USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Purple Seal!

The.Bride — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:35:50 +0000

I thought you all would like to see how I managed to interweave the "Purple Seal" challenge in a book that has no aquatic mammals involved. I thought I was pretty dang clever. ;)

Quote:

The final artifact I decide to inspect is a document written on a massive sheet of parchment, in the elder doctor’s knotted but elegant hand.

On this, the fourteenth day of March, 1813, Doctor Henry Frankenstein and Doctor Eugene Pretorius do so come to the agreement to create, forthwith, a new life. Working in conjunction until the project is completed, Doctors Pretorius and Frankenstein do so agree to pool their respective talents to create said life, female, for the purpose of functioning as a partner and companion to the creature previously manufactured by the aforementioned Doctor Frankenstein.

It’s a contract, signed by both of the doctors mentioned in the introductory paragraph. Pretorius, with the shaky script, and Frankenstein, with the barely comprehensible scratching, his signature only discernable via the process of elimination. There are witnesses as well, names that are so insignificant as to be completely ignorable. The entire package is sealed with wax the color of eggplant, the crest in the center edged in its family name, Frankenstein.

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USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Just Gotta Get There

Maidenfine — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:19:04 +0000

Since we're going into the last week, I'm sure plenty of you are feeling the pressure of whatever amount of words you have left to type. I know I am. Thanksgiving is always the start of holiday chaos for me, so my goal is to finish before then. But there are some days that inspiration is hard to find. So what ways have you been inspiring yourselves? I actually had to go back to chocolate yesterday, just to break myself out of a rut. But since I'm so close, I'm encouraging myself in 1667 word intervals. And I'm using something that all of us should have.

That is the handout that we got that says "30 Days Hath November" at the top. I use the heck out of that thing. On the calendar, I write down my daily word counts and I outline each box based on whether I did at least 1667 words or not. Then, in the listing on the left side, I color in each word count as I reach it, and I color in each day as it ends. That way I can see at a glance how far ahead/behind I am. And then the bottom part is pretty self-explanatory. You get to color in a box for each 10k. But I have become so obsessed with filling in the little boxes, that I can now use them for motivation. Just another 1667 words until I can fill in another box. . . Just another 1667 words until I can fill in another box. . . and so on. And I always fill in the box as soon as I pass the count. I don't wait to do three or four at a time. They lose their punch that way.

So what things have the rest of you been using to keep your fingers moving?
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30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Help me get my Characters out!

Klane — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:20:46 +0000

My characters are surrrounded by millions of zombies. Any ideas? There is no stinking way out of this. It's insane....
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-Klane

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

What are your noveling goals this weekend?

lysistrata — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:35:35 +0000

Are you playing catch up to get to today's word count goal? (33,333 for 11/20, 35,000 for 11/21, 36,667 for 11/22)

Are you working ahead to bank some words for the Thanksgiving holidays, or are you counting on those precious days off to give you the time you need to come from behind and triumph?

Are you close enough to push yourself to reach 50,000 words before Monday?

Are you past 50,000 but still trying to get your story told?

Share your goals and strategies here, and pass on encouragement to other writers.

For me, my word count (for the first year ever in 7 years of doing nano) is in excellent shape but my story is not. My weekend goals revolve around the fact that I maybe have pushed my meandering coming-of-age story around into a romance, but I'm really going to have to work at building some powerful scenes between my main characters if my novel is going to come to some sort of conclusion by November 30th. And then there are the loose ends from all of the stuff I randomly brought into the first 30K that I'll need to try to tie up! I am pretty sure my novel timeline takes place between May and August, so my goal for the weekend is to get things progressed past the 4th of July to a major scene I know is coming up....or which I *hope* is coming up, if my characters behave at all.

Give a shout if you need extra encouragement this weekend (and by shout, I mean email or forum post, please, unless you can actually yell loud enough for me to hear you, in which case please don't wake my toddler if she's napping, because that is my writing time.)

