Introductions

angitiger — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:42:03 -0400

Morning, Why don't we all take a moment and introduce ourselves. This is the place to do that. I'm angitiger, the moderator, just think of me as a friendly milk monitor. I write in several genres this happens to be one of my favorites. My favorite books growing up were Sherlock Holmes. I also write paranormal, fantasy and pretty much whatever my twisted mind comes up with. I live in Washington State and have an awesome little dog that is secretly planning on taking over the world (I swear). I really look forward to this year. I'm not sure which genre I'm writing in but I may just work on one of my thriller suspense novels. I usually decide what I'm writing on Halloween. My creativeness just works better that way.

Re: Introductions

AJtheHufflepuff — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:41:08 -0400

Hi everyone! I'm AJ and this is my first time writing a mystery/thriller novel. I'm a freshman at college and my major is Anthropology. This is my second year participating in NaNo and I'm pretty excited about it. Outside of my NaNo novels, I write mostly short stories/novellas/fanfiction. I'm a huge Harry Potter fangirl and a proud Nerdfighter (DFTBA). I play piano and guitar and I love love love music (all kinds, and I really do mean all kinds xD). I'll probably be hanging out here in the forums a lot this November so I can't wait to meet new people :)

Re: Introductions

True Blue Fool — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:41:26 -0400

I'm True Blue Fool. I'm not normally a mystery writer, but that works better for my plot. It's probably going to be more of a horror/thriller slant. I'm also generally a pantser which probably doesn't work too well for mystery novels, so I'm going to attempt to do *some* plotting this year. We'll see how well this goes. I'm going to be counting on all the people on this forum to help me out come November as I'm a mystery newb!

Re: Introductions

Dannii — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:58:19 -0400

I'm Dannii. This is my first Mystery novel but I'm really looking forward to seeing if I can get it written this year. I'm currently on a gap year before going to university in September. I'm a massive 'Castle' (the tv show, not the buildings) fan. Can't wait to meet some new people :)

Re: Introductions

A.J.Horn — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:06:33 -0400

Hi, I'm Aj. It's my third time doing nano, but my first try at writing a thriller. I'm very excited to here. My novel is about a man who need to work against the clock to save his children (5 and 8 years old) from their kidnapper, a serial killer who have link with his forgotten past.

Re: Introductions

beak02 — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:05:00 -0400

Hi! I'm Luke and have written Mystery for the past two years of NaNo, having (technically) won both times. I say 'technically', because the cast of my 2010 novel kind of lost their plot half way through the month and limped to just over 50k thanks to a late night sprint on the last day! So yes, hopefully, plot will stay present all month this year! Basically it consists of secret government organisations using science to figure out why children are spontaneously dying all over the country. Probably conspiracy. Certain death for at least one of my main team. Much death elsewhere. (My MC is a bit of a psychopath who kills people if they annoy her... tis all fun!) (Did I mention - lots of death!) Hope you all have a smashing November, and I hope you all make it to the end! (preferably with plots still!)

Re: Introductions

charleenlynette — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:48:30 -0400

I'm Charleen. I've done NaNo 3 times before, and won all three times, though I've never actually finished any of my novels. Well, on two of them I made it to "the end" by writing a page or so summarizing what should have been the last several chapters . . . thinking I would come back and flesh it out later during editing, but I never did. And one I just flat-out abandoned. Though thriller is my favorite genre to read, this will be my first time writing one. Not sure if this will help or hurt my goal to ACTUALLY finish this year, but it should be fun.

Re: Introductions

Aethre — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:48:50 -0400

I'm Nikki, this is my fourth? fifth? time doing NaNo and maybe I'll even win this year! Also, I'm totally cheating and just continuing to work on my Camp NaNo novel. I'd rather finish a novel than have a bunch of half novels floating about, y'know?

Re: Introductions

oazan — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:58:44 -0400

I'm Berlin, this is my 3rd normal NaNo (I won in August for Camp NaNo, too). Won all the past years, and hoping to do it again. This is more of a mystery in the sense that things are going on, a secret subplot to the town my character is in, but he doesn't know what it is or why. So, no detectives or anything like that. But I'm excited to finally hash out this story. I tend to drift towards mystery and horror novels overall, both in reading and writing, along with some supernatural. I love music and I love talking about it, so NaNoMail me if you're interested in talking! Good luck to you all!

Re: Introductions

IntoTheLiquidSky — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:58:53 -0400

You can call me Nikolai. This is my first time falling into the Mystery/Thriller/Suspense genre, and I must admit I still feel quite a bit out of place! My main domain is the Horror/Supernatural genre, where you'll probably find me most of the time. I feel like my novel this year is in the beautiful grey area between the two. I'm an incredible chatterbox, and I don't really limit my topics - I just have a lot of opinions, okay? c: My friends (both writerly and otherwise) consider me a pretty good go-to when you need to discuss something you can't exactly approach your family with; trust me, there's nothing I haven't seen or heard before. Gore, taboo and that dark space just past 'normal' are all friends of mine.

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lfavreau — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:15:24 -0400

Hello Fellow Wrimos, This is my second year. I won my first attempt though I'm still working on the first draft. I have another novel in the works that requires a lot of research and is a compilation of three novella so it has been put aside for now. I write short stories as back stories to my novels as way of getting to know my characters, a process that came about in school. I tend to write suspense/thriller, mystery does call to me. I haven't decided on a particular idea yet, several are in the abyss awaiting an invitation to break the surface and soak up the light of day. Lynne

Re: Introductions

captain_hobbes — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:50:27 -0400

Hi All! I'm Val - this is my fifth (I think) year doing NaNo, and who knows, I might actually win this time. ;) I'm writing a supernatural mystery - it's my first foray into writing mysteries, but they're my favorite thing to read, bar none. Normally, I write dark fantasy/horror/paranormal romance/erotica, so this will be a fun change.

Re: Introductions

AmySparrow — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:08:55 -0400

Hiya! I'm also from Washington and this is my second year doing NaNo. I've had lots of short stories published but last year's book was my first solo full-length one. I'm currently looking for an agent for it. I'm also a sign language interpreter. What can I say, I love words and people! :-) My other book had a touch of mystery in it but this will be my first full-on suspense. It's one of my favorite genres to read, so I'm excited about it. I'm writing about a trauma counselor who is taking care of a toddler who was found during a drug bust. But then they start to realize they've stumbled into the middle of a human trafficking ring.

Re: Introductions

polargriff — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:24:52 -0400

Hi! Hi! I'm Jacquelyn. This year's story is not fully developed yet (that is what October is for!), but so far I am heading in a Christian suspense/adventure direction. The setting will be the near future, extrapolating from current events a future United States with a government-sanctioned religious persecution of so-called "homegrown terrorists". The main character, a university student, will be doing some digging in the annals of history, the Bible and theology, and, hopefully, some suspense-driven running from the law. There will be some real church history, theology, and American history included and no "sugar coating" of historical facts. The premise of the entire novel is freedom of conscience (the right of individuals to follow their conscience in matters of faith and religion or lack thereof) and standing firm for one's beliefs despite persecution. It is meant to be slightly abrasive and make people second guess what they thought they knew about Christianity, American and world history. This story is a huge undertaking for me as I am used to writing action-adventure, semi-fantasy stories, but since I wanted to give both religion and suspense a try... I decided to merge them together and see what happens. I have never written a suspense before so I will probably be prowling around this forum for inspiration and advice.

Re: Introductions

Shiiuga — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:56:25 -0400

Howdy! I am Patrick from London and this year I will be attempting an alternate history political conspiracy suspense thriller (bit of a mouthful...), so I figured this was the best genre to classify it under as historical fiction felt a bit pre-19th century... It certainly doesn't count as a mystery as you find out who is behind the conspiracy pretty early on, though I may yet decide to switch it all up and only make the reveal at the end. Who knows? I am nervous and excited. I think I've got a really great story this year so it just remains to be seen if I have the commitment to follow it through til the end! Good luck to all! P

Re: Introductions

BlackScorpio — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:54:33 -0400

Hello everyone, I've completed four NaNo Novels (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009) and have edited two of them to send out to agents/publishers. All of my novels are crime novels, except in 2007 I wrote a fictionalized memoir. I made the 50K word count on that memoir, but I don't like it much and I won't do it again! LOL This year I'm going to trying a different sub-genre within the crime/mystery/thriller category - I'm writing a cozy (gulp!). Hopefully I can keep my usual cursing, sex, and violence out of this novel, which is a cozy requirement, I understand. :-)

Re: Introductions

kimberj103 — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:06:58 -0400

Hi. This is my second NaNo and I won last year with about 5K to spare. But before you report me as an obnoxious braggart, you should know that at least 45K of it was utter and total crap. :) I didn't do any plotting, it was very James Joyce, minus the illegal substances, but I had a good time doing it. I was trying to write a serious novel - which I may one day do - but decided this year to write what I read most - a good, old-fashioned mystery. I was inspired by a famous murder that occurred in my husband's hometown in the 1870s which is now the topic of an annual play and a central part of the town's homecoming celebration. In my story, one of the players is murdered and her murder mirrors the original. My heroine sets out to solve both murders. Because I am setting it in an actual town and borrowing from actual events, it has taken a lot of research and planning. I want to bring the town to life for my readers - without descending into a travelogue - and I want to give shout-outs to some of our favorite people and things - without hijacking someone's life (and possibly landing myself with a libel suit for suggesting someone is a fetishist, drug dealer, swinger, voyeur or, oh, a murderer). It's tricky! I am using a book by Karen S. Wiesner called First Draft in 30 Days and it has been really helpful. (And, don't worry - it's not a draft in the sense of a "draft" - I won't actually start writing until the starting pistol on November 1.) I am also sponsoring a student group at the school where I teach. I am excited about getting young writers involved. I am well out of college and I have a 2.5 year old son and work outside the home as a music teacher. I now live in Waco, Texas (gag), but hail from Washington State. I didn't do any of my Region's events last year and probably won't this year, either, so I'm hoping to make some writing buddies on this forum. :) Good luck everyone, and happy writing!

