Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Amazingly cheap portable PC

dal — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:50:17 -0700

FYI

One of our technical staff at Queen's is recommending a Linux PC that costs $399, less than twice the cost of the AlphaSmart someone showed us last fall. It's available at Kingston Computer Planet, which he also recommends as having very good service. Despite being Linux it's apparently easy to use, and comes with OpenOffice (which Alan and my eldest both prefer to MS Office).

I don't get out much so may not be in the market for one of these, but it looks like a really good deal.
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

NaNoEdMo?

dal — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 20:54:22 -0800

Is anyone planning on doing NaNoEdMo? If so, would you be interested in local get-togethers like we had for NaNoWriMo?
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

NaNoPubYe anyone?

MadMike — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:20:10 -0800

Does anyone plan to submit their novel (after the appropriate editing) for publication? Just wondering if there might be a Kingston chapter for NaNoPubYe after this.
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MadMike

Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Join us for the TGIO Party - whether you reach your goal or not

CrazyKeys — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 20:07:29 -0800

Hi Everyone,

On Saturday, December 1 -- the day after all of us will have uploaded our scrambled manuscripts, and many of us will be ecstatic, exhausted, exhilerated, and maybe other words starting with "e" -- everyone is invited to meet for a celebration/consolation gettogether.

Our traditional venue for such events is the Kingston Brewing Company, and I'd suggest meeting during the dinner hour, which instinct tells me is around 6PM. (But feel free to make a better suggestion.)

All wrimos, regardless of age, are invited. Younger wrimos may bring parents. Adult wrimos may bring significant others (or even insignificant others). Wrimos suffering from nervous breakdowns may bring therapists. Wrimos suffering from caffine withdrawal may bring coffee beans to chew on. And all wrimos are invited to bring stories about their experience of the past 30 days.

Prizes may be awarded.

Once again, please RSVP if you are coming, just in case by wonderful good fortune there are more people coming than I anticipate.

Have a prolific week!

CrazyKeys
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Marathon Write-in Anyone?

CrazyKeys — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:11:22 -0800

As we are now 2 days away from Nov. 15 -- the dreaded/beloved half-way point -- a few of us were talking about how well the write-ins are working as times when we can focus on writing to the exclusion of other distractions in our lives (such as our lives).

So, for those who find themselves falling a little behind, I'd like to throw out the possibility of having one or two "marathon" write-ins after the 15th. The idea is that they would last for more than the usual 2 hours, possibly all-day, giving people a "catch-up" opportunity.

If you are interested, please reply. Let me know if you have preferred days of the week or locations.

Obviously, two possible locations to check into might be the Brew pub and Chapters (since we're currently meeting there). But perhaps there are others that might be receptive to a day-long gathering. Possible days might include Saturday the 24th (last Saturday before nanowrimo ends), or the last/second last day of the month, or any other convenient day.
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

How is everybody doing?

CrazyKeys — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:28:50 -0800

Now that we have passed the half-way point, and entered the realm of sagging middles, how is everyone doing? Any challenges you're struggling with? Help needed? Crazy stories you'd like to share? Breakthroughs you'd like to crow about or wisdom gained?

Personally, I have learned how much I don't know about camping, non-industrial societies, music, horses, sailing, and wildlife, all of which now feature in my novel in a most unrealistic way. Should make next year's editing of this novel a lot more work. However, I have also discovered that I can create a fantasy world that has a weird but ok logic to it.
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Happy Half-Way Day

CrazyKeys — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:33:39 -0800

Congratulations to Ryastar, MadMike, dal, and alan slatterly for reaching 25,000 words by Nov. 15 (the half-way point)!! Outstanding work guys.

As for everyone else, I know you've been holding back, not posting your full word count, waiting for inspiration, dealing with your life, and generally keeping your novelling genius out of the limelight. You work best under pressure, and there's more pressure if you wait until today to really buckle down. You've mastered the art of procrastination. Well done.

Now that that's out of your system, feel free to surprise even yourself with what you can achieve when you really get serious. There's a world of imagination waiting to burst out of you and onto the page/screen. A cast of characters dying to come to life.
A plot ready to be discovered. Step out of the way and let it all happen.

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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

A note about keeping identities private.

CrazyKeys — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:26:49 -0800

I just want to remind people not to mention other people's real names in the forum without their permission. If you want to reveal your name, that's your business. But we want everyone to feel safe using this forum (and coming to events) and not everyone wants their identity revealed to people they haven't met face-to-face.

