Welcome & Introductions

Asphodele — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 10:23:34 +0300

Hello London Wrimos & welcome to Nanowrimo 2012! Only a month to go until we can get started, how exciting is that? let's have some introductions while we wait! Whether you're a veteran Wrimo or a newbie, let us know a bit about you and your novel. I'm Claire, one of your four co-MLs this year and this will be my fifth Nano (hopefully my fourth win). I'm generally quite loud and nerdy, I mostly write sci-fi and fantasy & in months which are not November I love to bake and do various crafty things. I have no idea what I'll write this year but that shouldn't be too much of an issue. Ish. I hope. How about you?

Re: Welcome & Introductions

sjjh — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 10:36:15 +0300

Hello two thousand and twelve, I'm Jim and I seem to have done the wrimo thing six times over the past nine years. Lordy. I've been out of wrimo circulation for a couple of years, moving house and such. This year, I might use the time to overhaul the novel from 2009, or I might try writing a story game using failbetter's StoryNexus engine, or I might do what you're supposed to do and write a new novel. I'm generally quiet and nerdy, like a Big Bang Theory character except a software developer not a scientist. See youse in the pub, Jim

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Omega1989 — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:09:49 +0300

Hello! I'm Matt, and this is my first year in London (having recently moved here after graduation) but my fourth year of NaNo-ing. I'm not sure if that's the correct verb. So far, I've succeeded two of the three years, and as I have some time off work in November, I'm going to be challenging myself to 75,000 words this year. We'll see long that lasts. I have the basic idea for this year already, but still have a bit of work to get it into something I can write in November (I'm most definitely a planner). I'm writing urban fantasy, as I often do, and, unusually for me, actually have a title before November 1st. It's 'Moribund'. When it's not November, I tend to play board games, read, and help make sure our education system keeps working.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

holly6000 — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:33:42 +0300

Hi! Is it that time of year already? I'm Tom, another of your four co-MLs, and this is my 9th NaNo. This year marks the 10th anniversary of my first attempt, when I was younger and less foolish, or something. This year I've decided to so something special to mark the occasion, and go against everything that I've done for the last few years. Instead of writing stuff that's grounded in reality, I'm writing space opera. Instead of writing to a vague plan that's only in my head, I've planned the novel in excruciating detail - each 300-word subsection has been sketched out. It's quite the departure from the last few years, and it'll be intriuguing to attempt...

Re: Welcome & Introductions

UJ — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:39:27 +0300

Hi, everyone. I'm Jane and I think this is my third Nano. My brain's gone already. That can't bode well. In the past I've tried rewriting the same story but this year it's something fresh, so it's goodbye to the banker satire (shame! Must finish that one day) and hello to the modern gothic horror detective story. I'm behind in my planning so I'm definitely going to see if there are any Plan-Ins to go to, or to plan myself if need be. Just getting on this thread is giving me the kick I need. Time to get the diary out and sort myself out.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Asphodele — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:48:05 +0300

Jane, plan-ins are in the works :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Kaleidoscope27 — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 11:51:29 +0300

Hallo all! I'm Suzanne, one of your four MLs and this will be my 10th NaNoWriMo and hopefully my 10th victory! I'm writing book two in a trilogy and am hoping to reach 100,000 for the first time! I moved down from Manchester (where I MLd last year) in January and am still getting to know London, I'm currently obsessing over Supernatural and chocolate is my addiction. Looking forward to meeting everybody :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Mrsmj — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:32:13 +0300

Hello! I'm Karla, this is my 2nd Nano. I was Script Frenzy co-ML with Asphodele this year which was amazing. I love to write! I generally write sci-fi/horror and I have no idea what I am writing this year! By the time Nano Starts I will be 11 weeks pregnant so I am hoping I can avoid Preg Head and get some good writing done. I am finding it hard to think past this week at the moment due to my all day long "morning" sickness so plot suggestions would be very appreciated! I live in St Margarets near Richmond and would interested in some local write ins. Last year we had one every Monday afternoon at my local which had about 4 regulars. I would be up doing that again! Very excited! Can't wait to see everybody again! xxx

Re: Welcome & Introductions

CarlieD — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 13:12:41 +0300

Hello! I'm Caroline (or Carlie, whichever you can wrap your head around more easily - I had French-speaking teachers who COULD NOT pronounce Carlie for the life of them), and this is my second NaNo. I just graduated with my Bachelor of Education in June this year - hurrah! No more university for me! I'm not actually IN London yet. I'm moving from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada on October 27th, so I have A) no idea where I'm going to be living (I'm staying at a hotel in Kensington while I flat-hunt - will probably be in southwest London, as that's where the majority of the schools that use the teaching agency I'm working with are), and B) no people. I'm hoping NaNo will let me explore my new home and meet new people - it did it for me last year while I was away at university! C) also, NO TIME TO PLAN! :O I'm working nights at a hotel over here until the week before I leave, and I have a million and two things to get accomplished before Oct 27th. T.T So much to do, so little time.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

ksg1981 — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:16:10 +0300

Hi all! I'm Karl, GSOH, 31, looking for love... Oops, wrong website! Let's start again. I'm Karl, and I live in Harrow in north-west London. This will be my sixth year of doing NaNoWriMo, and have won comformably in each of the last five years. I'm best known in NanoLondon circles as the crazy guy who writes an insane amount of words each year! Last year I wrote 160,000 words. Throughout all of last year I kept saying that it would be my last year of writing such an insane amount but then, at one of the TGIO parties, I was challenged to do 200,000 words this year, and I caved! So, erm, yes, trying to write 200k in 30 days is going to be... fun. For the past two years I've also been raising money through Nano for a local charity in Harrow, St. Luke's Hospice, who helped to look after my dad shortly before he died in 2009, and I'll be doing the same again this year - watch this space... I'm a regular attendee at NanoLondon meet-ups and write-ins, so please feel free to come up and say hi if you see me! I look forward to meeting you all, old friends and new! Karl

Re: Welcome & Introductions

ksg1981 — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:17:23 +0300

Oh, and I forgot to tell you what my novel for this year will be about! It's going to be a political thriller, set in a fantasy world...

Re: Welcome & Introductions

ksg1981 — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:19:04 +0300

Hi Karla! Congrats on the pregnancy! :o)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

JeffDudley — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:05:41 +0300

Hi, I'm Jeff, This is my second Nano, last year I did a fantasy crime story and this year it's going to be science fiction. I live in Enfield but I work in Prague so I will be doing most of my writing in a hotel room. At least I will have access to lots of coffee via room service. Good luck to everyone, let the madness begin!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Squirmelia — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:30:42 +0300

Hi All. I'm Jodi, and I think my first NaNoWriMo was in 2002. I'm looking forward to NaNoWriMo 2012! I live out west in the East Twickenham/St Margarets area, but am now working in Victoria, so may end up attending more central write-ins this year. As usual, I have no idea what I'm going to write and don't intend to do much (or probably any) planning, but suspect some weird things may happen in my novel, as they usually do. :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

thepet — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:36:55 +0300

Hi, I'm Kerry! This is my sixth NaNo. I recently moved to the Southwark area of London, after living in the Devonshire countryside for a few years. I'm a research scientist/statistical consultant, and I write as much as I can in my free time :) My novel is actually a from-scratch rewrite of one I attempted last year, and wasn't happy with the outcome, so I'm giving it another try using a different style/structure. It's a detective story/mystery, set in (oddly enough!) Devon. The location is broadly based on where I used to live, but the characters/setting are all fictional. :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

MaxHallam — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 17:56:11 +0300

Hi, I'm Max. This is my first year of NaNo, but I took part in the August Camp. I'm happy to say I won. I have my novel planned out, and it's to be adventure fixed with a little bit of fantasy (I wish there was a category for action as well). So ... good luck, everyone!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Jenepel — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:19:21 +0300

Hi everyone! I'm Jenn, another of the 4 London MLs. I'm 32 and this will be my sixth year doing Nano in London, and my second as an ML. I'm a half-American, half-Brit (although I sound like the former) and I can be most easily spotted by looking for the shortest person in the room! As usual this time of year, I'm madly scrambling for ideas, so I'm not yet sure what I'm going to write! I have a few plot bunnies rolling around, so hopefully I'll narrow it down soon enough. I'll probably be writing middle grade fiction or YA, as that's generally where my interests lie. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at all the events and on the forums. I'm sure to be at tons of the central based write-ins and social events, and I'm eager to meet everyone, so come introduce yourselves! :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Brian Wakeling — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:23:30 +0300

I'm Brian, this will be my (counts...) 8th NaNo. I've won all the previous ones, first time with a story about pirates, and since then with a series of books which can be found here. I'm not going to add a seventh book to that series just yet, so 'll be doing something different this year.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

yowhound — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:51:46 +0300

Hi, Mark checking in. This'll be my third nano and I won the previous two. My one attempt at scriptfrenzy failed so hard it was funny! I had a perfect Nano idea for this year but couldn't resist at all and started writing it 4 days ago, so effectively I'll be doing a double Nano this year, trying to get at least 70k words on this novel before the start date. Two novels in two months. Who needs sleep, eh? My normal genre is sci fi or horror so I'll probably stick to that this year.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Paul Hiscock — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:52:57 +0300

Hi. I'm Paul and this will be my second NaNoWriMo. This year I'm hoping to be slightly less last minute in my writing after my frantic efforts at the Last Ditch Write In last year.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

delorfinde — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:19:06 +0300

Hi, I'm Miriam, or Del, and this is my fourth NaNo and will hopefully be my fourth win. You might remember me from previous years - in 2010 I hit 50k on the first weekend, while at a Write In, so that was awesome. I won't be that quick this year, mainly because I'm aiming for a novel that actually makes sense and isn't too bad to be rescued, unlike that year. Ehehe :D I'm writing a historical apocalyptic novel, where two young girls (not sure how young yet) travel from the far side of Russia to London in search of the weapon that will end the world, in order to avert the apocalypse, with help from an angel (probably Raphael but not certain) and hindrance from demons. This isn't the novel I had planned, but yesterday my brain just threw that plan to hell and gave me this one. A few more details are on my profile. Though I have school and stuff, 90k in a month seems to be pretty routine for me at the moment, so hopefully it shouldn't be too difficult to keep up come November, but you never know what might crop up.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

nocturnal_tick — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 22:57:35 +0300

Hi, I'm Daniel. This is my 3rd NaNo, yet to get a win but I'm hopeful this time round. I am currently working on an urban fantasy series that I plan to publish and this year I'll be writing the first main novel of a trilogy. I figure having the pressure of a deadline will get my need to edit and re-edit out of the way so I can just have a first draft I can make shiny later. Should anyone be interested, please see the details in my novel synopsis, I'm always eager for feedback. As for the social side, I hope to meet a lot of you very soon at the meet-ups and share thoughts and fun times. Bye for now.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

nocturnal_tick — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:18:03 +0300

Hi Carlie, Congratulations on your teaching degree and good luck with teaching in London. Seriously, from a former teacher in North London, good luck. I hope you settle in well and find a good place to work. Hope to see you at the meet-ups Daniel