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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Noveling woes

Joseph187 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:18:09 +0000

As a couple of you may know, I restarted my novel *seven times* at the beginning of the month because all of my characters were awful. I would start, get up to one or two thousand words in, then scrap it all and begin the horrid cycle again. I went onto the chat we have set up and got some fantastic ideas and tools from maidenfine (thanks by the way!) at the end of week one. There I was all ready to write! Brain brimming with ideas!

So of course I would have a huge assignment due in school, right?

This entire last week has been eaten up by an essay I needed to write for my History of East Asia class. I finally got it done but now I find myself halfway through NaNoWriMo with no words to show.

Tomorrow at the Write In I'm going to be starting over again. This time I'll have done the fantastic worksheets that maidenfine suggested and it will hopefully go much better. I plan to be at 10K by the end of the weekend! I'll be caught up by the end of the week! I feel so ambitious right now. ^_^

Anyone else out there that doesn't have much (or any) of a word count right now, don't give up! In past years I've read about people that wrote their entire book in the final three days! In my first year I wrote 24,000 words on the last day and submitted it at five minutes until midnight.

I'll see everyone at the library tomorrow. I'm bringing two copies of my favorite book (Un Lun Dun by China Mieville) to give to the two people with the highest number of words written during said write in.

みんな-さん、がんばって下さい！

(Everyone, please do your best!)
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USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Challenges!!

Klane — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:24:13 +0000

I know a lot of you like challenges, so here's a few to get the novels flowing.....

1. Include a loud, barking dog in the scene you're writing now...
2. Make one of your characters sneeze unexpectedly in the next chapter
3. Have a loud toddler interrupt a love scene (if you write one)
4. Include text messaging somewhere in the next scene
5. Totally embarass your MC!
6. Have your MC throw up at any point during your novel.
7. Post your excerpts here!
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-Klane

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Is this the Virtual Write in? Here? On these very forums?

Klane — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:01:59 +0000

Okay, hi, most of you don't know me. Well, there's a forum for bios on here somewheres.

Anyway, yes, I have a lethal case of writer's block (terminal, but not contagious) and I'm working.....working......working on it.

Anyway, I'm wready for a friendly, fun write in. Who's writing in with me?
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-Klane

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Most Delicious Cookie. . . and other bribes

Maidenfine — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:59:53 +0000

At the Caffeinate and Chat, I picked up a Snickerdoodle from the pile of cookie bribes. I am behind in my word count this year, and I've never been behind like this before (even the year I didn't win, I was on track until I got stuck and ended up just quitting). So I grabbed a cookie, labeled it with a random sticker of some kind, crossed out whatever was one it and wrote 7000 Total Words. I knew that I needed to hit 7000 to catch up, and it was a nice round number. And while I'd love to say that I hit the goal last night, I didn't. I hit it this "morning" (morning being defined as the time between when I wake up and when I send my husband off to work, so about 1-3:30pm). I have never enjoyed a cookie so much. It was delicious. Who else took a cookie at the Caffeinate and Chat? What word count goal did you put on it? Have you been able to eat it yet?

Also, what other bribes do you guys have in place? I went through my Halloween candy and labelled each piece with a word count. So I have a fun-size candy bribe for every 500 words until about 12500, which is the point where I hope I won't need the bribes to get me writing anymore. My next BIG bribe though, is catching up to the daily goal. When I do that, I get to watch the episode of 90210 that's waiting on my DVR. I think our online write-in will get me that one. And then I think maybe I'll gift myself with a 20-30 minute workout when I hit 10k. Too many candy bribes will make me feel like a cow. And working out is fun (on the Wii Fit Plus, anyway).
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30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

And the secret to my success is.... (share your tips here, or get some great ideas!)

lysistrata — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:43:09 +0000

Have you had a great writing session? An effective bribe? Awesome support from a friend or family member? A word war that left you amazed at your output? A writing session that completely changed the course of your novel? What are the secrets to your successes so far this November?

