United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

[STICKY] The Store Front is Open!

TimSimms — Mon, 3 Dec 2007 13:06:33 -0800

Based on your votes, the new CafePress storefront is officially open with merchandise containing the new ChiWriMo logo. Keep an eye out on this forum and on the upcoming website site for additional items containing ChiWriMo slogans and the other two logos you voted as your favorites (#1 & #8).

All proceeds earned will go to reimburse ML-incurred event expenses; excess funds will be donated to the NaNoWriMo national office.

Thanks again to everyone who voted.

http://www.cafepress.com/chiwrimo
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

[STICKY] Flickr Photos

TimSimms — Mon, 3 Dec 2007 21:13:21 -0800

We now have a Flickr group for NaNo photos!

Feel free to browse and add:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/chiwrimo
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

[STICKY] Facebook

TimSimms — Tue, 4 Dec 2007 20:47:28 -0800

We also now have a Facebook account for those who use Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5912194969
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

College recommendations?

thegrinch — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:56:47 -0700

I have a cousin who's 17 and checking out colleges. She is interested in a major (or double major) in acting and voice. Seeing that sounds like some people in our group, suggestions?

Thanks!
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The Grinch
" I don't want the world, I just want your half." They Might Be Giants
Winner 2006 - Untitled
2007 - Untitled 2

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

The ChiWriMo Anthology Book

TimSimms — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:35:39 -0800

You heard about it either at the meeting or in the recent email...and here are the rest of the details:

Basic Description:

I want to put together a ChiWriMo anthology between now and this year’s NaNoWriMo in November. Anyone who would like to participate is more than welcome to partake. I want to gather poetry, prose, short fiction, and any other form of short writing you’d like to submit for the work. If this year goes well, we can make it a yearly anthology to keep up our writing in the off season while giving us something to show for our work. Once everything is submitted and edited, I’ll publish the anthology through the self-publishing service LuLu (http://www.lulu.com) so everyone will have a chance to obtain a copy of the book. I’ll add a link to the book on our website (http://www.chiwrimo.org) once it’s all said and done.

More Details:

Depending on what form of writing you choose, there won't be many restrictions. Here are the ground rules:
(1) It must be all ages friendly.
(2) If you're doing a short story, it must not exceed thirty (30) double-spaced, Courier-font formatted word processor pages. This means your maximum approximate word count should not go over 7500 words (10 words/line, 25 lines/page, 30 pages).

If you're interested in doing a theme for the anthology, please respond to this thread with a theme recommendation.

Timeline:

By the:
February Meeting: Have a solid idea of what you want to write for the anthology.
March Meeting: Have the idea finalized and logged with me so we have an approximate running page count.
April Meeting: Have a rough draft of your work either finished or in progress.
May Meeting: Edit/Rewrite your work as needed.
June Meeting: Finalize your piece with the group to see if it's ready to publish.
July Meeting: Review the spec PDF'ed copy of the anthology
August Meeting: Finalize the changes we've made over the past month from the previous meeting. Make any last changes, including any aesthetics and extraneous items (title page, acknowledgements, etc.)
September Meeting: Have the anthology published and ready for purchase online.
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Anyone from little old Blue Island?

WriterGurlLW — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 20:03:28 -0700

If you're participating in Nanowrimo and live in Blue Island, then please tell me! I think I'm the only one.
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Join my website Writers Haven at http://writershaven1.proboards98.com
I promise you will not be disappointed.

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Monthly Meetings and Weekly Write-in Sessions

TimSimms — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:50:14 -0800

Hey all!

So we're going to begin having monthly ChiWriMo meetings as well as weekly write-in sessions.

For the monthly meetings:

It looks like the most popular option for the monthly meetings is the last Saturday of every month. We already have the space for the meetings set aside courtesy of Maria Victoria and read.n.write. They'll be switching off hosting the meetings every month. Keep an eye on the Group Calendar at the bottom of the forum page (as well as the Events Calendar portion of the ChiWriMo website) for dates, locations, and times.

