HI --- I'm on the Qld border, looking for locals to say hi to any get/receive inspiration --- anybody out there??
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*** If you're going to do it - don't feel bad --
-- If you're going to feel bad - don't do it! ***
0 / 50,000
Oct 14, 2007 - 22 19
North Coast of NSW? I'm on the Mid North Coast, Port Macquarie to be precise. Its still on the Northern Coast, but I'm sorry to say I'm still about five hours away, so not exactly local. :P This'll be my first NaNoWriMo though - actually starting before my HSC finishes, too... That's probably not a good thing, but hey ^_^.
50,257 / 50,000
Oct 14, 2007 - 22 40
Hi LucienSevitus
Welcome to Nanowrimo! Port's only 3 1/2 hours away on a good "get-to-Sydney-quickly" day! (Well, since they fixed all the roads up here.)
May I add you to my group of fellow writers? I just need a few people to kick in the butt and receive butt-kick from in return should the need arise. I didn't finish last year - I got bogged down in the second week -- apparently that's fairly normal. I've got a copy of "No plot, no problem" that I borrowed from a friend -- so that'll help this year, I'm sure ...
Regards,
Cheryl
0 / 50,000
Oct 14, 2007 - 22 48
3 1/2 hours? I never knew. Can you tell I haven't travelled any time recently?
Sure you can add me. How do I add you back? I'll probably need the push ^_^. What with not finishing my HSC till the 9th I'll be even more pressed for time. ^_^. You have that book? I don't think I'll be able to get one, but I've heaps of stuff from fandom writings and such, not to mention everything my English teachers have piled on me for creative writing... I'm planning to finish, though I can realistically see that I might not. This'll be an extra push to make sure I do. ^_^
5,521 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 03 27
Hi!
I'm probably not a local either!
I'm up at Toowoomba, Qld.how many hours is that from you (smile).
I, too, didn't finish last year..I allowed life to get in the way a bit & gave up when I had some down days with no words written :-(.
Carole aka Gothiccas
50,257 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2007 - 04 13
Hi Carole aka Gothiccas !
I hope you don't mind -- I added you to my buddy list ...
I really hope we all make it this year --- I did it alone last year -- and that wasn't exactly a screaming success!
So here's to this year...
Cheryl aka Jazzsinger
PS Toowoomba is about 3 1/2 hours, too!
50,068 / 50,000
Oct 19, 2007 - 05 02
I'm close to Coffs Harbour - not close enough to either Brisvegas or Sydney to make it to a write-in but hopefully there'll be some online write ins happening. None of the writers I know in real life are crazy enough to join me on this adventure but then they also don't have four first drafts on their computer hard drive.
Good luck everybody!
Diane
www.disyc.blogspot.com
0 / 50,000
Oct 30, 2007 - 04 50
I'm from the Bunjalung area, too. Burringbar, Lismore, Murwillumbah - anyone from around there and in their early 20's?
Kate
50,257 / 50,000
Oct 30, 2007 - 05 48
Hi Kate,
I'm in Eviron (east of Mur'bah) - but not early 20's - early 50's I'm afraid. There's another of us here from the Worsflow Writers Group in Pottsville --- my age, I'm afraid. Still email is ageless!
Here's to a great (and completed) Nano!
Cheryl
0 / 50,000
Oct 30, 2007 - 05 57
No trouble at all, I'm glad that you responded anyway.
Can I inquire into this group you speak of? I have only joined the journey tonight, and didn't realise there were groups!
On second thoughts, I'd like to widen my query to anyone, of any age, in the region - that wants to be friends :)
50,257 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2007 - 00 16
Hi Kate --
Hey! Interesting spelling error in my earlier post - That's supposed to be Wordsflow Writers Group (not Worseflow!!) in Pottsville each Friday from 12.30 to 3pm. Some week lots of writers -- some week only 6 or so. We spend the first 1/2 hour or so reading our home-work, and critiquing each other (with love!), then write & do different exercises until the end. It's a great group! It's not a Nanowrimo group, but each year some of us do it -- this year only three I think!
