Introductions

Hah - missed this thread first time round because the site's being so slow! So, here's a(nother) introduction.

It's me (John) again, with a new account; I've done NaNo twice before, once successfully. I'm 35, exactly the same age as our beloved ML Loriba, down to the day. I'm an editor at Cambridge University Press so I'm the resident grammar Nazi - any queries about the use of English, ask me and I'll opine.

Other than that, I live with one wife, two children, a cat and four chickens. Oh, and I write a bit.

2005: The Wolf and the Rose
2006: Dig for Victory! Winner!
2007: Freedom is a Sweet Word Winner!

Hi,

I've just moved out of London and am living in Rutland - which may be too small for it's own territory - so I'm going to attach myself leach-like to Cambridge. I will try to make meetings etc, but Real Life is often a nuisance. I'm in Leeds for a week of November and may go leech up there for a week!

This is my 4th year. The other three years I completed the 50000+ but didn't manage to finish anything - except for a 10000 word prequel story last year. I still work on them from time to time, well except year 1 which was dire (but still 50072 dire words).

While not novelling I'm a theatre nurse, but currently doing call centre work - still nursing, kinda. So nursy type stuff, especially operations I can help with questions and stuff. Also an expert on dreaming up 1001 ways to kill a computer, but by Nov 30th, who isn't?

I've one main and one lingering idea for the novel. I'm not ruling out option 3 - something else entirely that may occur to me when the dreaded plot bunnies arrive!

Hmm, I usually have a 'autumn cleaning' spree late Oct so Hubby doesn't nag. I'd better plan that in for the next few weeks!

Happy plotting

Sarah

p.s. just turned 36 - we seem to be declaring this!

50000 words, one day (Nov 1st). Can it be done? ...watch this space...

howdy y'all!

my fourth NaNo here.

have been scribbling bunches of things for quite awhile, but *finishing* them is a bit of an issue....that and paragraphs. and dialogue. and characters with their very own unique names just for them. I handwrite my drafts in a tiny spidery scrawl with no line breaks or paragraphs or anything; a previous NaNovel was done entirely on scrap paper and post-its, but have plans to use a notebook this year. Mostly, anyway.

John has defined my writing genre as 'speculative non-fiction' :-)

was a suit-and-briefcase City corporate commuter drone in a previous life, but this year it's NaNo NaNo all the way!

Anne-Lise

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Anne-Lise [ML for Europe::England::Cambridge]
~2007: the umbran alliance
~2006: adaptation
~2005: a life in the day
~2004: trinity

Hello everyone! I'm Naomi, I'm living in Girton near Cambridge, and this is my first year doing NaNo! Rey! I've signed up because I really need to make a habit of writing every day, rather than whenever I can bothered, and hopefully this will force me into it.

At the moment I'm planning to write an urban fantasy full of wraiths and vampires and other undead beings, but I'm not 100% sure yet that I'll stick with that. I might change my mind between now and November 1st.

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"As I rounded the corner I felt muscular and compact, like corned beef." - Dr Rick Dagless, MD

Hi all, I'm Anne. This is only my second Nano, and I'm writing a sequel to last year's effort (which is still undergoing extensive revisions - serves me right for coming up with such a complicated whodunnit/thriller plot!). Both are set in my alternate history world (late 16th-century Europe, with a non-human civilization in the Americas); the sequel will follow my protagonist to Venice, where his somewhat insane younger brother and dissolute elder half-brother are causing all manner of mayhem! Re genre, it straddles the fantasy/SF divide - there's fantasy-esque swashbuckling and some paranormal phenomena, but there's no magic in the Harry Potter sense and the non-humans - who are nothing like the elves or dwarves of conventional fantasy - have been developed with careful attention to biological, anthropological and linguistic detail :-)

I'm a web developer at the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus in Hinxton, which means I sadly won't be making any midweek lunchtime write-ins, except possibly in the final week when I'm off work. Despite working in a similar field to Loriba, I don't know a great deal about genetics, but I do know an awful lot about animal behaviour, history (ancient, medieval and renaissance), linguistics and just random stuff...

Good luck, everyone!

2006 Winner (undergoing revisions)
2007: Treasons, Stratagems and Spoils (alt history fantasy)

Three brothers, two murders, one stolen necklace - and a shipload of trouble!
~o~o~o~o~0~o~o~o~o~

*deadpan face* How.