For me, I'm writing whenever my toddler is asleep. Less sleep for me, but I'm using my lunch hour at work to write (while she's napping at daycare) and then writing at night, too. I knew I would be too distracted to write if she was awake, and I would feel guilty about my novel taking away my brief time with her on days I work. This system is only working because my spouse has picked up ALL of the housework slack that my writing time is creating...so I can't take advantage of this system for too much longer before I'm really going to need to start pitching in again!

Another super successful trick for me has been the classic food bribe. As in -- if I write 500 words, I can eat some chips. Or, I can write 500 words in the time it takes my spouse to microwave me a few nachos as a reward. Or, I have to write 500 words before I can eat the icecream that is sitting here melting next to my keyboard. This isn't sustainable forever either, because last night I actually had so many snacks that I didn't want to write anymore because I started to feel sick! For short term goals though, or when you are hungry, the food bribe is a sure-fire winner. If you don't trust yourself, have someone else adminster the reward food, (or worse, have someone else threaten to eat your reward food if you don't make your word count in time.)

So, what are you using to encourage yourself to churn out hundreds of words? Any advice for someone who needs to snack less and write more?
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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Got awhile before the story climaxes . . .

Macii — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:49:34 +0000

And I want to kill of a main character!

He gets on my nerves so much. He's a total jerk and I don't know why my protagonist puts up with him! Well, I do, but I am feeling very sorry for her having to put up with him. If I make her dump him halfway through the novel it will ruin the climax and she won't grow as a character.

Just needed to vent!

Hope everyone's writing is going well.

I need to get ahead or at least on target for for word count this weekend because I have a couple papers due next week.
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www.maciesmith.com

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

This weekend's write-ins

Maidenfine — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:52:19 +0000

So, I totally spaced off tonight's online write-in. And I also had free tickets to go see Couple's Retreat that we weren't sure we'd be able to use at all if we didn't do it tonight. So I went to a movie as a mostly last-minute plan.

However, we have an online write-in all day this Saturday, that I hope a lot of people will be tuning in for. And then we have the actual live, in-person write-in at the library on Sunday. And my Spidey sense is telling me that it's going to be awesome. My Spidey sense is also telling me that everyone's word counts could get a really huge boost this weekend if people manage to do both write-ins. Last week, on write-in days, I was able to do add 5k. I think maybe this weekend, I'll try to beat those numbers and get at least 6k on Saturday and Sunday.

For those of you that plan to do either of the write-ins this weekend, what kind of numbers are you shooting for? What has been your biggest day so far? Do you want to schedule some word wars on Saturday? I could maybe say that 10 minute word wars will start on the hour, every hour on Saturday. Then, even if you're not in the chat room (or if neither Lyssa nor me are in there), you can still do the word war on your own, you just won't necessarily receive your winner's congratulations.

I am now off to bed (way later than planned) and I will see you all on Saturday and Sunday.
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30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

STUCK AND UNINSPIRED

lysistrata — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:09:59 +0000

That's me.

The first sign was when I took three breaks in a row without adding anything to my word count, which was stuck at the tantalizing 21,994.

Then my spouse caught me reading the wikipedia article about the "Uniform Monday Holiday Act" which pretty obviously didn't relate to my novel in any way. (But was a link from the Veterans Day article, which I was browsing because I was stuck and playing in google.)

And I'll be honest. I think I'm afraid of making something happen. My character is on a self-discovery type of trajectory, and I don't know who she is going to turn out to be. I'm afraid she is going to fall in with the wrong sorts of people, or turn out to be someone I don't really want to spend the next few weeks writing about, or worse, fall in love only halfway through my word count!

So, I'm stuck. And if can't get unstuck by noon, I'm going to draw one of the "Picture worth 1000 word" prompts and hope that it can save me.