Re: Introductions

moderndancemama — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:09:56 -0400

Hi everyone, This is my 2nd year doing NaNoWriMo. Last year I worked in the fantasy genre, which is more my comfort zone, but this year I'm attempting a murder mystery, which may or may not venture into camp. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will stay on the serious side. All the best! -MDM

Re: Introductions

minionygoodness — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:25:42 -0400

Hello. I'm Riella. This is my first year writing a NaNo novel, although I've written many novels in the past that were not for NaNo. My novel is a bit genre-mixed. It doesn't have too much actual *mystery*, but lots of thriller/suspense stuff. ;) It's also very LitFictiony. It's mostly about a lot of murder/kidnapping type issues, but the focus is more on how the MC deals with these issues. Can't wait until November! :)

Re: Introductions

Finn de Siecle — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:02:38 -0400

Hi, I'm Finn. Second (non-consecutive) attempt at NaNo. Last time I almost won (I was like 3000 words short) although I did end up finishing that novel after 18 months of work. This time I'm writing a more hard-boiled detective-type novel. I was inspired by some books I read about the Enron scandal, as well as movies like L.A. Confidential and Chinatown, so I wanted to write a mystery about that sort of institutional corruption, as well as Hollywood and celebrity culture, tabloids, etc.

Re: Introductions

hence_erstwhile — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:59:01 -0400

Hi -- I'm L (or hence_erstwhile will do). As my username suggests, I'm accustomed to being firmly within either the past with historical fiction or the future with sci-fi/fantasy. This is uncharted territory! But hopefully that'll lead to success on my second serious NaNo attempt. I'm big on social histories and am currently looking into going into law in the field of social justice, so my novel will probably reflect this. It's based in my hometown of Vancouver and with my significant other working with the VPD, I hope to have all the insider's info on accurate policing (total pet peeve in TV and novels). But I'm also a sucker for dystopias and alternate universes so I've made Vancouver sadder for the sake of the plot device. The result seems to be a bit of a film noire feel. I think I'm crossing about six genres with this attempt but gee, I'm optimistic.

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MysteriousFlower — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:05:19 -0400

Hi, I'm Christel (better known as Chris or Cissy). I am almost 27 years old and from the UK. I live in some godforsaken village in the Walsall area of the country. "Too small to have a bowling alley" as one of my favourite characters from Criminal Minds would say. I was born and raised in the Netherlands and moved to the UK 3,5 years ago to move in with my now wife and our two cats. I have been writing for many many years and mainly spend my time writing fanfiction because I am too much of a coward to write and produce my own work. However in the last two or three years that has changed and I have ventured into the world of fiction more and more and for the very first time I actually feel quite confident about the novel I am about to write. There's a first time for everything, right? I work as a carer in a residential unit for autistic adults (I get the crap beaten out of me for a living). Long days, hard work but also a lot of opportunity to write. This novel will be about a detective working for the Greater Manchester Police whist hunting a serial killer. Yeah not the greatest synopsis in the world but ah well... who cares. Happy writing all!

Re: Introductions

burntcore — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:39:27 -0400

Howdy there... I'm Miranda. This is my second year of Nano. Last year I didn't finish but it was a great experience. Last year I did a science fiction/vamp story, which I still pick at from time to time. Mostly, it sits in a preverbial shelf. This year is my first foray into suspense (although to be honest, its supernatural suspense) ... so I guess I'm a bit cross-genre. Glad to meet everyone! :)

Re: Introductions

AKimlin — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:18:13 -0400

Hi There This is my second attempt at NaNo but I also did one of the camp's this year. I want to write the sequel to July's story for NaNo.

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August. — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:31:51 -0400

Hey, I'm August. I'm a university student and doing Nanowrimo during exams is going to be...interesting. This will be my sixth year and hopefully sixth win. I'm writing mystery; it's set in a university campus and takes some minor inspiration from my real life, along with a lot of nonsense thrown in. Someone is stealing from my main character's hall and he decides to try and figure out who's doing it, but everything becomes rather complicated by how there are multiple thieves, multiple detectives, people leaving secret codes around, someone who was though to be living in the hall but actually isn't, so who was the person people saw going into her room, several ill-advised romantic relationships, an RA who's out to get the main character (because his detecting is breaking so many rules), and a blackmailer. I still need to figure out how all this stuff fits together and come up with a basic outline.

Re: Introductions

Roger Lubeck — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:04:13 -0400

[Removed by Moderator]

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TudorQueen — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:27:33 -0400

Hi, my name is Barbara (aka TudorQueen!), and I'm a NaNo newbie. My novel is a combination of mystery/romance, but I think it will weigh in slightly more as the former. I guess the writing will tell. In addition to combining genres, it combines different 'worlds' (not in the fantasy sense, lol) as an aspiring actress who's barely making her rent working as a production assistant for a documentary on a failed musical production of twenty years back, is thrown together with a celebrity chef who, as a young busboy, witnessed a crucial aspect of the event. I find mysteries tremendously entertaining, and often informative, but the plotting is hard! I'll be relying on you all to help me plow through my nerves!

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wardellsucks — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:37:05 -0400

Hello, I'm Wardell.This is my first year participating in NaNo. I write singularly in this genre as I was inspired by James Ellroy and Dashiell Hammett, with tinges of transgressive. I focus primarily on character and character development (or, if appropriate, lack of development) because I find that they make the story better than I can.

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TypoMania — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:13:09 -0400

Hello, I'm Typo and it's my personal goal to attempt a new genre each year I do NaNo. After having done Fantasy, LifFic, Dystopia, Comedy, a retelling, Historical Fic, and Christian Lit... I'm moving on to mystery. I am oober out of my depth, but I think this will be fun. It's a lighthearted mystery and the cops aren't involved, so that should save me from a lot of messy research (I hope). Good luck, everyone!

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Lady_L — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:37:38 -0400

Hello, I am Lady_L! It's my first year of NaNo - my friend made me sign up! I live in London at the moment but I have had a fairly nomadic life so far. I gave up my full-time job a few months ago to write my novel (thanks to a very generous and tolerant family member). It's going ok but I fancied having some fun for a few weeks so I am going to spend November writing a thriller. Well trying to write a thriller anyway. I am just working out my plot, particularly a few exciting twists and turns, as well as keeping up my word count on my other novel. Lovely to meet you all - let the fun begin! LL X

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writerwoman — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:29:00 -0400

Hey! I'm writerwoman and this is my third NaNo year (nanoyear?). I'm doing a second novel for a cozy series this time around, and will be shooting for closer to 75-80K for this mad-dash first draft. I want a solid book when I'm done, so I can stash it away to marinate for a month or two while I revise the book I just finished drafting. I'm doing lots of prep work (NaNoWriMoPlanO-ctober) for my mystery, because I'm less familiar with the genre. I'm a big fan of Holly Lisle's writing courses, and I'm using her techniques to get a good outline and background materials set up. Looking forward to hearing about everyone's projects and progress!

Re: Introductions

Anarcharnate — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:16:28 -0400

Hullo, the board, This is my first year attempting NaNoWriMo, and my first piece of extended prose for a while, though I've written for years. I usually write allegorical fantasies and magical realism, in the vein of Herman Hesse's fairytales, but I'm keen to push myself into more hard realism. I'm a bit of a mystery nut, particularly historical murder mysteries, but the story I've planned is contemporary and more of a thriller- as the worst floods for in living memory slowly isolate the village, tensions that have built for generations threaten to overwhelm the community. It's more about the distrust, gossip and paranoia of small communities, magnified by a natural disaster, although there is a body- and a potential arson.

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Riddle — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:16:40 -0400

This is my ninth November Nano, but tenth overall because I did the camp earlier this year in July. I'm Riddle and this year I'm writing about a possibly cannibalistic cult that is under the delusion that they're a faerie court and have to re-enact the tithe/sacrifice from Tam Lin every seven years in order to keep their queen/leader immortal and alive. I'm probably going to have far too many main characters and a lot of messed-up psychologies this year. I think it's going to be fun. (I keep telling them they can't eat the sacrifices, but some of them aren't listening. This is what happens when you have a cult that's existed for generations and no real contact with the outside world.)

Re: Introductions

ThoughtlessRae — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:22:25 -0400

This is my third NaNo, and this year it's not science fiction, so it'll be an adventure. Hopefully also my third win. ^-^ I'm Rae, and although I did start plotting this year for scifi, my plot molded itself into something better befitting a small town on Earth. With a few tweaks, I ended up here. Hello! I'm writing about a little farming town in Kansas that goes a little haywire when their only telephone line goes out after a motorcycle-riding pretty-boy comes through and takes one of the teenage girls out with him. People talk. They see things, say things. Then the mayor gets murdered, and the slightly crazy recluse thinks he can get everything under control. Yeah I'm bad at summaries. BUT, here we go. Good luck to you all!

Re: Introductions

melissadominic — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:25:34 -0400

oh, hi! I'm Melissa, a fox-haired girl with disillusions of the future. I mostly spend my time in Camp Cyberpunk and the Sci-Fi Underworlds, but, I figured, my story this time around needs a bit of help from the mystery crowd, so here I am! I hope you'll have me! I'm writing a proto-future noir with m/m romance, lots of loud music, speculative futurism and a bit of soccer, street art and gang life thrown in. It's sort of a mouthful, I think.... In any case, I'm always down to chat, so pass me a nano mail if you wanna keep tabs on one another this NaNo season!

