United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

***Write-Ins and other info

sapphirestar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:19:10 -0700

Hi Everyone--- I've seen a few questions floating around, so here is some info.

First of all, for general questions about Nano, I encourage you to look through the FAQ on this website. Also, Chris Baty's book "No Plot, No Problem" is an excellent guidebook on how to do Nano. It's got a lot of good writing advice and is a very fun read. And of course, you can ask questions on the forum, or email me as well.

Write-Ins are gatherings, usually in coffee shops, during the month of November. You bring your laptop or notebook and work on your Nano novel in the company of other Wrimos. It helps to have some way to identify yourself as a Wrimo-- wear a Nano t-shirt, carry "No Plot, No Problem" or make a little table-tent that says Nanowrimo on it. Write-ins are optional, but I recommend you try them at least once. They're fun, you get to meet other people doing the same crazy thing you are, and I think people who come to write-ins have a better chance of making it to 50,000 words.

You can find out about write-ins on this forum. ANYBODY can set up a write-in during November, and please do! It's great to see Wrimos meeting in their favorite writing spots all over town. Just post where you will be writing, the location and time. Ask if anyone wants to join you.

Hmmm... is there anything I'm forgetting? I can't think right now... just ask if something isn't clear!

--Theresa
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Theresa, aka Sapphirestar
Twin Cities ML
http://sapphire.albatross.org

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

INFO and RSVP for the TGIO PARTY!

sapphirestar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:15:29 -0800

Greetings, fellow TC Wrimos--

Every year when the glorious month of Nanovember comes to a close, we celebrate our efforts and/or victories by gathering for the TGIO Party (that's Thank God It's Over). Whether you make the 50K goal or not, you are invited to join us for a rolicking good time!

Here's the basic info, with more details following:

TGIO Party
1:00 - 4:00 pm on Saturday, December 1
at The Loft, Open Book Center
1011 Washington Avenue South
(2nd floor) (612) 215-2575

It's Potluck! So please bring a dish to share.
MLs will provide plates, cups, supplies, etc.,
Beverages can be brought from home or purchased from the Coffee Gallery on the first floor.

We will have a donation bucket like last year, to cover the cost of the party AND, we will send any extras to Nanowrimo Central. It's great if you can put in a dollar to help cover party costs, but more importantly, we are welcoming donations big or small to help the Nano organization in continuing to do this wonderful thing they do every year. So, if you haven't had a chance to make a donation to Nano yet, here's a great and easy way to do it. You can even write a check! Don't forget, after Nanowrimo covers its operational costs, it uses the money for its Young Writers Program, which gets kids excited about writing! So let's help keep Nano going for next year!

This year, we will try out having readings again... it's totally optional, but if you'd like to read an excerpt of your Nano-novel, we will let people sign up to read. This time we are going to have scheduled times for readings, so that the party has a mix of time for readings and time for socializing. People will have 3 minutes to read (we figure about 3 double-spaced pages), so plan your material accordingly. The first set of readings will be from 1:30 - 2 pm, and the second set will be from 2:30 - 3 pm (depending on the popularity, we could have a third set later on, too). **Sign up sheets will be at the party. **

If you don't want to read your work aloud but would still like to share your work, we will have again an area for excerpts to be set on tables in a reading area. People can read each other's excerpts at leisure. This was very popular last year! You could have more than 3 pages for this.

If you've never been to The Loft, here's some info on how to get there from their website. The Loft is a great organization for writers, and they have been so generous to let us host our TGIO Parties there for 3 years in a row! It's a great website to look around, too.
http://www.loft.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=25

I know people worry about parking, but there is plenty available in this neighborhood. There are parking meters on side streets, parking lots on 11th Ave, and parking ramps by the Guthrie on 2nd Street. Here is more info from the Guthrie: http://www.guthrietheater.org/visit/driving_parking

So let's see, have I forgotten anything? I think that's everything! And now, just so we get an idea of how many are planning to come, just RSVP on this thread. We hope many of you will join us to celebrate another great Nanovember!

