USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Post here for 50K victory! Will use for TGIO party awards.

solstice1974 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:05:52 +0000

I am making awards for Nano winners. Post here so I know to make you one. Also, let me know if you will be at the party at Brixx Pizza to receive it.

When: Wednesday, December 2 at 8pm
Where: Brixx Pizza Uptown Charlotte (225 East 6th Street Charlotte, NC 28202)
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"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

List of Word Count Competitors--please check!

solstice1974 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:49:44 +0000

Here is the list I have of names and the side they are aligned with for the local word count competition. Please check to see that I have you in the correct place and if you are not on the list let me know which side you are on. Thanks!

EAST

PeterSalvo
thewildhare
pdr
locationlaura
jod912
aproprose
dren
carefulClaire

NORTH

solstice1974
caudillm
fluffi
iamuella
revjulie
carolinakat
fermatsfermata
mypenmodisbetter
alicia walker
maryapryl
rnicolehaystan
livingthebluetori
pacali

SOUTH

emerald dragon
carolinajaybird
roni
celticdragonsong
kazambam
graphophiliac
Ljwwrites
sunnydee
deeva
ed4becky
navygrrl
regann
alinamv
johnsienoel
nvl917
daniel.stone
cursiveart
gusgallows
nuchik
pink griffin
taylesia
mally
creative soul
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"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

East Group Thread

solstice1974 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:55:46 +0000

This thread is for wrimos in the east area--E Independence Blvd area, Mint Hill, Union County etc. Feel free to use this to set up write ins and help motivate each other for the East Word count win!
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"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

North Group Thread

solstice1974 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:49:28 +0000

This thread is for wrimos in the north area--Huntersville, Concord, Mooresville, etc. Feel free to use this to set up write ins and help motivate each other for the North Word count win!
----------
"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Word War Challenge

solstice1974 — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:16:40 +0000

The Riverside County, CA region has challenged us to a word count war. Shall we accept? I don't know if there is anything involved other than winning bragging rights, but it would be cool to kick some West Coast booty!

BTW, sorry to miss out the first day of writing. How is everyone doing? I managed to get 1500 words on the car trip with my kids screaming in the back. Wanted to write more, but just couldn't concentrate. Hope you guys are still excited and moving forward.
----------
"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Crappiest line in your book?

solstice1974 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:25:57 +0000

What's the worst line you've written so far this month? Share it whether it is just bad writing or a total cop out.

Here is mine--

"And that is what they did." Total cop out because I just couldn't think but needed to write something. :P
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"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

South Group Thread

solstice1974 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:30:37 +0000

This thread is for wrimos in the south area--Rock Hill, Monroe, Pineville, Matthews, etc. Feel free to use this to set up write ins and help motivate each other for the South Word count win!
----------
"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

TGIO Party at Brixx Pizza--Uptown Charlotte

solstice1974 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:03:21 +0000

I tried to pick a central location for the TGIO party. I have tentatively reserved the back room (we can overflow into the main dining area as well) for Wednesday Dec 2nd at 8pm. Does this work for most people? Please let me know if you can attend this as I will need to give them a headcount.

I'm so excited! We can have an awards ceremony and readings of our favorite scenes in our books! See you soon.
----------
"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Post your Write-ins Here!

solstice1974 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:26:26 +0000

I've been having trouble with the site (really old slow computer) but saw a great note by Jen (graphophiliac--did I spell that right?) reminding everyone that you do not have to wait for me to post a write in. In fact I WANT you to form your own support groups and plan write ins. We are a large group and I will not be able to meet all of your needs, so please help yourselves. My feelings will not be hurt at all.

So...this thread is for you to post a planned write-in. When you post it I will add it to the Google calendar so it is easier for everyone to see. Thanks!
----------
"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Local article about NanoWriMo

DyanneNova — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:16:03 +0000

I mentioned NaNoWriMo to one of the editors at Carolina Weekly Newspaper group*, and she's looking for anyone who is participating this year and would like to be interviewed. Anyone interested?

*Carolina Weekly includes South Charlotte Weekly, University City Weekly, Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly, Union County Weekly, The Herald Weekly, and Mountain Island Weekly, in case anyone's curious.
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USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Word Count Competition

solstice1974 — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:30:44 +0000

At tonight's kick off party, we decided to have a word count competition between the North, South, East and West. At the end of November we will tally the count and the winning area will have their names placed in a hat at the TGIO party for a chance to win a Borders gift card, and ITunes gift card. I would like to ask that anyone who wishes to help purchase these please send me $1 or $2. There are enough of us that no one should need to send more than that. If we get a lot I will purchase a couple of Borders cards or a Nano t-shirt for the drawing.

If you will be coming to a North write-in you can just give me the money there, or you can mail it to Charity Bradford--Davis Lake Communique, 9000 Davis Lake Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28269.

Please post your name here and the area you want your word count to go towards. I will need this to put your names in at the end as well as for the tally.

Good luck! Remember to use your area thread to encourage each other to keep writing.
----------
"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

stalling

lamuella — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:51:20 +0000

I hit 50k on Monday night, and since then I have written...

almost nothing. 500-800 words a night.