Anyway, good luck for midnight tonight !!
Regards,
Cheryl
22 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2007 - 06 57
I'm on the Gold Coast if that helps. Used to live right on the border (Tweed Heads) but I'm currently about 25 minutes north of it now.
8,239 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2007 - 17 35
Hi Kate and Cheryl, and everyone else in my region,
I'm in your general area - Lismore locale - I know Murwillumbah and Pottsville well (used to live at Burringbar). Went to Uni at SCU in LIsmore.
This will be my first NaNoWriMo. Husband thinks I'm crazy taking something else on in the midst of selling our house. I thought it would be a good distraction!
Here goes ...
Kireden
50,257 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2007 - 18 21
Hi kggeorge,
Welcome to out Nanowrimo Area!!
Have you started yet??? Good luck with this year's Nanowrimo!
Cheryl a.k.a Jazzsinger
50,257 / 50,000
Oct 31, 2007 - 18 26
Hi Kireden,
I'm already beginning to realise how crazy you (& I ) may be! I started writing and thought -- oh good, that'll do for the day. Then I did a word count --- oops!! Not even a third of the way to my 1667 each day! Ahhh well, that's what the first week's for I guess ...
Good luck,
Talk to you in 1100 words or so .... lol
9,820 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2007 - 00 17
hey all. i'm in grafton. used to be in coffs but glad i'm not. let's see how we can go at this.
50,257 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2007 - 02 23
Hi rvc -- Welcome to the group!~!
Better a late start than no start! Good luck ... see you in a few thousand words!
Regards,
Cheryl aka Jazzsinger
39,033 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2007 - 17 31
Hey all
I'm in Forster which is a little bit south of you all but I still consider myself North Coast (sort of). Hope you'll still have me! THis is my first nanowrimo so lets hope for the best. Hope you are all going well. I've started with a blast but things have cooled down now. Only way to get any of it done in large chunks is to get up at ridiculous hours of the morning...slightly eery but it seems to work.
Cheers All!
Kylie
50,400 / 50,000
Nov 11, 2007 - 04 27
I'm in the far north coast of NSW as well, a suburb of Tweed Heads, to be precise.
And I'm also learning Esperanto.
50,257 / 50,000
Nov 11, 2007 - 06 54
Hi Kylie --- I didn't see your post on the forum ... I guess I've been too busy Nano-ing. So better late than never ---
Welcome the the North Coast group!!
Judging from your word count, you've been pretty busy too ...
Here's wishing us all a good week 3 & 4 and a grand exit over the finishing line *raises glass of lemonade and toasts*
Good luck, Cheryl
50,257 / 50,000
Nov 11, 2007 - 07 02
Hi Phillip,
Welcome to Nano!
I'm just down the road in Eviron (west of Kingscliff) - so, about fifteen minutes away. Maybe we could meet in a cafe somewhere and have a one or two hour write-a-thon the way all the yanks and the Brisbane-ites do??
I've been getting kick started this week by getting involved in "word wars" on google talk.
Anyway, best of luck with your writing ...
Regards, Cheryl
50,400 / 50,000
Nov 16, 2007 - 23 40
G'day, Cheryl!
I'm busy most days, so I do my writing at night. Right now, I am stuck on 18 000 or so words, as I started late and have been trying for 2500 a day minimum.
I'd love to catch up with you, though, that would be good.
Phillip
8,239 / 50,000
Nov 19, 2007 - 20 35
Apologies for absenteeism ...!
Struggling to stay in here ... WAY BEHIND on the word count and in a fog about where I'm headed, but dragging along. Any help/advice gratefully received ...
Kireden
50,257 / 50,000
Nov 22, 2007 - 16 03
Hi Kireden
I admire you for hanging in there -- good for you. And you're not WAY behind ... you're 8,239 words in front of some of the others in our area! lol
OK -- I got stuck a little while ago, so I emailed all the people who had finished their 50,000 already and asked them how they did it. I got lots of tips. I've copied a lot below.