OK, OK, I give in, hi all :)

I'm VIcky, I live in Chesterton and I've been writing most of my life in one form or another. This is the second time I've tried NaNoWriMo - I can't even remember which year the first time was, and I think I managed all of about 500 words! Hopefully this time will be a bit different - I've made the decision to finally try to get a serious writing career launched, so theoretically my NaNovel will form the bones of something I can work up seriously for publication. That said, the plan is for it to be a marvellously silly piece of fantasy fluff involving feral elves, meddling deities, temperamental clerics and hapless hero wannabes, so whether it'll be publishable in the end is a different matter :) I wanted to pick something fun so I'd keep writing it!

NaNo 07: The Thief and the Blood

Hello!

I'm Kirsty and this is my second Nano. I was very organised last year and spent a month planning exactly what to write. I wrote loads but came unstuck with a tricky plot twist at the end. This year I'm being far less organised and haven't a clue what I'm going to write - I'm sure something will occur to me between now and November 1st!

In Real Life I'm a boring old admin bod, living and working in central Cambridge, with a lovely husband and cat and a weakness for heavy metal and vodka.

Looking forward to sharing Nano with you all :-)

Kirsty

Hi, my name is Jami.

I am a first year Nano writer. For the past two years I have wanted to try this but either I was too late to sign up or I was busy with another project. I have tried to write stories in the past on my own but I become too nit picky about what I write and I give up. I hope that I can reach the 50,000 word goal by the end of November without being too nit picky about my work.

I live about an hour away from Cambridge on the other side of Bury St. Edmunds. Is there anyone else from the Mid Suffolk area who will be writing in November?

Take care,
Snarfgirl2007

Fellow metaller - sweet! You weren't at Wake Up Screaming last night by any chance?

NaNo 07: The Thief and the Blood

So many women this year! I wonder why there's a higher proportion...? (Actually, I may not want to hear the answer to that, hehe)

I'm Moonlight, or Rich (I don't mind either), currently living in Saffron Walden, so not far from Cambridge. I'm 19 (turning 20 tomorrow, coincidentially), and currently in a gap year between school and university- I hope to study history next year. I was in last year's NaNo, wrote 22,000 words in the first week, and then got spectacularly obliterated by the second week slump, writing a further 3,000 words before throwing in the towel...suffice to say, I hope to actually finish this year, with slightly more time on my hands. Last year was lit-fiction, this year...either another lit-fiction, or a fantasy, currently undecided! Another goal is to actually get to one of the meetups that Loriba and co. organise, as I didn't last year. =)

Aside from writing, I really like jogging, writing and playing music (piano), and all the rest of the stuff your average nineteen year old might like. =)

Nice to see everyone, and to meet all the new people. Even though, I still am pretty much a new person. Ah well...good luck!

Edit: Hm...sig image isn't working...

Hello,

I'm Cal and I'm another newcomer to NaNo. I've already told (warned?) my friends that I'm doing this, and they all think I'm mad and have tried to talk me out of it, but I am quite determined. Whether I'll feel the same way by the 2nd week, I don't know.

I have a couple of ideas bouncing round in my head, but not sure which to go for yet. Whichever one I choose, I think I've still got a lot of work to do to transform the vague idea into something workable. I've not really done much writing at all in the past, although I have wanted to. That might sound odd but it's only now I feel confident enough to try -so I thought I'd throw myself in at the deep end.

I live about 20 miles away from Cambridge, with my young son, and I work full time in a busy IT department. Finding time to write may be a challenge and I have had to decide on what I can give up during November in order to give myself the time. It was a difficult decision to make but I have decided to sacrifice housework...

What else can I say? I'm female, I'm 33 (I think that's the first time I've admitted that), and I am another metaller.

Looking forward to November (I think).

Cal

Woohoo! So many newbies, so little time...

:-)

Welcome one and all. Elfycat, glad to see your move went okay, and hope to see you at a meet or two. Naomi, good to have you with us, and I know exactly what you mean about getting into writing every day. You're story sounds like exactly the kind of thing I like to read (and occasionally write). Vicky, welcome back - I don't think I was around the last time you did Nano, so as far as I'm concerned you're a Newbie too . Hope you manage to make it into the thousands this time around. Jami, not anywhere near Woolpit are you? I remember going to quite a few ClareCraft Discworld Events there so I have very fond memories of the place. Shame ClareCraft had to go bust really. I realise that there aren't any other regional forums in the East so don't be shy about latching on to us. As far as I'm concerned all are welcome. And last but not least, Cat. What can I say? Giving up housework is always a good thing as far as I'm concerned, and if your friends make fun of you, challenge them to give it a go themselves, that'll soon shut them up (or add to our numbers, either scenario is a plus as far as I'm concerned.)