-- Your MLs

Theresa and Nell

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Theresa, aka Sapphirestar
Twin Cities ML
http://sapphire.albatross.org

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

PLEASE READ: CALENDAR for WRITE-INS and EVENTS

sapphirestar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 07:08:52 -0700

So far, we don't have a calendar feature this year on the Nano website, and we don't know if we're actually going to get one. I've looked around and the calendars on Yahoo are actually very good, and easy to use, so I have set up a Yahoo Group for us, "TC Wrimos." There is a message board there, but we won't use that (all our messages can stay here on this regional forum). I like that ANYONE in our region can set up their own write-in and list it on the yahoo calendar.

You will have to set up a yahoo account and "join" the group to use the calendar-- but it's free and painless.

I hope that everyone will use the calendar and check it often. It's a known fact that Wrimos who go to write-ins are more likely to reach 50,000 words-- plus, it's a lot more fun!

Find the TCWrimos Yahoo group here (and let me know if you have any trouble with it):

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TCWrimos/

Try to be as detailed as possible about your write-ins, and be sure to list yourself as a contact person.

Happy Writing,

Theresa

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Theresa, aka Sapphirestar
Twin Cities ML
http://sapphire.albatross.org

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Aug. 30 - Sept. 6 Weekly Thread

BenPanced — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:37:20 -0700

Finally had a chance to go to Cupcake earlier today (8/30). I was out doing something else and took the bus that goes along University, thinking I'd try them out. While the food and coffee were excellent (medium coffee, scrambled eggs with Cheddar, bacon and spinach, and a caramel apple cupcake and a pull-apart), it really wasn't a good idea sitting on the side where you can watch the bakers in the kitchen; smidge too warm for that.

And I'm in serious trouble because they're another place that hires cute guys for baristas. *headdesk*

So. I'll be getting two queries ready before Monday so I can mail them on Tuesday, and possibly finish writing a chapter for my rewrite on 2005's entry so I can continue the edit. It really doesn't look like anything original's going to happen until November, but we'll see.
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2004 - But I Never Said I Didn't Love You! - WIN
2005 - I've Told You That I Love You, Haven't I? - WIN
2006 - Forever Isn't Long Enough - WIN
2007 - The Gay Man's Guide To Love, Cat Ownership, and Other Mysteries - WIN

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

MnNaNo meetings

expatrie — Mon, 5 May 2008 15:50:21 -0700

Ok, maybe this can just be a general topic instead somebody making a new topic every half-month, and sometimes posting information about the meeting, like, the day before the meeting (that was me.)

So our next meeting is 7pm-9pm on May 12. Corner coffee.

Directions via: http://www.yourcornercoffee.com/

Topic is "Continuing" - the regulars have been asked to try to continue something they've not been making much progress on, keep at it. If you haven't got anything incomplete, we had a "write 12 opening lines to 12 different stories," exercise last time, so do that exercise and pick one and write a middle. We're hoping to see a continuation of Melissa and Andy's stories they started at the exercise last month. We're hoping to see Renee and Jeannine told me she's getting started on a new story so she might bring that (HINT!).

If you get stalled on your piece, bring it in to share and maybe the group can offer some suggestions, encouragement, or guidance on where to go next (if you've read No Plot?... No Problem! you've seen this item as the "business case" discussed there.)

Most of our things go out via private email from my Yahoo account (we know Nano will be down in October and the messages wiped, and it also keeps our stuff private should you seriously seek publication, posting your stuff on the internet for all to read, well, publishers aren't so excited about that, moving along... ), if you want in on the emails, please send me a nanomail and I'll add your name to the list.

Becki's input on the topic - (since it was her idea for the three meeting cycle we're currently in the middle of)

darkwolf58 wrote:

How about we start off with discussing continuing the story, plot
development, characters running off to Mexico, etc, and then we can
spend some time on motivation.