Re: Welcome & Introductions

katiereynolds — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:33:08 +0300

Hello! I'm Katie, second year nano-ing and hopefully second year winning! Since last year, I've graduated from uni and got a job, so I'm hoping I'll be able to make it to some write-ins this year. I'm living in Peckham at the moment, and it would be great to meet some other wrimos nearby. I'm feeling much more prepared this time around, I have a few rough plans written out and my characters mostly sorted, so perhaps this years novel will be an improvement on last years 50,000 word waffle!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

musse — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:21:11 +0300

Hi everyone! I'm Aino, a newbie Londoner and third year NaNo-er. I live and work as an au pair in Islington and I'm really excited about doing NaNoWriMo British style this year. I used to live in Helsinki (Finland) and NaNo was always a lot of fun there. I really hope there will be write-ins near me, the opportunity to drink lots of tea and moan about writing with other writers instead of actually writing is the main reason I do NaNo. Oops. I have absolutely no idea whatsoever what my novel is going to be about - I don't even know if I'll be able to write a whole novel without seriously neglecting my au pair duties - but I'm (almost) sure I'll come up with something before November.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Pinkoeria — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:56:37 +0300

Hi everyone, I am Christine and I am doing NaNo for the first time this year. Exciting! I live in Basingstoke, but there is no regional group there and I find myself in London more often than in Southampton, so I hope to come to some of the events. Can't wait to start writing again, the last time I attempted a novel was 5 years ago when my oldest was 1. I will be combining writing with a full time job and the care of two young kids. Luckily my husband is super supportive! I have plotted the main points of my novel already and have a rough chapter outline which after 5 changes is where I like it to be. I don't have a subplot and don't have that many characters, but I feel confident that those will emerge as I write the story, as my stories have a tendency to introduce new things all on their own.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Gildas Caedmon — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:58:35 +0300

Hello, this is my first Nano and, I must say, it's pretty daunting! I have been working on an idea at a school authors club I help run and I think Nano could help me get off the ground. I am writing a historical fiction novel, The Pit. Set in Venice, Dalmatia, Greece, Constantinople and the Holy Land during the 4th Crusade, the story follows a young Venetian whose father, a master shipwright, is cruelly maimed and banished from the city in the dead of night. Told his father has been killed in an industrial accident at the Arsenale, the orphaned young man is drafted into the army of the fourth Crusade which saw a Christian army sack the most magnificent Christian city the world had ever known, Constantinople. Swearing revenge on those responsible for the fate of his father, the young hero rises through the ranks of the Venetian army, encountering intrigue, covetousness, lies, hypocrisy, cruelty, betrayal, loyalty, hatred and love at every turn, before finding himself face to face with the shadowy characters who robbed him of the only person he could ever truly trust.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Elyzab — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 01:00:59 +0300

Hello all, I'm Elizabeth and I live and work in Barnet so I hope to get to central weekend write ins or any in the north! This is my fifth year and last year I published as I wrote on Smashwords. My book built up a following so I also wrote two sequels. That was urban fantasy, but this year I'm aiming for historical romance as I need a rest from UF for a bit! If Smashwords offer the same thing this year I shall also publish this book as I write. This years book is called The Reed Bed which I rather like the sound of! Elizabeth x

Re: Welcome & Introductions

nocturnal_tick — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 01:39:52 +0300

Hi Elizabeth, It's nice to see someone local. I'm just across the way in Enfield and I am writing an urban fantasy novel this year so it would be nice to get some input from someone with more experience. Best of luck with this year. Daniel

Re: Welcome & Introductions

fairyhedgehog — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:57:38 +0300

I'm Gina and I've been doing Nano since 2004, although I didn't meet up with other wrimoers till 2006. If you want to find me at a meetup I'm usually the oldest person in the room! Most years I've had a good idea of what I wanted to write by this stage. This year I just know I want to write sci fi but I've no idea what the story might be or who the characters are. That's a bit scary this near to November! I work at an after-school club so I can't get to evening meetings except at half term. So I look forward to meeting anyone who can make the Saturday meets!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

vickie — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:51:27 +0300

Hey all! This will be my third year and hopefully my third win. My challenge this year is NOT to write another sci-fi - we'll see how that goes :) I'm based out in Maidenhead/Windsor and would love to take part in a write-a-thon or four this year. Vickie

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Noghar — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:37:31 +0300

Hey guys... Last year's Nano worked out well for me, so I am back for more, desperately hoping that lightning can strike twice. I'll be organising more write-ins at the same Ealing pub as last year and hope to see some new and old faces turning up. Good luck and logorrhea to one and all.

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sennydreadful — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:44:32 +0300

Hello all! I've lost track of which Nano this is for me (fourth, possibly?) but I'm fairly sure I've had three wins and I did Camp last year instead of the traditional November shenanigans. I'm a writer from South East London and this year I'm going for YA Post-apocalyptic fish-punk. Yeah, I don't really know either, but I'm looking forward to it! :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

sumerianhaze — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:48:58 +0300

This will be my 7th NaNo. My glimmering of an idea for this year is shaping up to be a little dystopian, but it's an idea that won't go away so I'll stay with it and hope that it'll still be fun to write. I'll be attending several of the write-ins in central London, and maybe one or two further afield. See you at the kick-off parties! Daniel

Re: Welcome & Introductions

slt85 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:06:47 +0300

Hi Im Sinead and this is my first NaNo. I have read loads of books and thought it would be cool to try and write one myself and read the No Plot, No Problem book and found out that this existed. I live in east london so im hoping to attend some write-ins.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

tereseh — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:37:25 +0300

Hello fellow London-living Finn! :D

Re: Welcome & Introductions

tereseh — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 16:52:27 +0300

Hello everybody! I've been doing this since 2007, and winning since 2009 (only 2 complete stories, the last one got left halfway although I passed 50000 words). I've tried the ScrptFrenzy and the CampNaNo, but I simply can't write in any other months than November >.< I come from Finland, but moved here because... well... because! :) It will be my third NaNo in London (while it's actually only my second year here). I live in Leyton (I can see the Olympic site from my front room window!) and am currently on maternity leave with my gorgeous little boy who will be 3 months+ by the time November rolls around. So no work to worry about, but a drool-covered little smiley face to take care about instead. This year I'm going to write a sort of supernatural-scary-almost-lovestory in Swedish I'm afraid, but I got everything planned out, so if I finish early I'll start something short in English I'm sure. (And I almost already have a publisher, almost... -that's scary stuff, makes me nervous to write. :S) Baby permit it I might turn up at some write-ins.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

musse — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:31:41 +0300

Oeeeee :D I was just wondering if I'm the only Finnish wrimo around! *Finnish high-five*

Re: Welcome & Introductions

querty_lady — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:37:13 +0300

Hi everyone. I'm Sophie, and I am a total Nano virgin, but very excited (and also pretty terrified) of getting stuck in to my first novel. I'm one of those annoying 'one day I will write a novel' people who has never actually got round to doing anything about it. I have also fallen into the trap time and time again of trying to write and edit at the same time (I am an editor in my day job), meaning that of course nothing is ever good enough and it all ends up in the recycle bin after the first page... I heard about Nano having read Elizabeth Haynes' debut: Into the Darkest Corner' (a fantastic read!), the first draft of which was written in during Nano 2008. In an interview at the end of the book she makes the fantastic analogy of writing and editing at the same time being the same as trying to drive a fast car with the handbrake on. That was my eureka moment! So I was inspired to give it a go. (Also, having recently attempted to read Fifty Shades of Grey I kind of thought hey - if something this unabashedly crap can cause such a literary stir then I've got to be in with a shot, right?!) So, I think I've got a good concept and vague plotline figured out - and I'm actually beginning to regard my main characters as friends (good sign I hope, but may mean I'm going slightly mad). Looking forward to telling their story, but remain terrified of the blank page in front of me (even just the one entitled 'Plan'), eeek! Roll on 1 November... I live in South West London and work in Victoria, so hope to meet some of you soon, and looking forward to hearing more writing tips when it all kicks off :-)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Voxilyn — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 00:28:06 +0300

Hi all, I'm Lucy. This year marks my seventh NaNo - lucky number 7, perhaps? I have no idea what I'm writing yet, but then I usually don't at this stage. Check again in two weeks. Maybe three. I usually write Urban Fantasy/Horror though, so it'll probably be more of the same. I don't know how I'd ever get to 50k without being able to fall back on my usual tactic of rending the occasional character limb from limb. Technically I live in Kent, not London, so I'm lurking in both forums. But I live in the part of Kent that is very close to London (20-25 mins by train to Victoria) so I think the London meet-ups might well be easier for me to get to. The last few years I was imposing on the Brighton forums since I was at Uni there, so basically just picture me slowly infiltrating NaNo groups all over the south of England. Like some kind of overgrown Cuckoo, but probably minus the part where I kill and replace other members of the group. I look forward to meeting everyone!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Omega1989 — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 01:47:06 +0300

I did NaNo in Canterbury last year and Elizabeth Haynes was our ML. A thoroughly charming and clearly talented lady; plus it was quite inspirational to have someone who had managed to get published out of NaNo leading the way.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

brisco — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:09:03 +0300

Hi. I am going to do it this year. A simple road trip story. I have a plan, but sadly never enough time. I live in SW18, work in Clerkenwell and am going to keep my eyes open for write ins. See you soon, James.

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Isabella Waugh — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 13:49:29 +0300

Hi my name is Isabella Waugh. This is my first NaNoWriNo however I have done the young NaNoWriMo before. I'm under 18 but this is my (thinking) 3rd book, I think, I never finish books outside of NaNoWriMo as I forget and am busy with my education. I am quiet, read a lot and hardly go out. I'll be the person still up at four am writing my novel, because I find my zone during the night. I am most likely to never finish my book nor reach this goal, but here we go. All help is appreicated with my novel, Change Happens, Always... I'm off to uni next year to study english and creative writing so I hope that my writing gets better as I also write poetry, and have been recently published in a collection of poems. I hope to go into publishing or write my own stuff while being a university professor. see you around Isabella Waugh :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

collegiatewhovian — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 02:27:20 +0300

Hello! I'm Kaitlyn. I'm in London right now on a study abroad program living in South Kensington SW7. I'm from Pennsylvania and I go to school in Boston, Mass. Over the course of the next two months I have a major research paper to write, but I'm hoping I can stick with NaNoWriMo. I started NaNoWriMo last year and failed completely. Hopefully, this year I can persevere. I think I'd like to write some historical fiction. I have a membership to the London Library and I feel like it would be a waste not to utilize it. My current interest is in World War I, but I do have fairly extensive knowledge of WWII as well as medieval English history. Random, I know. I also danced with a pre-professional ballet company for fifteen years and rode competitive English hunt seat for fiveish years. So if that random knowledge would help anyone in anyway, feel free to message me. Hopefully I get to meet some of you!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

CarlieD — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:50:14 +0300

Oooh, nice to see a nearby N.American abroad! (I'm Canadian, but I'll take what I can get!) I'll be staying in SW5 for my first couple of weeks - hope we run into each other somewhere in November!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Kaleidoscope27 — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:08:44 +0300

Ooh I work in SW7! You studying at Imperial College, or just living in the area?

