USA :: Massachusetts :: 5-College

Good luck in the final stretch, everybody!

Remember to post in the TGIO Party Planning thread if you're interested in going!

Ach! Sorry everyone, in the regional message and the note below it should stay starting at 1! Don't come at 11. I won't be there. :P

I hope Day 1 is going well! Remember on Saturday, there's a write-in/Kick-Off event at the Blue Wall at UMass Amherst, starting at around 1 1. I'll be at the bus stop around 12:35 to guide people who don't know the way. I will have a pet green dragon with me, and possibly a green yarn hat. If you're at Smith, the 12:00 noon B43 should get you to UMass at 12:35, and the 38 that leaves from Mt. Holyoke at 12:10 (at is at Hampshire at 12:25 and Amherst College at 12:35) should get you to UMass around 12:45. After that 38 arrives, I will take people to the Blue Wall, and then head back to the bus stop with people around 4:30 to 4:35 to catch the next buses at 4:45 and 4:50. Remember to bring your laptops (or writing pads); I will either have 2 or 3 powerstrips (depending on if I can pry a third from my apartmentmates). Progress will be made!

Happy first day of NaNo, everybuggy! ^_^

Aloalo everybody! NaNo is almost upon us; less than 3 hours to go! I'm already in the ChatNaNo room if anyone wants to drop by. :)

Hey everyone! If you didn't get the regional notification, please make sure to read the "November and Chat Room" thread below!

I hope everyone's ready. :)

Hello everybody and welcome to NaNo2012! I'm Zack, and I'll be your ML for this adventure. Please introduce yourself in the thread below! I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone and writing with you all! :)

Hey everybody! I know there's been a lot of this lately, but the OLL really needs your help! They currently have the largest funding gap ever, as they have more expenses than normal due to their expanded program, and also fewer people are donating! If you can, please donate so that they don't have to cut programs - like NaNoWriMo - next year! Read Chris Baty's announcement here (http://nanowrimo.org/en/about/importantmessage) for more information.

Thank you!

~Zack

Hey everyone! Thanks to those who came to the write-in! Good luck in your final push to 50,000 words on Wednesday! I have faith in you! :)

~Zack

Hey everyone! I hope you all come to the write-in at the Jones Library tomorrow at one! If I have recovered from my sickness I'll be there, and if I haven't then come anyway, and I'll be there in spirit!

~Zack

Hey guys! So the bus at UMass drove off without me when I was about ten feet away from it, so unfortunately I won't be arriving until 1:20. Sorry about that, but I will be arriving in the Great Room eventually, so if you wait there I will show!

-Zack

Hey everyone!

If you haven't already, check out bonbons.and.lager's thread here (http://nanowrimo.org/en/forums/usa-massachusetts-5-college/threads/30984) and if you have the time answer the questions for an article about NaNo! Publicity is always good! Thanks! :)

~Zack

And it's Monday the seventh! I am currently sitting in the Watson room of the Forbes Library writing, so anyone who can make it out here for today's write-in will be awesome! I will be here until 4, so please come by and write, if only for a little while! The library is very close to Smith, so I hope that some Smithies at least will drop by. :)

~Zack

Alo everyone!

I moved the events around a bit again due to the large number of attendees at the Write-in today (thank you to those who showed up)! The write-in at the Forbes Library on Monday the 7th from 1-4 is still on, and we'll try to meet every Sunday at the Jones Library from 1-4 as well, so long as we're well-behaved!

I've also removed the Rao's write-in so we don't overload them (Panera still remains, however). I've also added weekly online write-ins on Thursdays from 8-10 for those who are around!

~Zack

Hey everybuggy!

Tomorrow, SUNDAY NOVEMBER 6th, is our very first write-in! I will be at AMHERST COFFEE at around 12:40 in the afternoon, and the event will begin around 1. Amherst Coffee is at 28 Amity Street in Amherst, across from the Jones Library and near the giant Bank of America. Getting off at the Amherst Post Office Bus stop or the Amherst College one both put you a short distance away from it. If you have any questions about getting there, feel free to ask! Smithies should probably take the 43 Line leaving Smith at noon to one of those stops, and then walking the short distance to the coffee place. Amherst and UMass can walk there (or UMass people can take any bus going into Amherst Center and get off there), and Hampshire and Mount Holyoke students should take the 38 Line (at 12:15 for Mount Holyoke, 12:30 for Hampshire). Those buses should get you off in Amherst Center at around 12:40-45, and then it's a very short walk to Amherst Coffee.