Anyone else got a case of the stucks? what are you doing to get back on track with your story?

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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Happy ML Appreciation Day!

alf — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:20:53 +0000

We, here in Topeka, have the best MLs there are. We are so lucky to have Deb and Lissa. They are awesome!!!

Lissa and Deb, you are always there for us to help in any way needed. You make the events fun and creative. You put so much time and effort in to helping us reach our 50,000 when you could be home working on your own word count. That is why Topeka has such a high win percentage. And this year, so many wonderful new people have joined it's going to be even better. (Yea!! New Nanowrimos, we are so glad you are here!)

A big THANK YOU to Deb and Lissa, our two amazing MLs!

~ Amy

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USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Saturday Online Write-In

Maidenfine — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:54:35 +0000

I think I'm just going to use one thread for all the Saturday write-ins. Makes things less cluttered.

Who is around today? What are your goals for the day? Having any problems? Or maybe fun stories of success?

If you need it, here's a site with writing prompts, name generators, and tons of other stuff if you're stuck: http://languageisavirus.com/.

This blogger is writing a dare/prompt for every day in November. If you're feeling uninspired, maybe one of her suggestions will get your brain going: http://lenalothanas.blogspot.com/search/label/NaNoWriMo.
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30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Archive of ML regional emails

lysistrata — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:18:50 +0000

For those of us who have started writing, it seems to be going well. We have 26 writers in our region who have posted a word count update since writing began November 1.

Based on the current stats for our region (United States :: Kansas :: Topeka) our total word count is 195,000, our average word count per writer is 4,431 and the donations sent in from our region total 555.00 so far. I hope to see all of those numbers getting much higher over the coming days and weeks!
Some of you may be waiting to update your word count on the nanowrimo site – but don’t keep us in suspense!

Some of you may not have started writing yet, but it’s not too late. If you start writing today, November 4th, you only need 6668 words to be caught up, or you need to average an extra 250 word a day for the rest of the month. Either way, you can still write your novel this November!

Our Current Topeka Top Ten Word Counts (as of noon on Wednesday 11-4)
(calculated using the Search tab, Author search, limited to Topeka region)
Gaelic Girl 15523
lysistrata 12281
tianne 11033
brad.allen 9163
steeter 8533
seliza78 7338
WholeHeart 6529
RomanTwilight 6505
Dragle 6326
sarahsmf 6021
letswrite 5928

Local and online Events in the next few days include
Caffeinate and Chat TONIGHT, Nov 4, 6pm at the Classic Bean. Come grab a bite to eat, chat with fellow writers and then head home full of caffeine and inspiration to help boost your word count.

Virtual Write In Thursday night 5pm-midnight and Saturday
From the comfort of your own computer, join us in the Topeka regional forums http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1010169
or in our meebo chat room http://www.tscpl.org/programs/comments/chat_room/
and write your heart out!

Have you gotten stuck yet? Had a character hijack the story in a new direction? Are you dealing with the unexpected in your novel?
If you need new ideas or need to refocus, many of Topeka ML Maidenfine’s pre-writing links are great for in-the-midst-of-the-brainstorm help as well. Find them on her blog here: http://maidenfine.wordpress.com/category/writing/nanowrimo/

Email or nanomail me if you have any questions or need some extra encouragement, or give a shout in the forums to get help from your entire support-network of Topeka writers!

Lissa / lysistrata

p.s.
If you don’t read the Breaking News on the center of the nanowrimo.org site, you might have missed this gem from Chris Baty earlier this week---
There's an old folk saying that goes: Whenever you delete a sentence in your NaNoWriMo novel, a NaNoWriMo angel loses its wings and plummets, screaming, to the ground.

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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Online Write-In 11-5

Maidenfine — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:19:26 +0000

Alright, who's with me to try and reach 10k tonight?!

I've been behind, but I've been writing up a storm today and I'm hoping to continue that tonight. Anyone with a similar word count want to race to 10k?