Re: Introductions

KNYN — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:11:20 -0400

Ola I'm Sam and this is my first attempt to try Nano. Although I have written short stories during my HS year but never got to finish them, so I'm dusting them off and retrying again and this time finish them. Nothing too special about about the story but it just won't seem to leave my head alone but I blame my friends for always inspiring me (thanks guys) The story will also feature some action and comedy but it'll also have suspense, and thriller. I'm soooo nervous about this coming november, wish me luck

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i am the moon — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:12:31 -0400

Hi, I'm Victoria. :) This is my...tenth? oh my god -- year doing NaNoWriMo. I won every year until last year, when school ate my life. Dunno how this year'll go, between NaNo and school and applying to graduate school. I'm hugely into Harry Potter and X-Men and Sherlock Holmes, so if anyone else is into those fandoms...well. You know where to find me. This year I'm rewriting a plot I had several years ago but never finished, only from a different perspective and with a new, noir-y, thriller-y twist on it.

Re: Introductions

0rdinaryvanity — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:33:40 -0400

Hello, all! I'm Elli and this is my second year participating in NaNoWriMo. It was by sheer luck that I won my first year, so let's hope 2011 will be smoother sailing. :) My mystery story developed when I started gathering characters and the tale suddenly grew from there. I intended, at first, to write a horror/cyberpunk/zombie novel, but this mystery has gripped me tight and refuses to let go! A question for my fellow mystery authors: do you prefer to know whodunnit before you begin writing, or do you like to let the story reveal the villain if/when it feels like it?

Re: Introductions

0rdinaryvanity — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:13:41 -0400

EDIT: Disregard my question. There's a thread for it already. :)

Re: Introductions

poysen — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:40:05 -0400

I'm Jennifer. Like Charleen I've won all but one year I did NaNo, but none of the novels ever reached a complete first draft. I'd wind up spending so many months preparing and researching for the next NaNo that they never saw "The End." Traveling in December didn't help in continuing them and once I came back home come January I found that I lost my momentum to continue on with the last 10-20K words to finish them up. This year I'm kinda sorta cheating. Since last year I moved during NaNo I got nothing at all done and had my first loss in 4 years. That mixed with being pregnant and packing just spelled disaster. I almost didn't participate this year again between work and the new baby, but things changed. Maybe it's fated that I'm to do this novel? This one has been in progress for six years and got pushed aside each year for the new, shiny NaNo I was preparing for. I decided it's time to finish it (it has about 18K on it now, none of which, of course does not count for NaNo.) Since then my work schedule cleared considerably, and I've really gotten to think I might just be able to write "The End" once and for all. We'll see, though.

Re: Introductions

j.ejebjork — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:30:34 -0400

Hi I am Josefine, fifth year doing NaNo, first time writing a thriller. Don't know yet if NaNo is a good place of starting writing in a new genre, considering the time pressure but I have had this idea in my head for months and it has slowly developed in to something more than just an idea written in one line in my notepad. I am in London and usually make it to a couple of write ins to boost my word count on Sundays, makes me feel good about the coming week.

Re: Introductions

poysen — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:46:06 -0400

Actually, I find NaNo to be the perfect time to test out new genres. Something about it makes me less leery maybe it's the writing so fast you can't look back and second guess things? Of course, I do plot and research the genre fully before starting on it, so I feel pretty comfy come November.

Re: Introductions

beanchica1959 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:49:37 -0400

Hello! I'm Sabrina, I'm 25, I live in London. This is my 11th Nano, and I've won the past ten I've participated in. I'm writing a Ngaio Marsh fan fic with hopes of getting it accepted by the Marsh Trust. Title: Wise as Serpents Hello!

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R Drummond — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:11:17 -0400

Hey everyone! I'm Bec and this is my first year doing NaNo. I am going to write a crime novel next month, or at least attempt to, and a little nervous about starting. I haven't wrritten much in two years, however I have read more in the last two years than my whole life. Haha.

Re: Introductions

nieseryjna — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 06:32:24 -0400

hi I'm nieseryjna, first time doing NaNo, I usually write fanfiction as my original ideas don't get over length of 2000 words. I like mysteries and suspense so that's what I will write for NaNo - still thinking about plot.

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Thekherham — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 07:17:03 -0400

Hi, I'm Thekherham (it's pronounced Tee kee' rahm). It's the name of my alter ego, a character in a series of science fiction stories and novels set on two alien planets. I know what you're thinking. And no, I'm not in the wrong forum. After eight years of aliens and alien planets, I've decided to do something different. I've been volunteering at a horse farm for the past five or six years, so I thought I'd write something involving horses. The basic plot is, ten or twelve people go out on a three-day (not sure about the number of people, and the length of the ride), and on one of the nights when they're camping, one of the guests is murdered. That's about it... for now.

Re: Introductions

Cosmic The Cat — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:29:42 -0400

Hi everyone, I'm Elizabeth, and this is my seventh Nano - won every year apart from 2009, when I had to stop after 12,000 words due to real life intervening... this year I'm planning to cheat slightly and return to my unfinished 2009 novel. I've done this before (continued with a previous project) and it's not been as much fun - so I hope this year I can recover the spark! Looking forward to chatting to you all next month if not before! Love Elizabeth aka Cosmic x

Re: Introductions

S.A. Hollow — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:24:35 -0400

Hello, I'm S.A. and this will be officially my 7th year doing NaNo. I have never won do to personal reasons but this year I'm strongly determined to make it passed the 50k mark. But after years of fantasy, adventure and sci-fi, I've decided to do something very different and not too familiar with. I love criminal TV but have only read a scant few of mystery crime novels. It just makes it more exciting to dive into it.

Re: Introductions

Ms M. — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:09:24 -0400

Hey there, Megan here. This will be the first year of doing NaNoWriMo. I am writing a mystery because I've had this idea for a mystery series in my head for over a year now and it won't leave me alone until it gets written down, turned into an acclaimed best-selling series and then a critically acclaimed and original HBO series. I might actually be getting ahead of myself, but there it is. It is a mystery that takes place in Tokyo, Japan and the two protagonists are a pair of estranged siblings returning to the country they were raised at as Army brats. They end up in way over their heads when they get involved with the dangerous underworld of Tokyo while trying to track down an old school classmate. November is going to be a veeeery interesting month for me- I don't think I've ever written over 1,000 words in a day before, much less for 30 days straight.

Re: Introductions

::DAW:: — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:02:45 -0400

Hey there! I'm DAW or Christina, this is my sixth year doing NaNo and my second time with a plot around a murder. I have completed Nano four of my last five years and I hope for a repeat success. I'm doing a Murder Mystery taking place in a Theatre and the MC/Sleuth is the Understudy and she hopes to clear her name. Hope to hear of dastardly deeds and unconventional murders this month!

Re: Introductions

Roy Dickens — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:53:53 -0400

Greetings, all. I'm Roy, first-time NaNomer and a denizen of Eastern Washington. The story currently rattling around in my brain is a noir-ish tale chronicling life after the advent of a substance that made reality a plaything of the imagination.

Re: Introductions

stephensdemise — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:49:07 -0400

Hi everyone! I'm Marsha. This will be my sixth NaNo. And my fourth year hanging out here in Mystery-ville. I just can't seem to stay away from the crime novel. The upnote is, they're getting better. Happy plotting!

Re: Introductions

aj chase — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 01:08:39 -0400

hey, i'm amber. this is my fourth year doing nano. i'm writing a ya series mystery about a girl whose parents are con artists and she uses the skills they taught her to solve mysteries. i guess think of it as sort of a young female 'fletch' lol

Re: Introductions

purpleserpents — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:27:32 -0400

Hi! I'm Kathleen, of Vancouver, Canada, currently residing in Dublin, Ireland, and I'm super excited for my first real attempt at Nano (I've tried two or three times before, but they made it as far as "I'm going to do this" followed by maybe 3000 words and giving up because I had no idea what I was writing)! I'm writing a... well, I think it's a thriller... following an Irish corporate espionage team as they get a big break into the London scene, and how this affects them as they plot and steal business secrets. It's currently plotted until the point where they actually have to do the espionage bit, and then their narrow escape.

Re: Introductions

CAByrnes — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:58:52 -0400

Hi, I'm Carol Anne. I'm a community-college English instructor, and I've been doing this since 2004. I've found something of a groove in the mystery genre with my series centered around a community-college English instructor and her police-detective fiance. She's solved murders at the community college, the yacht club, a family reunion, the light opera, the sports desk of the local newspaper, and a spelling bee, This year, it's the alternative processes photo lab at the university up the street.

Re: Introductions

icekitty1820 — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:34:29 -0400

Hey everybody, I'm Frost! This will be my very first Nano, but I've been writing for fun for quite awhile. My novel isn't so much mystery as it is murder. Instead of being wrote from an outsider's viewpoint, it's going to be done from the killer's and victim's. No needing to wrack your brain to figure out who done it here! I'm actually considering popping a second genre on this plot due to an overall theme, but needless to say there will be plenty of blood, gore, and crime to make it fitting to be called thriller.

Re: Introductions

IntrepidRose — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:00:38 -0400

Hello, I'm Amy. This will be my second year writing. My novel last year was a bunch of mixed up mafia type characters, who seemed to have an identity crisis every thirty pages. I'm hoping for more order and better structure in my writing this year. My work usually fits into the thriller category, more than the mystery. I'm considering a setting of either the 1920's, or the 1960's for my work. I may end up with modern day. I'm a huge James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and Hawii Five O (1968-1980) fan, so my work often reflects that sort of flavour.

