Adoption Agency

I think that's a great idea. We would be able to help each other keep the word count up by having that one person who lives near by cheering you on. I am up to adopt anyone, I am always online and love to encourage new writers.

Characters take on life sometimes by luck, but I suspect it is when you can write more entirely out of yourself, inside the skin, heart, mind, and soul of a person who is not yourself, that a character becomes in his own right another human being on the p

I'd be willing to adopt... as long as said adoptee is completely self-sufficient until after October 26th. And doesn't beat me. Badly.

Adjectives on the typewriter
He moves his words like a prize fighter
The frenzied pace of the mind inside the cell
-Cake

I would be happy to adopt. Interested persons may leave themselves in a basket on my doorstep.

Note: in real life, I coordinate a tutoring/mentoring program at a local college, and half of my job is advising students about time management, success skills, etc. So, if anyone is worried about juggling academics and NaNo, I would be delighted to consult.

This is a great idea! I'll just put myself up for adoption then, shall I?

I'm a first year newbie hoping to find someone to talk me through this scary mess I've gotten myself into. ;) And when I say talk, I do mean talk. I think best when I have someone to use as a springboard for my ideas, and I usually end up being surprised by coming at a problem from a new angle I hadn't considered. I have several years of fanfiction writing under my belt (What? Don't look at me like that!) but this is the first time that I've tried my hand at original fiction. I'm already struggling to put my characters together, so I'd like someone to talk to about it, and I love constructive criticism. I also tend to write very slowly and overthink everything, so I could use a mentor who will tell me to just get over it and write, already! Sometimes I need a drill sergeant and sometimes I need a cheerleader. ;)

In case it makes a difference to potential mentors out there: I get off of work early in the afternoon, I plan on attending the Sunday write-ins fairly regularly, and I already have a pretty fleshed out idea of what I want to write. My project is basically a fantasy/sci fi adventure story with spiritual undertones, and it's geared towards young adult readers. And yes, I had something of a dilemma when choosing my genre on the author information page.

About me personally, I'm 26, I have degrees in Biology and Secondary Education, and I spend way too much time online. I have an unhealthy obsession with movies, television, and Starbuck's Frappuccino. I have a freakish ability to procrastinate anything. I can't keep a plant alive to save my soul, but I love pets, and my pride and joy is an English bulldog named Bailey. My three writing necessities are music, salty snacks, and caffeine in any of its many delicious forms. I love the beach, and when I win the lottery I will buy a house on the Mediterranean and live there and do nothing but write and go fishing in the ocean. :D

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." ~Jack London

a note from the KCNAB--Kansas City NaNoWriMo Adoption Bureau:

The above potential adoptive Wrimos have been generally assessed for suitability, via write-in interviews and on-line presence, and have long proven their ability to fulfill obligations.

---
gah, I swear, I am not writing any bureaucratese for this year's nanovel...

poetT / Teri
the ML in the black hat
United States::Missouri::Kansas City metro area

Hey Leo. We'll look after you.

It's exciting that you have your idea ready. And don't worry--I can yell at you for overthinking; I know plenty about that. You'll have plenty of cheerleaders here, too, though in my case you may have to settle for sardonic cheerleader. (It works.)

You're going to have a great November.

O^O Someone adopt me!! I'm a newbie this year (sorta) and I've been trying to prepare for this ALL YEAR. (dead serious) I'm a writer in general, but most of my stories never finish or even get very far. I have a habit of jumping from plot to plot. I suppose I would need someone who can keep me on track. ^///^; Plus, school gives me a serious writer's block issue and makes me grapple with time management (something I'm not good at to begin with *major procrastinator*) to do homework and projects along with NaNo.

