USA :: California :: Chico

November 24, The day of Donating Dangerously!

casimira — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:40:56 +0000

Dear Chico NaNos,

Today, Tuesday, November 24, is a very important day in NaNoWriMo history. Today is the day that fabulous NaNoWriMo participants around the world reach deep into their metaphorical pockets and donate $100,000 to the Office of Letters and Light. (Not each, mind you, but in individual donations of $10 or more.) When this incredible fundraising goal is met, there will be much rejoicing. And after the rejoicing, there will be much hilarity, because Chris Baty promises:

"If NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program can raise $100,000 in donations through our online Donation Station on Tuesday the 24th, I will write a song about the fundraising drive--tentatively entitled "That Beautiful Tuesday"--and perform it on NaNoVideo with staff musical accompaniment and Lindsey doing an interpretive dance alongside us."

It's hard to think of a better reason to make a donation to the Office of Letters and Light today. But if you need a better reason--perhaps a more practical, less humiliation-driven reason--take a look at this page, which breaks down the OLL's operating expenses and explains how donations are used to keep NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program running:
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/wheredonationsgo

And if you need still another reason, how about ukelele music to persuade you? An enthusiastic NaNo participant from Georgia has written a song about the donation drive:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7Q8me8ZwIg

So head on over to the Donation Station ( https://store.lettersandlight.org/ ) to make your donation now. Be sure to enter your NaNo username so that your generosity is reflected in the Chico total. And make sure you've set Chico as your home region! (Details on homing are here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3456948 )

Have a good day, and write like crazy!

Lynn

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"You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright." Bill Wilton

USA :: California :: Chico

Yikes! It's the last week of November!

casimira — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:44:05 +0000

Hello Everyone,
Okay, we're down to the wire. I plan to do some Kylene style word pounding out. I will be out and about writing all week if anyone cares to join me. Tonight, probably Barnes & Noble. I'll keep you posted. I wonder how this is going for you all. Are you surprised by what your characters do? The situations they find themselves in? Do you groan inwardly when you see them heading into crisis? Two of my characters are in major crisis right now and I just wish they could get themselves out without my having to write them out. Or bury them.

I wish you all the best this week, and please let us know if you want to do some writing together!
Lynn
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"You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright." Bill Wilton

USA :: California :: Chico

Thanksgiving crunch and keeping up momentum

Kylene Hees — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:12:06 +0000

Oh my gosh you guys! Doesn't the world realize that it's November? It's NaNoWriMo for goodness sake! And yet ... life continues to march on. I still have to get up in the morning and go to work, still have to do the dishes and pay the bills, still have to nag the kids about their homework and drive them to their karate lessons. *dramatic sigh* I have managed anyhow, somehow, *so far* to do okay. I've stayed fairly on track and churned out the words.

Then the fifteenth happened. I think that is what it was. We passed the half-way mark. My word count was pretty good. I totally lost my ooomph. Life kinda demanded my attention, and I was tired, and I deserved a day or two off, right? I am at two days straight now of not a single word written. My daughter comes home from SDSU on Monday evening. The kids are out of school for the week. There is grocery shopping to be done, bread to bake and Turkey to cook.

Suddenly I am feeling pretty overwhelmed, and not nearly as "ahead" as I was feeling. I am *totally* excited about NoWD and am hoping that will be the thing to push me over the threshold, but I'm not feeling the confidence I hoped I would be. My story is floundering, my characters whisper to me, but not the things I want them to whisper, and life ... life just keeps on sticking it's nose in.

So, what's happening in *your* NaNo world? How are you dealing with the upcoming Holiday crunch and fitting writing into the crevices of time life allows you? How is your morale and excitement level? Tell me something inspirational, or share your woes.

Anybody else thinking they are going to definitely make the time for next Wednesday mornings early day write-in?

*Shaking myself up, doing a few mental jumping jacks, flexing my typing fingers and getting ready to give my inertia a good swift kick.*
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USA :: California :: Chico

Night of Writing Dangerously on Nov 22

TeriTardy — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:25:23 +0000

Anyone want to car pool to San Francisco for the Night of Writing Dangerously? I have a dependable car and night blindness. I'm ok driving after dark in familiar places, but would not attempt it in San Francisco. Anyone willing to drive, let me know.