Re: Introductions

Canas — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:27:25 -0400

Steve here. This is my fourth nano, though I've yet to win due to the fact that I'm a chemical engineering student and calculus seems to like taking my ambitions and ripping them up into tiny little bite-sized pieces. I'm taking a step back this year from the usual sci-fi plot walls I hit, and going with something I really know well -- music. Hopefully it works out this year. '08: Literary Sci-Fi (15,000) '09: Pulp Fiction Fantasy (10,000) '10: Sci-Fi Mystery (30,000) '11: Music/Fantasy/Mystery (?)

Re: Introductions

paperback_writer4 — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:41:31 -0400

Hello everyone. I am Laura. this is my first NaNo experience. The way my story is developing is a mystery with a bit of romance brewing. My story involves a lot of wants. My main character wants to move up to crime reporting (she is currently covering the society section). My male lead also wants to move to investigative reporting. The murder victim wanted more love than her husband could give her, so she went looking and found the wrong guy. (this doesn't necessarily make him the murderer though!) This is my second novel. I'm excited and nervous about doing this. I hope I can finish; I'm really going to try. I've been trying out different plot lines for a few months and I think this one is going to work. I've really enjoyed reading the posts. I am also an old movie fan and want my lead guy to be a kind of Sam Spade-noir type (they're so sexy!). Anyway, good luck to everyone, I hope we all finish and find agents! :))

Re: Introductions

Cactuskay — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:12:32 -0400

Yikes, I wasn't going to do Nano this year, too much stuff to do. Spent last weekend in a workshop with Mystery author Todd Borg. He has nine books in his Tahoe series published by Thriller Press. Learned a lot. I used Nano 2010 novel The Murder Channel for all my workshop exercises and assignments. My 2009 Nano novel A Deadly July will be released in digital format just as Nano 2011 gets started. This will be my 4th Nanowrimo. My problem is I have no plot or story line and I need one to get me started. I have one idea with no plot. I live in NV, so the setting is a mining camp in the middle of nowhere called Fish Creek. Eight guys live and work on the site. They are desperate for a cook and are sent a gun packing woman recuperating from being beaten and raped. The guy who sent her out told the mining manager "There'll be no trouble if you tell your men what she did to the last guy who had sex with her." She shot and killed the perp, a righteous kill declared the cops. So I have the characters out lined but no plot. Got any ideas? This weekend, I'll be taking a bus full of geologists overnight to Winnemucca to visit a few gold mines so maybe I can get some research done, but I need a bare bones basic plot! Good Luck everyone! - Kay

Re: Introductions

True Blue Fool — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:55:19 -0400

Edit: Changing my genre. That's what I get for deciding on something so early in October.

Re: Introductions

i am the moon — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:13:31 -0400

Hi! I'm i am the moon and this is my 10th (yes, 10th) NaNoWriMo. Dear god. It's also only my second year writing mystery/thriller/suspense. Last year I did a mystery, this year it's a suspense. Previously I've written everything from fantasy to sci-fi to lit fic to horror/supernatural. I don't like to feel held down. ;) This year's story will have elements of a sort of supernatural-esque fantasy but will be primarily very dark suspense, mostly psychological. I'm a college senior, and this NaNo my writing time will be eaten by an honors thesis, grad school apps, classes, and tutoring people for the Princeton Review. dslfkjasd;l We'll see how this goes.

Re: Introductions

deadpoetmentis — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:22:24 -0400

Hey all, I'm Rick, I'm from Halifax, Engand and I'm 22. This is my first Nano and my first attempt at even writing a novel. I'm not entirely sure whether it'll class as thriller or sci-fi, or somewhere inbetween but I'm planning something quite Orwellian. A distopian near future in which strict population controls are enforced and only children reaching a minimum IQ are allowed to mature. The main character will initially be responsible for testing these children but will rebel against the system. I've got some detail planned but a lot of work is still needed, I know I'll be using a lot of the support this site gives. Hope to see you all around.

Re: Introductions

mattgdawson — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:50:14 -0400

Hey people, I'm Matt and from Sydney Australia. This will be my first nano and first time writing fiction. I've had some travel articles published and enjoy writing narratives. I read a lot of different genres but have always been a big fan of Elmore Leonard and Jim Thompson, so will be starting with crime. Still not sure of my story yet, or whether it will be 1st person or 3rd, I have a couple of 'interesting' characters though, so hopefully a story will come to me. I have a couple of ideas anyway.

Re: Introductions

ZombietheFemaleJonah — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:10:33 -0400

Hey! I'm ZombietheFemaleJonah, but call me Zee. This is my 5th year doing NaNo, and hopefully the first time I'll win? I'm not technically doing MTS, (although I suppose one of my timelines is a little suspensey), but after being here during the camp, I've found I really love this forum more than any of the other genres-specific ones. So here I am!

Re: Introductions

oh.jesslyn — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 23:50:28 -0400

Hi! I'm Jesslyn. This is my first NaNoWriMo. I've got a vague idea for a cozy mystery and I'm excited to delve into it. My main character is a woman running an organic farm or CSA. At this point, I have little to no plot but I'm sure that'll work itself out as I go. Good luck, everybody!

Re: Introductions

fairieimp — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:47:16 -0400

i'm fairieimp, i'm turning my final exam for my profiling serial offenders class into a novel. we had to create a serial killer. so... that's the basis of my novel... it's going to be a challenge because i usually write fantasy, so yeah... still working on my research and prepping. some characters have names, other's don't, and i don't really exactly have a structured plan in the traditional sense of the word. looking forward to this year in nano land!

Re: Introductions

reisler — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 02:00:19 -0400

Hell, I'm Reisler. I think this is my sixth year doing NaNoWriMo but my first year where I try to plan no only to get passed the 50000 mark but return to my script for revision. I've been a little afraid to try my hand at writing a mystery because I can't make up a perfect mystery right away so hopefully if I get started Iäll at least have something to work with later on.

Re: Introductions

Krystalma01 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 02:21:13 -0400

Hi, I'm Krystal, well that's what you can call me. This is my first NaNoWri and I'm hoping to get the word count to max. I am writing a mystery but at the moment I don't have a definite ending. But that's okay - it usually comes as I write. This one is something different for me. A kind of supernatural mystery but hopefully with a satisfying and believable end. We'll see - can't wait to get started here - good to meet you all.

Re: Introductions

tonymcfadden — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:30:03 -0400

Nothin' but mystery, thrillers and suspense, Northern Beaches area of Sydney, looking forward to "winning" third in a arow -- by completing the sequel to last year's NaNo.

Re: Introductions

tonymcfadden — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:30:33 -0400

*a row. Doesn't the edit function function?

Re: Introductions

stellameimei96 — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 08:18:38 -0400

Hi. I'm Stella. Third year doing NaNo, first year doing a book in the mystery/suspense genre. I usually read mysteries along the lines of Agatha Christie (Poirot and Marple in particular), though I've actually read a few suspense-romances and even a Sidney Sheldon book or two. Originally I intended to write a political thriller about a Filipina call-center agent who has to face the family of her biological father - the patriarch of a Rockefeller-esque old-money dynasty with political ties - after the old coot up and dies from Alzheimer's disease on his estate in Hawaii. Got the location, got a few characters, but I have yet to figure out the nature of the family's dysfunction as well as the motivation for a few deaths.

Re: Introductions

asksmommy — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:31:00 -0400

I live in Norway, and this will be my second NaNo, althoughi wrote the first one in august (2006) because I couldn't wait. I write comedy mysteries, and this one revolves around a local gospel festival in a fictive community that takes on epic proportions as world famous country singer Hope Starr who come to Noway in search of her past. Other ingredients include angry moos hunters, a very small white supremasist group, a dedicated ladies' church group, persistant sushi cooks, a Norwegian country singer, and, of course, a murder. I write in Norwegian and hope to be able to stick to the plan and push other ideas to the side for now. I have three kids (9, 11, and 14) and a husband, and I work as a translator. I would love to find a writing buddy online and wish everybody good luck.

Re: Introductions

tonymcfadden — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:35:08 -0400

Money, or lack of it, or coveting it tends to make ofor a great motive. As for dysfunctions, do what I do and look internally. I have a large enough extended family I can cobble together two or three personalities to make a truly warped one. Or six. Good luck!

Re: Introductions

Walt3rd — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:12:10 -0400

Hi. I'm Walter. And I'm an alcho...oh wait, wrong group. Hi. I just found out about this the other day and I had to try this. A deadline. I can work with that. So many questions! Do chapter titles count in the word count? Just Typing Chapter One - is that two words right off the bat? I've had a book/film premise bouncing around my brain for a couple of months now and I have most the characters in my mind, but I haven't written anything down (I'm the type that let's it simmer until done). And now I have to wait a week to start! At least the first couple of days will be fueled by leftover Halloween Candy. My book will be centered around a small town near San Francisco, with hops to San Francisco, London, and who knows where. At least I know the main characters. It's a start, right?

Re: Introductions

stellameimei96 — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 05:07:59 -0400

Thanks! Money's a definite motivator here; I'm just trying to decide if I should go the simple route (four kids fighting over inheritance money) or run with a cloak-and-dagger story arc. Don't know which one would win, but I know for sure that either plot will affect characterization. Here's hoping!

Re: Introductions

Ed Harrison — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 10:45:06 -0400

Hi, I'm Ed, recently moved to Western Montana. This is my 5th nanowrimo, I think. I am working on a series of crime fiction novels with an amateur, unlikely and somewhat unwilling sleuth. I've always gotten good story material out of nano, which I've developed later. This year is totally seat-of-the-pants, but I am sure that some of my characters will be caught in shocking criminal activity.

