(aside: discouraging note: one has to be affiliated with a region to post a new topic in it!)
(posted in Ontario::Ottawa's forum and also in Illinois::Naperville's)
That's what we in Illinois::Naperville had been wondering. Which region would we challenge, which region (perhaps again in Canada) might be comparably sized and motivated for word war. Fortunately, diurnal_lee and I have been ML-friends the last couple of years, so when I saw that our total affiliated regional wordcounts were so similar, we exchanged some nanomails.
So now I've come to officially throw down the gauntlet to mighty Ottawa for 2007's challenge. I even put together this special page with special graphs to accommodate rolling up the affiliated wordcounts (and filling any gaps in the wordcount history entries) to show the compared Total Affiliated regional Wordcount comparison.
So here are the proposed terms (taken from http://naperwrimo.org/wordwar2007/):
As of the date of challenge (11 Nov), Naperville leads Ottawa in Total Region-Homed regional Wordcount but trails Ottawa in Total Affiliated regional Wordcount. Ottawa also slightly trails Naperville in Average Region-Homed Wordcount.
The Challenge: whichever region defeats the other will have its regional song sung by the defeated region at its TGIO (winning region is also welcome to reciprocate just for fun); this song will be recorded and posted in the winning region's nanowrimo forum. Naperville's regional song is Typin' Away Again Near Dear Ol' Naperville (and there is even a Karafun karaoke file available).
Options:
- Total Affiliated Wordcount (a close stat but not specifically region-homed); Note!: this option is somewhat problematic in that it is easiest to track the other region by affiliating with it (which then changes the stat!) - Naperville currently lags 165.2 words per affiliated member
- Total Region-Homed Wordcount (not quite as close but still interesting) - Ottawa lags by 628.7 words per region-homed member
- Average Region-Homed Wordcount (very close AND region-homed) - Ottawa lags by 419.3 words per region-homed member
Which option do you prefer? All of the gaps are, I think, quite achievable by either side.
--Tim
----------
Tim Yao aka NewMexicoKid
co-ML, Illinois::Naperville
Fog Readability Analysis
Writing resources
54,569 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2007 - 19 14
HELLO TIM.
ON BEHALF OF MY FELLOW MLS AND THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION OF OTTAWA, I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE.
(ohmigod we're going to die, aren't we?)
We're thinking Option #3 would be preferred, if that's okay with you? Just let us know!
MAY THE BEST REGION WIN!
(ps, I'm really, really tired right now, so please to excuse the scary caplock of doom.)
67,393 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2007 - 19 26
Could you please explain what "Region Homed" word count is for the Quebec-newbie-with-good-stats-at-your-service? :-)
Edited because I'm clearly dyslexic, and "Homed Region" makes no sense.
57,222 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2007 - 20 26
Edited because I'm clearly dyslexic, and "Homed Region" makes no sense.
Why certainly! On NaNoWriMo.org, there are three classes of participants:
So the Region-Homed wordcount is just my way of saying the total wordcount that is generated by wrimos who have set their Home Region to a particular region.
Does that help?
--Tim
--
Tim Yao aka NewMexicoKid
co-ML, Illinois::Naperville
Fog Readability Analysis
Writing resources
57,222 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2007 - 22 08
ON BEHALF OF MY FELLOW MLS AND THE PEOPLE OF THE REGION OF OTTAWA, I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE.
Great!
(ohmigod we're going to die, aren't we?)
We're thinking Option #3 would be preferred, if that's okay with you? Just let us know!
MAY THE BEST REGION WIN!
(ps, I'm really, really tired right now, so please to excuse the scary caplock of doom.)
:-)
Here is the new Region-Homed Average Wordcount graph for our wordwar!:
Please feel free to come over to our regional forum challenge thread to ... er... help motivate my wrimos with brave talk.
:-)
--Tim
P.S. I think that the funny graph shape reflects the day when the servers were down and no one could update their wordcounts.
--
Tim Yao aka NewMexicoKid
co-ML, Illinois::Naperville
Fog Readability Analysis
Writing resources
20,129 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2007 - 13 07
Bring it on, you fancy-pants Illinosians! You might have sharp-looking charts, but we've got index cards!
(Well, I have index cards, at any rate.)
57,222 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2007 - 20 01
(Well, I have index cards, at any rate.)
You mean NaNoWriMo hipsterPDA's?
Like these?
:-)
--Tim (actually, strictly speaking, those are from 2005; I didn't post a picture of the ones we made this year for our wrimos)
--
Tim Yao aka NewMexicoKid
co-ML, Illinois::Naperville
Fog Readability Analysis
Writing resources
67,393 / 50,000
Nov 14, 2007 - 22 41
Thank you for the great explanation, Tim.
And now, erm... your laptop wears army boots. Yeah, you heard me, wiseguy. *cackles*
Okay, I suck at taunting. :-(
53,132 / 50,000
Nov 15, 2007 - 07 14
No, he means he is writing his entire novel on index cards.....
53,132 / 50,000
Nov 19, 2007 - 08 40
Wow! Guys we never thought this would happen, but apparently our weekend Marathon of writing amazement has made Naperville a little nervous!
NewMexicoKid in an email to the Naperville region:
If you're like me, you probably wrote off Ottawa by now. They had
fallen behind by a bunch. But this morning their region-homed
average wordcount had crept within 115 words of ours! That's
just a measly 115 words per wrimo needed to catch up! Don't let
them do it! Remember--the losing region has to sing and record
the winning region's song! (see http://writing.teiru.net/nano)
(If you are wondering, I get the emails because I affliated with them, because you need to affliate with a region to post on their forums.)