So there's the agenda. Thorin is bringing an exercise we didn't get to last meeting (if he's not there, I'll have something). I'm going to ask for help on the "discuss plot development" segment, folks.

Before this gets too long I'm hitting submit.

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JanNoWriMo07 - Still Waters Run Deep - >70,000 won (didn't know there was a group!)
AugNoWriMo07 - The Wreck of the Day ->50,000 won (over on Proboards)
NaNoWriMo08 - Fever.

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

August 24-30 Weekly Thread

darkwolf58 — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:30:40 -0700

Look! I started one!

Writing hasn't been good this past week, but I did do a major edit of Bayou Girl. I switched two scenes and that was a lot more work than I thought it would be. I have go over it again to make sure I didn't create a whole new set of problems by doing that.

The novel I'm working on, Marked For Life, is almost 55,000 words, and I'm doing pre-editing on one of my other novels.
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United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Aug. 10-23 Thread

BenPanced — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:35:28 -0700

Hah! Went above and beyond the dare! What do I win?

Anyway, this has NOT been a good week off for me for writing. I've been trying to find a market for the short Dips**t I asked people to critique a couple meetings ago, but it's not looking to bright. I've ordered back copies of two magazines, downloaded a PDF file of another, and have just decided giving up trying to track down a fourth (they only offer full subscriptions and no back issues). I've been to both the main libraries in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and I really don't feel like seeing if they have it at any of the area universities. I need to see if there's anything else out there because three potential publishers is incredibly disheartening; two of them don't allow simultaneous submissions, and they both say to allow four to six months for an answer. o.O

And I've gotten some critique on the query for my 2004 NaNo, so I can probably skip the next group meeting with a clear conscience.
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2004 - But I Never Said I Didn't Love You! - WIN
2005 - I've Told You That I Love You, Haven't I? - WIN
2006 - Forever Isn't Long Enough - WIN
2007 - The Gay Man's Guide To Love, Cat Ownership, and Other Mysteries - WIN

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

August 3-8 Weekly Thread

Eurydice — Tue, 5 Aug 2008 11:06:30 -0700

Wow, August already. Summer should not be passing this quickly...

My writing has not been as productive as I would have liked this summer (I blame work), but I've been more productive than previous years, so that's something. I hadn't written short stories outside of fanfiction for quite some time, so it's been good to actually try that again. I'm working on revising my 2005 NaNo novel, Just a Game (aka Emily). It's far more difficult than I thought, but if it was easy, I probably would have revised it years ago, right? :)

JDai, are you as worried as I am that the next World of Warcraft expansion is going to be released in November?

What about the rest of you? Anyone up to anything exciting, writing related or otherwise?
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"I did, however, wish to write something that was, let us say, historically unembarrassing." -Robin McKinley

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

July 20 - 26 weekly thread

rosalindmn — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:24:18 -0700

Trying to reintroduce the weekly thread.

I finally got back to my 2007 novel, and am trying to do an outline that allows for a real plot and a second draft where most of the scenes further the plot. My theory is that if I can get the plot working, smoothing out the prose should be fairly simple.

Is any one else working on rewrites this month? Working on something else? Just sitting back and relaxing?

Rosalind
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United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

July Monthly Thread

CallipygianKing — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:09:43 -0700

So we're 11 days in... How was your 4th? I marched 3 parades: Delano, Apple Valley, and Chanhassan. Good times.
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Why I love write-ins:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7263466382698839005

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

June 1-7 Weekly Thread: What will you do with your summer vacation?

CallipygianKing — Mon, 2 Jun 2008 07:25:21 -0700

Ha! It's a preemptive strike with the classic start-of-school essay question! So, what will you do now that summer is finally upon us? What are the big plans?
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Why I love write-ins:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7263466382698839005

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

May 25-31 weekly thread -- Progress check-in

expatrie — Wed, 28 May 2008 10:30:00 -0700

Ok, last week was the first week we missed a weekly entry.