Partly it's because I've been busy (working until 9 3 nights in a row), but I'm worried that part of it might simply be that as I've hit the arbitrary goal, I somehow feel I've 'won', so I don't have to push.

This is really dangerous. I've got a lot of book still to write (roughly 22 chapters), and unless I boot myself in the butt over this, it's not going to get done.

I'm off work at 1 this afternoon, and I'm going to try and get myself back on track with a marathon writing session, but it's starting to worry me.

Anyone else hitting end-of-third-week blues?
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http://www.irennie.com

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

ATTN: THE WRITE/CHAT ROOM WILL BE CLOSED THUR 11/19 FOR EMERGENCY HD HOUSEKEEPING. OPEN TONIGHT.

Nvl 917 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:51:38 +0000

We'll be back on-line ASAP, but both my HD's are FULL and I have to take care of the problem before the system crashes. Sorry anyone who wanted to come during the day today. We'll be on-line about dinner time. Cynthia
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Nvl 917
If there is no Earth on which humans can thrive, nothing else matters.

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Write in--Saturday night!

solstice1974 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:29:15 +0000

I need a heavy dose of kick in the pants to get my word count back on track. We have the back/side room of the Concord Panera Bread reserved for 7pm-9pm on Saturday night. I hope a lot of you can come join me there. The room only has one outlet so I will bring my power strip.

Panera Bread
8034 Concord Mills Boulevard, Concord, 28207
Exit 49 off of Interstate 85--Concord Mills Blvd/Speedway Blvd.
phone (704) 979-1990
----------
"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

24/7 Write/Chat Room new and improved: now with CHALLENGES, CONTESTS AND REAL PRIZES

Nvl 917 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:29:28 +0000

This post supercedes the last post on the old thread. I hope by starting a new thread I will get the attention of more people.

Charlotte's 24/7 Write/Chat room is finally functioning properly, at least most of the time.
To celebrate, I am announcing DAILY CHALLENGES and WEEKLY CONTESTS, all with real prizes.
Prizes will be handed out at the TGIO party. If you cannot attend and you won a prize, contact me by Nanomail

DAILY CHALLENGES WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THE SITE AND ON THIS THREAD

WEEKLY CHALLENGES will run Sunday-Saturday. Keep track of your numbers, update them at any time, and be sure to post your weekly totals by midnight Saturday.
WEEKLY CHALLENGES include:
most time logged in at the site (feel free to keep it open in a separate copy of your browser, so you can monitor the action and join in when you want and ignore it when you don't want)
most time spent chatting on-topic at the site
most time spent writing while logged onto the site
highest word count for writing done while logged onto the site (DOUBLE PRIZE)
cheerleader of the week* (DOUBLE PRIZE)
worst sentence of the week*
strangest writing ritual of the week (don't even mention coffee; it's all been done.)*
funniest typo of the week*
most effective distraction of the week*
* post your submission, vote early vote often for your favorite using creative hash marks.

No prize will be worth more than $1. All prizes will be something you want; no junk.
I am not eligible for prizes.
suggestions for daily challenges, improvements, etc., are welcome via the white board or Nanomail straight to me.

If my computer goes down or we get kicked off for inactivity, which happens on occasion (like I trip on my pc cord and unplug it without knowing it, so the meeting is ended when my battery dies), please open a new meeting.

To get to the room, simply go to www.dimdim.com. Click on the JOIN a meeting button. Enter nvl917 as the room name and the name you would like the other people there (and the computer) to call you. You will be taken straight to the room.

If for some reason the room is closed, I apologize. Follow these steps:
sign in as me: username nvl917, password nanocharlotte
If it's time for a new meeting to start, you will see it listed there. Click edit to be sure the white board is turned ON. Check to make sure the time is for 5 hours, 45 minutes, click Submit at the very bottom. Back at the first page, click Start meeting under the calendar icon.
If it's not time a new meeting yet but the room is closed, Click on the HOST a meeting button. Click on the preferences tab. Be sure the white board is turned ON. At the bottom enter the time remaining from then until the next meeting start time (6-12-6-12). Click Submit (I'm doing this from memory so if I'm not quite right in the details, soldier on).
After checking your computer for compatibility, the room will open.
If you have a camera and mike you may allow or disallow the program to use it. Uncheck hands-free talking, or everyone will hear all the sounds at your house.
A new window will pop up. Select use the white board. You will be returned to the room after it loads.
If the white board does not open on the center screen, click the white board button in the top left corner (it's more like a strip).
The white board I wrote in the morning will be gone. Add to it when and if you have time. I'll fix it later.

If the meeting comes to an end and I am not there to record votes in case the white board crashes, which it likes to do, please take a note of the votes and send them to me in a nanomail.

See you all there!!! Write fast, write fierce, take no captives (but we can be nice to each other),
Cynthia
Cynthia
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Nvl 917
If there is no Earth on which humans can thrive, nothing else matters.

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Matthews!

Mally — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:14:51 +0000

Okay, so i dont live in Charlotte, i live in Matthews. Anybody else live here too? And how have you novels been going?
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USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

!!South County Write-In Today: READ!!

graphophiliac — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:06:25 +0000

Hola yall,

I sincerely apologize for the late notice, but I will not be able to host the write-in today at the South County Regional Library, from 1:00PM - 5:30PM.