It would be nice to have someone to talk with at the write-ins, considering I'm EXTREMELY shy in person, despite how I am on the internet. I get along better with adults than I do people my age (13 almost 14) and I like a good conversation. Now that I'm off track, maybe someone to meet up with at the write-ins? I'm going to the one in downtown KC. (On the Missouri side ^_^)

Just FYI, I'm still trying to sort out the finer details of my characters and I'm in the extremely long process of world building. I'm basing this off a few dreams I've had before that caught my interest. AKA, the only ones I remember. My protagonists are essentially set up and I'm still working on my antagonists. I still need to work out most of my plot and the little details. I've got character sheets in a notebook and I haven't gotten to anything past my second antagonist. (There are many) Plot, side characters, sub-plots and whatnot still need to be worked out.

Sorry if I ramble, but I'm really worked up about this. I was already wound tight, but this is making me screwy!!

( ) ( )
(o o)
(v_v) Bunny........... *drools*

Hey Leo, I have the same dream about the Mediterranean minus the fishing!!

I would like to be adopted also. I am brand new to writing (in general) and to NaNoWriMo in particular. I need someone who can help prod me along as I have no idea how I am going to write 50,000 words in a month's time while juggling all the other things in my life. Would said adoption agency consider providing babysitting services too? Just kidding :)
I need someone who can answer my stupid questions.
I am writing in the YA genre about a 14 year old girl who gets pregnant (and the fallout thereafter)

Hey, halcali. We'll get you officially adopted soon.

It sounds like you're doing a lot of prep--that's great. (Worldbuilding kills me.) Of course, even if you can't get everything worked out ahead of time, you'll be fine. This is all about making it up as you go. It's pretty amazing to see your story unfold, whether or not it goes in the direction you expected.

Who knows--maybe NaNo can even help you with the procrastination... If you tell yourself you have to do homework first, it may be a great motivator. As for my scheduling, I think I'm actually going to start fitting "NaNo time" into my days this week So, tomorrow, or Friday, I'll make sure that I squeeze in an hour for NNWM reading/prep, and the same on Saturday. (Sunday will feel like NaNo all day!) That way I can see what I have to do or rearrange or give up in order to have my writing time.

Don't get too screwy--this should be fun, as well as insane. :)

Breezyday, I'm a huge fan of stupid questions. (Actually, I think the only stupid questions are the ones we don't ask.) Between the four of us, we should be able to answer quite a few of them. We'll see who's best suited to adopt you.

As for babysitting, er... get back to you on that. ;) Though, on the subject of kids, perhaps you should warn them that they will be doing all the chores in November. :) I'll let the actual parents give you advice on that part of the juggling routine; still, I am a big fan of delegating.

So, just how much are you juggling? Did you say 12, 9, 5, 4? And work? You may have to be creative with scheduling. But remarkable things are possible, in just 1667 words per day.

On the other thread, if a competent (at the very least in their eyes) Adopter sees a description of an adoptee that strikes a chord ('hey, I've got kids' - or 'hey, I'm a high school student and I rocked last time' or 'in fact, penguins are the pinnacle of evolution') then they would private message/nanomail that person and propose a match. The adoptee has every right to get to know someone a little, and if it's a bad match, pee on the carpet too much or eat expensive shoes and reject the match, put themselves back up for adoption (no foul, no harm), practicing their puppy eyes for the next match.

Now, inkwet_image, I think (correct me if I'm wrong), wants to do some of that assignation (character-assignation? heh.) herself, so maybe she'll step in and let us know how it's going to work - or maybe it's going on in the background.
Are you going to match people up at the kick-off, if they are there? Or what's the plan?

might want to get those that stepped forward a match so the prep work for the coming week is started and jitters are calmed.

and if the lurkers see that those that stepped forward get a match, maybe more of those lurkers will put themselves out here.

I think it really helps to have a cheerleader helping you along - some specific person to help you get your butt in the chair and your pen on paper or your hands on the keyboard.

Oh, I can adopt too - if I'm found worthy.

We can all win this!