The main thing is to WRITE ANYTHING ! This is a test to see if you can put 50,000 words on paper before the end of next week. - so do it. Don't write the worlds best novel - just write something --- anything!
Do short bursts. Want to clock up a heap of words? Set aside a time and grab an oven timer or similar. I use ytimer from yTimer Download - I also use his yWriter software which is also free and really good stuff. (He's a recurring nanowrimo-ist - see , HalSpacejock )
So, anyway --- set the timer for ten minutes and just make yourself write. If you can write some of the story -- good. If not, just start with "I don't know what to !&(@$! write ... what am I supposed to write here ..." and just keep going until it frees up your 'inner muse'.
When the timer goes off, get up and walk around for a minute and you'll probably find something worth writing about comes to mind, so do it again ... maybe for fifteen minutes this time... etc. etc. And just do this for as long as you can ... you'll be amazed how quickly the words clock up! When all else fails write in a character who quotes everybody and anybody and copy and paste quotes you get off the net. (You can always write him/her out later!)
So the thing is :
You can't edit a blank page
So write anything to get your word count up.
Hope something in here helps ... good luck !
Let me know how you go,
Here's one that was really helpful for me when stuck with where everybody was going ..
From: skneal
Yup.. plot ninjas!
I find that for me, if I add something totally silly, I can easily net a couple of thousand words. The benefit is that it is usually very fun to write the scene and I can always delete it later when I go back to edit. (plus it makes me laugh)
So far in my novel I have the opening scene from Get Smart. (Except I twisted it to have a public toilet instead of a phone booth and one of the characters has toilet paper stuck to his shoe!)
I also have drunks trying to participate in a yoga class, and a man tortured to death from watching non stop televangelists.
None of these have really anything to do with the story, except to lighten it up a bit for me, and to clear my head for what happens next.
The other thing you could do is break the fourth wall.
Ask your characters why they are being so difficult, and document the conversation. If they still refuse to cooperate, put them on a train and have the train jump the tracks and fall into a gorge. Then write about the character's best friends cousin twice removed who always wanted to be a lounge singer in Vegas.
Or you could write yourself into the story and confront your characters in a coffee shop or something similar.
I guess what I am trying to say is, set your imagination free, and lock up that inner critic / editor for the duration.
And from: Kitty Taylor:
If you get stuck, go for a walk somewhere. It's best if you go somewhere where you can be alone, and talk to your characters. I mean, seriously, talk to them. Out loud, in accents, whatever! It's always good to have a chat with them about how the plot is going, and then see if you could change it slightly to suit them? It sounds weird, but it's helped me before xD
Another quote that's quiet inspiring is "Don't get it right, get it written." if you can touch type, try closing your eyes while you type so you can't check your spelling, or find a word processor that doesn't have automatic spellcheck, turn the font white, and just write! this way if you're struggling with just getting it written you won't get distracted, hehe.
50,068 / 50,000
Nov 22, 2007 - 22 57
I'm giving advice as someone who regularly comes from the back end of the race and writes like crazy for the last week to make the finish line.
here's my tips:
write a scene you've already written from a diferent character's point of view. You might discover something new from their reaction and internal monologue that could set you off on a completely different tangent.
I also use a timer to write with this talking alarm clock, http://www.snapfiles.com/get/talkingalarm.html and I have a online word war buddy who challenges me almost every 2nd night to word wars.
and grab every available moment of time during the day to write (all those times you spend waiting) and it will keep the story in the back of your brain all the time.
Keep writing!
Diane
www.disyc.blogspot.com
www.cafepress.com/chickollage
Beyond Happily Ever After - when you've married into the royal family and expected to produce the royal heir, but your prince would rather sleep with the stable boy than sleep with you, you're kind of 'up royal creek without a paddle'. Cinderella finds a solution with Prince Henry, her husband's cousin, and Snow White's husband. But with Snow White expecting twins, Henry in love with Cinderella from the night of the ball, and Edward desperately hiding his secret life - can there really be a happily ever after for any of them?