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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

You've survived the first 10 days and written more than 5 words? Well done!

CrazyKeys — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:37:04 -0800

Today is day 10, and I the author search is still disabled, so I can't say for certain who in Kingston Region is leading in terms of word count. So instead, and just as importantly, I want to congratulate everyone who has written more than 5 words. That may seem like a low bar, but some of us wait a lifetime to start a first novel, and some never do. Keep in mind that Nanowrimo is not about winning, it's about daring to be outrageous.

With that in mind, even if you feel you have written fewer words than you intended at this stage, it's not too late to catch up!
One sick day could mean 4800 words or more. Two sick days could mean 10,000. Two sick days and a weekend = 20,000 words. Two sick days, a weekend, and Remembrance Day off ... well you get the idea. Yes, your boss might gripe and your family might be annoyed ... but five years from now none of them will remember. Small inconveniences are soon forgotten. But a novel lasts forever.

Also, if you want to kick start the next phase of your novel, drop by one of our write-ins. (See the regional events at the bottom of the forum page, or the regional calendar.)

Happy novelling

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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Let's all introduce ourselves!

CrazyKeys — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 19:55:46 -0700

Hi Everyone,

As of tonight, there are 26 writers located in Kingston who have registered with nanowrimo. Some of us met last year at the intro, write-ins, and the TGIO party. But many either didn't make it to events last year, or have just joined this year for the first time (welcome). From now to the end of nano, I will try to arrange opportunities for us to say hello face to face, and hopefully offer each other support and encouragement. Such meetings can really help with motivation. (The first of these will be Saturday, Oct. 27, 3-5PM, in the community room at Chapters.) Yet I also recognize that not everyone can or wants to attend events.

Regardless, why don't we at least introduce ourselves online? Since it's my idea, I'll start by answering the following questions, which I will write myself (feel free to answer the same questions about yourself, or make up others you like better)...

Tell us a little about yourself?

I'm a 40ish-year-old freelance writer who lives north of Kingston. I was an English major in university, though I still prefer reading genre fiction to most literary fiction. My favorite hobby used to be theatre, though I haven't had much time for it lately. Nonetheless, I love the arts in general. I have a wife and daughter.

What made you decide to do nanowrimo?

Although I write for a living, its all non-fiction, commercial writing -- mostly advertising -- which gets a bit dull. I wanted to write fiction since public school. I had an idea for a novel kicking around in my head for 3 years and had prepared an extensive outline. Nano was what I needed to stop planning and get it down on paper. So last year, thanks to nano, I finished a first draft. Now I can't wait to do it again.

Favourite movie?

That's hard. I like Harold & Maude, The Graduate, The Matrix, Casablanca, Before Sunset, Buckaroo Banzai to name a few.

Favorite music?

I like a wide range of '60s rock, Showtunes, folk music,

Favorite All-Time TV shows

Saturday Night Live -- from which I learned everything I know about American politics.
Star Trek -- from which I learned everything about how the future should be.
The Prisoner -- from which I learned everything about how the future should not be.

But enough about me for now. Tell us a little about you!

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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

ML Appreciation Day

dal — Thu, 8 Nov 2007 15:11:22 -0800

Nov 8 is ML Appreciation Day at NaNo, so:

Thanks, Glen (CrazyKeys) for all you've done to bring Kingston NaNo folks together this year!

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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

What happened at the 1st meeting

dal — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:59:49 -0700

The first local NaNo meeting was 3-5pm last Saturday. As usual I've forgotten almost everything of importance, so I'm posting this to prompt others to fill in the blanks. Those present included me (dal), alan slatterly, CrazyKeys, allychew, and at least 3 others whose names and user IDs I forget.

CK handed out a small writing kit and a pencil to everyone who wanted them.

Ally showed us her Alphasmart -- a small keyboard, screen, and flash memory useful only for writing, costing about $250. May sound like a lot when low-end laptops are $600+ but its battery lasts 700 hours (!) and it's very light.

We talked about the genres we wrote/are writing in -- young adult, romance, science fiction/fantasy at least.

Apparently there are at least 3 publishers desperate for young adult fantasy material because of Harry Potter. Too bad I favour sci fi!

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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Congratulations on your 1st Saturday Wrimo Wordcount

CrazyKeys — Sun, 4 Nov 2007 04:59:29 -0800

Congratulations to dal who, so far as I can tell (with the author search currently caput), has posted the highest word count for Kingston region as of midnight Saturday, Nov.3 -- over 11,000 words.