Re: Introductions

CJR — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:19:30 -0400

Hello, my name is Carol. This is my ninth NaNo. I have won the past eight years. This year I am writing a mystery set in a small English village which I expect to be hysterically inaccurate, as I live in Minneapolis, and have never been to England. I have been reading a lot of British murder mysteries (most recently Georgette Heyer, I'm not sure how I missed her before), and one of my favo(u)rite television shows is the Midsomer Mysteries). So even though my past MCs have been space captains, special forces operatives, magical princesses and teenagers who are in the wrong place at the wrong time, this year he's a 50 year old DCI. I actually have a plot and it's not even the beginning of November - I'm so excited!!

Re: Introductions

Janet B Smith — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:19:26 -0400

Hi fellow writers. I'm Janet, a lifetime avid rerader and a wanabe writer for as long as I can remember, which is a LONG time as I am of retirement age. That being the case, I have plenty of tme to write, but I have never been able to get rid of my 'inner editor' and actually complete a novel-size project, so when I heard of NaNo, it sounded like a perfect 'deadline' challenge for me. All in all, I am somewhat nervous but also very excited to begin writing next month. The general plot idea has been simmering in my brain for a few months; just hope I'll have plenty of scene ideas to go along with my time so that I reach the 50K mark by the end of November. I'll be thinking of all of you (well, that's probably not completely true, but it sounds good doesn't it?) as I put my fingers to the keyboard way up here in the mile-high Rockies Denver area. Good luck to all (and that wish IS true). WRITE ON!!! PS. Are there any other oldies but goodies (as in 50 and above) out there?

Re: Introductions

asksmommy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:16:28 -0400

Good luck! There's a forum thread somewhere that is age specific, but right now I cannot remember where. I'm 46. This is my second time. Just like you, I struggled with the inner editor as wall as the idea that I needed a plot before I started. The NaNo handbook "No plot no problem" inspired me so much. I picket it ut while on vacation in the US (I live in Norway) and rather than wait until November, I got impatient and wrote my first novel in August the same year. Just keep going, and you will get there. Recommend the book wholeheartedly!

Re: Introductions

Benny Ray — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:17:09 -0400

Howdy, folks. Northern Minnesota here. This will be NaNo #6 for me, and hopefully win #6 as well. While I may eventually try to commit the half-baked fantasy novel rattling around my skull to my hard drive, for the time being, I intend to stick to the mystery/suspense/thriller genre. My previous NaNo projects have all been murder mysteries featuring fictional Siberia County (MN) Sheriff Thor Magnusson, along with his collection of misfit friends and deputies. I'm still kicking around story ideas, but come November, the intrepid, smart-@$$ sheriff and/or his junior woodchuck, Matt Lindgren, will ride again. Good luck to everybody, and hope to see you at the finish line!

Re: Introductions

asksmommy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:18:11 -0400

You can do it! You can do it!!

Re: Introductions

asksmommy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:19:09 -0400

Fingers crossed you spark is waiting to kick into action!!

Re: Introductions

asksmommy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:19:43 -0400

Fingers crossed this will be your years!

Re: Introductions

asksmommy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:20:59 -0400

Love your idea -- and your plans for them :). Aim high!!

Re: Introductions

asksmommy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:23:17 -0400

Love your idea. Good luck.

Re: Introductions

Janet B Smith — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 13:32:39 -0400

Thanks for your quick response. A few months ago, I, too, read and very much enjoyed Chris Baty's 'No Plot, No Problem' and I am sure his tips and advice will help me alot as November progresses. I especially liked his predictions on what we can expect each week with regard to word count goals, writing enthusiasm and endurance, etc. as I think I might not be so hard on myself as a result and just enjoy the experience instead. Free writing is definitely new to me. And get this, Chris Baty's aunt works at my church! (found out at my writers group there). Talk about small world. Thanks again for sending me the note. Enjoy your writing!

Re: Introductions

NSorrell — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:11:38 -0400

Hi everyone :-) I'm Natalie; I live on the outskirts of London (UK) and this is my second NaNo. I managed to just scrape a win at my first attempt, and am promising myself that I will be more disciplined this time round and not get so many thousands of words behind where the daily graph says I should be! I normally write Chick Lit as I find that fairly easy to do, so am pushing myself this year by writing a thriller/suspense novel. My story revolves around two main characters who find themselves being chased down by an unknown killer and his henchmen. They both need to keep on the move to avoid being brutally slayed or captured, whilst at the same time they need to find out who the mastermind behind it all is and what he wants with them specifically. There will be other sub-plots and layers woven into the story too - I just need to figure them out all. Wishing you all a successful NaNo :-)

Re: Introductions

binkk7 — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:26:01 -0400

Hi, I'm Lucinda. This is my first NaNo and I am both nervous and excited to start. I've had a couple murder mystery ideas kicking around my head for years and decided it's time to start writing. I used to be artist-in-residence at a Cathedral and the intrigue and politics there seemed like the perfect jumping off point for my first murder mystery.

Re: Introductions

wordworm — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 18:03:22 -0400

Hi, I'm wordworm, I live in Norway and this is my second NaNo. Last year I wrote historical fiction, but this November I'm trying a cozy mystery set in a fictional town in the north of Norway. Right now I'm having lots of fun with the plotting, and I hope that I'll have all the red herrings, butlers and Chekhov's guns in the right place come November first. Feel free to add me as a writing buddy once that feature is back up. Good luck to all!

Re: Introductions

Amelia.But.Not.Pond — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 22:28:44 -0400

Hallo! I'm Amelia! But my last name isn't Pond... This will be my first year attempting NaNoWriMo. And to be honest, I'm really only using this to jumpstart my writing career and actually WRITE something. So this will be my first novel, ever. My inspiration for writing comes from my favorite authors: John Green, Maureen Johnson, Libba Bray, and so on. My story is just a little bit of Mystery, Thriller and Suspense. It's about a chosen group of people whom are kidnapped and held in an abandoned (so we think) mansion. I'm barely done outlining it and I hardly touched character descriptions. But I'll get there in the next eight days (I hope!) before NaNoWriMo begins. It has lots of thematic elements, puzzles, etc... It honestly reminds me of a video game the way I picture it. But I think it's a promising idea. Forgive my noobishness, and wish me luck! :x

Re: Introductions

asksmommy — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:14:46 -0400

sounds exciting!! Good luck :)

Re: Introductions

asksmommy — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 06:15:28 -0400

Hello, fellow Norwegian, and good luck!!

Re: Introductions

veroh_wm — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:13:52 -0400

hey, I'm veroh, from kenya. this is my first time doing the nanowrimo, and i am EXCITED!!! My genre is mystery/ paranormal and it will be based in EastAfrica. I am a designer and IT professional, writing is more of a hobby for me. I mostly write short stories and like to explore different genres, and this will be very new for me, but I am looking forward to November as I work on my plot!! I can't wait.. \oo/ wuuhuuu!!

Re: Introductions

quillandink — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:57:09 -0400

I'm Jeannie and I've been a Wrimo since 2006 (won in 2008 and 2010). Most of my writing is about everyday people who experience unusual and/or extraordinary events that happen as a direct result of their choices in life. They don't know this at the time. The setting is in this world but there is a looking-glass parallel world (fey and their kin, other elementals, and the local goddess/old woman or god/old man) to assist the protagonist towards his or her goals. This will be my first attempt at the mystery genre - story still in development. I've got the detective and his partner, a dead body, and a character quirk. I'm mulling over plot and setting; motive, opportunity, and means for the killer (leaning towards serial); and POV (probably the male detective with the quirk). I don't think there will be any paranormal stuff happening but I never know what my Muse has in store once I begin the writing process.

Re: Introductions

Twnorman — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:30:08 -0400

Hi, My name is Trevor. My writing name is Tim W. Nordberg. This is my first year at NaNo. I have written one novel, but at this point, i'm not really interested in sending it off for publishing until i re-read it (it's been worked on for the past 6 years). I am currently working on two books, one mystery, which is more of a "crime drama" and I'm pretty excited about it. I hope that through NaNo I can get some help with dialog and other things in my writing sense that typically is the weakest part of my style. Anyway, wish everyone the best, and talk to you soon. Trevor

Re: Introductions

eriqneale — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:48:57 -0400

I'm Eriq Neale, and while I've done a lot of technical writing for the last 15 years, I've never made a serious attempt at fiction. This is my first (and possibly last) time to participate in NaNoWriMo. I've been wanting to do this for years, but keep forgetting when it comes up and usually don't get reminded until a good week or so into the month. I have cancer and don't know how much longer I really have, but it's a distinct possibility that if I put this off another year, I might not be around to do it. So, totally and completely unprepared, here I go into the wild blue yonder. :) -Q

Re: Introductions

Ditzaphrenic — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:25:38 -0400

Hi I am KelseyLynn. This will be my third try at NaNo with one brutal failure and one win under my belt. Seeing as I just caved and decided to do it I'm not 100% on my plot and such. I am considering taking two half-baked story ideas I had brewing and mushing them together so... A murder mystery with a high school heroine and a ghost leaving clues... the heroine possibly coming from a family of ghost hunters/mediums.... I think...

Re: Introductions

codex213 — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 01:37:07 -0400

Hey, I'm Liz. This is my first NaNoWriMo, but I've been pluttering around with plot bunnies that never seem to go anywhere. Hopefully this will not only get me inspired, but also help me get back into the writing world.

Re: Introductions

Janie Bill — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:20:04 -0400

Hi. I'm Janie and I am participating for the second time. My novel from last year was lost in the crash, my computer crash so alas, I have nothing to show for it except experience. This year, I am writing a mystery on the high seas and plan to back up my work this time. I will likely need advice on how to hide the ball while giving clues. Cheers to a great year!

Re: Introductions

GreaseLightning — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:47:29 -0400

Hi guys! I'm Cassy and this is my third time doing NaNo. I've lost the previous two years, but I'm really dedicated this year and I'm determined to win. This is my first time writing mystery EVER, for NaNo or all-year-round writing or short stories or whatever. I'm really pumped for NaNo and I can't wait until November! (Only 5 more days!)