Thanks,

TeriTardy
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"Life is an adventure to explore and enjoy, not an existence to endure."

USA :: California :: Chico

Beatniks 8:30 till ???

Kylene Hees — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:13:41 +0000

Just in case anybody else is up and writing at home is making them nuts ... I am headed to Beaniks cafe and will be trying to get some serious word count done this morning.

http://www.chicowiki.org/Beatniks_Cafe

Feel free to join me if you muse so desires. :)

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USA :: California :: Chico

Write-In at B&N tonight

livingink — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:08:41 +0000

Hello Everyone. I'm going to Barnes and Noble tonight around 7 to do a write in. If anyone wants to join me, feel free!

Megan
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Each drop of dark ink is a drop of blood from my veins... Writing is my life... The twisting of words into something more beautiful is the high I always want to live on.

USA :: California :: Chico

Chico Regional Stats Vol. 2

casimira — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:20:33 +0000

Hi Everybody,
Here is your weekly stats update!

Heading up the list is still Seattle, with millions of words written. The important part is that their average number of words is 11,677 per author.

Chico has come up this week from #282 to #278, just ahead of Cape Cod and just behind Augusta, Georgia. Our average number of words is 13,908! So in a sense we are ahead of Seattle - go Chicoans!! We have doubled our donations this week (Yay again! We're up to $120). Just thought you might be interested! Keep those words flowing! Hope to see you this weekend.

Lynn
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"You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright." Bill Wilton

USA :: California :: Chico

Paradise Girl here, anyone else?

livinglighthouse — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:14:04 +0000

I'm a 39yo mom who is NaNoWriMoing for the first tie this year..........I got a late start due to computer issues and work but am now plugging away. I hope I can make it to one of your events, it sounds like fun. I would love to meet some Paradisians that ar writing too..........maybe get together up on the ridge??? Anyway, good to be here.

Rachel
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Rachel
And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. ~Sylvia Plath

USA :: California :: Chico

Naked Lounge at 6:30

livingink — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:00:10 +0000

Hello Everyone!

Let's show our appreciation for Lynn tonight and go to the write-in at Naked Lounge. If someone needs a ride, send me a message and we'll try and work something out!

Megan
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Each drop of dark ink is a drop of blood from my veins... Writing is my life... The twisting of words into something more beautiful is the high I always want to live on.

USA :: California :: Chico

Sunday the 15th is a write-in & party 1:30 pm

TeriTardy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:46:52 +0000

Join us at my office 582 Rio Lindo Ave. Lynn has planned to reward the writer with the highest word count. Is that you?
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"Life is an adventure to explore and enjoy, not an existence to endure."

USA :: California :: Chico

Any Chico students here?

Shadowbright — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:12:07 +0000

Just wanted to know if anyone else was wrimo-ing around the CSU Chico campus area. Drop a note if you are! I'd love to meet some awesome new people, being new to the area myself.
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USA :: California :: Chico

Wow! Week Two is already upon us

casimira — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:16:52 +0000

Hi Everyone
The second week of our grand venture begins today. I hope you've all found your rhythm with this project. In a strictly mathematical way, we should all be at 11,669 by Saturday (last) night. I can see that some of our party have shot past that point days ago. Others of us, not so much. Every time I get a few hundred words written I congratulate myself, perhaps a little too much. I'm hoping for a big jump today, like I do every day! I say go ahead, be thrilled with where you are, progress in a venture such as this is uneven. Sometimes our muse needs a coffee break, so I guess we should take one (a very short one!) as well, and then return with new inspiration.

We're about to begin the much-maligned Week 2 of NaNoWriMo. For some reason this week can get a little bumpy. The inner censor suddenly may notice that you've been writing without it and want to make itself known. Kindly remind it that you are doing fine and close that door. Just keep on writing...and writing. Be on the lookout for random ideas. They tend to come up while you're in the shower or driving on the freeway, or maybe - especially - while you're taking a walk in an interesting place. These are the little gifts that keep your novel alive and changing, and the words flowing. Grab these up and flow with them. Most importantly, DO NOT STOP WRITING. Allow randomness. You can clean it all up after November. Grab that interesting bit of dialogue you hear on the bus or in the grocery store. Save it for later - you never know when it will be just perfect for that new unexpected pickle your character has suddenly become embroiled in. Nothing slows me down like trying to make my novel make sense as I'm writing it.