What am I juggling?
Here is my typical day: Wake up at 6:20, get kids up for school. Pack lunches, bye bye, kiss kiss. Drive kids to school b/c there is no bus (darn)
Go to work. (Stop at QT for required caffeinated beverage) Work several hours. It varies, some days I work 8:30-5, some days 8:30 to noon, some days don't get to come home until next AM (rarely). That only happens if I am on call which is at most once a week. (call has it's benefits, though as sometimes I am required to be there, but have to wait around for things to happen- good writing time away from little ones!)
Come home, make dinner (wish I married a chef...)
Homework (7th grade math sucks even as an adult), tubbies, storytime, put kids to bed (mama's favorite time of day).
Collapse at about 10:30 or 11:00

It is interesting. Some days I have blocks of 3-4 hours I could use for writing. I will just have to capitalize on that time. And, I will be requiring more of my Hubbie during November...

And I forgot-I am throwing a baby shower for 18 people at my house in November. Fortunately, it is the 3rd- so I will have it over with quickly. Also, BTW, it is Girl Scout cookie season and I am a troop leader for my 9 year old's troop.

I think I need some xanax...

Well, Breezyday, as I expected, you definitely beat me for busy.
p.s. I will probably need a box of thin mints.

Mike, don't wait on me--claim whoever you want to adopt. I'd love to see the new kids snatched up write away. [mispelling intentional.] If you want me to parse them out--*shuffles paperwork*--well, you got my email.

I think I've got leo, already--but if my adoption makes your prada heels look tasty, leo, you can nanomail one of the other adopters. :)

So if she doesn't find me unworthy, I know right now that she's going to finish (before Thanksgiving even), so I'd like to sign the Adoption papers. I like my adoptees to finish ahead of schedule and within budget.

I've written several of my Nanovels in the YA genre and I'm not as scared to death now that my older daughter is going to tell us she's pregnant, but it has bothered me in the past.

PM/Nanomail me if you'd like to accept or reject me (can't hurt my feelings, I hide those in a tiny blue gem that I store beneath a mountain to the left of Canada).

I'll buy four boxes of Thin Mints. But only three boxes if you reject me....nah, I'll take four - either way.

I'm adopting my wife, leogrrrl, this year, but I'm still willing to share stories and help encourage anyone else that may be needing a boost through this next month.

My wife attempted NaNoWriMo with me in 2006, but she bowed out because of stress and pressure from work obligations and other things. However, she has a great story idea (different than what's currently listed on her site) and I'm trying to encourage her to see it through.

Progress report to the Kansas City NaNoWriMo Adoption Bureau:
All newbies currently in the agency have been adopted. The Adoption Agency is waiting for additional newbies (and prepared to re-assign any newbies who would like new adopters.)

*coughcough*
Lemme try that again.

Who else wants to be adopted? leo_grrl, halcali, Breezyday, and leogrrrl have been adopted, and we've still got plenty of vets willing and happy to look after newbies.

I do have a question here, I realize that leo_grrl has already been adopted by inkwet_image -- you can even see the family resemblance (the underscore, duh) -- but is this like adopting a child or like adopting a pet? Do we have to get our newbies spayed or neutered?

That being said... I would offer to do some adoptin' but I'm afraid I'll fail. I mean , I can cheerlead and such, but that feels like too little to offer. halcali is still in need, folks! Adopt the poor thing! Don't leave her on display in the window!

Edeyn Hannah Blackeney -- the Lexivorous Word Witch
co-ML for US::MO::KC // US::KS::KC

actually, halcali has been adopted.

but there are more adopters waiting...... if you need that personal kick in the pants, or a friendly email encouraging you to place said pants into the chair so you can write your little fingers off, throw out your name, maybe what your situation is or what you're writing, and we'll get you matched up.

step right up - no medical procedures, just firm, but gentle coaxing through the month and through the 50K of your story.

We can all help and we can all succeed!

We have both a "leo_grrl" and a "leogrrrl"? Oy. I didn't realize it was such a common name.

Adjectives on the typewriter
He moves his words like a prize fighter
The frenzied pace of the mind inside the cell
-Cake

I don't need full food and shelter, I just need someone to keep a good pace with on this maiden voyage into NaNoWriMo... and by good pace I don't mean someone who will turn in 300k words in the month. LOL So i'll toss my name out for adoption.