Re: Introductions

Kandiman — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:25:07 -0400

I'm Kriss, I'm very rarely a mystery writer. This will be my first novel, as I'm a screenwriter and music journalist by trade. How's it going to turn out? God knows, but I set myself a target of 110,000 words for the month and may decide to have a 50k day either on the first or last day of the month so I can get a second book out of this whole thing! As an offer I know I'll regret... I'm something of a Forensics and (by extension) law enforcement expert. I studied it at university (Forensics with Crime Scene Science and a conversion to Pathology), dropped out, but continued my studies privately. My forensic knowledge is often sickening, even to me, and has been described as 'scary' by others in the field. My party trick is gruesome, disgusting and detailed descriptions of autopsy procedure (so much better than ghost stories!) and I've recently decided to solve the Black Dahlia murder, just for fun. Anyway, if you need a consult, shoot me some NaNoMail or find me on Skype. I'm chasing_lamely on there. It might take me a day or so to get back to you (occasionally I have to go rifling through a dozen textbooks or medical journals to be certain of anything) but whatever I give you should be sickeningly accurate.

Re: Introductions

gardenice — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:10:46 -0400

Hello all! My name is Amy and this is my debut in attempting Nano. Apprehensive about what the month will bring but I have a plot outline and I'm pleased to be having a go at suspence/thriller genre so what could go wrong?!?!? Good luck to y'all....don't forget to top up your caffeine supplies!

Re: Introductions

kybudman — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:36:18 -0400

Hello, everyone! My name is Bud Fields. My first NaNo was in 2004. (Wow! *Looks at calendar: flip...flip...ughh) This Nano will see a return to the world of Grand Organ Productions, and the goings on of Dr. Blair and his nearly capable team as they plan a Farewell Concert at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. This volume in The Grand Organ Mysteries will visit the underworld of black market auctions of antiquities, deception, betrayal, murder and mayhem. These are fun to write, and the series is, this year, a friend's revisit to my first fiction work. I hope the sixth win will be a reality, but I have determined to have just a bunch of fun this time around. I hope you will, too. Feel free to holler, bitch, moan, complain, spread the cheer with nanocoffee and nanocookies. I will, with joy an reckless abandon. After all...it's NANO! :) In the immortal words of Dr. Blair: "Let us see what we shall see, Shall we?" Indeed, we shall!

Re: Introductions

go-mom — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:40:54 -0400

I wish you luck! I want to do that too this year. I have started so many great novels, but not finished them. I think I've got enough years of practice now under my belt to tackle the real challenge of finishing one, which will require considerably more than the requisite 50,000 words. So if you need company here I am.

Re: Introductions

BatchSan — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:05:37 -0400

Hello, I'm Valerie, better known as Bat. This is my first attempt at NaNo and my first attempt at writing in the mystery genre even though I love mystery stories. I'm lazy though and prone to calling it quits too soon, so feel free to prod me from time to time. =D

Re: Introductions

AuntySocialite — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 07:45:32 -0400

Yo, WriMos (and smae/hello to the Welsh speakers amongst you), Really interesting to read what everyone's up to (& cheers to Kandiman for his fine offer)... I attempted NaNo five years ago - this year I'm going to really go for it! My previous published work is ghost stories (not paranormal, more Robert Aickman/Thos Ligotti/Ramsey Campbell), now I'd like to try something lighter, a murder comedy. Anyway won't think about it too much, just plot and try to get it down. Best of luck to you all! Aunty xx formerly of San Francisco, now of The Welsh Riviera

Re: Introductions

OneWordAtATimes — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 08:56:16 -0400

Just popping my head in to say 'hello!' :) This is my second time doing NaNo. I won in 2009 and hoped to participate last year but was in the middle of a move and edits for agent requested material. The move went well, the agent passed and here I am again in 2011, getting ready to work my butt off. So far I've written three books, none published unfortunately, or maybe just as well as I get better with each one ;) This year I'll be writing a thriller. Hope to see you all around for word wars!

Re: Introductions

Admiral Geoffrey — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:17:26 -0400

Hello - I'm Admiral Geoffrey, and I return this year having attempted a tale last year. Alas, computer issues rendered me inactive for the entirety of 2010, but I hope to win this year. I am a fan of crime stories, and since I have finally settled on a detective whom I like, I hope to produce a hopefully well-plotted piece of murder, as well as a large amount of humour to go with it. Good luck to everybody.

Re: Introductions

The Rojodi — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 13:46:35 -0400

I love the thrillers of Cussler, Rollins, and Berry, the mix of history and thrilling action. Though I've not attempted to write novels, hell short stories for that matter, like them, I've been writing plots and notes for them for years! I guess it's time I put my ancestors' talents - maternal great-grandmother could tell awesome Polish tales, my paternal Mohawk grandmother would captivate us with her Iroquois legends - to good use, better than just putting them on paper for "Future Use." I am called The Rojodi - pronounced row-joe-die for two reasons: It's my name broken down to the first two letters and it was an NPC I used when I wrote backgrounds and assists the DM during my Dungeons and Dragons days. Though my D&D days are long gone, I kept the nickname.

Re: Introductions

trenchcoatstate — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:25:22 -0400

Hello, all! My user name is trenchcoatstate, but call me Bandit Thunder (this used to be my friend's account, he left and give it to me). This is my first registered year at NaNoWriMo, but I did do it once without an account in 2009 and it was really fun. I'm totally into noir-type 40s detective films - you know, the classics... The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, This Gun For Hire, The Postman Always Rings Twice, etc. It was just until recently that I hadn't read the books they were based on, but I just did and they were fantastic, so I've decided on giving the classic noir mystery novel type thing a shot.

Re: Introductions

marywrite — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 06:38:37 -0400

Hello all! I'm writing a mystery, pretty much planning on it being a cozy. Haven't outlined as I planned and still trying to make a November 1 deadline on another book so guess I'll be winging it for a few days into November! First Nanowrimo in 2007 so guess technically this is my fifth year but I crapped out last year very early and won the other years. Good luck to all, especially the newbies! You are in for a good time! Marywrite

Re: Introductions

SusieC — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:54:58 -0400

Hello all. I'm Susie and this is my fourth NaNo - but I've yet to win as I run out of plot somewhere between 5k and 30k words. This year I'm changing to murder-mystery as I spend so much time reading them, I must know how they work. The only problem is that I don't have a plot yet. I rather liked Angitiger's idea of deciding what to write on Halloween - just hope it works for me too.

Re: Introductions

essay — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:52:41 -0400

Hi, I'm Seana, and I've done and won Nanowrimo five times before. I'm not so sure about this year, though, as I've recently become very interested in writing a spy novel and feel that I'm probably in way over my head. Looking forward to hanging out with the spymasters among you, but I actually read a lot more mystery and crime fiction, so those of you writing in those genres, feel free to ask if you think I can be of help.

Re: Introductions

Quiquiq — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 23:59:53 -0400

This is my first Nano and I'm extremely nervous and even more giddy. This is also the first year I'm not in charge of cooking for Thanksgiving and I've been working on my Christmas shopping all year so I can actually focus on this challenge. I'm a new convert to the mystery genre, so it'll probably be shaky going and I'm terrified that the whole thing will be completely obvious from the first chapter. But as long as I have fun and keep myself entertained I'll consider it a success. Good luck to everyone!

Re: Introductions

kaelanti — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:47:23 -0400

Hi. I feel like I'm arriving at a party late, posting my intro here so close to the actual start, but I thought I'd poke my head in and look around. I'm not new to Nano (I've failed a few times, but for the life of me, I can't remember that login. I won last year, however.) but I am very new to writing mystery. My novel this year is actually a genre mix, combining the genre I read for twenty-some years very faithfully (fantasy) with my newer love of forensic mysteries and thrillers. The idea poked at me while I was out with a friend Thursday, and I love what I've come up with, but as the start date draws closer, I'm realizing how little I have compared to what helped me through last year, so while I still believe I can succeed this year, I have a sneaking suspicion that if I ever hope to publish or market my novel, it's going to require very major rewrites. But that's what the rest of the year is for, right? XD I've never written any sort of mystery before, but fantasy's pretty comfortable for me, so I'm hoping the combination will suit me well. Good luck to everyone!

Re: Introductions

MeganHeld — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:13:31 -0400

Hello everyone, I'm MeganHeld.This is my first time doing NaNoWriMo. I primarily write mystery/thriller/suspense novels. I plan to write past the 50,000 word goal, even if that means writing past November. I have written 14 books and decided I needed to try this for an extra boost of motivation seeing as my amount of productivity has decreased over the years. I'm excited to hear about everyones progress throughout this coming month.

Re: Introductions

Hollikuru — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:12:05 -0400

Howdy, you can call me Holly. I've only done NaNo once, last year, and I failed pretty miserably due to overplanning and going way out of my depth. Turns out convincing psychological horror is hard to write for a first timer, who'd have guessed? This year I'm writing a simple mystery/adventure story, complete with mismatched detectives. Pretty typical (except maybe for the supernatural setting), but hopefully it'll work out better than last year. I've never actually written mystery/thriller/etc. before, so I'm having a little trouble getting my ideas to flow together. However, after last year's disaster of overplanning, I'd rather leave myself too much room than too little. Hoping for the best. :)

Re: Introductions

NotAnselAdams — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:10:45 -0400

Hey out there. I'm in Los Angeles, and tackling my first mystery novel after reading and loving numerous mysteries throughout my life. Sara Paretsky is currently one of my favorites, but I don't expect to craft a mystery as well as she. ;) This is my second NaNo attempt: 2 years ago I won, and I aim to do so again this year. But this year, I have added the goal of actually being close to completing my novel by year's end ... so I want 50,000 words to be a huge chunk of the novel!