This week I hope to see some of you at writeins. I hope the Chico State students are getting together often in the basement of the BMU! What a great place to write that is. Today there is a write-in at Teri's office at 582 Rio Lindo. That is a lovely calm place to write with other novelists. I am out of town so won't make that one today, but I encourage you to do so. Teri has set up a really nice writing environment for us there. During the week we have a writein scheduled for Wednesday evening at 6:30. When we planned these, we left the Wednesday locations open. Let's try The Naked Lounge this week. They are open late and if we start sort of early, they are not too crowded. I will probably be there earlier than 6:30, but come on down whenever you are ready to dive in! Check the Chico region any day you feel like writing with others, as we've been posting impromptu write-ins almost every day there.

Next weekend is our halfway-there party and write-in, so stay tuned for details on that event!

Okay then, Write-on everyone! Hope to see some of you this week!

Lynn
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"You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright." Bill Wilton

USA :: California :: Chico

Municipal Liaisons Appreciation Day!

TeriTardy — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:30:28 +0000

Three cheers for Lynn,

This is the second year she has slaved as the ML for Chico. You would think that after one year, she would run from the suggestion of handling the job again, but no, she stepped forward with a "Can Do" attitiude and a big smile.

Lynn, I appreciate all the time and energy you spend organizing write-ins and the other tasks you handle as ML.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you and a couple of hugs too!

Teri

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"Life is an adventure to explore and enjoy, not an existence to endure."

USA :: California :: Chico

Naked Lounge 5:30 tonight (11/5)

Kylene Hees — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:52:54 +0000

Okay, I couldn't make the write-in last night as my husband was working and I was home with the kids. Even so, I should have had a good 2-3 hours of writing time easily last night. But, yesterday at lunch I wrote 600 words, words that actually made me cry. Too overwhelmed to continue I spent the evening wallowing in the morass of despair and self-indulgence.

Today I intend to shake off the funk and trudge on-ward. If I stay at home it will be very difficult to ignore my emotional pall and the dishes and the laundry and ... well, you get the idea. So, I will be at the Naked Lounge from 5:30ish to 8ish. If you want to join me that would be great.

I'll be the red-head (really, it's hard to miss) ... and I'm looking a bit Christmas-y today as I am wearing a forest green turtleneck.

Whether I see you or not, have a great evening of writing!

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USA :: California :: Chico

Anybody out there in the Redding, CA area?

desert42 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:56:23 +0000

Since I'll be writing my novel up in the Redding area this year, it'd be great to know if there are other nanos out there close by.

~Amy
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Keeping it Real,
Amy

USA :: California :: Chico

Story in the Orion - PLEASE READ THIS!!!

livingink — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:40:44 +0000

Hello Everyone! So, I talked to my homies at the Orion and we are going to have a story about us written this week. It'll come out on the 4th of November, which is a little late, I know, but at least it's a story! So, I have some quick questions to ask you all and I need answers soon (or else my friends at the Orion will be frustrated with me!).

#1: Lynn, do you mind if I give the reporter your number? She wants to know when we're getting together in the month of November so that other students can join us.

#2: Are there any students who wouldn't mind being interviewed? Since I'm part of the Orion, I cant be involved in the article (Bianca, either) so I need at least 2 students who would be willing to do an interview. The reporter is a very friendly girl and she's been real cool about me wanting her to do a story NaNoWriMo. If you're willing, could you send me your number via NaNoMail? It wont be used for anything besides this article.

Ok, thank you everyone! See you all on the 1st!!

Megan
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Each drop of dark ink is a drop of blood from my veins... Writing is my life... The twisting of words into something more beautiful is the high I always want to live on.