DIG£ST FOR FR£AKS 小林丸

I need a home. Tomorrow feels like D-Day right now.

I'm writing a suspense novel for my first nano project. Other commitments include a hectic IT career with a huge workload planned for November, taking guardianship of my 16 year old sister, and working in the writing lab at school. Thank goodness I'm not actually enrolled in classes this semester.

I mostly just need someone to poke me and check on my word count. I'm a huge procrastinator - DON'T LET ME GET AWAY WITH IT!

I'm sure someone can run alongside you, Surlaw. Want to hear a confession? I totally misread your post earlier, and thought you said that you did want to do 300k in a month. Good job, inkwet. Well, never fear, you will be adopted properly.
Pacing is an excellent plan... You will go far at 1667wpd.

And we'll have you adopted soon, angelraven. It does sound like you'll be busy. Luckily, that probably means you won't have time to procrastinate--or if you do, you'll have to put off NaNo with work, and put off work with--actually, don't put off work. And don't worry about tomorrow, angelraven. Have fun with it. It's only the first day--all you have to do is Get Started.

Hmmm... an hour and a half to go. I can probably get these two. I will definitely be writing every day, and if I double my last year's word count again I'll be moving at a fairly easy pace to hit 50k, but not so fast that Surlaw the Mai won't be able to keep up (koo koo katchoo). Plus I'll be logging in regularly and can keep an eye on angelraven's word count; I'm excellent at writing friendly chiding messages when I get ahead of someone. Pray for snow, Inkwet! :)

Adjectives on the typewriter
He moves his words like a prize fighter
The frenzied pace of the mind inside the cell
-Cake

Hello all. This is my first year, obviously. I'm 20 years old and in my junior year of college, working towards a BA in Creative Writing. I opted to get all my general ed requirements out of the way first, so I don't start my first real writing courses till next semester, though I did take some in highschool. But so far, not a whole lot of formal training (and thusly, a severe lack of deadlines), so hopefully this will be good for me. I really need to get my butt in gear.

I'm also doing this for personal reasons. I'm currently working on trying to break my OCD (as much as one can), and being tossed into this sort of chaos will force me to examine my priorities and (hopefully) throw a few compulsions to the side. My condition is generally relatively mild, but times of stress can make it flare up. So, in an attempt to handle this new experience in the best way I can, I might bend a few rules. If I absolutely cannot write 2k of my novel one day, I'll write 2k on some other piece (I've got one I need to finish anyways) and count it towards my total. I haven't really come to a decision about sharing the entirety of my NaNoWriMo novel anyways. It's going to be a personal memoir. I figure it's something easy to get out on the page, and should be theraputic as well.

Basically, this is my first year, and so I'm trying not to drown in the experience. I'm wading in slowly, and taking what lessons I can from it. Next year though... I'm diving in head first, and fully expect the flailing and screaming to be an interesting ordeal. =)

SweetNightshade has been adopted by me...we are the same age so we kind of know what is going on in each other's life...

We can do this...

Characters take on life sometimes by luck, but I suspect it is when you can write more entirely out of yourself, inside the skin, heart, mind, and soul of a person who is not yourself, that a character becomes in his own right another human being on the p

umm my name is angela or you can call me waffles... I'm a newbie and i was wondering if someone could help me along and let me know i'm not the only one going crazy!!!

"An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind..."

Trust me, you're not alone. I'm new to this also, and between work, kids, hubby, pets, and general running around like a madwoman, I have trouble finding the time and/or inspiration to write.

Moosebane

Waffles & melodygrady,

I'm a newbie to NaNo, as well. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone - however, that does not mean you're not also crazy. Or so the voices keep telling me.

Agh, my word count is low. Must type until my fingers bleed. Agh!

dadgecko

Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.

That novel in me is fighting to get out! Anyone know where I can get a reliable laptop cheap? Writing longhand is okay, but I think faster than I write!!

Moosebane