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Asphodele — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:13:16 +0300

Carlie, there are lots of North American and other foreigners from all over in the Nano London group. it's one of the great things about London as a city. :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

CarlieD — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:34:10 +0300

Lovely! I was getting a teensy bit anxious about being the only foreigner in the bunch... (I know, I know, of all the silly things to worry about... In my defense, I'm migrating from a pretty homogeneous region...)

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Silme Betty — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:46:25 +0300

Hello sweeties! Um... just ignore all the references. I'm Betty, soon I'll be 25 and a half, I was born in Hungary but I consider myself British. This'll be my 6th NaNo (second in London), and so far I've only won once, last year. I studied environmental science at uni, I work as an au pair now. I'm going to write fanfiction, again. I had this Superwholock idea last year but changed my mind in the last moment - it's time to write it. For those who don't know what Superwholock is: a crossover between Supernatural, Doctor Who and BBC Sherlock. I'll add Kate Griffin's magical London because I can't be without Matthew Swift, and I've got a feeling that the god of mischief may make an appearance too (I can't control him, he's the god of mischief, okay?). You probably have guessed that I'm a mad fangirl - you're right. I'm a geek, sci-fi, fantasy and crime lover, theatre addict, Tube nerd, beginner in Swedish and Finnish and cryptography and programming. I won't be able to go as many write-ins as last year, but I'll definitely appear every now and then.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Shiiuga — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 22:10:39 +0300

Hello all! My name is Patrick. I'm 27 and this is my fourth NaNo (second full year in London). Last year I won for the first time, writing about 55000 words of an alt-history political thriller in which J. Edgar Hoover tried to start nuclear war with the Soviet Union. I never quite finished it, but this year is different. I plan to write 80000 words (or more!) of a political satire about a Caribbean dictatorship in order to be able to enter my novel in the Terry Pratchett First Novel prize at the end of the year. December will be National Novel Editing Month for me... I live in Hackney, Clapton specifically, and might be remembered from last year for seeming to manage to sit in the most awkward place possible at every write-in (teach me to get there late...) last year, and for being a semi regular at the Hackney write-ins. Looking forward to seeing the old faces again and also meeting all you lovely new people. Hope to see more people at East London's premiere write in as well! P

Re: Welcome & Introductions

technothrillerben — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 23:24:59 +0300

Hi, I'm Ben, otherwise known as 'that bloke with a Mac laptop the size of China who's taking up half the damn table'. This will be my two-and-a-halfth nano. The first one, I cheated, as I was working on and existing novel and wasn't attempting to write 50,000 words, but came along to a lot of write-ins and got the novel finished. It wasn't very good, but it taught me a lot about how not to write a novel, and an agent's suggestion that I piss off and read Robert McKee's 'Story' filled in the gaps. I may revisit it someday. My second novel was a technothriller, and is, I think, quite good. Score so far ... number of agents who agree with me, one; number of publishers who agree with me, none. But I'm an optimist and do expect to find a home for it. This year I'll be working on another technothriller. I seem to have hit on 'the world's biggest' as my signature theme. The previous technothriller was a terrorist attack bigger than 9/11, and this one will be the world's biggest crime. I'm hoping to complete the planning ready to start actually writing on 1st November, and I'm desperately hoping that one of our wonderful MLs will be organising some plan-ins this month. I offer bribes of chocolate. I'm aiming to make a write-in every day as 2k a day proved do-able last time while still maintaining quality. My top tip to anyone who hasn't yet discovered it is Scrivener, a fabulous tool for planning, researching, writing and flipping back-and-forth between these activities.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Elyzab — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 10:00:37 +0300

Hi Daniel. Good luck and enjoy! I can't wait for November! E.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

collegiatewhovian — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:01:06 +0300

Boston University has their own mini-campus here in South Ken, but we go to Imperial's pub :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

collegiatewhovian — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:27:50 +0300

Yay! I tend to linger around the London Library, the V&A, and Hyde Park. Maybe I'll see you around.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

HoneyB — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 22:04:22 +0300

Melissa here -- this is my ninth NaNo, written every year since 2003 except for 2011, but I've only won once (early years seemed to conspire to prevent me from winning), hoping this year will change all of that. I spent a few years in Berkshire for my university degree, but have been back considering London my home for a while now. I have no idea what I'm going to write yet, but I have an understanding husband (married for three weeks and it still doesn't feel real) who keeps out of my way when I'm writing. Quite likely I'll be doing one of the many fanfiction stories I have swirling around my head as I always seem to accumulate too many of them.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

chanters — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 11:58:14 +0300

Haha! Wow. That sounds kind of fantastic. I'd love to see what Dean makes of the Doctor, let alone Sherlock. In my mind, Watson and Sam would be all "the things we put up with...".

Re: Welcome & Introductions

darklily — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 12:54:46 +0300

Hello everyone! I'm Lily, I live in Crystal Palace, South London, and this is my eleventh (!) attempt at NaNo. This year I am rebelling a tad and using NaNo to try and complete last year's novel; which I love dearly as a concept but essentially needs rewriting from scratch. It is a Crystal Palace-based detective story with occasional bouts of zombification. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the kick-off parties! :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

j.ejebjork — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 14:38:10 +0300

Hi everyone, I'm Josefine and this is my 6th NaNo. I'm from Sweden but have lived in London since 2008, teaching gymnastics for most of the time. Being freelance, should help me time wise, as technically I have more free time than most people, but I also know that I write best under time pressure. Sunday write-ins last year were great for me to get ahead on my word count for the following week. The last couple of years I have been using NaNo to experiment in genres I usually don't write in. Last years thriller I am still editing, which is a good sign it hasn't been relocated to the bottom drawer yet. This year I am trying to write a comedy love drama set in London. We'll see how it goes. I am a planner and is currently finishing the outline and exploring the ins and outs of my characters. Oh, and I live in Willesden NW10.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

fairyhedgehog — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 15:39:13 +0300

If you're rewriting from scratch I'm not sure how rebellious that really is! I hope you have fun not having to do all the MLing stuff this year. I bet it will feel strange after MLing for so long.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Tabbinacle — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 16:34:11 +0300

Hi I'm Cait. I joined NaNo last year but failed spectacular fashion due to work commitments, so I'm hoping 2012 will be different! I moved out to Surrey earlier this year but still commuting into London each day so I'll be able to make some of the meet-up/write-in sessions too. Here's to an

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Tabbinacle — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 16:37:49 +0300

Oop got a bit submit-happy there. Meant to say here's to another month of panic. As usual, no idea what I'm writing so best start planning pretty soon...

Re: Welcome & Introductions

AnotherMadScientist — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 21:30:15 +0300

Hello, I am new here and new to NaNoWriMo. I'm also really bad at thinking up usernames, so I was very pleased with myself when I came up with a MadScientist, only to be told by the website that it was already taken. Hmph! :) Anyway, I must have read one Sherlock Holmes story too many as a child, because I ended up in England about six years ago. And, of course, I'm planning to write a crime novel. I'm looking forward to meeting fellow writers in November!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Nereti — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 00:02:05 +0300

I'm Jen. This is my 6th nano (4th win hopefully). I've written fantasy and historical fiction in the past. This year I'm going for an alternative history action adventure thing set in London in 1908 - think Sherlock Holmes meets Indiana Jones.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Spuggey — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 00:30:00 +0300

Hey, everyone. I'm Spug. This is my third Nano and ninth OLL writing month. I'm gonna write an urban fantasy, set in England. I'm a lifelong Londoner (NW) but very shy. I'm hoping someone will say hi to me at a write in! If you see a girl sitting terrified in a corner, that's probably me. Please come and chat! o_O

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Fiomaha — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 02:19:05 +0300

Hi, I'm Fiona. This will be my third NaNowriMo although I have never won. I'm going to take a different approach this year and plan my novel. I've previously gone for the 'sit down, write and let it flow' approach before and run out of plot at about 20,000 words. Something tells me this approach doesn't work for me so plan-ins would be fantastic. I live in Nunhead in South-East London. I'm originally from Edinburgh, but I've lived down here for a very long time!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Shiiuga — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 02:30:19 +0300

Don't be scared, we're all really lovely!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

madamdictator — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:12:52 +0300

Hi! I'm Bexy, and this year it's my 2nd NaNo. I didn't quite manage it last year thanks to a heavy university workload but my deadlines are waaaay off in the New Year this time so I'm determined to win. But despite not finishing, I didn't feel a single bit discouraged. The MLs were among the nicest people I've ever met, and everybody was just so friendly and welcoming and I made some real friends. I look forward to seeing some of you at the upcoming Halloween bash (I'll be the one dressed as Mrs Danvers haha) and I'll see the rest of you at as many write-ins as I can get to!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

madamdictator — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:14:35 +0300

So excited for your attempt this year. I'll buy you a beer at the end!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

captainmcdan — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 12:15:21 +0300

Hi all, I'm Dan. This will apparently be my seventh nanowrimo and, all going well, my sixth win. This year I intend to drop all literary pretences and write trash fantasy. I live in Crystal Palace (the area, not an actual palace).

Re: Welcome & Introductions

CarlieD — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:20:45 +0300

It might also be me! :P If you see TWO girls sitting terrified in a corner, maybe we both ended up in the same corner!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Rubie — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 16:50:32 +0300

Hi folks, I'm Rubie, and this is my first nanowrimo. I'm not a writer, but I saw a TED talk where a guy talked about trying something new for 30 days - that was about the right length of time to do something. Anyway, the guy said he had done nanowrimo, and for some reason I interpreted that as a personal challenge to me that I couldn't do it, in a jeering tone. So here I am - ready to prove that arrogant bastard wrong. I have my heart set on #winning - I've even booked a long weekend in Amsterdam at the end of November to tie up the many loose ends that will inevitably remain. In the meantime, I shall mostly be writing in my local - the Tufnell Park Tavern in North London. Godspeed. See you on the other side. P.S. I have a few questions on getting started and various things - is it best to post this sort of thing in the forum or email the central organisers? Any guidance much appreciated...

Re: Welcome & Introductions

holly6000 — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 17:35:10 +0300

In terms of getting started, it depends on what your questions are! If you think other people might benefit from the answers too, then by all means ask on these forums. Other than that, myself (Tom), Asphodele (Claire), Jenepel (Jenn) and Kaleidoscope27 (Suzanne) are your local organiser-type people. If we don't have the answer we can get it from HQ in California. Drop one of us a NaNoMail if you like. Tom

Re: Welcome & Introductions

lynnbradshaw — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:10:37 +0300

Hi, I'm Lynn and this is my first ever NaNo. I am currently half way (ish) through a mystery/thriller set in Estonia. I am hoping to have it finished at. The end if November so I can start on my NaNo novel. I am up for the challenge. Bye for now.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

MaxHallam — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 22:57:16 +0300

Question: What's the difference between a Mid-Month Meet Up and a Write-In?

Re: Welcome & Introductions

CarlieD — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:17:01 +0300

My understanding is that Mid-Month Meetup is a more social event, while a Write-In is geared more for working.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

holly6000 — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:18:34 +0300

Spot on. The mid-month meets up are oriented toward socialising, discussing how it's going and so on. You won't necessarily get much writing done. Write-ins are geared towards writing (duh!).

