I thought it was about time we had an introduction thread!
I'm Georgina -- well that is fairly obvious! I'm 36 and work for thecookskitchen.com organising their website. I also work for my bf in his business (wild food). I have two breeding siamese cats and then when I get a spare moment I do some writing -- never as much as I'd like.
This is my second year doing NANO. I won last year and hope to do the same this year. I've had one short story published -- in the now defunct "Cambrensis". There is also a rather dreary article in one of the cat mags at the moment which I wrote.
So please give us a snapshot of yourselves so we'll feel that we know each other when we meet up!
Georgina
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[ML: Bristol]
www.gourmetfungi.co.uk
Win really good prizes here monthly www.thecookskitchen.com
50,203 / 50,000
Oct 21, 2007 - 05 19
I'm Chris. I'm 23, almost 24 (my birthday's in November). I work for Unum (an insurance company) checking data, which is about is boring as it sounds, though thankfully it's not too taxing so I can see myself doing quite a bit of writing at work ;). I want to be a professional writer, but I lack the self-disipline to sit down and write, and my inner critic can be far too vocal at times. I'm hoping NaNoWriMo will help me with both of those problems. Well, either that or reduce me to a gibbering wreck, but either's good :P.
This is technically my second NaNo, though I had no prep time for it last year and I was moving out of home on top of that, so it didn't get past the first few days. This time round I'm determined to finish though.
11,162 / 50,000
Oct 21, 2007 - 07 09
I'm Linzi. I'm 21, (22 in November, weee!) and this is my second year doing Nano. I love writing but haven't yet managed to finish anything. I'm learning how to build websites, Ihope to make a career out of it, and I have some knwlegde of graphic design and video editing. I also play guitar, and have a deep and obsessive interest in movies. Oh, and I love to read :-)
55,045 / 50,000
Oct 21, 2007 - 13 32
I'm Rachel, and I'm student at Bath, but since Bristol is the closest I'm going to get in region I thought I'd lend you my word count for your totals...
This is my first NaNoWriMo, I can't tell you how excited I am!!
10,723 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 01 49
Hi, my name and age are pretty easy to guess from my username, but just in case, my name is Simon and I'll be 32 in November.
I'm a computer programmer by day. I did Nano 2005, and won - although I chose to solely write from work which limited me to 22 days writing time. I was too busy last year, and could well be this year, but I persuaded a friend to take part, so felt I should at least try.
I don't have much time for meets, as I live in Weston super Mare, but I'm here in spirit and always around for chatting on email / MSN.
4,650 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 04 02
Hi all. I'm Alan, and I live in Weston Super Mare. I'm 38, and have swriiten lots of stuff including a completed novel. This is my firts go at NaNoWriMo, which I discovered last week on a message board for SFX magazine. I write for a magazine and a website, both dealing with rock music.
Maybe me and you should meet up for a pint, Simon. Wouldn't surprise me if we knew each other, as Weston is such a bleedin' small town.
0 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 04 04
I'm Melanie, obviously and I live in Weston Super Mare at the moment. :)
This is my second NANO; I tried to do it a couple of years ago but Real Life intervened and I wasn't able to finish, which was a bit rubbish. I have finished two novels in my own time though but am too shy to send them off to a publisher and so am allowing them to moulder in my computer in the hopes that one day someone will find them, proclaim them to be works of genius and publish them anyway. ;)
Anyway, yes, hello. :)
Melanie
0 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 04 06
Heya, I am in Weston Super Mare as well right now! Maybe we *should* organise some sort of meet up? Three of us almost constitutes a crowd. ;)
Melanie
10,723 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 04 51
Time is still an issue for me - I have a lot going on in my priivate life right now, but knowing there's folk here from WSM can only be a good thing.
What parts of Weston are you both from? I'm currently holed up in North Worle.
4,650 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 05 42
I'm right in the middle of town. Daytimes are good for me, and the best nights are Wednesdays and Mondays.
0 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 05 48
I am beside Clarence Park so right on the other side.
It is nice to know there are other Weston people on here. :)
4,650 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 06 00
I used to write a column in the Weston Mercury called 'View from the Mud'. That ran for a couple of years.
0 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 06 13
Blimey, this website is slow.
We have only lived here for a year so I must have missed that. Which metal website and magazine do you write for? I sometimes think my husband and I are the only habitual black wearers in the area! ;)
I am a stay at home mother and can depending on my husband being around to babysit can come out whenever really. :)
4,650 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 06 26
I write for www.rockunited.com - classic and hard rock. Recently I have interviewed The Scorpions and done loads of reviews and gigs. Going to se Francis Dunnery (ex It Bites) in Bristol (Fleece) on Thursday and then Y & T/Tigertailz in Bristol (Thekla) on Sunday.
I also do reviews for Fireworks, a bi monthly magazine that goes all over Europe.
18,013 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 09 40
My name is Sian, and this is my fourth NaNoWriMo. I won for the first time last year, and am hoping to repeat that this year. I'm 22, turning 23 in November (weird how many of us have November birthdays!).