I've logged into the chat room (http://www.tscpl.org/programs/comments/chat_room/), so feel free to join me in there if you want to do shorter word wars. Or just talk about where you're at and what your crazy characters are up to.
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30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Introduce yourself please!

lysistrata — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:41:16 +0000

Hi, I'm Lissa, one of your Topeka Municipal Liaisons. I am more-than-a-little nanowrimo obsessed, particularly in October and November each year. I've won nanowrimo 6 times, and the first year was the hardest because I didn't know anyone else who was trying this frantic writing adventure. I think that attending a few events and connecting with a few writing buddies in the forums is an important element to most people's success. (Plus, if you don't attend at least one in-person event, you won't be able to get your official stickers from Nanowrimo headquarters!)

My role as municipal liaison is to offer support and encouragement to you, answer your questions, help you get unstuck, share all of the plot ninjas, tips and tricks, challenges, bribes, etc. that I can come up with to help you keep writing throughout November and be here for you all month long until you cross the 50,000 word goal line.

On a more personal note, this November I will be fitting Nanowrimo into working at the library (which is why so many of our events are scheduled there!) and my family life, which now includes my spouse and our 14 month old little girl. Last year, I was still on maternity leave half of the month and writing with a 2 month old who slept a lot was a fairly manageable. I'm not sure how this year will go, but if it possible to get even less sleep and still survive until December 1, I'm going to pull it off. I usually try to write something a little different every year, and then I end up writing some sort of romance. I don't have an idea for this year yet, but since about half of the previous years I have started over from scratch on day 2 or 3 and still won, I'm not worried. Yet.

Introduce yourself please, sharing whatever would like your writing community to know about you!
What do you think your challenges will be will be this November?
If you are returning to Nano, how have your past Novembers gone?
If you are new, what are you excited about?

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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Never Fails

sarahsmf — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:50:00 +0000

Each and every year that I do NaNo, I end up sick.
I woke up last night sick with what seems to be the flu (non-H1N1, based on symptoms). My whole plan of staying up all night and writing my heart out? Yeah, out the window due to needing Nyquil and sleep, LOL.

Anyone else have this same problem, of each year, getting sick?

Any suggestions on how to keep myself motivated when I just want to climb into bed and sleep?
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Twitter: Sarah_CB
Plurk: sarah_tm2ts
NaNoBlog: thewriter.sigsnmore.com
PersonalBlog: http://tm2ts.sarahsmidntfantasy.com
GoogleWave: tm2ts_blog@googlewave.com

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Virtual Online Kickoff

lysistrata — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:43:05 +0000

Don't fret if you can't attend one of our fabulous kickoff events (Monday October 26, 7pm and Saturday October 31, 2pm at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library). You can still download these handouts and articles to help you get started with your 50,000 words in 30 days novel writing experience.

If you are a returning Wrimo novelist, please share your best or favorite "kickoff party" advice in this thread.

This article summarizes most of the advice from former participants that is typically shared at a kickoff event. If you can’t attend a kickoff event, this is worth a quick read (about 5 pages long).
http://www.wikihow.com/Participate-in-NaNoWriMo

Downloadable and Online Writing resources galore
Not sure where your story is going or how to use scenes to build suspense? Check out this “Outline for 50000 word novel of 20 chapters - 2500 words each” This is a seven page document, but the first three pages are the most relevant to outlining. http://kalindria.googlepages.com/Outline50K20Chap.rtf

Need plot or character ideas? Check out these downloads from another Nanowrimo group – use the links under “Plotting and World Building” http://dennanos.org/?page_id=69

The Seventh Sanctum is an automated generator service. You click a button and it randomly spits out every possible character, setting, plot, weapon, etc, you could ever imagine http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-writ.php

Explore the Dare Thread in the forums. Because NaNoWriMo without the Dare Thread just would not be NaNoWriMo at all. http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3264019