USA :: California :: Chico

Write-in tonight at Empire Coffee Company

casimira — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:51:36 +0000

I just want to remind you of the write-in tonight at 6:30 at Empire Coffee Company. This is a cafe in a train car at 5th and Orange Streets. They are open until 8:00, so you may want to arrive earlier than 6:30. Just an FYI!

I will be at Empire at 6:00 P.M. Hope to see you there!

See you
Lynn
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"You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright." Bill Wilton

USA :: California :: Chico

Write-in tonight, anyone? Barnes & Noble

casimira — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:21:04 +0000

Hi Everyone,
I plan to go out to Barnes & Noble to write for a while tonight. Come on out and join me if you can. You'll know me by the red Mac! (Oh and I'll put up a NaNoWriMo table tent too!) I'll try to be there by 6:30.

Hope to see you there!
Lynn
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"You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright." Bill Wilton

USA :: California :: Chico

Chico Regional Stats

casimira — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:23:02 +0000

Hey there!

I thought you might be interested in our stats after only almost three days:

We are #282 out of 484.

So far we have written a total of 148,949 words.

We are averaging 4513 words per registered Chicoan.

We have donated a total of $60.00.

We are ahead of Latvia, Brazil and Indonesia.

Sri Lanka is at the bottom of the list.

Germany and Austria are at the top of the list, followed closely by Seattle. I know, go figure~

I'll keep you posted on our progress! I hope the donations go up! I know the word counts will!

I'll be seeing you -

Lynn

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"You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright." Bill Wilton

USA :: California :: Chico

Welcome Everybody New!

casimira — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:20:46 +0000

Hi Chico NaNos,
Every time I sign on here the number of people signed up for the Chico region is one or two greater. I love to see that so many are taking the challenge. I hope we get to meet in person at one of the events we've planned! Are you at the panic place yet? Or are you all (unlike me) planned and ready to start writing? Deep breath...I keep telling myself that! It's almost time to begin!

Take care,
Lynn
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"You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright." Bill Wilton

USA :: California :: Chico

2009 First Write-in 10/31/09 to meet, writing begins after midnight.

TeriTardy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:29:21 +0000

Halloween is this Saturday. That means kids of all ages dressed as their favorite fantasy will beg for treats from complete strangers. Wow sounds like a fun night that no one wants to end, so stay up late and join others convening to begin a month long adventure where costumes are optional.

All Chico area Wrimos (and those from any other region that want to drive to Chico) are invited to the 2009 First Write-in at 582 Rio Lindo Ave. This is TeriTardy’s office, Chico Holistic Healthcare. Doors will open at 11:00 pm for mingling with writing to start immediately after midnight.

Water, coffee, tea and sodas will be provided, but bring snacks to share. A microwave, refrigerator and freezer are available to keep things at their proper temperature. Plates, cups, napkins and plastic ware will also be on hand. We have a variety of music, but bring your favorite CDs to create the needed mood to write.

There is another room for those who require a nap at some point. Just bring your own pillow and sleeping bag or blankets.
Post any questions you may have on this forum or call me at the office 530-892-1930

Teri
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"Life is an adventure to explore and enjoy, not an existence to endure."

USA :: California :: Chico

Calendar

livingink — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:45:42 +0000

Are we supposed to see a calendar? All I see is invalid ID or something.

Megan
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Each drop of dark ink is a drop of blood from my veins... Writing is my life... The twisting of words into something more beautiful is the high I always want to live on.

USA :: California :: Chico

Meet and Greet Sunday October 18!

casimira — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:35:52 +0000

Hi Everyone
I think it's time to get together and get acquainted before the flurry of writing begins in a couple of weeks. Let's meet at Tin Roof Bakery on Sunday afternoon, October 18 at 2:30 P.M. They're open until 6:00 and the afternoon is fairly quiet so it should be a good time to meet and talk. Bring ideas for write-in locations during November. I think Tin Roof would be good for Sundays, but we'll need other locations for weeknight evenings. Terri has graciously offered her office as one choice, which sounds very nice. I'll look forward to meeting you next Sunday!
Have a good week.
Lynn
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"You can't get to wonderful without passing through alright." Bill Wilton