York years ago, which is why they don't have American accents(at least, not fully). So that makes Pax German-American, I guess. She calls her paternal grandparents Oma and Opa(German words for grandparents)and her maternal grandparents Grandma and Grandma(though her Grandpa is not alive, unfortunately). Pax's mother moved to Detroit for her special job as a spy, where she met Pax's dad. Pax also has a 14-year-old sister named Nicola, or Nikki. Their maternal grandmother took them in when their parents disappeared 5 years ago.

Personality
Pax's mood changes often, but there are a few key factors of her personality: Pax is very competitive, and has a sense of humor, though it is sometimes dry. She is very determined, too(spunky or gutsy, some might say). She can quite sarcastic, and she can be pretty serious, but not always. She loves to laugh, and she likes to annoy Nikki, because honestly, when you're NOT at Camp Everything, life can feel kind of boring. Why not annoy your older sister while you're active. Some people think that Pax is a tomboy of sorts, but she's really not. Just because she likes sports and doesn't often wear "girly things" doesn't make her a tomboy. Pax likes annoying others and being sarcastic, but that doesn't mean she's not considerate of other people. In fact, people would describe her as very empathetic and sentimental, especially when it comes to family and friends.



Likes and Dislikes
Specific things that Pax likes:
-Cats
-Swimming
-Jewelry
-Friends and Family
-People with a sense of humor
-Movies
-Chicken
-Camp Everything(obviously)

Specific things that Pax doesn't like:
-Science(her downfall, the only reason she's never made straight As)
-Laziness/lazy people
-Horror movies
-When something is too good to be true
-Rudeness
-Being underestimated/thought of as a coward
-Scallops




Strengths and Weaknesses
Pax's strengths:
-Social Studies
-Sports
-Getting the job done/cleaning
-Keeping a cool head(most of the time)
-Photography(Her aunt Zoe is a photographer)

Pax's weaknesses:
-Being vulnerable when family and friends are in danger
-Hard decisions/being a tiebreaker
-Being too competitive or not backing off when necessary
-Being brutally honest(Hey, the truth hurts)



Lessons learned?
As the main character, Pax will learn more about trust and how you know who to trust, since during the attacks, everybody thinks it's an "every man for himself" situation, and a "trust no one" situation, but this is just not true! There are people you know you can trust, but who? When it comes to protecting the people she loves, Pax can be quite vulnerable(as stated above), so it's hard for her to know who to trust and who's got her back in these rough times at camp. Luckily, this story is all about that, and she'll probably learn how to deal with hard decisions better since that is also a weakness for her.

WC: 600+

Thing Number 4:

Task D. Set your commitments or make a timetable/schedule - How often are you able to write in a week and how many words are you able to write? Giving yourself a goal or a limit can help you pace yourself as you write.

I will try to write 200-300 words a day, and on weekends, 400, if I can.
By next week, It should be either 200 x 5 or 300 x 5 = the number of words on weekdays. This is just a starter, though, obviously, the number of words will vary.

I don't have a lot of time to write IRL, so I will try to make the most of it!
From 9:00 am-4:00 pm exactly, I can't go to Hogwarts io, but I can write my story.