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Kaleidoscope27 — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 00:52:18 +0300

I'm making it my priority to root out people hiding in corners ;)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

darklily — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:08:06 +0300

My rebellion is being curbed by my procrastination! The *intention* was to throw the waiting-til-November rule out of the window, but then things just kept coming up... Loving the not-MLing so far. It's very relaxing only having myself to wrangle! :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

sumerianhaze — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:19:32 +0300

Now that you can reserve all of your encouragement for yourself, instead of worrying about getting about 9000 people in London across the 50,000 word mark, that means that you should be able to write about 450,000,000 words! ;o)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Shiiuga — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:35:26 +0300

At least you will have someone to talk to!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Shiiuga — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 12:37:14 +0300

Indeed. Having been a noob last year and thoroughly embraced by the community, I intend to try and integrate people as much as possible!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

opportunemoment — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:48:50 +0300

Hi guys! I'm Rosie, this is apparently my eighth Nano. I've finished a story once and got to 50k once but not in the same year. I live in darkest south London and edit and write children's books for a living. I'm really excited about Nano this year because for the first time in ages I have no other writing commitments or deadlines in November! I can actually dedicate all my energy to this one thing and write a brilliantly sucky 0th draft! I've been planning this novel for a while anyway, so November's coming along at exactly the right time. It's a YA gothic fantasy about a young Victorian footman who gets a new job in London only to discover that the head valet is basically Van Helsing and he has to help him solve a bunch of horrific murders that may threaten his new family.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Liesmith — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:38:41 +0300

I’m Jenni, and this is my first Nano. I’m writing a sci-fi novel that began life as an idea for a 2000 AD comic five years ago, and has never quite gone away since. I’ve let a number of factors stop me doing Nano in the past, but this year I’m not going to let them.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

NickMB — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:23:19 +0300

I'm Nick, I've just finished a creative writing MA, so have designated this NaNo for the writing of my first brilliant post-masters work. Listen out for my mid-writing cries of disappointment. I've also told myself I might settle for a lower word count in exchange for greater quality, but I've made this claim before and then gone for 50k anyway. Fifth NaNo in London, just moved to Walthamstow, north of the river for the first time, so may try and find some new writing venues.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

such_heights — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:42:27 +0300

Hi all, I'm Amy. I've tried NaNo twice before and not made it past the 10k mark on either occasion, but I'm hoping third time lucky! I live in the Hampstead area and will be writing Doctor Who fanfic.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

cheshare — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 18:43:09 +0300

Hi all, I'm Jill Like a few others here it seems, this is my first year in London. I've just moved over here from the sates for University. This is my fifth Nano though but I'm looking forward to this years. The city seems full of inspiration to me and I really love it so far. I hope to meet some of you c: I'm sure I'm not the only one in the east area (theres a thread for east enders after all)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

CarlieD — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:18:43 +0300

I might actually appreciate that. The number of MLs alone in this region outnumber the amount of people in my 2011 region.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

CarlieD — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:24:44 +0300

Well, if we're going to be specific, they actually ended up splitting the former Manitoba region into three due to space issues. Last year, they lumped the entire province together, but the province is just under 650 sq.km... If you weren't in Winnipeg, you were sort of out of luck. This year, they've put Winnipeg in its own region, set apart the northern half of the province, and lumped the rest of the southern half together. I was in the second-biggest city in the province for university, and there were four of us who were NaNo-ing. Me (a uni student), a barista at our write-in Starbucks and two high school students. And one of the HS students' mothers on the first meet-up. (Just to make sure we weren't axe murderers, of course.)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

fairyhedgehog — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 22:30:27 +0300

Good point! We'll all be waiting with bated breath for this meganovel to appear!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

MaxHallam — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 22:35:07 +0300

Won't get much done ... any at all? I'll probably be pretty far behind at that time ;)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

EvvyEvanna — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 01:49:26 +0300

Whoops, only just realised this was here xD Anyway, hey y'all I'm Evanna ^_^ I live near London (not actually in London) but uhhrm... I don't know what to write here! You all seem so much smarter and yeah I'm just in secondary school. Hopefully one day I'll become a published author I'm really stubborn which is helpful when I have writers block ;) this is my first NaNo but I wanted to do it last year (I just signed up too late!) so yeah... hey.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Sennyo — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 02:09:55 +0300

Hey everyone! I'm Zoe. This will be my sixth year of trying to write something in November, fourth year of actually writing more than five sentences. I won once, during my first year of doing NaNo (and I'd "cheated" by writing short stories all happening in the same place instead of an actual novel. It's structure I can't manage yet). I tend to sign up for NaNo at the very last minute (actually, "a week after it's started" is more accurate). I also tend to not get really involved in the community because of my social anxiety. But if I challenge myself, it gets better. So this is my attempt at getting involved. I moved to south-west (Greater) London last September for university, and I find myself more and more in love with the place the more I get to discover it (I didn't really walk around much in my first year, but definitely catching up now!). I'm not sure what I'll be writing yet. I've noticed the forums for fanfiction and I do have a gigantic project for a fanfiction that never gets written. If not, then it'll probably be the usual: I'll let my fingers do the writing and see where it all goes, even though I know I should work on structure this time. Anyway, I'm looking forward to November :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Spuggey — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 00:05:43 +0300

I would certainly appreciate it if you did! ^^

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Richard M — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:59:58 +0300

Hi, I'm Richard. This is my first year of NaNo, and because of stuff I like (you can probably tell by my profile picture) I'm doing a Sci-Fi adventure Novel. It's about people with powers, and well, they're trying to stop the government from destroying them, who think that the people with powers are trying to destroy them...yeah. Anyway, I'm a little daunted about writing 50K in one month (The Novella I started writing in February is only on 29594 Words currently with two chapters to go.) And guess what? I'm on a Drama trip to America for the first 4 days of November! 6668 Words whilst in Manhattan... But good luck to everyone, and have fun Writing.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Richard M — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:13:20 +0300

90K a month? WOW! I knew you could type quick but that's just mental! 3000 words a day...I think you're going to win again, Miriam. My average is a few hundred a day...I'm going to raise that though...I'm going to have to....

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Crafty_Banana — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:03:08 +0300

Hi all. I'm Tom, and although I've been hanging around the edges of NaNo for a while, this will be my second serious attempt at making the 50k. My previous crack, the year before last, faltered about a third of the way into the month, but I determined this time, down to booking the last week of November off work to desperately sprint to the finish! I'll be writing a 'fantasy-punk' novel, applying some of the themes and attitudes of cyberpunk to a fantasy world, and setting the whole thing within a single city state in a transparent attempt to minimise the required world building.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Liesmith — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:22:31 +0300

'a 'fantasy-punk' novel, applying some of the themes and attitudes of cyberpunk to a fantasy world'. Sounds fun!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

lisalulu09 — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 23:27:49 +0300

Hi. I'm Lisa. I'm 20, have a hearing loss which requires the use of hearing aids for most things and lipreading and I'm a student of Creative Writing and Journalism. I'm doing NaNo as an independent project which I'm really excited about. Any questions: Mention my name in a reply and I will try my best.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

fairyhedgehog — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 09:58:13 +0300

We'll need to make sure that you sit facing the most people possible then, and that their faces are well lit. (I have hearing problems too, so I know what it's like when people's faces are hidden.) I'll be interested to hear how Nano fits into your course. What a fun way to do your studying!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Asphodele — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:24:42 +0300

I don't even bring my laptop to the Mid-Months! It's important to have some time to unwind and celebrate/commiserate when the whole month is so crazy. Max - Love your signature! So true...

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Asphodele — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:28:33 +0300

Ah! When you said Victorian gothic to me on twitter I already thought your novel sounded cool, but the fuller description is even better!!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Asphodele — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:33:23 +0300

Agreed, that sounds really intriguing - I can picture an isolationist, feudal system but with advanced technology. Kind of makes me think of Dune in terms of being difficult to class within genre.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Asphodele — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:37:27 +0300

The Mad Hatter should be okay for lighting and we generally sit in a few big groups, which should all be facing in the same-ish direction. I don't know about the lighting in our new Islington venue but we do have a separate room, I think, so we should be able to control the lights in there at least. Nano people are a helpful bunch, if you just mention it, we'll be glad to help. :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

lisalulu09 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:03:15 +0300

God, I love writers. :D YOU ARE SO HELPFUL.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

K-Lo — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 13:25:52 +0300

Helloo I'm Katherine and this is my first nano. I work in East London but commute in from High Wycombe every day so hopefully a 3 hour round trip will give me some extra writing time (though I'm not usually/ever productive at 7am!) I'm thinking about writing about a homeless guy in East London trying to find his (mysteriously disappeared) best friend and ending up in some kind of journey of descent/road trip through the deepest darkest corners of London and discovering a hidden world/community/court...of some sort...and eventually having to choose between his grip on reality and his friend. It's really anybody's guess as to how it'll turn out but it seems fairly certain that someone will end up losing their mind (probably me). Anyway, really excited and will try and make some of the write ins - good luck everyone!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

BelovedRose — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:40:53 +0300

Hello, My name is Habebah and this will be my third nano. I don't actually live in London, but my cousin is getting married and I will be in London for the majority of the month, so I figured I'd introduce myself. My little sister (11 years) is also coming and writing with me this year and we're hoping there will be write ins that we can both participate it. I'm not yet completely sure what I'm going to write about, but I know I want to finish the story this year. I have managed to write 50,000 words before but I would like to finish a story completely this November, and only have editing to do at the end. I have a lot of planning to do if I want to get this done though :/

Re: Welcome & Introductions

twiglet — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 20:09:00 +0300

Hello, My name's Helena, I'm 23 and this is the 8th year since I discovered Nanowrimo! I've started every year with enormous gusto but the most I've ever managed was about 5k - work and life tend to take over and thwart my plot. I live in Streatham, South London and have done for just over 3 years now, after escaping the leafy affluence of Surrey at the same time as escaping my teens. This year I'm determined to reach the elusive 50k, and I plan on doing that by lurking around the Dares and Adoptables threads and just getting as many words down as I can. I'm hoping the fact that I've finally found myself a job with vaguely stable hours (have spent the last 2 years working 70+ hours a week!) will help, plus the fact that my goal for 2012 has been to Make Some Actual Friends - I realised recently that for a long time my entire circle of friends has consisted of work colleagues and customers in the pub I worked in, who consequently have disappeared from my life after leaving said pub. So I'll be attempting to come to as many write-ins and other events as possible, hopefully also encouraging my word-count to stumble along at the same time. I'm currently plunging into Game of Thrones (watched all the series before starting the book, I know, slap on wrist) and also catching up on all of Breaking Bad, which is proving an odd combination and resulting in some very strange dreams involving meth labs and dragons. Hope to meet some of you soon!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

CarlieD — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 00:17:42 +0300

[quote=twiglet] I'm currently plunging into Game of Thrones (watched all the series before starting the book, I know, slap on wrist) and also catching up on all of Breaking Bad, which is proving an odd combination and resulting in some very strange dreams involving meth labs and dragons. [/quote] I sense a NaNo plot twist in my future. That last sentence made me giggle.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Daisy Dazed — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 12:22:25 +0300