Online motivation for virtual write ins or encouragement
Post in the Topeka forums to organize a virtual write in with other people in our region. http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1010169

If you are on your own and need a 10 or 15 minutes challenge, check out Write or Die, a site that uses scare and pressure tactics to get you to write http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

Support Nanowrimo
If you love Nanowrimo, or even enjoy it a little bit, and especially if you are participating this year, please make an effort to donate to help support their noveling goodness. See Donating when Broke http://www.nanowrimo.org/donatingwhenbroke and also donate and shop at the store https://store.lettersandlight.org/
Nanowrimo provides information on where your donations go http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/wheredonationsgo including their budget.

Download these flyers at http://www.tscpl.org/programs/comments/national_novel_writing_month_hand...

Flyer for Topeka Nanowrimo 2009 events (1 page pdf) Topeka Nanowrimo events schedule 2009
Paper-based Nanowrimo tracking device (1 page pdf) Print your own word count tracking system with charts and graphs
The Two Magna Cartas of Novel Writing (1 page pdf) aka The most important advice from Chris Baty, founder of National Novel Writing Month
Interactive Word Count Spreadsheet created by Dragle (xls) Excel document to add your word count each day, with charts and graphs!

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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Online Write Ins coming soon to a computer near you! (thursdays and saturdays)

lysistrata — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:48:29 +0000

Join us in the forums for word wars, challenges and inspiration. Post your goals, and write, write, write! Every Thursday evening and Saturday, online only.

Lissa (lysistrata) will be setting up a meebo chat room and publish the instructions for how to join as a guest so that you can easily challenge other Topeka writers to word wars during our online write ins.

Of course, if Topeka folks would like to advertise where they will be writing (public places like library, coffeeshop, etc.) you can organize some additional in-person write-ins as well.
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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Our Topeka Meebo Virtual Chat Room

lysistrata — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:24:28 +0000

http://www.tscpl.org/programs/comments/chat_room/

I set up this chat room so that we can use it for our scheduled word wars and virtual write ins -- I couldn't embed the code on the nano forums, so I put in on a page on the library's website instead, the link is above.

This is a meebo chat room, you don't need a specific login to use it, just click to chat, then it asks for your age and gender, and before it posts your first comment is asks you to choose a nickname. Obviously it would be easiest if you choose your nano username or real first name or something else your fellow writers might recognize, but everyone's comfort level on Internet sharing is different, so please do what you need to do!

Since the nanowrimo.org website is likely to be overloaded the first few days of November, this also gives us a handy place to check in with each other if we can't get into the forums as often as we would like.

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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

No Plot, No Problem: how are you getting ready for nanowrimo?

lysistrata — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:48:13 +0000

In addition to being the title of Nanowrimo founder Chris Baty's excellent book about how to write a novel in 30 days, it is a the way that many of us begin the month of November.

By the end of the month of November though, you will have been on an exciting journey with your characters and your plot will all come together for a satisfying conclusion right after your cross that 50,000 word finish line.

But in late October and early November, you may very well be considering embarking on a novel writing adventure to destinations unknown with characters you haven't met yet and settings you will discover as you go.

DON'T WORRY.

Start watching the world around you for an idea that you could spend a month with...read through Maidenfine's prewriting links for inspiration, or simply wait for the clock to count down to November 1 and start writing whatever occurs to you after midnight.

Some years I have started with a vague idea, sometimes just a character or two, and several years I have started writing one thing only to start over on day 2 or 3 with something completely different.

This is my seventh nano-novel coming up and this weekend I thought of a possibly great idea. I won't share it here, because, honestly, I'm trying hard not to think about it. I have a beginning for a story, and I want to wait until I'm writing in November to let the characters help me figure out the middle and the ending.

At the grocery this weekend, my spouse asked "do you need any special foods for November?" At his insistence, I stocked up on some indian microwave meals and some supplies for nachos and homemade granola.