Anyway, yeah, we are catching up! Keep writing Ottawa! This is not over yet!
53,637 / 50,000
Nov 19, 2007 - 09 00
Amazing isn't it, the motivation provided by hearing the song we'd have to sing. ;-) That "No way!" helped almost as much as the word wars. I wonder how their French is for the singing of our National Anthem?
53,132 / 50,000
Nov 19, 2007 - 09 15
DC is singing our national anthem. We still haven't decided what song Naperville has to sing.
53,132 / 50,000
Nov 20, 2007 - 07 37
We are officially beating Naperville!!!
53,637 / 50,000
Nov 20, 2007 - 07 49
I as was muttering over on my lj, I am being haunted by this place, so I am so glad that we are beating them, and let's keep it that way. Go us!
20,129 / 50,000
Nov 20, 2007 - 10 55
Like these?
I have no idea what those are, but I want them.
57,222 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 10 31
Like these?
I have no idea what those are, but I want them.
We first began giving out NaNoWriMo hipster PDA's to our wrimo's in 2005 as part of the traditional goodie bags along with a Writers Block Rock (this is a link to the hipster PDA-sized instruction sheets that accompanied the WBR). hipster PDA's are a neat collection of index cards chock-full of helpful references and novel writing-related prep materials (character sheets, plot twists, etc). This year we gave out NaNoMinders (they look like rubber band bracelets but have a witty instruction sheet to accompany them) instead of the WBRs.
If you'll send me your e-mail address, I'll be happy to e-mail you the Word file to the hipster PDA so you can customize it and print out your own (it is printed out on card stock and then sliced to 3x5 index card sized and bound with a mini binder clip).
--Tim
P.S. By the way, nice job, Ottawans, in narrowing the gap in the word war! Now that you've made things interesting again, I think you're providing some good motivation for my region! Thanks!
--
Tim Yao aka NewMexicoKid
co-ML, Illinois::Naperville
Fog Readability Analysis
Writing resources
61,078 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 12 58
Hey fellow Ottawans,
How's your word count? We need to beat the Napervillains. Yes, villains. They are intending to do a dastardly thing to us and make us sing that *cough* song. I suggest we find something equally bad (and funny). Perhaps a rendition of the Lumberjack song from Monty Python, complete with plaid flannel shirts.
Any more ideas?
67,578 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 13 19
Any more ideas?
Can I suggest something by the Arrogant Worms?
Canada's Really Big?
Or possibly the War of 1812?
~ K.
53,637 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 13 51
Speaking of Arrogant Worms, I think we should make them sing 'We are the Beaver' - en francais. Stick it through babelfish if we have too - no one said it had to be accurate.
61,834 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 14 15
Yo' wordcount's so low it's five feet LOWER than the Mariana Trench!
Yo' wordcount's so low even an amoeba can't limbo under it!
(Am I taunting, or did I just want an excuse to use some really, really corny "Yo Momma" jokes? You be the judge!)
:)
52,728 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 15 06
I'm still for 'We Are the Beaver'. ;o)
67,578 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 15 14
Yo' wordcount's so low even an amoeba can't limbo under it!
(Am I taunting, or did I just want an excuse to use some really, really corny "Yo Momma" jokes? You be the judge!)
:)
You wanted the excuse for the "Yo Momma" jokes. ^_~
~ K.
55,016 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 20 16
I agree. Next best would be to have them sing "Rock and Trees" with them sending a video of them doing the actions involved.
61,834 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 21 07
Oh dear, I've been found out.
Yo wordcount's so low yo momma saw it and applied for government aid!
Yo wordcount's so low the bass singers in the choir be gettin' jealous!
67,393 / 50,000
Nov 21, 2007 - 22 03
Oh really?
Your wordcount is so low, it's measurable in km below sea level.
If your wordcount were a dead body (and it is!) it would need to be buried somewhere around the earth's core.
On the Richter scale, your wordcount measures somewhere below "kid running past in heavy boots"
*raspberries Naperville*
57,222 / 50,000
Nov 26, 2007 - 17 32
Canada's Really Big?
Or possibly the War of 1812?
~ K.
Ooh! I had never heard of them before, but the Arrogant Worms are really funny, though I guess I had been hoping for some creative folks in Ottawa to write their own lyrics for their regional song rather than just pick a pre-existing one...
On the other hand, youtube does have some interesting songs about Ottawa like this one. It is amazing what you can find via google. ;-)
--Tim
20,129 / 50,000
Nov 22, 2007 - 12 04
Ooh, neato. Thanks for the links, I might drop you a line later.
From the "Hilarious Comparison That May Backfire And Encourage Someone You Meant To Discourage" department: Your wordcount's so thin, Kate Moss could wear it as a toga.
(Too soon?)
61,078 / 50,000
Nov 23, 2007 - 08 42
Hey, if we're into dissing the competition, how about:
Your word count is so low it qualifies as a Six Word Novel.
Examples of Six Word Novels
52,243 / 50,000
Nov 23, 2007 - 22 48
OMG! We're 24.8 words ahead of Naperville!!
Well, that is if I'm reading the chart right. lol.
Gonna see if I can banged out an additional 6K to help that average. =D
72,146 / 50,000
Nov 26, 2007 - 10 38
According to Naperville's count, as of noon on November 26th we are behind them by 280-some words per author. So come on everybody this is sooooo do able!
67,393 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2007 - 22 31
I just typed the words "the end" at the bottom of my novel, and got a little misty. *sniff*
Ah well, another 6K words or so added today for our battle vs Naperville!