For the write-in sessions:

These meetings are going to be a little more flexible in terms of location. Please respond to this thread with recommendations and we'll try to accomodate everyone in getting a place on the calendar. Generally, write-ins will occur every week (beginning next week on Tuesday, February 4th if we have a consensus on location) from 6pm through 9pm. After checking, Emerald City is out since it closes at 7pm every night. Anything else centrally located and open late (like a caribou) would be ideal.
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Script Frenzy!

TimSimms — Mon, 3 Mar 2008 08:48:38 -0800

Hey all!

I know it's been like a ghost town from some old Western movie around the board recently, complete with electronic tumbleweeds...

But it's time to get geared up for Script Frenzy! It all starts April 1st!

Here's a quick run down of what you can expect:

• Weekly write-ins every Tuesday (since we already have them on the ChiWriMo calendar)
• Script Frenzy Swag!
• A kick off and wrap up party! (note: the wrap up will more than likely double up as the April monthly NaNo meeting so everyone can be in the same room at the same time!)

Between now and April 1st I'm going to attempt to put together a Script Frenzy primer for those who have no clue where to start. I'm a newbie myself in terms of script writing, so it should be an interesting experience for those who'd like to share the journey with me. If you haven't done so already, take a look at the Script Frenzy website (http://www.scriptfrenzy.org). Your NaNo login credentials should carry over to that site, so you shouldn't have to re-register.

Also, if you want to read Chris Baty's write up (including a mention of great free scriptwriting software you can download), check out the story here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1077276

If you're planning on participating this year, give me a shout out on this thread (or on a Chicago thread on the S/F board) and we'll go from there!
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Feb 24th Monthly Meeting Canceled

TimSimms — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:44:33 -0800

I apologize for the short notice, but today's monthly scheduled meeting has been canceled. Maria is unable to host today due to unforeseen circumstances, and contacting everyone for a new location would be a lot of effort. If you're interested, we do have a weekly write-in session scheduled this week in which we can discuss some of the meeting topics (like the anthology and Script Frenzy in April). If you're able to attend, I'll see you all Tuesday evening at Kopi Cafe for the write in. Details are on the ChiWriMo calendar.

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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Updated Write In Locations

TimSimms — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:00:36 -0800

Be sure to check out the Upcoming Events calendar on the ChiWriMo webpage (http://www.chiwrimo.org) for the locations of upcoming writing events. They happen every Tuesday, so stop in and join in!

If you'd like to recommend a spot for a write in location, feel free to respond to this post with your recommendation!
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Edit Group

Mitch — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:45:03 -0800

Just got done last night. Wshew. I was thinking about starting an edit/feedback group in January. I'm open to how we would format it but I have a couple of ideas. I'm in Old Irving. If you are interested in participating in such a thing, email me and I can start a list. Maybe there is already something structured for this. If so, let me know.
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United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Funny thing....

CrimsonBlood — Fri, 1 Feb 2008 22:40:09 -0800

It's not even any where near close to NaNo yet and I'm already writing novels at weird times...writing all day...and now all night.

I find this quite comical. Or maybe that's just the lack of sleep. o.o
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"If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn't thinking." - General George S. Patton, Jr.

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Falling in love with your Characters

Salad — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 22:01:58 -0800

Every year I have a character that I absolutely adore. Everything they say comes easily, their jokes make me laugh and their actions surprise me. Does everyone else have this too?

I have to admit I'm falling for the Big Bad Wolf...he's suave, debonair, and Red doesn't have a chance against his wit and charm...I might not either. But I think what just sealed the deal on my love for him was when he got her to shake his hand, and after he kissed it and she pulled back a bit he said (not me, I was just channeling) "don't worry, I don't bite." LOL--he's the Big Bad Wolf!!! I love it!
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United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Northwest Suburbs Support Group.

RickyD — Sat, 8 Dec 2007 14:17:30 -0800

Hey all, a few of us (five at last count; not counting multiple personalities...) are going to start meeting up occasionally in the NW 'burbs. Most likely in the neighborhood of Woodfield. If anyone is interested to get in on it, give me a shout.

My e-mail is chacho_nips at hotmail dot com. Spammers need not apply. Stalkers welcomed in steamy negligee. Not really. Well, besides that one time. Nevermind that!

