Alright, I think we need a general Balkans area thread! That would be cool!

and already I'm at fault, I left out the Slovenian person! Come on let's get together and make our little area! :)

Hi there, great Idea to form this regional thread since our country treads are soooo empty. Hope this thread won't be.

Wow, Stefka, you are already a double nanowrimo winner! How do you feel: proud of your self? Was it difficult the first time? This is going to be my first novel and honestly I'm overwhelmed by that thought.

Dear Lanna: I actually do feel good about it, because basically I'm a poet not a novelist, my mother, now THAT was a novelist, she would laugh at just 50,000 words! She wrote fantastic long books. So I don't pat myself on the back too hard. It may be harder for me to actually write since I'm in Sarajevo now and there's so many excellent excuses not to write! :).

Yes it was hard, not only is it physically arduous to write so long at a time, I was in school for both, and had a heavy class load, Medical Billing and Coding. The second one I was finishing out at school, the class load was heavy but not like the first one. I was mostly glad to get done.

Neither of my first efforts are wonderful, I submitted 'The Last Queen' to a small press because the editor offered to read NaNo submissions, and publish any good ones. 'The Last Queen' came home with a really marvelous rejection letter. English is not exactly my first language, Spanish sort of is, it's a long story. She was a little shall we say patronizing about that fact. What the Hell are editors for? They are there to fix that stuff! That's how they even HAVE a job!

I personally think the story idea was fantastic or I would not have bothered. Still it needs work, and she was right to reject it, but how she did it made me angry at first and then made me laugh.

Is this your first time to do NaNo? Where do you live in Serbia?

I wish you every success! What's your story idea?

svako dobro!

Dobra ideja! ;)

+Slovenec.

Welcome aboard Lana and Mipe! *raises rakija glass* 'To REAL Brotherhood and Unity!'

Yes, this is the first time I'm doing NaNo AND my first attempt at writing a novel. I usually write short stories but I've always wanted to be a novelist and never had enough courage to start writing a long piece. That was until I stumbled upon NaNoWriMo web site few months ago by pure chance. I was thrilled with the idea and decided that I have to try.
I have many ideas for novels, but I decided to start with something simple to warm up my typing fingers and my little grey cells. It will be a story about a group of young women, their friendship, romances and differences in views, ability to understand and to overcome prejudices. Something like that.
It's great you asked me this last question, because it made me think more about the subject.
What about you? What kind of story do you have in mind?
I wonder: do NaNo writers usually make notes, develop characters and plot of their novels in detail before November 1st?

Hi Mipe, great to "see" you here!
I have to ask you a quesitons although it has nothing to do with writing: is Slovenian national ski jumping team going to be better this year? Any "inside" info on that? I can't wait for the new season to start. :)

My first time was on a dare from my son, he was going to do NaNo and then got a new job and just couldn't face it. I however decided to just give it a shot. I wrote about the last queen of Bosnia, it involved a lot of research, some of which was done well before NaNo started. I had a rough first chapter and a vague outline ahead of the date, so the real writing began November 1st but the groundwork was laid ahead of time.

Foreign Relations was different, I had some characters and settings in mind but no real plot. I had an American MFC (Nanoese for main female character) and I had a Bosnian Muslim MMC (Nanoese for Male Main Character). They meet in Yakima, and they disrupt one another's lives a bit. :).

I have this time brought those two back, Ludmilla and Ibro, they are married now, and the story starts in Sarajevo, but I don't have any idea where it's going to take them or me :).

I have a female secondary character from 'Foreign Relations' Angel kind of a semi reformed biker chick, who has a kid, an ex husband and a boyfriend and kind of a hyper little girl.

So in a way the characters are developed, I know their quirks, I know their dreams, their sorrows, and so forth, but this time no real plot yet.

I don't have anything outlined beyond the first chapter
I'm trying for some satire and some elements of thriller and romance, but it looks like it may become more serious.

I think everyone is a little different about how much they do ahead of NaNo. Too much ahead is sort of 'cheating' right?

I have only written some short pieces in the past before NaNo. I didn't have the discipline before, so I think NaNo was good for me.

So you are from Vojvodina? I noted that from the Serbia thread. I have seen pictures of the area. It looks like a lovely place.

I'm actually kind of curious to see Serbia. Maybe in the Spring ako Bog daj.

The idea of a novel about a group of female friends is good you can do a lot with that. Lord knows Maeve Binchy made a fortune out of that, someone should have given her a word limit, she runs out of steam at the end! :) At 50,000 or slightly more, there's no danger of that! :).

Dobro večer! Kako si? I'm not exactly from the Balkan region, but quite close. From Hungary, but I thought I would stop by and say 'Zdravo' :)

Dobro došli! You are welcome to join in! Did you go see 'Nebo iznad krajolika' at your film festival? Damn that is funny, they sort of serialized it here in BiH and I've watched all of it so far, If you've seen it DO NOT tell me how it ends, I haven't seen the end yet.

Skies above the landscape! Da, I have seen it :) Great movie, and don't worry, I won't spoil you *g* I was surprised to see such an entertaining movie at our Moveast film festival.