I will be recognizable there from my black hat with green feather, as well as a really badly-made (I tried!) origami squirrel with wings and a mug. Once there, come by and say hi, and if you can afford it, please buy something from them so they don't kick us out for using up their space! We can only stay there as long as they tolerate our presence. I will have power strips with me, as well as the notebook containing the communal story! Please contribute to it at some point during the write-in.

We will get together and write in about half-hour wordsprints, and then see how everyone is doing, talk about things, and take a break for a few minutes before leaping into it again. I will also have stickers for you all, and a small origami star-thing for whoever manages to get the most done. :) And did I mention everyone who shows up gets a sticker? :)

We'll end at around 3, so people can catch the 38 Line from Amherst College at 3:20 back to Hampshire and MHC. The B43 leaves at either 2:45 or 3:45 from Amherst College heading back towards Smith, so Smithies can either leave early or hang around a bit longer (until 3:30ish). Hopefully the buses will all be on time and running!

Hope to see you all there!

~Zack

ChatNaNo is up! The information below is in a stickied thread, but here are the instructions to sign up:

~~~

First, you must register.

Go here: http://chatnano.servehttp.com/wrimo-registrar.php

Fill in the form (use your name from on this web site, but remember it can't have spaces), and choose 5-College from the drop-down menu of regions.

Click the submit button, and BE PATIENT! It will take a while to process, but it should go through in the end.

Then you can go to the login page, at: http://chatnano.servehttp.com/wrimo-login.php

Give your name and password, then choose an interface. The Flash one (LightIRC) is pretty smooth; the javascript one (Mibbit) is the same as last year, just a bit smaller on the page now.

Click submit. If you chose Mibbit, you'll have to give your name and password a second time, but then you should be good to go!

Once you have registered, you never need to go to the first URL again - just visit the login page!

For those of you who prefer to use IRC clients, you will want to point your client at ipocalypse.net and then join #5collegenano

If you want to visit other regions' chat rooms, you can find their chat room names over here: http://chatnano.servehttp.com/chats.php - once you're logged into your regional room, just type /join CHANNEL NAME (where you replace "CHANNEL NAME" with the name of the channel you want to visit) and off you go!

~~~

That SHOULD work! If it doesn't, tell me and what will probably end up happening is I'll tell you how to email Juniper to get it working again. But please don't be like me, and follow the instructions. :)

You should be able to visit the room whenever you want, as well.

Hope to see you all on the internets!

~Zack

Alo everyone! Like I mentioned in the mass-NaNoMail I sent out, for those with the time and desire, there will be another online write-in tonight from 8 to about 10! Unfortunately, the ChatNaNo room is still not up, so the Chatzy room will still be in use:

http://us3.chatzy.com/88979793322388

Hope to see some of you there, and looking forward to the first write-in Sunday!

~Zack

Hey everyone! The online kick-off is starting in about an hour, and as ChatNaNo still isn't up, as a temporary measure we have a Chatzy room here:

http://us3.chatzy.com/88979793322388

...until the other is up and running. If it isn't up by midnight, then we'll just use this room. Hope to see you all there!

~Zack

Hey everyone! NaNo is only a day away, and the online Midnight Kick-off is starting very soon! Unfortunately, I don't yet have the room set-up due to technical errors, but it should be set-up shortly before NaNo at the very latest, and probably earlier! Sorry for the delay, and I will send out a NaNoMail and post as soon as I know exactly what's going on!

~Zack

Our first event is coming up, and it's just around the corner! As a reminder, it will be at the Blue Wall Cafe (where in there depends on where there are tables) from 2:00 PM to about 4:00 PM.

The event will be relatively unstructured and mostly a "get to know everyone else and plan out the month" event, but will progress vaguely as follows:

-Meet in the BLUE WALL Cafe at around 2 (a little before then is best, and we'll start to do "official" things around then). I will be waiting at the Haigis Mall bus stop with a black hat with a green feather in it to meet the 38 bus arriving at UMass at 1:25 and the 43 at 1:35. I should be recognizable. Once both buses have arrived, I shall take you to the Blue Wall, where UMass writers should hopefully trickle in until two.

-Get food if you wish and eat. Or don't. It's up to you.

-Introduce ourselves! Learn each other's name, school, major, what their novel and plan is, and offer support! There will be an exam.

-Listen to me tell you to give the OLL money and explain the Donation Derby, and go over subsequent events.

-Choose our mascot and team name! And then I shall try to make some kind of craft-y version of the mascot for the next write-ins, and probably fail utterly - but it will be amusing.

-Discuss any ideas for write-ins/tell me if you want the write-ins to be at other times/you want more of them during the weekends/any other suggestions people may have.

-Play games and hold hands while singing kumbayah until it's time to go.