So, this week, since it's Wednesday, I'm going to create the weekly entry.

Well, trying (like the rest of the group) to finish some stories this week, although this is being complicated (some) by moving and (a lot) by not having the computer in one piece and for that matter, not being quite sure where the keyboard and mouse are right now, along with everything in boxes, painting going on at the new place. So, I've gotten one story "finished" but after printing it realized the first two chapters are in the present and need to be switched to past tense and frankly, wondering why there isn't a "tense converter" in Word so i can highlight the whole dang story and hit "past tense" and be done. Oh well, it probably wouldn't work right if it's a Microsoft product, right? Or I'd write the whole thing hit convert and it would crash and I'd have forgotten to hit save (again) before doing the conversion.

I've got the meeting prep done for next week, did that on Friday last between midnight and two am. And got a few more notes made since then, although finding the books I want to bring to the meeting is another item I'll have to find the books. Box by box search.

Will we ever see Calipigian King at a meeting?

How is your writing going this week? Have any of the writing group members gotten their objectives achieved in advance of the meeting? Have you been making time to write, and if so, when?
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JanNoWriMo07 - Still Waters Run Deep - >70,000 won (didn't know there was a group!)
AugNoWriMo07 - The Wreck of the Day ->50,000 won (over on Proboards)
NaNoWriMo08 - Fever.

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

May 11 - 17 Weekly Thread

BenPanced — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:00:51 -0700

Gonna keep this one short. The Tylenol PM are kickin' in.

Going through my 2004 NaNo for the ninth draft this week. Really, really, really want to start querying agents with this. If this one doesn't work, 2007 should be kicked into shape later this year.

Been having some serious email problems. My current USInternet address is being sporadically kicked back as unknown or connection refused. So if you've tried to send something to the writers' group and it came back, I'm still around. Let me know via PM if you need my new email address; I've let Brian know, as well, so the mailing list should be okay.

Ninth draft. Wow.

Oh, GHOD, the Tylenol PM are kickin' in...
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2004 - But I Never Said I Didn't Love You! - WIN
2005 - I've Told You That I Love You, Haven't I? - WIN
2006 - Forever Isn't Long Enough - WIN
2007 - The Gay Man's Guide To Love, Cat Ownership, and Other Mysteries - WIN

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Alpha and Omega

expatrie — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:15:59 -0700

I got this from the france regional forum. Sounded cool to me.

Post your first paragraph and your last paragraph of your NaNo2007.
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JanNoWriMo07 - Still Waters Run Deep - >70,000 won (didn't know there was a group!)
AugNoWriMo07 - The Wreck of the Day ->50,000 won (over on Proboards)
NaNoWriMo08 - Fever.

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

April 27- May 3 Weekly Thread: A day late...

CallipygianKing — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:14:54 -0700

... and a dollar short. And I have barely touched anything I've written in months.

What other shortcomings are we willing to divulge this week?
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Why I love write-ins:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7263466382698839005

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

May 4-10 Weekly Thread

CallipygianKing — Sun, 4 May 2008 16:58:58 -0700

Well, my in-laws have just moved back from England. Right into the spare room in my attic. I'm going to see if my British-born sister-in-law has any good bits and bobs for stories as we spend our time at home this week taking care of our babies.
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Why I love write-ins:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7263466382698839005

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

MnNaNo meeting April 28, Corner coffee 7-9pm

expatrie — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:16:05 -0700

Surprised this hasn't been posted yet so sorry for the short notice if you're not on the email version of this and getting mail from me more that weekly, from my yahoo email address.

The meeting is 7-9pm at Corner coffee (troll the forum for directions and the official name, since it is one of those things that doesn't stick to the texture of my mind so I'm never sure if it's corner coffee or coffee corner. Anyhow. mycornercoffee or mycoffecorner or yourcoffeecorner or yourcornercoffee.com, somethign like that. Try them all!)