Hello Everyone! Really looking forward to this year's Nano. To all the new folk - last year was the first year I was in London and participating in the Write-Ins etc. but everyone was very friendly and I had a lot of fun. This year I am hoping to reverse my trend of leaving way too much to the end ( first year I had around 10k left for the last day, after a full day's work and last year it was over 30k) so will hopefully make it to more write-ins! As yet I have not even started thinking about a genre let alone a plot but we've still got 2 weeks to go so I'm not worried (ignore the crazy laughter you may hear whilst reading that last sentence!) See you all at the end of the month! Karen/Daisy

Re: Welcome & Introductions

opportunemoment — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:16:48 +0300

Hehee, thanks! I'm so looking forward to November, I think it's going to be a pretty fun one to write, especially if I can get my plot pretty much in order this month :D

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Kibet — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:50:44 +0300

Hi All, I'm Kibet, from Scotland and just moved to Welwyn Garden City from Ireland. This is year 4 for me, with no story in mind so far, but likely Fantasy as year 1 was about time travel, year 2 was about riding wind and year 3 was about riding dragonflies. I have never met with any other Wrimoers in RL, but normally involved in NaNoLJers on Livejournal and did get a chance to chat with Chris Baty on Skype who said I should meet up with people in RL for this year. This year is going to be the biggest challenge for me as I am in a new job that requires much more travel than my previous position. The previous 3 years have been writing in the same environment so I could always picture myself writing at the same desk, which will not be the case for this year.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

kewangji — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:54:51 +0300

Hello peoples! My name is Kew and I write a lot. I've won Nano since 2009, and I just barely won Script Frenzy this year. I kinda like the awkwardness that ensues when I accidentally use Nano vocabulary ('winning three years in a row', for example) and then have to explain to people what 'winning' actually entails. This year I am writing a sci-fi-ish thing that starts with a hundred falling angels, set on a planet called Poodle 2. It is a lot more serious than it sounds. I'm from Sweden and have lived in London since January 5 this year. Previous years I've written mostly in English and will likely do that this year also. Next year I'll only do Swedish, though, as my poor native language feels very neglected. When I am not nanoing or working on my website (everybody loves shameless plugs! http://zombiesintelligently.com), I am generally writing on a big book about parasites, which I started a year ago and thought would be done in about a year's time. Turns out, I am bad at estimates. I currently think that maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll have it done in 7 years. But it's good fun, so. I can write other things at the same time. I have a bit of an obsession with parasites. :D Kew

Re: Welcome & Introductions

tony stark — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 01:28:10 +0300

Hi everyone, I’m Vicky. I study Creative Writing and English at the University of Greenwich and I’m in my last year. I fit writing somewhere between reading a book a day and drinking way too much tea. I was planning on writing sci-fi, but instead I’m going to write a prequel to Lya (a short story that got picked up earlier this year) because even though I thought I’d finished up with those characters about seven months ago they decided differently. I should be at some of the write ins. With any luck I’ll actually talk for once :D

Re: Welcome & Introductions

lkgxx — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:12:36 +0300

Hello! I'm Laura. I'm 22 and this year will be my second NaNo and hopefully I'll actually be able to win this time around. Last year I managed about 37k but burnt out quite quickly afterwards. I've already got my story in mind and have got the basic plot planned out in my head, so hopefully there won't be any burn outs this time around. I don't actually live directly in Central London, but I live close enough to it for me to commute there relatively quickly so I can hopefully go to most of the weekend NaNo events this year. I'm a bit shy in person though (typical shy creative type blehh), so I might be a bit quiet to start off with!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

DanGrover — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 18:44:52 +0300

Hi All, My name's Dan and this is my first Nano. I attended the hello-plot-in dohickey at the Red Lion in Angel on Monday - I arrive late and I'm tall. I've spent the morning coming up with a story I like the feel of. It's a buddy comedy involving two middle aged friends in the throes of a midlife crises who get into some tricky business way over their heads, as they snowball from one catastrophe to the other. I look forward to attending a hearty number of plot and then write-ins, so hopefully I'll get to meet some more of you! Everyone there on Monday was very friendly and interesting, so I can see it really helping with the creative juices. Dan

Re: Welcome & Introductions

AdamY — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:47:19 +0300

Hi, fellow writers! I'm Adam, I live and attend Sixth Form in Greater London (South-wards) and this is my first attempt at NaNoWriMo! I already feel like I'm joining the party a little late, but I suppose 2 weeks is enough to plan, right?! I'm not entirely sold on the specifics of what I'm going to write yet, I have a few ideas but need to focus down on one and develop it. Despite my current indecision I'm keen to get going and give the challenge my best shot, and hopefully learn something as I progress. I'm sure next year will go a lot better, but I'm keen to get going! Coursework may be the thorn in my side, but however many words I get to in the end will still be worth something even if I don't hit the magic 50K. Nice to meet you all!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Ranyia — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 01:59:51 +0300

Hi there! I'm Sophie and live in North London near Finsbury Park. I first did Nano back in 2003, again in 2004, got halfway in 2005 and then had a total lapse of judgement and did a part-time business degree for the next six years with exams in December so Nano got shelved. Feels really good to be picking it back up again! I also went to the plot-in doo-hicky and it was great to help kick-start the thought process. Loved the huge range of ideas and genres round the table :-) I appear to be writing about parrallel universe eskimos and a frozen world that's dying, which has taken me a bit by surprise as I started out doing a future world thriller. I suspect the next couple of weeks will be split between plotting and laying down large supplies of cake. Looking foward to more plot-ins, write-ins and some pretty inventive procrastinating (the one thing I truly excel at).

Re: Welcome & Introductions

lorenamp — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:24:22 +0300

Hi to everyone!! I'm Lorena, I'm from Spain and I have been living in London for exactly 3 weeks today. This will be my 6th NaNo, and although I've won all of my past attempts I'm not so sure about this year. I will be looking for a job this November (but no rush or pressure :)). I don't know anyone in London yet and my english is not very good (as all of you can see hehe). I would like to go to some write-in meetings, but I'm so shy about my spoken english (is reaaaaally bad), so I'll see. Ah, and I live in Cricklewood :D See you!!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

sumerianhaze — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 21:54:09 +0300

Don't worry, my spoken English is really bad and I've lived here all my life! ;o)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

technothrillerben — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 01:59:08 +0300

It usually gets easier to speak in a second language after a glass of wine :-)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

lorenamp — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 15:28:51 +0300

Thank you; it's quite true :) I forgot to say I have no idea what I'm going to write. But hey, no plot, no problem! (I bought the book the other day in case it gives me inspiring tips.)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

childisharia — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 16:53:16 +0300

My name is Aria. I'm 21. I'm a North London lass. This is my first NaNo. I have a terrible habit for giving up on things too easily, so I'm hoping that by getting involved with the online community, it'll encourage me to see my novel through to the end. I'm planning on going to some of the offline events as well which will, I'm sure, motivate me further to *winning* NaNo. I typically write horror and fantasy type stuff, and whilst I'll be sticking to within those realms of comfort this year, I'm trying my hand at teen/YA fiction. I'm super excited about it. November can't come quickly enough!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

technothrillerben — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 19:07:39 +0300

See you at the write-ins :-)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

GrubStLodger — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 19:50:00 +0300

I'm Adam and although I have written novels, this is the first time I am going to try NaNo. I need something to give me a bit of a kick up the arse, so this could well be it. I am going to attempt an eighteenth century novel about a poet and loser who moves to London to make his name and all the things that happen to him.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

CarlieD — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 01:24:26 +0300

I love No Plot, No Problem! I love it so much it's one of the few books I'm taking to London with me.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

miss_hellfire — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 21:00:57 +0300

Hi, I'm Jen and this is my ninth NaNoWriMo (won five, lost three so far) and my second in London. Meant to get involved with the social side last year, was prevented from doing so by an unexpected puppy, very much looking forward to write-ins and whatever else may be happening this year! I don't really know what I'm writing yet. I have a page full of mostly unrelated words, an image of a woman in a bookshop, and a guide to employing the undead that I wrote in a fit of boredom a couple of months ago, and I'm trying to flesh that out into some characters and a plot. The characters are starting to form, the plot is very much not...

Re: Welcome & Introductions

fairyhedgehog — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 22:41:28 +0300

Plot is optional. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

miss_hellfire — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 23:30:46 +0300

I don't think I've ever gone into NaNo with a plot!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

sumerianhaze — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 23:37:32 +0300

I had a plot once. Then I lost it.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

puddlejumper24 — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 23:51:54 +0300

Hey y'all! I'm Lauren, originally from Alabama, now planted on Brick Lane. I tried NaNo a couple of years ago in an attempt to knock "write a novel" off my list of things to do before I turned 30. November turned out to be a rather monumental month, and the novel writing swiftly moved to the back burner. I just decided today to take another crack at getting to 50,000 words. I'm fairly new to London, so in addition to writing some as yet to-be-determined awesomeness, I am hoping to meet some people before we all hibernate for the winter. I'm thinking of doing some Write Ins at the cafe where I work, so keep your eyes peeled!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Valkjr — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 03:31:00 +0300

Hey all! I'm Em. I think this is my 3rd or 4th NaNo year. This year I will actually finish (I'm pretty sure I said that last year). All I need to do now is come up with an idea.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

pagiro — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:43:36 +0300

Hi Guys! I'm Sam and this is my first NaNoWriMo. I am a schoolkid, GCSEs and such, so chances are I won't be able to write this during my copious *cough* spare time, but hey, it's got to be worth a try, hasn't it? I know my genre. Comedy. Or "satire, humor (spelt incorrectly), and parody" according to NaNo, but I think I'll stick with comedy. This will also be my first novel! I have written a monumental hoarde of short stories, but never anything longer than, say, 10,000 words? So I hope in earnest, even though that isn't my name, that I can complete a true work of art by November the 31st.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

EmeraldWrz — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 20:01:59 +0300

Dear everyone in the UK, London region, I am Lucinda (aka EmeraldWrz) from the South East of the UK. This is my first ever attempt at NaNoWriMo, which i descovered a month or so ago. I am very much looking forward to November and starting to make something from all my plans.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

AnotherMadScientist — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 00:10:56 +0300

We don't hibernate here - not because this is London, but because we don't get anything that could be called winter! (Except for about two days of two centimeters of snow per winter, if we are lucky.)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

writingwithapencil — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 11:42:34 +0300

Hi I'm Kayleigh aka Jelly. I'm looking to make some new writing friends this year. I'm completely insane, much like the rest of you because let's face it, who else would subject themselves to a month of literary (strangely seductive) torture? I want to make this year more productive than the last one so let's do it together! Hooray for awesome writing awesomeness!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

sumerianhaze — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:01:13 +0300

Oh, we're all completely sane. Except for Karl, who's writing 200,000 words this NaNo. He's obviously completely toilet duck; but the rest of us are the sanest bunch of people you could hope to find this side of a padded cell!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

lkgxx — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:25:49 +0300

Sanity is overrated.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Lieutenant Obvious and the Jumper of Spew — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 13:49:49 +0300