Re: Introductions

Rick Lee — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:13:15 -0400

Hi I'm Rick Lee - first time nanowrimo - writing suspense thrillers - not published yet - but hopeful with latest. Big fan of Simenon, Ian Rankin, Donna Leon etc - trying to find a thriller/supernatural niche. Aiming for 90k with this one. My discussion question is 'can men write women's voices?' I heard a publisher say recently on a course that she thought most men couldn't. I was a bit taken aback as many of my characters/POVs are female what do you think?

Re: Introductions

CarrieClothwright — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:53:53 -0400

Salutations to all. I'm Carrie, this is my first NaNo. I'm aiming for cozy murder mystery, we'll see what happens!

Re: Introductions

Suzanne Brandyn — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:50:45 -0400

Hi Everyone, This is my fourth year although you wouldn't know it as I have kept quiet, and never ventured too far away from my writing for fear it would leave less time to write. I'm chancing it. lol. I completed my targeted goal of 50.000 words in every NaNo month of each year I have participated, and I'm crossing my fingers that this year will follow. I'm interested to see how many of us finish. Also how people juggle their writing life with the other life they lead. Suzanne Brandyn

Re: Introductions

Carlos Estevez — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:13:45 -0400

Hi I'm Carlos, This is my first time taking part in NaNo (very excited). My book falls into a bit of a hole between crime and fantasy. Essentially, a detective novel set in a fictional/alternative present. Big influences would be 'The Yiddish Policeman's Union', Raymond Chandler, Simenon (especially 'A Stain in the Snow'). I would love to know if anyone's doing a similar sort of project?

Re: Introductions

RikeWI — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:35:05 -0400

Hey there, I'm Rike. This is my first serious attempt at NaNoWriMo. I am trying to write a thriller with a political background. There will be a murder, conspiracies, a young enthusiastic desk officer who is thrown into a political scandal... well I have to see where my ideas take me. It will not only be my first NaNo, but also my first attempt at a long story. I'm excited and a bit terrified. ;-) Looking forward to writing with you. :-)

Re: Introductions

TimelordSaxon — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:57:03 -0400

Hey everybody! I'm Saxon. This is my real first attempt, I started one last year but I didn't really follow it through. I'm fascinate by mysteries they are my favourite genre. My bookshelves are stacked with mysteries. I am really looking forward to this year. Look forward to working with all of you. (:

Re: Introductions

crlast — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:12:57 -0400

Hey, I'm Kari. This is my first year doing NaNo. I'm basing my novel off a short story I wrote a while ago, and have been wanting to revisit but never "found the time". I'm such a slacker. But NaNo is giving me motivation, so we'll see how this goes. I have the beginning of the short story posted on my bio if anyone is interested. Good luck to all!

Re: Introductions

VengefulKBM — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:45:16 -0400

Heya, this be Kyle, a musician, actor, writer, and pretty much everything performing arts and writing-related. I've tried to do this twice and burned out horrendously, but this year I'm almost positive I'll have the time and patience necessary to pull something out. I had to wrestle with whether to classify my novel as more "supernatural" or M/T/S, but I decided that this fits the bill - not because it's so much a mystery but because it's MORE of a suspense story than it is of the supernatural (hell, I haven't even decided if it WILL have all that much supernatural in it or not). Anyway, just dropping by to say "hi" since I'm currently thinking about what to write next in this chapter I'm working on, and now off to browse the forum a bit! This year I feel I'll finally be NaNo-ing it up in full force! :)

Re: Introductions

Chris Jarmick — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:18:33 -0400

Chris J. from Washington State, living in Bellevue. Writing a mystery. Have done NaPoWriMo many years in a row (a poem a day), and Script Frenzy, and tried NaNo several years back but this is my first fully plugged in, fully committed NaNoWriMo. Hope to do 70,000 plus words by the end of the month or a novel that I'll take a few months to revise, edit, re-write and be ready to submit by March! Don't have a literary agent. Have recently sent out another Mystery Novel. My bio is on my Author page. Creating a series of at least 3 or 4 novels with same lead protagonists. Taking 15 minute break than back to it !!!! Hope to get about 5,000 words today....just past 4,200. . . .

Re: Introductions

LittleCosette — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:20:05 -0400

Hi, I'm Elisabeth - I write historical fiction, but I've always been a huge mystery lover and intended to write a few of my own. I've tried it a few times; both my NaNo wins were mysteries of one sort or another. Last year I was sort of a NaNo rebel, trying to finish up a straight historical novel that has now been put away for a rest. This year I had no intention of doing NaNo at all until yesterday, when something suddenly clicked on a little whodunit I'd been amusing myself by plotting out. In historical settings I lean especially toward Westerns (in fact I published my first book, a collection of Western short stories, last month), so I've dropped the classic murder-mystery plot with a limited field of suspects into an Old West setting - the synopsis is on my novel info page. It's a short project; I don't know if it'll actually reach 50k, but I think I can finish it, and I mean to have a lot of fun with it!

Re: Introductions

Tori_d — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 00:08:50 -0400

Hi everyone. I'm Tori. This is my first NaNoWriMo, first novel, and first attempt at thriller/suspense. In the past I've done mostly poetry and short story, but I wanted to push myself and develop one of my ideas into a novel. It's a combination of exaggerated personal experience and an extremely overactive imagination. I'm really nervous, but hopeful! My goal is to not taper off in the middle of the month. If I can get through this one and write consistently, I'll actually shoot for the 50,000 words next time!

Re: Introductions

Andy Mitchell — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 06:40:08 -0400

Hello, I am Andy Mitchell. This is my first year in NaNoWriMo. My novel is called The death penalty. I am newish to writing and I have never written a novel before. So, this is my first time and it has been a great experince. I am looking forward to talking to you and writing the novel.

Re: Introductions

LarryM — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 07:16:24 -0400

Hi, from sunny, but cold Quebec. This is my second year doing NaNoWriMo and found last year's experience to be lots of fun and productive. Here's the book that resulted from that experience: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051VBC64 I'm hoping to write the draft for the second book in the series this year. I wish everyone great success this year. Cheers --- Larry

Re: Introductions

domilove — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:28:10 -0400

Congratulations on getting your book out last year. You are an inspiration to us all!

Re: Introductions

crvavra — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:28:33 -0400

My name is Chris Vavra and I am writing a crime novel (not so much a mystery) set in a fictional suburb of Chicago called Oak Villa. The story is called Avarice and it is a quasi-sequel to a book I wrote in 2010 called Coercion. Same universe, different characters. http://www.amazon.com/Coercion-Oak-Villa-Novel-ebook/dp/B005D2U6HC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1320265470&sr=8-8 This is my first time doing NaNoWriMo, but not the first time I've written a book. Not by a long shot.

Re: Introductions

PamelaScott — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:25:07 -0400

Hi everyone My name is Pamela. This is my first NaNoWriMo. I've written other novels in the past but not as intense as this. I'm writing a sort-of murder mystery about a woman who is threatened by dark secrets from her past when her estranged mother dies. I also write poems and stories and have published a few pieces....

Re: Introductions

caffinewithdrawl — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:34:44 -0400

I'm Casey, EMT, Writer, Fiction enthusiast. This is my second year. I love talking about writing technique. I am as obsessed with technique and craft as I am with composition... I adore the act of creating this manuscript out of thin air. Of deconstructing a characters psychology from actions and speech alone and painting a resonating picture of that person. Thats all... I just love it.

Re: Introductions

go-mom — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:40:49 -0400

Hi All, I'm Cheryl and I've done Nano for years. I love this genre! This year I'm thinking I want to do a crime thriller sequel for my DEA m/c from an earlier Script Frenzy, with the theme that revenge is better the second time around. I'm taking a Colombian cartel kingpin and relocating him to Mexico, where the cartels are a whole new kind of ruthless. Given that Mexico is now ranked the most dangerous place in North America for journalists, I"ll be using that in the storyline. Mayhem and bloodshed await. Let the bodycount begin. Did I mention I'm really just a cookie baking mom?

Re: Introductions

JLShepard — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:50:27 -0400

Hi, I'm Jen. I live in rural Maine and have decided to try NANO'ing again. I tried a few years ago but some unexpected travel got in the way. I'm excited to be in this genre but I'm pretty sure that I fall more into the cross genre category. My book is called Nine Lives in One Blow. My "detective" is a raven. I'm a small seasonal business owner (http://www.improvacadia.com) so this is a great way to kick-off my winter season! Oh, also I'm a pantser. For sure a pantser..... Cheers, Jen

Male writer/female character

ebbie — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 01:52:01 -0400

Bah. The forum just ate my post. In short, Koontz worked it in 'Lightning'. The guy that does the Jack Daniels series is a little hit and miss, mostly because he has his female detective focus on designer brand names. I'm interested in this, too. Worth a separate thread?

Re: Introductions

00rush — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:20:21 -0400

Hello, I am Rush and am based in Tokyo. This is my first NaNo and the first time that I will be writing long form fiction. My book is set in India, and is a high tech action / thriller. It is about gambling, corruption, crime and technology. I hope to get a rough draft done by the end of the month. My background is in computer science and I write code for a living. If you have a computer nerd that needs help in your book, feel free to drop me a line. (Working) Title: Odd Business Good luck all, rush

Re: Introductions

queenmommy — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:54:12 -0400

Hi, all. I'm Deb in Kansas. This is my 3rd NaNo attempt, and I am hoping to finish this year. I am an aircraft engineer, baker, woodcrafter, and mom. That should be enough on my plate, but I've found that I enjoy writing, too.

Re: Hi.