The meeting topic is "Beginning," so if you've missed all the meetings so far now is a great time to jump in since it's part of a limited three meeting engagement (continuing and finishing being the next two). Bring something to write on and to write with because I've got a writing exercise in mind, but expect some discussion of how others get their ideas or how they start, or something they're bringing in to get comments on. The exercise for last meeting was a quickie - write down twelve opening lines to stories you (have or haven't) written.

Side note: I just started reading Trainspotting and may I say, holy $(*& krabaple. Talk about dialect.
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JanNoWriMo07 - Still Waters Run Deep - >70,000 won (didn't know there was a group!)
AugNoWriMo07 - The Wreck of the Day ->50,000 won (over on Proboards)
NaNoWriMo08 - Fever.

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

April 20-26 Weekly Thread: Now with more esoteric, pretentious, bad form poetry!

CallipygianKing — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 22:16:39 -0700

This

i
s

the

w
e
e
k
l
y

thread

.
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Why I love write-ins:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7263466382698839005

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

New writers' workshop opens in Hopkins

CallipygianKing — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:49:23 -0700

From the Hopkins Sun-Sailor:

Quote:

New writers' workshop opens in Hopkins

BY Marc Ingber - Sun Newspapers
(Created: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 10:27 PM CDT)

Ashley Shelby loves to write, but something she loves just as much is teaching and coaching others on their writing projects.

Shelby, a local author and former Penguin Books acquisitions editor, launched the Mill City Writers' Workshop last month at 6 Sixth Ave. N. in Hopkins.

Shelby, the daughter of WCCO news anchor Don Shelby, grew up in Hopkins. She lived in New York for eight years, where she worked at Penguin.

She is also a published author herself. Her book, "Red River Rising: The Anatomy of a Flood and the Survival of an American City," about the catastrophic floods in the Red River Valley in the winter of 1997, was published in 2004.

Shelby moved back to Hopkins two years ago and decided to open a writers' workshop. She said that when you are writing your own material, you don't get the rewarding payoff until you are finished, which tends to take a long time.

"Teaching is an instant reward," she said. "I love that instant gratification."

The rest of the article is here: http://www.mnsun.com/articles/2008/04/17/sports/aw17writersworkshop.txt

Maybe this is something the NaNo writers' group would be interested in? Or maybe it's a place to keep in mind when November rolls around? The website for the workshop is www.millcitywriters.com.
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Why I love write-ins:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7263466382698839005

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

April 13 - 19 Weekly Thread - Now with extra weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth!

BenPanced — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:13:46 -0700

I'm off this week, the relevance of taking the time off in relation to what we're doing at work completely escaping me until last Wednesday or so (we're in the final throes of recertifying users of our online application and the deadline is this Wednesday, when we begin inactivating accounts).

So I'll be taking advantage of all the extra free time and editing my 2007 manuscript. I thought I'd found a new direction (see earlier posts) and I began rewriting it with those thoughts in mind. However. After reading how much I've already written on two of the characters and how much I enjoy their interaction, I'm going back to the way things were when I first started writing this and make them exes, as opposed to the new idea of having them "meet cute". In the process, I'd written some new scenes for the "meet cute" draft of the manuscript that I really liked so now I'm shoehorning them into the "they're exes" draft that I've started again.

Didn't help that one of the drafts of chapter one wasn't numbered, so I had to spend about 30 minutes yesterday separating the two drafts from each other and numbering pages.

Ennyweigh, I may or may not be out and about to my usual coffee house haunts this week. I'll post here the night before I show up anywhere, in case you'd like to get together and hang out. Tomorrow, 4/14, since I'll be in the neighborhood I'm planning on being at Open Book early/mid afternoon, about 1:00 or so.
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2004 - But I Never Said I Didn't Love You! - WIN
2005 - I've Told You That I Love You, Haven't I? - WIN
2006 - Forever Isn't Long Enough - WIN
2007 - The Gay Man's Guide To Love, Cat Ownership, and Other Mysteries - WIN

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

April 6-12 Weekly Thread

CallipygianKing — Sat, 5 Apr 2008 22:13:13 -0700

It is too late to be this early in the morning. But I got to start the weekly thread. And now I'm going to bed.