For those of you unfamiliar with the PVTA bus system, MHC students need to take the 38 Line at 12:50, Hampshire students take the 38 Line TOWARDS the Haigis Mall/UMass at 1:05, Amherst students take the 38 Line towards UMass at 1:15, and Smith students take the B43 towards UMass at 1:00. After the event ends, I will walk people back to the bus stop, probably leaving at around 3:50 to catch the 4:05 38 and 43 lines.

Hope to see you all there, and contact me with any questions!

~Zack

NaNo is fast approaching, and I have news!

The Kick-off Party is confirmed for Saturday, October 29th, at the BLUE WALL Cafe in the UMass Campus Center from 2-4. For more information, check the Kick-off thread or the Google calendar.

An online wordsprint (information coming when I get it) will be held at Midnight on the first for an hour or two, and then the next event will be Sunday, November 6th, from 1:00-3:30 at Amherst Coffee in Amherst. The next day, Monday the 7th, from 1:00-4:00 will be another write-in in the Watson Room of the Forbes Library (unfortunately it can only fit about 20 people max...). On the 13th there will be a Sunday write-in at the Blue Wall Cafe in the UMass Campus Center, and on Saturday the 19th there will be a write-in at the Mount Holyoke library (more information on exact locations coming later) from 2:15ish to 4:35ish. On Monday the 21st from 6:00-8:00 there will be a write-in at Rao's Coffee. The last write-in will be Monday the 28th from 6:00-8:00 at Panera Bread in Hadley, near the Hampshire Mall.

At some point after all of this there will be a TGIO party somewhere. If anyone else is organizing get-togethers or meet-ins and wants to let everyone know, contact me and I can put it up on the calendar!

Are you all ready for November? :)

And hello again! We've got some events now planned out; make sure to clear your schedules!

I've booked the Watson Room in the Forbes Library in Northampton from 1-4 PM on Monday, November 7th; I know that means that not many can make it due to classes, but please come by if even for a little bit (especially Smithies - you have no excuse!). It's a bit of a trek for UMass/Amherst/Hampshire students, but if you've got free time Monday afternoons and can take the 35ish-minute bus, I would love it if you could show up!
We then have a series of informal write-ins at several cafes, all from 6-8, the first being Thursday, November 9th (two days after the Forbes write-in) at Amherst Coffee. The second will be November 21st at Rao's Coffee in Amherst, and the final write-in for NaNo11 will be at Panera Bread in Hadley on Monday the 28th (which will go until later to help people finish)!

I am also trying to get a room in the UMass DuBois Library on Monday the 14th from 6-9, but that is not set at all yet. Additionally I am looking at also trying to set-up an event at MHC on a Saturday., but again, nothing yet. If better dates come up these are subject to change, but currently this is what we have! I'm still working on the kick-off.

Feel free to ask me any questions you might have!

~Zack

Hello again! I've been working to try to set up events, but unfortunately several places that can accomodate a larger crowd are full already (namely the public libraries I've tried). :( I'm currently trying to arrange a smaller-scale event at the Forbes Library in Northampton (Jones Library is asking me for money I don't have, the libraries in South Hadley are booked), but outside of that, it looks like we are going to have to resort to more informal events at cafes and the like.

So, in summary, the current event state of affairs:
-Kick-off party: Unable to book large location for it, still plotting. Hopefully more info soon!
-Forbes Library: Large Meeting Room is taken on Saturdays until the 26th; but most of us will likely be home for Thanksgiving then. As such, this event will have to be during a weekday, and the library is only open until 5, limiting our attendance; likely I'll book the smaller room on a Monday, but this is still being plotted.
-Informal Write-ins: I'm currently planning informal write-ins at probably Rao's in Amherst and Panera Bread in Hadley. See the "What weekdays are best for you" thread to help me choose dates!
-UMass DuBois Library: I will be submitting an event application form to the UMass library in a few days to try and host an event in the evening on a weekday. Fingers crossed that this will work!
TGIO Party - My mind isn't even there yet. :P

As you can see, our options are limited here - so I again implore those of you outside of UMass to see if you can act as a proxy for me and set up an event there, as I am unable to, not being a student at the other colleges. If you can do so, please contact me!

Hopefully we'll be able to get these events set in the very near future! I just really wish the Regional Mail was working so I could get more people here... :P

Hey everybody, and welcome to NaNo2011! I'm looking forward to a fun and exciting November this year, and can't wait to meet you all and join you in a noble struggle to write a novel in the midst of the rigors of college education. Feel free to introduce yourself, chat, get to know each other, look over the events calendar (more events will hopefully soon be popping up!), and get ready for an awesome month! Hope to see you all around!