Welcome back to John, Anne, Anne-Lise, Kirsty and Rich. I remember you from last year Kirsty as being the person in the region with the highest word count. I'm hoping to beat you this year. And Rich, second time lucky. This time you're definitely going to make it to 50k - you may want to just pace yourself a little this time around! The other three don't need encouragement from me, they've done it enough times already! :-)

I hope that you all find this forum (and the others on Nano) to be supportive and friendly, and basically places where you enjoy hanging out. Although I don't want you to enjoy it too much, because we all have novels to write!

Later in the week I'll start some threads to discuss things like Write-Ins, Relaxation Meets, Word Wars etc., as well as a thread about the Kick-Off Party (or parties if people can't make one specific date). In the meantime, have fun smooching around the various forums and getting acquainted with the site. The layout has changed a lot this year so even us Oldies are having probs finding things, and a lot of stuff is still broken, but it's all being worked upon as we speak. If you do have any specific questions that you can't find immediate answers to, feel free to drop me a line and I'll try my best to help you out. Or, by all means, start a new thread to discuss it with others, whichever you'd prefer.

Looking forward to spending the next two months with you all.

*Hugs*

Lottie

ML for Europe::England:: Cambridge
cambridge_england[at]nanowrimo[dot]org

2007: Rising Angels, Falling Apes - ??
2006: An Ordinary World - 84k+
2005: Dreaming of Jack - 83k+

Hi fellow metaller! Indeed I was, on a friend's special hen night boozefest. It was awesome, but I suffered a bit (lot) the next day trying to work with a hangover :-/ Did you enjoy WUS?

Lottie, you're sure to beat me this year...I'm now a newlywed which seems to equate to being a newlyslack writer! ;-)

I had no idea I had the highest word count for the region last year though...gonna have to go around with a ginormous head all afternoon now! Until I remember that my novel was, in the end, a pile of poo.

Kirsty

Hi again to those who know me, and welcome to those who are new. I'm an antisocial Cambridge entity that generally writes fantasy, sci-fi and stuff in between.

This is my fourth NaNo, since despite my good intentions to have a year off, here I am again. NaNo means I actually do some writing, and I'm accumulating novel ideas at a rate greater than one a year, so writing some of them wouldn't hurt. I'm torn between two seperate ideas this year, and will have to either pick one or write both; the latter would be insane but rather satisfying.

I'm not an expert on much, but one of my hobbies is worldbuilding. For my day job, I basically run someone's business for them. It's less interesting than it might sound (however dull it sounds).

The Shadowlover

Hello again.

I'm Luke, a teacher in Huntingdon. This is my sixth year of NaNoWriMo and the third in which I've had a group of my pupils keeping me company. We're not formal affiliates of the YWP, but StJoWriMo always attracts a healthy turn out, even if the word count tends to be low (as will happen if you spend all of your writing time working out how to make your magnum opus flash on and off with sparkly lights; bless).

My first NaNo was...well, in all honesty, a bit of a dog's breakfast. The second and third years combined make a finished novel of some 90,000 words, after editing, and has been rejected by many prestigious publishers and literary agents. It's currently on the schedule for re-editing, partial rewriting and resubmission. This year is the second half of last year's effort, a sort of thematic cousin - or more aptly, daughter - of the completed novel. 100,000 words may be a tad excessive for a teenage mystery, but there's always editing.

Good luck, all,
Luke

Five years of NaNo, first Frenzy.

Hi, this is my second NaNo, last year being my first, when I managed aprox 14k. I went on to finish that and another 50k challenge in Jan this year and will attempt to reach the 50k (hopefully more) on the third and final book in the series. I had great fun editing the first book in March and April, the second is 'sitting' waiting, perhaps I'll edit it next March?

What is it about NaNo that makes you go against your intentions, and to join up again? :-) [I had truly decided to give it a miss this year.] Oh I know the sense of comaraderie. :-)

I live in the Hunstanton area, N. Norfolk, and sadly will not manage to join the local events, but will be with you in 'spirit'. I look forward to making lots of new friends here this year.

Happy scribbling ;-)
jj

Wake Up Screaming still happens? I haven't been to the Kambar for about two years - I didn't realise it still ran.

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"As I rounded the corner I felt muscular and compact, like corned beef." - Dr Rick Dagless, MD

Wake Up Screaming still happens? I haven't been to the Kambar for about two years - I didn't realise it still ran.