Anywho, at the moment we're still hashing out when and where and how often and all that jazz. If you wish to get in on the voting process... Well, again, give me a shout.

Peace,
Ricky D
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This is my signature. Yeah.

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Meeting Reminder - 1/26/2007

TimSimms — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:50:54 -0800

Just a reminder, the first Post Nano gathering is tomorrow (Saturday, 1/26) from 1-2:30pm at MariaVictoria's place on the north side.

For information on the location, please email me at chicago_il@nanowrimo.org!
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Keeping up!

atlantistale — Sun, 2 Dec 2007 23:02:00 -0800

So I know a bunch of you out there have livejournals, and I thought it'd be a grand way to keep up with each other's writings (and lives) if we knew who had what journal. I had an LJ a long time ago, but I just created a new one to keep up with my writing. (Thanks NaNoWriMo!)

Anyway, my LJ is atlantistale, just like my Nano username. Who else? Anyone?

And... oh yeah. COME SEE GODSPELL!
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*********
~sometimes words and music are all one truly has~
NaNo2007: Archives of Atlantis; Water

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Three cheers for TimSimms!

NewMexicoKid — Tue, 4 Dec 2007 05:07:21 -0800

Hey, ChiWriMos!

Did you realize just how fortunate you are to have such a fantastic ML this year as TimSimms? He has really stepped up to the plate (entering the game only after it had started!) and done a terrific job this year in organizing events, giving the region a new identity and charting a path to a brightly successful future!

As the third-year co-ML of neighboring Illinois::Naperville, I am aware of the time and effort that go into serving as the ML of a NaNoWriMo region; and Chicago is a huge region that demands special handling. TimSimms may be a first-year ML, but his effort this year is top notch.

Three cheers for TimSimms!

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Tim Yao aka NewMexicoKid
co-ML, Illinois::Naperville
Fog Readability Analysis
Writing resources

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Word War Team Awards

read.n.write — Tue, 4 Dec 2007 18:42:19 -0800

I think these were announced at the TGIO party, which not everyone could attend, including myself. Can these be announced yet? :)
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Detroit Marathon Motto: "You Can Do This!"
NYC Marathon Motto: "Respect the Distance"

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Please Vote for Me on To-Do List Blog!

Aiea — Tue, 4 Dec 2007 10:02:40 -0800

Shameless Self-Promotion Alert
(please forgive me)

My list is "Words and Phrases I Want to Use". I started it in 2002 (before I'd even joined BWW!). Voting only takes a second (there's a checklist on the left side of the page. Please vote!

Contest Here
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http://www.angelaboration.com

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

ChiWriMo's New Logo Voting

TimSimms — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 19:05:48 -0800

Please take a look at each of the logos contained in the links below. Choose your favorite and leave a comment on this thread indicating the logo number. If you're torn between two or more labels, feel free to choose more and label them in order of most favorite, second, and so on. Voting will be open from now through the end of the day this Friday when NaNo ends at 11:59pm. The winning logo (and runners up) will be announced at the TGIO party, and then subsequently on this board after the party for those who were unable to make itt to the TGIO party.

Thank you to the three graphic artists that designed the logos for the competition (Tom, Sara, and Mary Jo) and good luck in having your logo chosen!

Logos 1 through 8 are viewable through this link:

http://tpeacock.50megs.com/NaNo/Chicagonanowrimo_2.pdf

(requires Adobe Reader - if you need to download the program, click here)

Logo 9:

http://tpeacock.50megs.com/NaNo/ChicagoWriMo2-sm.jpg

Logo 10:

http://tpeacock.50megs.com/NaNo/ChicagoWriMo3-sm.jpg

Logo 11:

http://tpeacock.50megs.com/NaNo/chicagowrimologo1.jpg

Logo 12:

http://tpeacock.50megs.com/NaNo/chicagowrimologo2.jpg

Logo 13:

http://tpeacock.50megs.com/NaNo/chicagowrimologo3.jpg
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

December through October?

djdo — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:20:41 -0800

Hey everyone...

The monument to 50k is visible far on the horizon, through the bubbly, rippling heat waves. I've got a lot of ground to cover and I can't make it alone! I want to finish what I started this year, but I'm going to miss the cheer and excitement and camaraderie that you all provide. I don't want to miss it. I want it all!