I'm currently doing temp work at the insurance company AXA, although my dream is to live and work in Japan one day.
Nice to meet you all! I hope I can make it to at least one meet-up, although I always seem to be struck down by colds in October and November, so we'll see ...
23,811 / 50,000
Oct 22, 2007 - 11 23
yipes but it's taking about five mins to load a page ... It should calm down a bit once people start writing -- it did last year so I expect it will again. Early UK time is best as long as everyone stateside is still asleep ;)
Georgina
35,000 / 50,000
Oct 23, 2007 - 05 34
I'm Marianne, I live in nailsea, not done nano before but my sister has (she's over in oxfordshire).
2,565 / 50,000
Oct 23, 2007 - 12 27
Hi my name's Sam and I'm 28.
This is my first year, although a couple of years back I did write a 75,000 novel in two months so I'm hoping I've still got it ;)
Salinger, Murakami, Mishima & Kafka are big influences on me :)
This is going to be fun :)
Here's wishing everyone good luck :)
23,811 / 50,000
Oct 23, 2007 - 13 29
welcome :)
Kafka I like in parts ... In the Penal Colony is brilliant I feel but Metamorphosis left me cold :( I so wanted to like it more lol
Georgina
50,203 / 50,000
Oct 23, 2007 - 14 39
You temp at AXA? Not the big centre in Filton? Escape, escape while you still can!
Which department are you in?
11,162 / 50,000
Oct 23, 2007 - 15 14
One of my friends temps there in the summer. She's the extremely smilie one. Is it that bad??
0 / 50,000
Oct 23, 2007 - 17 58
Hello! I'm not actually from Bristol, but it's the closest region for me! I'm Paul and I'm 18 and I'm currently doing a National Diploma in Art and Design. I'm from Dorset, the border between it and Somerset in fact. It's my first year doing this. I wanted to do it last year but circustances in my life wouldn't let me.
I'm not much of a good writer, but I try. I've always kept long winded journals from about 14, and I'm always starting to write stories but never finish them! I was always the person that wrote 20 page stories at school. I'm also really interested in art and photography (hence why I'm studying it!), as well as music although I can't sing or play an instrument to save my life!
23,811 / 50,000
Oct 23, 2007 - 22 37
Hi Paul,
I wrote long, long stories in school too. Much to the bemusement of my teachers!
If you can get up for some of the get togethers that would be great but we'll understand if you can't.
Georgina
50,203 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2007 - 03 23
Well, let's just say that our nickname for it was the Graveyard of Dreams ;).
50,117 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2007 - 04 56
Hi, I'm not actually in Bristol either but this is the nearest region I think. My name is Jenny, I live in Taunton, and i'm 28 on day 2 of NaNoWriMo. I work in television research watching reality tv shows for a living, pretty easy so have lots of brain space left for thinking/writing. This is my first year doing NaNoWriMo. I have nearly finished my first novel but it took my 3/4 years due to lack of discipline and procrastination, hopefully NaNoWriMo will cure me of that!
10,723 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2007 - 05 06
Welcome to the group Jenny - and another celebrating a birthday in November! I think the people not having a birthday next month are in the minority.
50,117 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2007 - 05 15
Thanks. I think birthdays are good times to start a new era of thought and introduce new routines and hopefully this will make writing become a consistent part of my life. Good luck everyone!
50,021 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2007 - 05 20
Hi, I'm Dave - again, not from Bristol but Taunton. 'Twas Jennysquirrel who got me into this, so in 37 days I will either be thanking or cursing her. Place your bets.
I'm 37, work in IT (yawn), but more importantly am the singer/bassist in a band, which is my main passion. I finally managed to crack the art of songwriting a couple of years ago (even if I do say so myself) and I've always wanted to write a novel, so, er, this is it - am crapping meself a little but I have been drawn in by the NaNoWriMo style of putting no pressure on me to produce anything decent. I figure given the sheer tonnage of novels I've read in my adult life, I must stand a chance of getting something out...
Nice to be here, anyway!
23,811 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2007 - 06 24
Hello Dave and Jenny,
I think you will be cursing and blessing her Dave ... there are frustrating times ahead but whatever you put into nano you get so much more out ... in my view!
Georgina
50,212 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2007 - 13 47
I accidentally posted twice and it won't let me delete one of them, so ignore this...
50,212 / 50,000
Oct 24, 2007 - 13 40
Hello everyone
I'm Josie, 23, just moved to Bristol. This is my first NaNo and I haven't got a plot idea yet. Have stupidly made plans for most weekends in Nov which will make winning all the more difficult but am up for meet ups and write ins and general reciprocal support. I'm temping at the moment until I find a decent job or sell a novel. Given that I haven't written one yet I should probably get down to finding a job. Hope to meet some, if not all, of you at the kick-off next week. And hopefully this site will stop being so slow soon!
Only a week to go now...
Josie