Vinnie — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:15:31 -0400

hello , I am not a "professional" author , but I love writing. This is my second year here, last year was incompleate, sad to say, but I am trying my luck again. My story is starting to take shape into a murder mystry/ family drama kinda thing. I am not sure how that will go yet but I am writng it as my brain is comming up with it. Anywho, its nice to meet y'all and any tips advice or anything on how to keep the suspense going will be nice. Have a productive day of word play every one!!!

Re: Introductions

OldRedHen — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:15:46 -0400

Hello. this is my first year with NaNo. I'm 59, so probably one of the older participants. I'm writing an historical thriller/detective novel. I've been trying to write a novel for some time, but I have a kind of writer's block. I write a page, don't like it, delete it, write it again, and by continually taking two steps forward and one step back, I never even finish a chapter. I decided that this was the year that had to change, or I just have to give up trying. So, this year I've joined a writers' group, and gone on two writers' school's. I'm motivated by having a really good story to tell. I just need to get over my block against telling it. I've been told to just write the first draft with no corrections, so WriMo seemed a good way to do that. It's working so far, in that I've written 1800 words on each of days one and two. I'd be thrilled just to finish a novel.

Re: Introductions

LilacLex — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:36:44 -0400

Hello :) I'm Lex and this is my first year doing NaNoWriMo. I'm probably one of the younger writers here (15). This is also my first time doing a mystery novel. I guess it could be classified as Mystery, anyway. That's the closest genre it falls into. I've written a lot of fanfictions but all have been one-shots (i.e. for any that don't know, that means just one chapter to showcase an idea/viewpoint). I have been working on a very large multi-chaptered fiction this past summer but hit a rather unfortunate writers block. Ran across this on Halloween, so, the day before this actually started. I've written many drafts of ideas or novels before but never followed through so I'm starting from scratch with this one and I'm going to try my damnedest to finish this one! Almost 10k words in so I think I'm doing okay. :) My idea is about a the main protagonist having traumatic event induced Amnesia and it's how she slowly uncovers what secret she found out before and, also, the obvious of trying not to raise suspicion so she's not killed this time around. I will probably have to call on this community occasionally but I think, so far, my research is a good B+ so I think what I've written is believable. So, in a nutshell, first time doing NaNoWriMo, first time writing a mystery and first time writing a novel/long story in general. *whew, no pressure or anything*

Re: Introductions

Keridak Kae — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:28:01 -0400

Hi I'm Keri and a newbie! I am not sure what is the right genre but I have captives and a serial killer; so I think I found the right place! I have been perking this idea for a long time. Taking to the extreme some real experiences in social services! I usually write lighter stuff, so this is a great stretch for me. I'd love advice or comments on how to keep up suspense when the bad guy is known from the beginning.

Re: Introductions

bnhutch — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:14:31 -0400

Hi, I'm Brian. This is my first mystery, however I have had this character in my head for a while. I usually do Sci-fi or erotica (which is hiding somewhere) . He is a Private Dectective, ex cop - arent they all - struggling a little with POV - other than that I am doing okay.

Re: Introductions

LorenzA — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:14:31 -0400

Hello. My name is Lorenz Arriola. I'm writing a mystery called The Accursed Diary. I hope to make some friends here, and I hope some people will read my work. Thank you for your time.

Re: Introductions

corm — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:31:29 -0400

Hi, This is my third year doing nano. I usually write mysteries, but I'm sort of trying not to this year. I started off writing a general fiction book, but I'm already thinking of ways to kill off characters, so I think it's going to be mystery after all. Okay, I'm much more excited now. Off to officially switch my genre.

Re: Introductions

Maria L. Ayres — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:48:07 -0400

Hi my names Maria and this is my first serious year of NaNo. I adore mysteries of the Agatha Chrisitie variety. I have a book all mapped out I just have to fill in the gaps. I definitely need a support group to urge me on. I am the classic all gungho in the beginning and then petering out in the end. Hopefully this year will be different. Cheers,

Re: Introductions

Emmyzee — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:29:25 -0400

'Ello everyone :) I'm Emily,and this is my...third? year doing Nanowrimo. I've never won before, and I'm hoping to do it this year finally. I run into some problems at the end of week two, when i don't know what to write next, so i planned it all out this year. :) So far, it's going pretty well, but its the first week so i shouldn't talk yet, haha. This is the first year I am doing a sort of mystery/suspense novel, so I hope it turns out alright. Good luck with all your word counts! :D

Re: Introductions

Writer2006 — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:00:33 -0400

Hello everyone. I'm Bill, from North Carolina. This is my fifth year participatin and have yet to finish. Maybe this will be the year. I started with a mainstream fiction novel. However, through self-discovery I have swtiched to a modern day thriller. :) I really, really hope to finish this year.

Re: Introductions

cnwilks — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:48:22 -0500

I'm Chris, this is my third Nanowrimo. I made word count in '02, and came up short the following year. I really enjoy the experience of sharing the bittersweet agaony of writing with everyone again this year, and particularly enjoy using the forums to bounce ideas off of others. I'll make it a point to pop in and help with others' posts to pay it forward. Good luck to all of you!

Re: Introductions

KellyinCA — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:19:13 -0500

Hello folks! My name is Kelly and I'm writing a prequel to my 2010 NaNo story, backing up and introducing the characters and their circumstances. I'm writing about a FBI Team tracking serial killers so there will be a lot of bodies, a good dose of psychology and lots of action. So far I've planned having four killers in different locations and really delving into the details. I'm almost done with the first draft of the first killing (they know who done it!) and I'm at 11,000 words. But I've also planned some content in between the cases so I can easily hit 50,000 if I keep writing.

Re: Introductions

Suemac — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:08:04 -0500

¡Hola! My name is Sue and I am probably the oldest member of this forum as I am 64, going on 35. This is my first attempt at writing a novel for Nanowrimo. Before somebody congratulates me on my grasp of the English language, I am in fact English even though I live in Spain! I started thinking about and drafting my novel nearly a year ago, but it fell by the wayside, so I am hoping this will be a kick up the backside for me. I have just finished reading "Into the darkest corner" by Elizabeth Haynes, which is how I found out about this website (thanks, Elizabeth!) I have taken this as a good omen, and hope to actually finish my book this time.

Re: Introductions

premrao — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:20:11 -0500

Hi, I am Prem Rao. My Twitter profile says " Thriller Writer, my friends say "It Can't Be You". This is because my debut novel was a psychological thriller called " It Can't Be You" which I did for NaNoWriMo 2009. I finished in 2010 too and would like to make this a "3 in 3." "Lucky For Some, Thirteen" was the name of my thriller for 2010. The one I am doing this year is called " Let The Dead Stay Dead." Apart from thrillers, I am an avid blogger and fan of P.G.Wodehouse.

Re: Introductions

Lynne M-S — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:24:29 -0500

G'day. I'm Lynne (New Zealand greeting there). Never written a novel - planned and outlined two. Never attempted NaNoWriMo before and started late. That's Late, as in, on the 12th or 13th I found the site. Short stories, poems, yes. Teaching materials re accounting, yes (another book planned). Currently writing a Comic Drama. Or a Dramatic Comedy. Take your pick.It involves spying, and your past catching up with you. Enough! See ya later! (Another Kiwi idiom, there)

Re: Introductions

Washijuwia — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:45:01 -0500

I've had a series of light-hearted mysteries starring a pot-bellied pig in mind for about ten years. I've done a lot of outlines, plot maps, character sketches etc, but until November 1st of this year had never written a single word of the novels themselves. I discovered NaNoWriMo four years ago, and intended to participate that year, but my computer went on the fritz. I finally replaced it last year, but life took over and NaNoWriMo 2011 came and went without me. Last summer I started prepping for November, and when I started doing research I realized that my idea was dumb, I had no real plot, and I might as well face the fact that I was never going to write it. I was at peace with that, and figured that now I could get on with my life without feeling guilty for not writing novels. I put all thoughts of novel writing and NaNoWriMo out of my mind, and was very happy. Then on Halloween evening, I stopped by my library and saw a flyer advertising NaNoWriMo,. And I thought, "Tomorrow is November 1st, I have the next two days off, what the heck. Let's see how far I can get." I'm now at over 17,000 words on the first book in the series, and am averaging a little over 1000 words a day. I'm on target to finish by December 15. The idea is working, the plot is coming together, and lo and behold, I'm writing it! And I'm enjoying myself immensely.

Re: Introductions

liadan_celt — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:40:58 -0500

Hi everyone! I'm Sarah and I haven't written a mystery before, though I love Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, and Poiroit. I'm finding out that it's really hard! I know whodoneit and why, but getting there is rough going. I ran out of planning time (thank you power outage at the end of October/beginning of November!) so I just plunged in and started writing. I'm writing a Holmesian detective and her Watsonian assistant set in colonial steampunk India. They are amazing, the setting is really working for me, and cultural clashes abound. Also, people are being murdered and kidnapped. It's all related, but my duo doesn't know that yet.

Re: Introductions

midnightfiredrake — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:52:47 -0500

hiz ^_^ am midnightfiredrake- my friends call me midi, or Cres; and actually I just joined a few moments ago hehehe, and have high expectations of this place. Although I haven't participated in this years competition, I am very inclined to join next year's =3 I've been writing ever since i could remember whether re-writes, poems or random tales, and even with my so called experience I still l have a lot to learn lol and welcome criticism and advice with open arms-as long as it's constructive of course ;) I am usually an adventure/action/comedy/fantasy fanatic -Disney style with my own original twist of course and am practicing the art of mystery writing. (I'm actually starting a new 'short' novel- my newb attempt at writing a mystery/thriller set genre. Am looking forward to meeting and hearing from you all. Take care always God bless -ciao!