My latest procrastination effort has involved searching through each of the 113 people affiliated with Kingston region, trying to figure out which of them actually have Kingston as their home region, and who has posted word counts of any size so far. Exciting to see so many people I haven't met or heard from posting substantial word counts already -- and to see those I have met or heard from on the forums doing the same. And I only got as far as the M's. So if you think you actually are in the lead or close to and I've overlooked you please let me know.

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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Tuesday Write-in -- Who's up for it?

CrazyKeys — Mon, 5 Nov 2007 09:33:10 -0800

For those looking for a mid-week write-in, a couple of us thought we might hang out in the Kingston Brewing Co. for a couple of hours on Tuesday. Anyone can drop by. Bring writing tools. Escape from the temptation to procrastinate. See if the dragon's breath inspires you. Shall we aim for 6:30 to 8:30?
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Slow website...and other excuses

CrazyKeys — Sun, 4 Nov 2007 11:11:53 -0800

As we all know, the nano website has suffered from numerous technical glitches in the past month that has slowed everything down and frustrated people trying to post their word count and get support from others. If anyone wanted yet another excuse not to write their novel, that was it.

And yet, being the creative people we are, surely that's not the best excuse we can come up with. It's rather like "the dog ate my homework" or "the electricity went out and I hadn't saved a word." So how about it? Anyone have a great procrastination excuse, incident, situation, etc. that's arisen so far?

(Incidentally, the site seems to run best early in the morning. I'd suggest everyone tries posting their word count before the crack of dawn rather than from 4-11PM when everyone in every time zone seems to log on.)
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Kick-Off Party - Please RSVP

CrazyKeys — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 18:17:26 -0700

Hi Everyone,

I've made a reservation at the Kingston Brewing Company (34 Clarence St) for us to have a Kick-Off Party on November 1st at 6PM. It's a chance to combine a little socializing and refreshment as we start putting our novels down on paper or electronic form. The novel of 50,000 words begins with a single keystroke, or something like that. Bring laptops, alphasmarts, pencils and paper, magnetic poetry pieces, or whatever writing tool you prefer (except perhaps paint -- too messy). (Personally, I propose we have a prize for whoever logs the most words on day one.)

Please RSVP in this forum so that if there are more people coming than I guesstimated I can tell the Brew Pub to set more space aside for us. Naturally, all participants are welcome regardless of age. Younger wrimos can bring an adult chaperone. Non-participants can come too as long as they are willing to spend some time writing -- they can always register as participants after, nudge nudge. Anyone who didn't get their free pocket-sized novelling kit last Saturday can get it at this event.

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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

1st Kingston Nano Meet-up/Intro Scheduled

CrazyKeys — Tue, 9 Oct 2007 17:37:53 -0700

Hi everyone,

I want to announce that I have scheduled an introductory meet-up for Saturday, October 27, from 3PM to 5PM in the Community Room at Chapters. Anyone interested in doing Nanowrimo this year is welcome to come. Those who have never done nano can find out more about it. Those who participated last year can get reacquainted. And everyone can talk about ideas and strategies for this year's creative outpourings.

Feel free to bring friends and family.

(If things work out, I may even have goody-bags, or at least some free somethings to hand out -- one of the benefits to you of having an ML this year.)

If you find this date and time is inconvenient, please forgive me and let me know so I can choose better next time. And if anyone wants to suggest a favorite venue for a kick-off party/meal/write-in on November 1, do let me know.

At your service as your Municipal Liaison,

CrazyKeys
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Outside Kingston - Central Frontenac

CrazyKeys — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:35:30 -0700

For any wrimos who live north of Kingston, in Central Frontenac, there is a possibility of having write-ins on Wednesdays in the Mountain Grove public library. First preliminary meet-up will be Oct. 24 between 5:30 and 7PM to see who's interested.
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Places to write

katelemon — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 06:54:51 -0700

Does anyone know of any coffee shop type places with free wireless internet that wouldn't mind a small group of us gathering to write once in a while?
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Canada :: Ontario :: Kingston

Note to self: Get idea for novel.

CrazyKeys — Tue, 2 Oct 2007 05:13:51 -0700

With less than a month away, I plan to take some time this week to choose an idea for my NaNovel. I may revisit an old idea, or brainstorm a new one. But as a plotter (rather than a pantser) I like to have a roadmap.

My favorite technique is Salvadore-Mora's Instant Dramatica, because I find it lets me get a synopsis in less than an hour, and an outline in a day.

Anyone else have a favorite idea-generating technique?
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