How are you getting ready for Nanowrimo this year? What have you done in previous years that worked for you?

Don't forget to attend one of our KICKOFF EVENTS to share fun and helpful advice with other writers, plus get the official swag (stickers) from NaNo headquarters and other inspiring goodies and handouts to get you through the month.

TOPEKA KICKOFF EVENTS at the Topeka Public Library, 1515 SW 10th Ave.
How to Write a Novel in 30 Days - 7-8 pm, Monday, October 26, Marvin 101C
Kickoff Social 2-3 pm, Saturday, October 31, Millennium Café

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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

30 Days of Prewriting Links

lysistrata — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:54:02 +0000

Debra/Maidenfine is publishing a column called "30 Days of PreWriting" on her blog.
http://maidenfine.wordpress.com/category/writing/nanowrimo/
With her permission, I'll be reposting her links here.

October 1/ Day 1:
Before we can get into all the great tools, articles, and nitty-gritty prewriting stuff, it always helps to start with something a little more general. Like this article at the KU Writing Center about prewriting and the most common forms it comes in.

For NaNoWriMo, there are a lot of people that skip prewriting except in its most basic forms (like brainstorming). But everyone should do at least a little. And for people who find themselves getting stuck in the middle of a scene, an outline can be incredibly helpful. I find that I often don’t want to write in a completely linear fashion and an outline makes that something that I can do without losing track of my story.
Today’s Link: http://www.writing.ku.edu/~writing/guides/prewriting.shtml

October 2/ Day 2:
Brainstorming
Today’s Link: http://www.jpb.com/creative/brainstorming.php

October 3/ Day 3:
Plotting and Outlining
Today’s Link: http://www.spacejock.com.au/PlottingANovel.html

October 4/ Day 4:
Free Writing
Today’s Link: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/composition/brainstorm_freewrite....

October 5/ Day 5:
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?
The Six Journalists Questions are a great way to get a feel for your novel.
Today’s Link: http://www.writingclasses.com/InformationPages/index.php/PageID/106

October 6/ Day 6:
Now that we’ve covered the basics of prewriting, it’s time to start getting into the nitty-gritty. Today’s link is to an article with information about preparing to NaNoWriMo. Down at the bottom, there are also links to other articles with similar information. Sometimes, I find that just reading about things that I can do to get ready gets my mind going in that direction.
Today’s Link: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/421243/how_to_prepare_for_nanow

October 7/ Day 7:
I love character questionnaires. You can find at least a dozen different kinds on the internet and in books. So it’s always possible to find one that will ask the right question to make your character “speak” to you.
Today’s Link: http://www.roleplayingtips.com/articles/character_questionnaire.php

I'll post more as Maidenfine writes them, or you can follow along directly on her blog: http://maidenfine.wordpress.com/category/writing/nanowrimo/

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Perhaps my entire novel can be written during hours and minutes that my toddler is sleeping. Perhaps not.

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Writers Workshop

Maidenfine — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:31:39 +0000

I don't know how many of you are interested in writing workshops or do any kind of writing during the rest of the year, but Kansas Writers Inc has a workshop coming up this weekend. It's tomorrow (I know, I never think of these things in advance) at the library (for the workshop part) and it's free. Here's the info from the KWI site:

Quote:

October 24, 2009
Spend the day with published authors Kimberly Killion and Angela Johnson. Kim is joining us from her home near St. Louis to offer a talk about the road to getting published. She's particularly enthusiastic about the power of critique groups and contests to push your career ahead, so Kim will share her experiences at a talk from 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. (No charge for KWI members; and we're waiving the $10 fee for non-members.) Then we'll head for lunch at a local restaurant (to be announced) and on to a book signing for Kim and Angela at Barnes & Noble at 2 p.m. Reservations are needed for this workshop as seating is limited. Please email Morgan Chilson to reserve your seat!