So, how do you keep this ride rolling throughout the rest of the year? Is there a place to go, virtually or physically, to maintain the mojo? Are there write-ins? Are there forums? Are there word count widgets and word wars? Is there life after WriMo?

Who, what, when, where? The why is in my soul.

Thanks!

Dave
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United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

TGIO Party Information & RSVP Thread!

TimSimms — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:44:23 -0800

Hey all,

After a lot of searching, a lot more negotiating, and a little luck, I've found us a great space for this year's TGIO Party. Keep reading for the details:

Location: Cafe Iberico

Date: Sunday, December 2nd

Time: 12:30pm to whenever we leave

Address: 739 N LaSalle Drive - just one block south and two blocks east of the Chicago Brown Line. (click on the link for a map of the location)

Cost: This was the clincher - everywhere else that had the size to accomodate us wanted an outrageous deposit. This place is only going to charge $5 a head. I've pre-reserved 30 spots with my credit card, so please RSVP if you plan to attend. (I'll adjust the reservation sometime Friday based on the number of confirmed guests, whether it's more or less than 30.) When you arrive, find me (take a look at the pic in my profile if we haven't met so you know what I look like) and make sure you have your $5 in cash on hand. Once you pay, you get a nifty name tag (it really isn't as lame as it sounds, I promise) so I can keep track of who has paid and who hasn't.

Menu: Take a look at the menu. Since it's a tapas cafe, hopefully there will be something there for everyone! Items generally range from $2-7, so food is very affordable. Also, for those who want it, there's vegetarian cuisine available. From the way they explained it, we'll be on one bill but everyone will be able to orer off the menu (since the package deals are a little pricey). Just make sure if you are ordering just for yourself (and not splitting a tapas cost with someone else) and it's more than your $5, be sure to toss in a buck or two so I don't go broke :) I'm also asking that all of your alcoholic drink purchases (if you choose to imbibe) be made separately at the bar so we can keep the bill manageable. Sodas and regular drinks on the bill are fine though.

The Details: Here's what you need to know:

• Feel free to bring an excerpt from your NaNo novel. Noise won't be an issue, nor will standing room, so we'll be able to have a table for viewing as well as possibly having a reading of some people's excerpts. If you plan to have them read aloud, please try to limit the excerpt to around 1000 words.

• Awards! The Tri-City Word War awards as well as the Superlative awards will be handed out while everyone settles in for some tapas and drinks.

• Parking: You can park in one the many parking lots in the area if you're not able to find street parking

• Dress is casual

If you plan to attend, please RSVP by responding to this thread with the number of people that will be attending (including yourself). (If you can't attend you don't have to respond obviously.)

*Side Note: If you're planning to attend and you use a wheelchair, please let me know either via email or private message - the current room we have set aside is up three small steps. The cafe has offered to change us to the next larger size room if we need it either due to handicap access or to a crowd larger than 30.

If you have questions please feel free to send me a private message by clicking on my screen name and then clicking on "Send NaNoMail" or just email me at chicago_il@nanowrimo.org.
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

The ChiWriMo Year End Survey

TimSimms — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:46:25 -0800

Hey all!

Since the month is drawing to a close, I thought I'd go ahead and post the survey now rather than wait until you're all gone and no longer available for board stalking =D

When you have a chance, take a moment to fill out this survey (see below) to let me know what you thought of this NaNo. If you want, wait until the the week is finished since some of the questions involve final word count and your thoughts on events like the TGIO party. If you want to fill it out now though, be my guest. I just wanted to get the link posted so you all have it for when all is said and done.

Thank you to everyone who participated; this survey is now closed.
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Tim
Municipal Liaison for
NaNoWriMo::Illinois::Chicago & ScriptFrenzy::Illinois::Chicago

United States :: Illinois :: Chicago

Woodfield/Schaumburg meetup?

theinfernumflame — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 23:42:11 -0700

I know there were several meetups organized for the Borders in Woodfield Mall last year, but I haven't seen any this time around. Would anybody be interested in getting together there at some point?
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