I totally loved the film, in the next to the last episode, they showed the Samshop which is by my present flat. I am going to be moving ako Bog daj, over this weekend to a smaller, less expensive flat that is closer in and has fewer stairs for me to deal with. Hvala Bog! I love when they take the tractor into Sarajevo, and the nonchallance of the people, who act like 'nothing is happening here senores!'
The new flat isn't cheap but it's got some perks, 1. an English diplomat upstairs 2. the landlady's brother, who is actually who I'm dealing with, has publishing contacts, so maybe I am getting a break at last! He expressed an interest in seeing some of my work. So tomorrow while I'm out and about I'll print off some of it, and some idea where I think the story is going.
I have also some poetry and did some journalism so I will go ahead and put some of that in the folder. Wish me luck friends! :)

Hi there, everyone. c: I'm from Slovenia, too, so that makes it... Three? For the win!

I'm writing a fantasy story, I think, although I'm still not 100% sure about it - the story is a long term project and i've been working on the plot for a few months now, so I guess that's kind of cheating :P. But I *do* want to try to publish it someday, since I've grown kind of attached to the characters and all in this time.

Maybe I'll just write a 50000 words long poem and get famous for it or something <_<. ... Not.

Brotherhood and unity... In writing! :3

Greetings!

I'm actually from Spain, but I am a Balkans lover (and, well, we Galicians even have some Balkan treats like using the infinitive instead of the gerundive, hehe) so I hope you won't get mad at me; well, it's not exactly from nowadays Balkans, but of classical Greek and Roman times. Anyway, one of my best friends --who's a real expert (and speaks some 9 or 10 languages in the region, lucky him!)-- is turning me to more modern times and the wonderful mix of peoples and cultures you have over there (it may be difficult, but it only takes some common sense and humanity to see the sheer potential for growth and wisdom: I wish we could learn just a little bit from you, it would be so much!).

Please accept my salute from the Atlantic, welcome to the newcomers, welcome back to the veterans, let's rock this Nano!

best regards,

PS- I can't speak or write any Balkans language (except so little of Turk, and if I put some effort, a passable ladino) but I can also speak a quite decent esperanto, just in case... :-) da zavtra!

Dobro Dosli Zenny and Excalibor! I have fun with Ladino sometimes. One instructor at the Yakima Valley Community College is a Sephardic Jew from Argentina, and I am familiar with the history of Balkans Ladino, because of a paper I did for one class I took in Spanish, everyone had to write a paper on some aspect of Hispanic culture and language so I did something on the Bosnian Jews who came originally from Spain. They used Croatian orthography in the written language, and there is an old synagogue in Sarajevo that they built. As well there's a street named for the main humanitarian organization they formed, La Benevolencija, and the Jews of Sarajevo that stayed (some understandably fled the war) distinguished themselves by good works. Then there is the famous Sarajevo Hagaddah. So those ties between Spain and the Balkans are very real to this day in Bosnia.
Zenny, I believe there is only one other Slovenian, if there's more, please raise your hands! :)

Hi, I am an American, but I am living in Sarajevo - I have lived here for three years. What do you think? Do I qualify to be in this group?

Stefka, I have read several of your posts and you talk quite a bit about the Jewish community here. As a member of that very small community, I really appreciate your remarks. Thank you.

This is my first time participating, but several of my friends have been participating for years.

@ annde, Bienvenudos ! Dobro dosli !Not only do you qualify, you qualify more than I do! :)! In fact I think it would be cool to meet up for a coffee sometime!
Are your friends that participate also in Sarajevo? Elsewhere in BiH?

No, my friends are in the States. But I would be very interested in a Sarajevo meet up if anyone else is in town.

annde, one other Sarajeven has shown up on the BiH message board, please pardon the lateness of my reply, S.

Since there is no particular thread here for Romania, and I need a Home Region, according to the rules - I was hoping that you'll admit my presence around. My country is a SE European one, but our Balcanic roots are well known around the world, so, if you agree, I'll stick in here :)

Hey everyone :)

Like Savepureness, I too am Romanian, and rather excited to be here -- after all, it's not every day you can say "Yeah, well, I'm a novelist" and keep a straight face :)

So, by your leave, I'll also stick around. I promise to only misbehave in writing.

Welcome to both Savepureness and rockeh! Yes Romania counts!

Welcome to both Savepureness and rockeh! Yes Romania counts!

Welcome to both Savepureness and rockeh! Yes Romania counts!

Welcome to both Savepureness and rockeh! Yes Romania counts!

Everyone is surely welcome. The more the merrier! :)
Have you all started writing jet? I wonder what genre is prevailing among us? I'm still undecided, but let's say that my novel will be mainstream.

I have about 13 handwritten pages so far (I only got inspired yesterday :/ ) and the genre I've settled upon is fantasy, of the Dying Earth genre (details here).

I must confess that so far it draws very heavilly on Jack Vance's Dying Earth series, but I plan to smooth things out in December, when I'll most likely re-write the whole thing :)

well, mine is sort of hard to put neatly into a box, some elements are chick lit, some are detective fiction, and some elements are satire.

well, mine is sort of hard to put neatly into a box, some elements are chick lit, some are detective fiction, and some elements are satire.

zdravo svima! I hope everyone is writing up a storm! I have a start on my fourth chapter. I need to do something about home access to the internet, soon! The sooner the better. I am having to come to an internet cafe to update stuff and check general e-emails, and my ankle while a little better is not 100%. And this is a family internet cafe, I love it. I am going to put it in the book Seriously.

Had the first meet-up between just two Sarajevo novelists, others should get in touch if they are in the Sarajevo area.

I am going to send contact info, and we can see about a general meet-up. Take care narodi! be happy and write good stuff.