Hello, I'm Amy, and I own an awesome and totally gorgeous jumper that kind of looks like someone threw up Christmas on it. I think that explains my dodgy username... Anyway I'm looking forward to letting loose my young and inexperienced self on you lot. I'm writing (hopefully) a novel about pirates and zombies with some time travel thrown in. If school doesn't get in the way. GCSE mocks at Christmas don't do a lot for convenient lack of homework/writing time! Good luck and see you soon x

Re: Welcome & Introductions

type0 — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 23:47:37 +0300

What up, yo. I'm Sean, and I'm officially around the same age as blackbirds were baked in a pie that one time. I teach (and live) in east London within spitting distance of Stratford, and spend far too much time and money in the new Westfield. That said, I love my tea, so I'm likely to become a regular fitting at the Tuesday write-ins. I started a story last year, but hit some rocky patches in life halfway through the month, so that tale is still in progress. This year I was going to write a cyberpunk tale set in a dystopian London I've had floating around my head for years, but a car journey south from the Frozen Wastes of the North this Sunday has led me to reject that idea completely and opt for horror instead. My novel is about a girl whose new boyfriend has an unconventional past that comes back to haunt them with something old and hungry that doesn't much care for humanity. Expect angsty nonversation and insect cults. I'm also a little bit of a masochist, so I'm doing this pen and paper. Again.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

magicx_girl — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:20:47 +0300

Hello, I'm Rebecca, and this'll be my 5th NaNo and my 1st in London. I like to write in the Fantasy and Supernatural genres, but I'm up for anything When I'm not doing NaNo I make cookies and try and catch up on my growing pile of books.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Jacohen544 — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 03:44:52 +0300

Hi guys, I'm Jake, an American college (aka Uni) studying abroad in London until December. This is my first time attempting NaNo, though I have a few friends that've done it for the past few years. I have never written anything remotely in the neighborhood of 50k works, so this'll be a fantastic time. In general I'm incredibly excited to start writing, and I haven't really looked into the rules as to if we're 'allowed' to start working on the plot, etc before the month begins... Looking over what people are saying here, it looks like I've neglected quite a useful planning stage...also, I'm crap at using commas...So yeah.... Just me, Jake

Re: Welcome & Introductions

S Kavanagh — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 09:58:28 +0300

Morning all! I'm Shannon, and this is my first NaNo since I was a teenager - I'm now meltingly old (22) and a teacher, and am running a NaNo club in my school in Newham. I've currently got a group of eager young writers hanging around my classroom telling stories at all hours, including three who are planning on going for the 50k! My students describe my novel as "cheerfully morbid", so let's go with that. I don't actually have a plot yet, but I've got an opening line and that's half the battle, right?

Re: Welcome & Introductions

writergirl18 — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:46:40 +0300

Hey! I'm Lizzie and I'm a second year uni student, actually technically just outside London but, I mean... the likelihood of finding a forum for anyone around here is not high! I study English Literature and minor in American Studies, so that means an abundance of reading/essays, plus I have a variety of jobs and... really, I'm still trying to figure out how to fit life in around those things, without the extra 50,000 words to come up with. But what's life without a good challenge, right?! This is my second NaNo and hopefully my first win. My novel this year is, I suppose dystopian, but I don't really think of it like that. To me, it's more of an "underground-existence-with-a-little-resistance" novel. You know the type. I've actually got a kind of rough plan this year (this is momentous for me!!! I don't even plan essays!) and I'm excited to get started. My housemates, on the other hand, are not so excited about it. They've informed me November is going to be a long month (for them!) and have reminded me to come out of my room at least once a week. I've also bargained a tea delivery service with them in return for dedications in my novel. And maybe cookies. They should definitely bring cookies. Looking forward to hearing about all your NaNo frustrations!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Sree_Nair — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:49:06 +0300

Good Morning !! I'm Sree, and this is my first Nano. I am a newbie to writing in english and wants to write my first novel based on Life indian offshore IT companies. I hope to have a go at finishing the first draft this month, Looking forward to the feedback & help from all of you !

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Loucifer — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:13:26 +0300

Hi everyone! I have to confess - I haven't read through this whole thread. I'm Lou and this my second Nano... and, with any luck, my second win. Last year I didn't let anyone read my finished novel (and I use the phrase "finished novel" very loosely!), but this time I'm determined to make it good enough that I don't feel embarrassed about people reading it. That's the plan anyway! I already have an outline of a story in my head (and, conveniently, in a notebook!). It's pretty simple, but I think I over-complicated things last year. So... November is next week... I must stock up on coffee!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

SDNZ — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:14:21 +0300

Hi everyone! I'm Sarah. I'm a 26-year old Kiwi living in London. At home I'm a teacher and trainee psychologist, but here in London I work in a (very) boring job and so intend to do much of my writing during the working day. This is my first attempt at NaNo - an idea I had (most probably ill-informed) of a way in which to spice up my life. I've never written anything much except for research papers and travel blogs so I imagine November will be an interesting month! I am the world's greatest procrastinator and I'm losing a few writing days when I head to Iceland the last weekend of November. So please look out for me and make sure you ask me about how my word count is going. I look forward to possibly meeting some other masochists at write-ins :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Yasmint — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 11:29:37 +0300

Hi I'm Yasmin and to be honest I am dazed and confused about how I found myself here (it seemed a good idea at the time). I am a newbie and quite frankly terrified at the prospect of doing this. Although I must confess that I did a novel in 90 for the MA course I finished last year. I am really hoping that I get inspiration when I sit down at the keyboard. I am away until the 2nd of November so it's not going to be the great start I was hoping for. I will try and write while I am away but I know from experience that good intentions do not always pan out. I have written a YA Fantasy novel and am hoping to use this time to write the follow on novel so maybe I am not quite as bereft as I imagined. Hoping to make some of the meets but with a disabled husband and two girls going through exams that might be difficult. Good luck and good writing to you all. X

Re: Welcome & Introductions

sumerianhaze — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:13:28 +0300

The other half is the title. Nail that and you've got a novel! ;o)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Synthetic Man — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:16:30 +0300

Hi everyone. I'm Rob and this will be my fourth NaNo - hopefully my third win as well! I have a vague idea of what I'm writing, though at the moment it's more of a structure than a plot - One narrative comprised of several stories focusing on different characters. In real life I'm a 23-year old Brit who has been living in London since the New Year. I work for a mobile app agency as a designer and project co-ordinator. This will be my first year attempting NaNo whilst trying to manage a proper job, so this will definitely be interesting. Hope to see some of you at the meetups!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

AngelisIgniRelucent — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:20:33 +0300

Hi! I'm Sneh and this is my first NaNo ever, so I'm absolutely terrified! I'm 16 and I live in NW London, so hopefully I'll see some of you guys at meet-ups! I've got a rough outline for a fantasy novel, but I've got no clue what I'm doing, so friendly advice is always welcome *hint hint*

Re: Welcome & Introductions

GWis — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:30:02 +0300

Hello! The names Gareth, or Gary. I like both so use whichever conjures up the classier imagery, at this point the further a departure from reality I can make, the more time I can get before the truth is out. About a year ago I tried a bit of self honesty with myself to discover what I really wanted to do. I won't lie, it was a messy interrogation. It took longer than expected, but eventually the alcohol, blackmail and the ever present threat of violence prevailed and with it came the realisation that if I could do anything with my life it would be telling stories. Despite the allegations, reports of my absentee sanity are usually exaggerated and I didn't leave my day job to focus on my wordsmithery. Instead I read, learned, planned and plotted for a year, and with it came my second revelation. I am a world class procrastinator. I had my complex characters visualised, my themes set up, several interwoven throughlines, a rough plan for sequels, prequels and a graphic novel. Just no actual writing more complex than a brief summary. I do like a challenge though. Especially the kind of challenge where failure is no worse than a touch of self loathing and an 11 month wait before I can conquer my literary Matterhorn again. I don't know if the world is ready for what could be a top ten contender in the post-post-apocalyptic science fantasy with lycanthropes. fairies and zombies (kind of) waterpunk genre. I don't know if I'm ready either. There's only one way to find out though so I'm jumping into the deep end. It smells like coffee.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Foxyxxx — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:33:10 +0300

Hi, I'm Kinga and I'm Polish. I don't think there are any other Polish people here but that's ok. I want it to be my gimmick and selling point. I've quit my job recently to write my novel (I have until about mid-January I reckon). I finished my research and have a big Excel spreadsheet with the plan (I'm the planning kind, free-writing is not for me - I just stare at the blank page for hours and nothing happens). Unfortunately so far I've written only about 15 000 words. But I watched all eight seasons of House, so the time wasn't completely wasted. I hope to use the NaNo to get my @#%% together and get that first draft finished. This is my first time of doing it. The added difficulty is that I write in English which obviously is not my native language.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Foxyxxx — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:37:50 +0300

Also wow, I signed up last year and since then I've completely forgotten I chose my screenname to be "Foxyxxx". Make of it what you like.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Ichor — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:42:51 +0300

Morning! I'm Paul, quite a new writer and a NaNo virgin, I'm definitely looking forward to giving it a bash this year (after just missing last years). It's gonna be a tough slog getting it all done every day but I'm going to do my best. I'm going to be writing a cyberpunk/sci-fi crime novel based in an alternative future London where India is the technological power of the world after inventing the first generation of human augmentation. I'm just finishing off a short story set in the world as training for the novel and using the snowflake technique to plan for NaNo. Will do my best to get involved with the social side! Paul

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Harpo2012 — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:54:05 +0300

Hello, I'm Harpo. This is my first NaNoWriMo (not counting a previous attempt when I almost immediately gave up)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

who_la_hoop — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:21:32 +0300

I live in Crystal Palace at the moment too! I do hope the zombies don't trash the cheese shop; that would be too, too tragic.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

who_la_hoop — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:31:24 +0300

Your story sounds awesome! :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

John_L — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:03:05 +0300

Hello I'm john. This will be my first NaNoWriMo although I had what could be called a trial run in May. That ended up as character studies. I have written long stuff before but tend to get a bit sidetracked so I thought this would help me get a move on. I tend to be a bit of a lurker in forums so may not say all that much.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

who_la_hoop — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:05:31 +0300

Hello! I'm Rachel, 29, and I have had several half-arsed attempts at NaNo before, but am hoping that this will be my year! I live in South London, though will hopefully be moving to darkest East London by the end of the year as I'm in the process of buying a house. I have many loves, which include cheese (nom), fanfiction (nom), Japanese frilly dresses (er..nom?) and creepy Asian ball-jointed dolls (probably not nom). I am not sure what I'll be writing this year, but whatever it is it will no doubt be romance flavoured. Am hoping to get to a meet or two, but given the house-buying situation (stress!) it's possible I'll just be sitting in a darkened room, rocking, and mainlining gin instead.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

vanfrancis — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 14:08:52 +0300

Hello all! This will be my first NanoWriMo. Originally from California, I moved to London in 2004, then back to Cali in 2006, then NYC in 2008, and now back in London as of May of this year. I'll be working on a bildungsroman (I love that word) story that I started years ago. I'm about 10,000 words in, and I'm hoping this will finally motivate me to finishing it! Looking forward to meeting you all at tomorrow night's event at The Blacksmith and the Toffeemaker!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