The email for Morgan is morgan (at) exactlywrite (dot) net.
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30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair

USA :: Kansas :: Topeka

Hello and Welcome

Maidenfine — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:47:25 +0000

Since I know Lissa is currently out of town, I guess I get to do the big Welcome thread. So exciting!

First off, for anyone that didn't get the email,

Quote:

October is almost here, and with it comes the relaunch of the 2009 NaNoWriMo site on October 1, 2009. New goodies are already available in the store, and don't forget to make a donation to help support the wonderfulness that is National Novel Writing Month.

Here are some events that will be happening for Topeka, Kansas NaNoWriMo writers this year. Note at the bottom of the list that the library (which sponsors many of our events) is offering special NaNoWriMo events for teens 12-17 this year.

Please share this information with anyone who might want to join our merry band of writers, either person at events or online through the Kansas :: Topeka regional forum.

Cheers,
Lissa Staley (lysistrata)
6 time nanowrimo winner and your Topeka, KS Municipal Liaison since 2004

PRE-WRITING EVENT
Building Worlds One Word at a Time
7-8 pm, Tuesday, October 6, Anton Room 202
Get a jump start (without cheating!) by learning to lay the groundwork for characters, plots and fictional worlds.
Topeka Public Library, 1515 SW 10th Ave.

KICKOFF EVENTS
How to Write a Novel in 30 Days
Fun and helpful advice from former participants, plus official swag (stickers) from NaNo headquarters and other inspiring goodies to get you through the month.
7-8 pm, Monday, October 27, Marvin 101C
Kickoff Social
2-3 pm, Saturday, October 31, Millennium Café
Topeka Public Library, 1515 SW 10th Ave.

CAFFEINATE AND CHAT
Socialize with other NaNoWriMo writers, share ideas to get unstuck, grab a bite to eat and get inspired and caffeinated for more writing
6-7 pm, Wednesday November 4
6-7 pm, Wednesday, November 18
Classic Bean, 21st and Fairlawn

WRITE-A-THON
Participants meet to add to their daily word count, compete in word wars, take writing dares and further their plots. 16 computers available, or bring your own laptop!
Sunday, November 15, 1-5 pm
Topeka Public Library, 1515 SW 10th Ave.

FINISH LINE CELEBRATION
Thank God It’s Over! Celebrate your amazing accomplishment with other writers before you return to your boring slow-paced post-NaNo life.
6-7 pm, Tuesday, December 1
Classic Bean, 21st & Fairlawn

YOUNG WRITERS PROGRAM [12-17 years*]
Write a Novel in 30 Days
Calling all aspiring writers! Do something crazy and challenging this November –
write a novel from scratch in one month’s time! Get inspired with word wars, plot ninjas, fun stickers, writing dares, and other ways to boost your novel in a month adventure. Visit ywp.NaNoWriMo.org to sign up. *The library-sponsors programs for 12-17 year olds, but the Young Writers Program is for all writers 17 and younger.
Information and Kickoff Sessions
Tue Oct 20, 27 17 3:30–4:30 pm
Write-In and Encouragement Sessions
Nov 3, 17 3:30–4:30 pm
at The Edge, Topeka Public Library

For anyone that's new or still needs to figure out their novel, I'm doing 30 Days of Prewriting at my blog. I put up a few links here last year, but I found that I didn't visit the forum absolutely every day. So, in order to make sure I give you the full 30 days, I'm doing it at my blog where I can write things ahead and schedule them. The link is in the forum header with the other regional information.

I hope everyone plans to come to as many events as they can. They're a lot of fun, you get goodies, and they're just generally very inspiring. I look forward to a year of totally huge wordcounts this year.
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30 Days of Prewriting: maidenfine.wordpress.com
2006 - I'm Afraid I Have to Kill You Now (Unfinished)
2007 - Elemental (Winner)
2008 - Hunting Lark (Winner)
2009 - Becoming Flair