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"As I rounded the corner I felt muscular and compact, like corned beef." - Dr Rick Dagless, MD

Yay! It's still good fun but I wish it wasn't on a school night ;-)

Yay! It's still good fun but I wish it wasn't on a school night ;-)

Hello All,

I'm Ashley, or Aeron. Either one works. I'm Aeron when I'm in front of the computer and Ashley when not. This will be my third year attempting NaNoWriMo. I barely accomplished 50,000 words' worth the year before last. Last year my attempts were circumvented by much more felicitous events- my daughter born on November 1. This year I'm back to try again, 1-year-old baby in tow. I've already warned my neighbors and friends and I hope to have a babysitter lined up for at least part of the time. (Wouldn't want my husband going mad). Let's see, I'm 23, but will turn 24 before November hits. We're transplanted Americans with British cats and a baby born in a British hospital.

This November I'll be tackling an idea which surfaced two years ago, but I never got a chance to explore it fully. I'll be writing about a young noblewoman in a fantasy world (which I haven't really constructed yet) who might have the chance to inherit the throne. I'm waiting to see where writing it out takes me.

Aeron

Hey, you were at Nev's hen night? Who were you? I'm Vicky (the one who had the halo on most of the night...)

NaNo 07: The Thief and the Blood

Hi there, I'm Susy.

I've just turned sixteen and this is my first Nanowrimo (although, my friend did this two years ago and managed to write fiftythousand words - she was extremely unapproachable for a month, however xD). Pledging myself to writing throughout November was probably rather badly thought out on my part, because I have my mock-GCSEs that month and I intend to do well and go to a good sixthform, but I'll try my very hardest. I don't have a problem writing if I'm motivated, but I do suffer from mad writer's block. The most I've ever written before stopping was about 42,000 words, and that was a couple of years ago for a fanfiction, so I think I'm as well prepared as I could be. =) I've been writing since I was four (nothing could stop me) and I've won a couple of young writer awards.

Anyway, I'm glad to know there are others in Cambridge attempting to write fiftythousand words in a month. =D

Susii*

('Cause I want you and you need me, it's time to make some history - so why'd you have to go and waste your time on her? Waste your time on me.)

Hi Kirsty! I just sent you a message on Facebook about NaNo, only to see you here already.

For everyone else, I'm Danielle. According to my profile I've been doing NaNo since 2003, but have never written more than about 2000 words. Given that I have yet to think of a story idea, and have an entire magazine to write and edit in November as well, I can't see me suddenly turning things round and winning, so I'll probably be cheering people on from the sidelines instead.

Oh, and I live in St Neots, with a husband and an almost 1 year old, and work in admin at the University of Cambridge.

Hey guys and gals,

My name's Alex, and I'm here in Cambridge for a year of math grad school. I'm a New Yorker, and this is the first time in my life I've been away from NYC and not missed it. I've tried and lost NaNo twice before -- once to my undergrad thesis, and once to a broken laptop. But this time I'll be a winner (at least I keep telling myself that).

I like hiking, doing math, reading (and apparently writing) literature, and playing rugby. I could stop cooking and just go to the dining hall during NaNo, but I'm going to try and hold out as long as I can.

If anyone of you have a burning desire to incorporate higher math (or as UKers call it, "maths") into your NaNovels, I can try and answer your questions (unless they're about something like combinatorics, ew -- but maybe even then).

My NaNovel plan is based on a crazy, grandiose idea I had with a friend of mine while bantering on a long walk. Basically, my main character(s) will throw around a few ideas, come up with this one grandiose idea, implement it, and carry it through to what I hope will be a somewhat absurd(ist?) logical end.

Alex

Hi Vicky with the halo! Yes, it was Nev's hen night! I was the one with tattoos on each shoulder, wearing jeans and a black top. Were you also at the wedding? Didn't we have a chat about the loveliness of your outfit? I recognised you but didn't know your name (or that you were a fellow NaNo-er!)

Hi Danielle! Thanks for the message :-)
I'm so glad you're on here too this year. I think you'll be forgiven if you only manage 2000 words. After all, your life sounds pretty hectic!

Jeans and a black top? Doesn't narrow it down much - if you're the lass who I made That Cake for I know who you are though ;)

I wasn't at the wedding, no, I had a clash with a family do *grumble*.

NaNo 07: The Thief and the Blood

Hi all. Well why not, my baby is nine months now and doesn't sleep much and I hardly have time for anything so here goes for the third year running. It'll be something of a miracle if I get anywhere near the 1667 words a day so no word wars for me this year, :(
I notice though that I'm not the only one with a tiddler to wreck things, yay, I suddenly don't feel so barmy after all :)
Great to see that there are lots of optimistic scribblers, old and new here already.
As usual, I haven't got much of an idea for my nano novel but I'm sure something will occur at the very last minute.
Martha