TDF124 — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:54:35 +0300

Hi, I'm Tom, 19 and I'm thinking of doing this this year! I'm not gonna be able to start until the 5th and I'm not entirely sure I'll manage to get this all finished, but I will try my hardest:! I live in Kingston and am in the second year of my creative writing studies :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Virus — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:13:57 +0300

Hello, I'm Sera and currently on my Gap Year (do I even need to capitalise that?). This is my first official NaNo, but for all its worth, I've creeped around last year and tried to unofficially attempt writing within a set time format only to realise that yes, my commitment issues do extend to my writing and I am capable of staring at a laptop screen for over 3 hours without moving a muscle much less get a sentence down. And no, I don't usually write Dickens sentences, the above one happens to be a mutant of some sort. I love writing and if there is one thing I love more than writing it is reading. My main issue with my writing is that I can write seventy thousand words for a story and then suddenly stop writing because it ceases to hold my interest. Which is frustrating and disastrous for my psyche but there you have it. And I should really concentrate on my retakes but I evidently care about getting words onto paper more than I care about my education and future so here we are. I am aware I'm rambling and slowly descending into madness so I'm going to just leave it here. Hope to see some of you at the write in and meet ups!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

moonpook — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 19:47:09 +0300

Salutations, all. This is my twelfth November novella. Barring fire and flood, my twelfth win, too. It's no longer a "quirk," it's pathological. No ideas yet as to what I'll be writing this year. In the past, I've experimented with many genres, elaborate planning, no planning, research on the fly, hand-waving any fact I didn't immediately know, and writing methods both ancient and high tech. I'm glad to share the results of my annual voyages of stupidity, should anyone have interest. For the first time, I'll be assisted this year by my little cat, a recent addition to the household and one only just past the need to bite every thing. Her latest habit is unplugging my Mac Air to then watch the magnetized plug *snap* back into place, again and again, usually whilst sitting on the power button or the Caps Lock key.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

S Kavanagh — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 20:31:23 +0300

I have a title too! Phew, suddenly feeling a whole lot better about the void after those first fifteen words now! ;)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

S Kavanagh — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 20:33:45 +0300

Another Newham teacher! All this bravery must be that Olympic legacy SLT have been going on about.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Faryal.M — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 20:55:31 +0300

Hi Guys, I'm Faryal, currently on my gap year and looking for something fun to do. Needless to say that I'm very excited and rather looking forward to the challenge. I've never taken part in anything like this before but I'm totally looking forward to the month beginning and hopefully getting to meet some of you guys! :D

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Faryal.M — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 21:06:29 +0300

Hey Tom, I live around kingston too and was wondering if you'd be going to the kick off meeting on saturday? I want to go but I'm kind of scared because I don't really know anybody :P

Re: Welcome & Introductions

quoththemagpie — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:23:48 +0300

Hi, I'm Lucy. This is my first NaNo so very excited, but also quite nervous because you guys all seem like seasoned professionals! I have an idea for my novel but nothing more substantial than that, just planning to go with the flow and improvise as I tend to do in general life.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

sumerianhaze — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:25:28 +0300

Seasoned, maybe. Professional, definitely not! I've got a couple of ideas for my novel but basically I'll be winging it as usual! ;o)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Henry J. Lyons — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:34:18 +0300

Hi. First of all, my real name isn't Henry J. Lyons. I picked that name for reasons that will become apparent if anyone actually gets to read the novel that I'm penning. Besides, I prefer it to my real name. This is my first NaNoWriMo. I actually found out about the project from trawling through YouTube comments one evening. The acronym had been repetitively used throughout the comments section of one video, prompting me to look it up with a Google search which ultimately brought me here. My first novel, if I can call it that yet, will be what I think would be considered a fantasy thriller. The plot is incredibly complicated, too complicated for me to summarise here, but hopefully once the plot has unravelled itself into an actual novel, all should become crystal clear. Be aware that I am fitting NaNoWriMo around a piece of History coursework and revision for mock IGCSE exams (that isn't a typing error, they do exist), so I probably won't hit the target this year. I'll give it my best go, though!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

amy54321012 — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 22:59:50 +0300

Hi Sera, I know exactly what you mean about being able to stare at a computer screen sometimes and not write a word. Encouraging to hear it's not just me! This is my first nanowrimo, and I'm very excited about it, although I haven't decided on an actual plot yet. Maybe that's a good thing ...

Re: Welcome & Introductions

S.Harris — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 23:07:52 +0300

Hello, I'm a nineteen year old Creative Writing Student who answers to the name of Shan. Recognizable by skinny jeans and scuffed grey boots and hair that varies in shades of brown usually kept in a tucked in ponytail or loose with a headband. This is my first NaNoWriMo and I am going to write a Romance novel consisting of a collection of "weird love" stories. I have a big coursework assignment due next month so I'm hoping to complete it before next Thursday; to make life a little easier for myself.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

PurklePixie — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 23:25:38 +0300

Hullo all y'alls, I'm Nikki. This is the start of my 3rd year in London and also my 3rd attempt at NaNo! Altho technically it's only my 2nd "official" attempt. Try 1 failed hard, and I didn't even bother registering it with the site, such was my shame. But last year's work on a sprawling fantasy / meta-fiction world was a blast, and I am itching to tip the scales firmly towards success this year :3 I have absolutely no idea what this year's NaNo is going to be. I'll be working on it around a new full-time job in community services, so I'll probably only make the occasional weekend write-ins reasonably close to London Bridge / the West End, as I need time for other pursuits like eating and sleep (hahaha, yeah, totes not fooling myself there... but one can always dream)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

jasonandtheweird — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:46:21 +0300

hi im jason, i come from rochester in kent but moved closer to london for university and im in final year. at uni i study graphic design and new media so i have dabbled in many areas of technology. im normally pretty shy but trying to be more out going and try new thing. so i thought i would give this a go. i have never written anything as long as this before but looking forward to the challenge. im dyslexic so expect bad grammar and poor spelling from me. i too have no idea what im going to write about but I'll think of something. hope so see / meet to people at the events jason

Re: Welcome & Introductions

TDF124 — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:07:06 +0300

Hi Farayl, unfortunately I'm away for the next week (So I will the first two days, oops :P) so can't, I may try and go to one at some point in November though if I can manage it!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Cycling Maggot — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 17:41:26 +0300

Hi! I'm Anthony and this is the first time I've done nanowrimo...it seems a little daunting but I'm looking forward to giving it a go. I live in West London and work in Swiss Cottage as a teacher - tried to pitch NaNoWriMo to some of the kids but they weren't buying it, so all the glory to me. Excuses I will be using to get out of writing include scuba diving and cycling. I'm currently training for a London / Paris cycle ride, so get lots of thinking time for ideas! Good luck to everyone else and I look forward to crossing the finish line with you :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Squidshire — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:19:35 +0300

Hi. I'm Brad, a first time NaNoWriMoer. I'm 24 years old, from south-west London, very tall, and have very long hair. So far, I have an opening sentence, and a couple of ideas which have grown from it. My most interesting non-literary hobbies are cycling and computer games. I sometimes drink (Scotch) whisky and once tried eating an olive.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

richard.holliday — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:36:10 +0300

Hey Guys! I'm Richard, about to embark on NaNoWriMo #3 and really looking forward to it! About time I got this idea that has been fermenting in my mind onto some sort of digital paper! Was a bit timid first time around and without 'net most of the second so I'm hoping to eschew solitude and get involved with the community a bit this year :-)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Seth Krane — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 15:31:55 +0300

Hi everyone! I'm Seth. I'm going to be 26 on Sunday ;) I live in Greenwich as an au pair looking after two demon boys, but I'm originally from Belgium. Though I've been hearing of NaNoWriMo often throughout the years, this is going to be my first participation. I'm hoping that it will help me stay focused on my writing instead of me getting spread out and losing myself in other things. I've already got the universe and main character down, thinking on a title but I'm not quite sure about my plot just yet. I usually write fantastic/horror stories and this one will not change, though this time I'm leaning more towards steampunk too. I'm thinking about attending the kick-off meeting, but that depends if I manage to convince my shyness to shut up. When I'm not writing (which I don't have enough time for to my taste) or looking after the boys I enjoy reading, listening to music, cooking and crafting. And actually a lot of more things, but I don't really have nearly enough time to do all that I'd like. I hope to be able to reach the goal of a finished novel coming the end of November, so I'll be crossing my fingers. Break a leg everyone! :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Drear — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:48:57 +0300

Hello, I'm Emilia, a 19-year-old illustration student. This is going to be my fifth NaNoWriMo and I think I'll have my second win this year as well, despite of studying and instrument-learning things that I spend a lot of my time with. I'm a multi-instrumentalist, knowing the piano and voice the best and having some history with the guitar, electric organ and harmonica as well and my latest addiction is the violin, so yeah, if you hear someone practising with the violin in Brixton at odd hours, it may be me having my daily dose of playing very late because I haven't had time to do it earlier. The story of mine has been developing inside my head and sometimes on the pages of my sketchbooks since last autumn, when I, after doing a lot of research about the 18th and 19th centuries that are relevant to another writing project of mine - called Post Mortem, got this idea of writing a modern horror story that's set in the present day. The idea's been forming since then and the working title, characters and locations have changed a bit but the core has remained the same. It's still a story about a situation in which different realities start losing their coherence and people's sense of reality begin to scatter. In the end no one can tell what is real and what isn't and if my characters really witnessed all those paranormalish and nighmarish things or if they just lost their shit in the woods... Or if it was imagination or a dream of one of the characters. So yeah, I'm writing modern psychological and somewhat surrealistic horror mystery. Hmmh. Apart from going to uni, drawing (obviously), playing the violin, reading and writing more or less occasionally, I don't have time to do much else. Then again, I spend disturbingly much time at home reading about curious things from the internet and books, with the good company of a glass of scotch or some sort of tea. I guess I've now introduced myself. Nice to meet you.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

SoulCuts — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 17:59:19 +0300

Hi All, I'm Paul. First time Nano. I've been looking at this comments box for so long without writing anything that I'm now more perturbed than ever about actually crossing the finish line. If I come up short, I'll just scan in my old Edwina Currie novels and upload them for the word count. I mean, it's all about quantity, right??!?!?!? Good luck my lovelies! Cheers!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

technothrillerben — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 15:45:47 +0300

[quote=Cycling Maggot] training for a London / Paris cycle ride, so get lots of thinking time for ideas! [/quote] Hope you get better weather for yours than I did for mine: http://www.benlovejoy.com/cycle/tripreports/londontoparis/ It's a lovely ride, though.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

marthafoley — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 16:23:09 +0300

Hi everyone My name is Martha and I love to write. I like drama, film noir from the 1940s, Scandi Noirs. I detest sci fi/fantasy/role playing, and my local group seems to be 95% sci fi :( so I am hoping to find a more well balanced group. Looking forward to meeting you all :-) x Martha

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Faryal.M — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:04:24 +0300

hahaha fair enough, well then I guess I may see you around at some point :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Sci Fi Child 15 — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 21:28:30 +0300