The wife goes back to work at the end of this week, and I get to be stay-at-home dad. So, we'll see how that goes...
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Why I love write-ins:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7263466382698839005

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

Tonight's meeting postponed to April 7

rosalindmn — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:51:02 -0700

Due to weather, the meeting has been postponed to April 7, same time, same location.

And BenPanced is promising us an as-yet-unknown volcano erupting under the Metrodome if we show up downtown on April 7. How exciting is that?

Rosalind
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United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

March 23 - 30 Weekly Thread

expatrie — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:57:34 -0700

a) remember there is a meeting 7-9pm on March 31st. Oh, at Coffee Corner, or Corner Coffee, I forget the order of the words.

If I'm not incarcerated for assaulting a pseudo-coworker (which currently requires travel to Chicago, and after Wednesday, will require driving across all of North Dakota in a rental car to do it), I'll be there, even if I get fired for the email I just hit send on (it's not all that likely, but there's an outside chance), I'll be there. There should really be an emoticon for "I want to throttle you," not just the old useless I'm laughing smiely :) I mean, seriously, we need some USEFUL emoticons. WORK useful.

my proposals -
a) throttling you like a cat in a violent Tom and Jerry cartoon. (eyes bulged out, neck stretched out)
b) that thing the abominable snowman does to wile e. coyote, where his feet stretch out every time he baps wile on the head
c) some gesture involving the writer (me) wondering if the other person (the recipient) has a tinfoil coated ceiling. AYSUS (Are you sure you're sane?)
d) some kind of "bad touching," "don't touch me there" emoticon, for when people try to #$(*&#$ you.
e) one for the middle finger that most people won't get for at least a year. I can add it to my work email signature. TT?
f) that one cartoons do when they fall a long way and they're hurt. Or dizzy.

I guess if it were easy they wouldn't have to pay me to do it, right?

Awk. 7pm, time to go home.
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JanNoWriMo07 - Still Waters Run Deep - >70,000 won (didn't know there was a group!)
AugNoWriMo07 - The Wreck of the Day ->50,000 won (over on Proboards)
NaNoWriMo08 - Fever.

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

March 16 - 22 Weekly Thread

BenPanced — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:20:01 -0700

My turn again?

Nice to see everybody who turned out on Saturday. Got over a couple blocks afterwards.

I'm screaming towards the finish line, guys. I'm on chapter 17 of 17, about to revise it, highlighter marks and all, so I can go back to chapter 1, type everything up, and begin the process again. The upcoming round of edits will be a serious rewrite, as I've discovered some new angles, one I had from the beginning last November but didn't convey it correctly and the other just happening as I was going through chapter 14, helping pull the focus together a bit more. Hopefully I won't lose the lightheated, comedic tone.

Ennyweigh, that's where I'm at. Hope all y'all have a good week ahead. Even though it's mostly over.
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2004 - But I Never Said I Didn't Love You! - WIN
2005 - I've Told You That I Love You, Haven't I? - WIN
2006 - Forever Isn't Long Enough - WIN
2007 - The Gay Man's Guide To Love, Cat Ownership, and Other Mysteries - WIN

United States :: Minnesota :: Twin Cities

March 9-15 Weekly Thread

CallipygianKing — Sun, 9 Mar 2008 15:56:20 -0700

Hopefully everything's going well with everyone. Just enjoying that fresh, new baby myself. And with the time off and my transition to working from the home, perhaps I could get some writing or revising done on the various things I've got started.

Have a good week, people. What's up in your lives?
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Why I love write-ins:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7263466382698839005