<O> Welcome to NaNo in Austin!

Yippee! Another November, another NaNo. Me – you – and 50,000 words. Each!

I’m so pleased you’re joining us in this adventure. ”Us” is the amazing Austin Penguins. We’re a large group – last year 435 writers called Austin home. But we’re still small-town friendly.

I’m lazym, and I’ll be your tour director – moderating the forum, planning events, and preparing the way for your noveling victory. This is my eighth year NaNo-ing, and my sixth as your local Municipal Liaison (ML).

We’re here for you online, and at numerous gatherings around the Austin area. Please come to events! Our returning Wrimos will welcome you. We’ll initiate you in the esoteric Way of the Penguin and the mysteries of the QWAQ. We’ll give tons of advice (some of it accurate! some of it useful!) and impart strategies for the win.

Events!
Note: You must be 13 years or older to register for NaNoWriMo. Younger writers are encouraged to join the Young Writer’s Program. Most of our official events are for folks 13 and over, but we also plan events to include younger kids, and Pflugerville Library programs are open to all. Please check the calendar to verify the appropriate age for attendance at particular events.

I’ll be posting our calendar soon (you’ll see it at the top of the forum). Meanwhile, here are some events to look forward to:

• Art Opening and NaNo Fundraiser: Novel-themed artwork by mapelba and lazym will be on display at Genuine Joe Coffeehouse through November 19th. The opening is Oct. 20th from 7-9 pm. We’ll donate ten percent of sales to NaNo. Everyone is invited to attend.
• Novel Planning Presentation Are you a planner or a seat-of-the-pantser? The Pflugerville Community Library presents Wrimo RLCopple and a panel of returning Wrimos for a discussion of the merits of various planning - and not-planning strategies.
• Austin NaNo Kickoff An informal meetup at Space12 for registered Wrimos and those just considering the plunge – Sunday, Oct. 25th, 3:30-5:30 pm. Here’s your chance to meet other writers, find out more about NaNo in Austin, and talk about your novel-to-be. Please be at least 13 years old for this event..
• Midnight Write Count down to midnight at the Dragon’s Lair and write the first words of your novel. Costumes encouraged! Potluck! Heart palpitations! Please be at least 13 years old to attend.
• Special Events with the Writers League of Texas We’ll have a 12-hour lockdown from 7 pm Nov. 13 until 7 am on the 14th, and a Last-Chance write-in from 9 pm to midnight on the 30th. Also in the works: an all-Texas write-in at the Texas Book Festival on Nov. 1st and drop-in hours weekdays at the WLT offices.Sorry, the Book Festival write-in and drop-in hours are cancelled. Maybe next year!
• Write-ins all around the region Grab the opportunity to write alongside other Wrimos and moan about your novel. We’ve already lined up write-ins with the Austin Java Writing Company, at Genuine Joe’s, and at Cafe Caffeine. And there’s more to come – including kid-friendly write-ins on most Saturdays.
• Events at the Pflugerville Community Library The library is going all-out this year with a planning presentation, a talk by Young Adult authors, parties, and write-ins. Receive a raffle ticket at each event and win a prize at their wrap party on Dec. 1st.
• Party! Participants and guests are invited to the Sixth Annual Fabulous Fantastical Whoop-de-doop Thank God It’s Over and We’re Still Standing, Bloody But Unbowed, Austin NaNoWriMo Party and Laugh-A-Thon! We’re still working out all the details, but chances are it will be in the evening during the first weekend in December the date is set! It will be the evening of December 4th.

But wait, there’s more! We’re planning to have an online chat at least once a week, and we’re expecting many additions to our calendar. Make sure to check this forum regularly for details.

Other stuff!
It’s traditional for the NaNoWriMo website to go wonky in October, so don’t panic if the site is slow. It will get better. If it gets too frustrating – or if we go down entirely – join us at our Yahoo group. If you are already part of the group, please scoot over there NOW and make sure that your email address is current. A bunch of you are bouncing – well, your emails are. This year, you can also find AuNoWriMo on Facebook and we’re tweeting from time to time at www.twitter.com/aunowrimo.

Forum note: The regional forums are G-rated, as are all forums with the cute little sun at the top. Please refrain from using curse words and avoid discussions of violence or sexuality in our forum.

Don’t hesitate to use NaNo’s private messaging system (PM) to contact me, lazym, with any questions or concerns.

We’re happy you’re here! It’s going to be a spectacular event in Austin!

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ML Captain of Capital Ideas & Austin, TX Municipal Liaison