Hi, I'm J and I promised my big sis who's in hospital at the mo...she's doing just fine...that I'd write my novel in 30 days. She did laugh a lot. My silly idea cheered her up a lot. She's missed lots of school. I read to her a lot. It's a big promise...GULP!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

doctorfitz — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:07:21 +0300

Hi all, I'm Fitz, a doctor living in West London, and this is my second NaNo and hopefully a second win. Last year I scraped a victory in the last few days through much coffee and little sleep, although I hope I can write a little more consistently this year. Unfortunately a week of night shifts, some courses and a job application to work on will be getting in the way, but that's life I suppose. I'm writing a sequel (sort of) to 'Mallen' my fantasy novel from last year, although hopefully better written. I didn't make any write-ins or parties last year, but I should make at least a couple this time round. Hopefully I'll meet some of you there. Fitz

Re: Welcome & Introductions

feath — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:34:48 +0300

Hi everyone that's already posted! I'm Feath - I've done nano for many years, but took a break. Three years, I think it's been. But I'm back! This year I plan to write a book that will be dealing with change, distruction, love, life, acceptance, god, and finding your place in the chosmic scheme of things, as seen by Neanderthals. I see science is finally catching up to what I've always "known" and its time to have a (please be...) good novel that tells the TRUTH about our kissing cousins, the Neanderthals. I've already started the book, but still not out of chapter one, and will only be counting the new words. I'm looking forward to chatting and working with other nutters doing nano this year! Cya on the boards! feath

Re: Welcome & Introductions

rashbre — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:03:44 +0200

Greetings to all! I'm rashbre and this is the fifth time I will have tried nano, although I only seem to have three manuscripts so far as a result. It's the first time that I've gone to any of the events though, and I recommend it, having been at the Mad Hatter yesterday. I didn't know anyone at all when I arrived, quite a few by the time we had finished re-arranging the tables and even more by the time I left. I've discovered a few things about nano along the way... I don't do the preplanning, but once I have the characters, they start to acquire their own behaviours to do things. The plot somehow evolves through the character interaction. Quite a lot of my writing is whilst I'm out and about, so its better to keep a copy of the work in progress with me. This year I'll use dropbox to make sure I have a copy on whatever device is to hand. The places I visit can also inspire the writing - both the venue and the people watching. We talked yesterday about how even the pictures of people on the walls in the pub could slot help derive characters. I use Scrivener for the main work but don't get precious if all I have is (for example) email, where I can still type something and then shunt it across later. I send a copy of my work to myself on email every so often as another form of backup. Cheap and cheerful, but it works. I carry one of those tiny thin cahier notepads as a place to scribble ideas. Someone yesterday told me about something called timeline(?) - which I plan to check out as away to cross check logic. The first time I finished 50,000 words it took about another two years to knock it into shape - with great help from others. That's the only one that is now book-shaped. The next one should get to that stage in the next year. Finally, a pleasure to join this gang and looking forward to the interactions. rashbre (Ed)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

katekatekoala — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 22:57:38 +0200

Oh hooray! A fellow Alabamian! I hope I will see you around at some of the write-ins :) If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to London? And where in AL are you from? I grew up in Auburn.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

katekatekoala — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:07:13 +0200

Oh hooray, another one in Greenwich! If you are interested in meeting up for mini write-ins in the local area, just drop me a mail.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

katekatekoala — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:14:44 +0200

Hi guys! I am Kate. I'm 23 years old and originally come from somewhat-small-town Alabama. Right now I'm studying at the University of Greenwich to be an English teacher (both in the UK and abroad). I work at Bea's of Bloomsbury pushing delicious treats over the counter to people on days I'm not in class. Above all else I enjoy photography, coffee, reading, and guinea pigs. I tried NaNo back in Alabama when I was 16 or so, and didn't finish. To be fair, it was a very small group, but I feel that with the support of a much larger group, I can come a bit closer to winning this time. I look forward to getting to know everyone and struggling towards our common goal with laughter, tears, yummy cakes, and obscene amounts of caffeine. Onward to 50,000 my brave NaNos!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

demicoeur — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 06:41:42 +0200

Hello everyone! My name's Alanna, I'm 23 and I'm from Toronto, Canada. I just finished a degree in animation and promised myself I'd travel after graduating. I thought November would be the perfect month, since meeting other writers would be easier and I could write a book at the same time. This November I'm in London (obviously) and I'd love to come to some of the meetups if people don't mind having me! I mostly write science fiction and fantasy; this time I'm mixing it up with a little humor/comedy. I'm a huge sucker for werewolves. I wrote for Nano for three years and then took a two year break to finish school. I finished two of the three novels I started writing. It seems to make a huge difference if I'm working in a group rather than alone so I'll definitely try to make it to as many meetups as I can. Look forward to meeting some of you and may the muses forever be in your favour ;P

Re: Welcome & Introductions

demicoeur — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 06:45:30 +0200

And I totally forgot to mention: I'll be staying in Chislehurst! So if anyone's around there drop me a line and we could meet up :) I'll be traveling into Central London a lot though so anywhere works really :P

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Valkjr — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:32:05 +0200

[quote=Squidshire] I sometimes drink (Scotch) whisky and once tried eating an olive. [/quote] I tried eating an olive once too. It all went downhill from there!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Valkjr — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:38:14 +0200

Hey Sarah! Nice to see another Kiwi teacher here!

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sumerianhaze — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:33:25 +0200

Anyone writing a novel not only in a month but also in a second language deserves a medal. Or a very large drink!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

krahe — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:51:14 +0200

Hey all, So. I'm Davey, and I totally failed to realize how close to November it is until yesterday morning, and now I'm scrambling to come up with at least a vague outline of a plot. Oh well. C'est la vie. It's definitely to do with the supernatural, and I have a handful of characters, so that's probably enough for a start at least, yeah? Anyway, like a lot of you I'm new to London, which is exciting! This is the first time that meeting up with other wrimos has been feasible for me--even though forgetting what month I was in means I've missed a lot of the kick off events. But I'll likely be turning up to the write-in stuff now... particularly as the heating in my house doesn't seem to be working. Who else is south of the river, again? I'm in Camberwell. And another one of those escapees from the U.S. Looking forward to seeing you all.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

sumerianhaze — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:58:33 +0200

I think people make too much of that. Novels are two-a-penny; you can pick them up at street corners. But a good title - that's as rare as hens' teeth. Especially if you want it embossed and gold plated. That's a craftsman's job that is! Union rates apply.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

trew — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 22:22:43 +0200

Hello Londoners! James here. This is my first Nano, and I am hilariously unplanned for the whole thing. I *just* decided on my basic theme / plot tonight, which is a thriller / comedy about the lurid and seedy underbelly of the salesman's conference scene. If you've ever attended such a thing you know it's where small talk goes to die, and one of the ripest sources for characters going. I live in South East London - Sydenham. No one's ever heard of it, so usually have to say things like "near Crystal Palace" or Dulwich etc. I didn't get to go out to any of the launch parties, which is a shame, but hoping to make it to at least a few write-ins. Feel free to contact me if you're in the same area etc.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Seth Krane — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 23:37:02 +0200

Oh yay! That might actually be nice. Though I'm not all that available during the week (looking after the boys and all that) but other than that the idea seems great. I'll keep in touch if I find a moment long enough to got out and about for a write-in in Greenwich! :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Tazius-Jay — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:51:40 +0200

I'm Avery. This is something like my 3rd, or possibly 4th, nano. So far they have all ended terribly - I stick with it for maybe a week, if I'm lucky, and then all is forgotten. Really hoping I can actually stick with it this year - except I have no plot structure planned yet : /

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Tazius-Jay — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 01:57:32 +0200

Forgot to mention also - I'm originally a South Londoner, now living in the North (Bounds Green).

Re: Welcome & Introductions

laplinp — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:15:25 +0200

I'm Lee, this be the second time I have tried NaNo and hopefully my first win! I'm not technically a Londoner but this is my closest region. I'm from Hertfordshire really, but not the posh bit, I'm from Stevenage. I was hoping to find some write ins and meet ups in the Herts area whilst here, as London travel is expensive for moi :(

Re: Welcome & Introductions

MisguidedGhost86 — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 16:07:19 +0200

Hiya! I'm Manvinder and I'm from Croydon. This is actually my first time doing NaNo. I have decided to do a Horror/Supernatural story for this year. I'm a big fan of the whole supernatural genre. I have tried to write many novels before, but could never finish them. Either I did not plan it enough, or over-planned and lost interest, or I have written a good few chapters but cannot move on from that point. So I am hoping that by doing NaNo I have the shove that I need to actually write the novel and maybe complete it. I just need to write and write. Well if anyone is near to Croydon just message me, it be nice to meet up and write with someone :)

Re: Welcome & Introductions

Lizzie Martell — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:17:11 +0200

A little hello from Earlsfield, London. I'm Lizzie and I'm nervous and new! I have an idea- (just an idea, mind) and have decided to trust and run with it. Crossing all my fingers and toes that my critical nit-picking side is going to keep quiet during November. Be brilliant to have a bit of moral support on here, so am planning on attending a few meet ups. Lovely to meet you all.

Re: Welcome & Introductions

blueeyeslies — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:03:35 +0200

Hi There! I'm Alwyn, I'm Canadian living in Chiswick, working in Green Park. I've done Nano a couple of times before and won once. I'm really excited to do it again this year and get the chance to get more involved and meet other Nano-ers!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

amoclin — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 13:38:15 +0200

I'm Amy and I'm a late joiner this year. I really don't have the time as I have a ton of January exams and Uni interviews in December, but I started getting invites to write-ins on Facebook and I just really didn't want to miss out on all the fun, so I'm going to do my best! I'm in my last year of school, doing Maths, Economics and World Development at A Level. I absolutely love musical theatre, and just finished playing Tracy in Hairspray at school. I also write my own songs, some of which can be found on my YouTube channel (I'm amoclin there as well). I'm a Quaker and spend a lot of my time at Quaker youth thingies. I hope to meet you guys at write-ins throughout the month as I was ten times more productive writing with other people when I won NaNo back in 2010! Good luck!

Re: Welcome & Introductions

NJ_Gatehouse — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 19:22:33 +0200

Hi there, My name is NJ. This is my first time attempting NaNo. I heard about it through one of my university friends, I have not long graduated from my Creative Writing course. My novel is one that I started at university, but when I had to write it for assignments I felt really uninspired and hate the 6,000ish words that I wrote. I did however start liking my story idea, which is about dinosaurs and fairies, so have decided that with a rough idea in my head I am just going to start writing from scratch. I am only just posting now as have been a bit too busy to read through forums yet. I have started my NaNo, the first two days were really easy and I wrote quite a bit, yesterday was harder to get motivated and today I'm just wanting to sleep but still keeping at it and determined to get my words written. I am actually in High Wycombe, but this was the nearest region I could find to where I live - not sure yet if I'll make it to any of the group write in meets in London but me and some of my friends are hoping to do one in High Wycombe at some point this month. Looking forward to hearing what others are writing and if anyone is nearer the High Wycombe area and would be interested in a writing session, let me know :) NJ