If anyone would like to take over the reservation and open up the room, even for part of that time slot, please let me know, and we will arrange a transfer of the reservation.

Hosting a write-in is easy! You just find a place to write, and show up. The place is already reserved, so if you were planning to go, please don't let my not being there deter you from going!

Again, my apologies, and happy noveling!

:-) Jen

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USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Introduce Yourself

solstice1974 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:05:19 +0000

I just realized that we haven't started a formal introduce yourself thread...So here it is! Tell us all you want us to know about you and what your goal is for this years Nano.

I'll start. This is my second year doing Nano. I signed up last year on October 28th or 29th (can't remember), but already had my book plan and character sheets in place. I've wanted to write a book since I was 9 years old, and at age 35 I'm finally doing the work to accomplish that goal. Nano was the deadline I needed to finally get the story out of my head and onto the paper. After reaching 60,000K it was finally finished...and a total mess! But, a year of research and revision has changed it into something that I am really proud of. It still needs a little more work, but I hope to start submitting query letters in January.

I am the mother of four great kids ages 3 to 12. I feel very lucky to be a stay at home mom which allows me to slip in 20 minutes here and there to write. I would love larger blocks of time, but I take what I can get. This fall is packed with too many activities and so I am really nervous about how well I will do in Nano this year. I teach cooking classes during the day for home school kids (while mine are at public school!), compile and edit my neighborhood newsletter each month (average 8 pages delivered to 825 homes), and I am on the planning committee for our church's annual Community Nativity Festival. That link takes you to the website I created for it. Do any of you sing or perform in a group? :) I love to cook and bake. I have slacked off, but here is a link to my food website as well-- For the Love of Food.

Anyway, this year I am writing a prequel/sequel to my first book. I'm taking the villains from book one with the goal of making you like and even pity them. I hope it isn't too much of a challenge for one short month. Both of these books are science fiction. I'm just so excited! It won't get here fast enough.
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"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Weekend Write Ins!

solstice1974 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:07:09 +0000

Don't forget to check the calendar for the weekend write ins. It can help you catch up on your word count or move ahead. The word count goal for Sunday is the half way 25k mark! Can you believe we are already half way through! Pat yourself on the back if you are still trying!

I believe we have one on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday is at the North County Regional Library at 1pm-3pm in the conference room downstairs (the big room upstairs was already booked), but we can drift out into the other areas if needed. Please come and feel free to bring a drink and snack--we just need to clean afterward.

Sunday the write in is at the South County Regional Library Meeting Room A, first floor on the right 1:00PM - 5:30PM. Lots of chances to meet and write! Pick one and show up!
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"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Group story thread

solstice1974 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:10:56 +0000

Now that we are moving into the chopping waters of week two, I thought we might need a thread to just laze around in. Somewhere we can write a silly line or two towards a group short story. No particular genre, the more they meld together the better in my book! We can play at being kids again telling round robin stories on those long car rides (remember what it was like before DVD players on trips?).

Who will step right up and start our story?
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"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Crossing the MIDDLE (duh, duh, duhn!)

solstice1974 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:21:02 +0000

I finally got around to reading my week two pep talk from Maureen Johnson, you know the one where she talks about the huge expanse of 'nothing' in the MIDDLE of Australia. Here was my favorite part:

"Here’s the thing, though...if you're doing NaNoWriMo, you are a reader, because all writers are readers. Which means that you must admire many authors. Your shelves are lined with the works of your heroes and sheroes. Every single one of them has crossed the wild country where you are now. Every single one of them has been a resident of The Middle. The ground you're treading is full of the remains of their old campsites. And somewhere around you, just out of sight, current authors you admire are making their own way across The Middle. What's nice about NaNoWriMo is that you are traveling with a posse of thousands, all of you making your way over the mountains, through the valleys, across the creeks. You are fighting off the beasties.

And once you've crossed The Middle once or twice and you're lounging on the other side, you'll find you miss it. You'll realize you long to be out there again, under the sky and the stars. The weather changes a lot in the middle. Some days, the skies are dark and it's hard to find your way forward. Those days are long and little progress is made. Some days, it's strangely bright and clear, and suddenly you can see the horizon ahead, and dozens of possible paths present themselves to you. But every day is different, and every day there is a new way to go and a new thing to see."

Well, I am definitely entering the MIDDLE of my book and progress has slowed dramatically...duh duh duhn, but hopefully it will not ground to a complete stop. This is the part of the book where everything happens and you would think that would be easier to write, but for some reason it isn't. I keep finding myself asking more questions (which is good in the big scheme of things) and turning back on the path I've chosen to try a different one. There are so many choices to make that it can be paralyzing. Just remember that we are all experiencing the same thing and don't give up!

Look out the metaphorical window and wave at me as I flounder in the quick sand of getting the Draguman exiled from Sendek. Who knew how complicated that would be? Not me. Also, take advantage of the mirages (attend a write in) to catch your breath and refill your canteen before trudging along on your own again.

Good luck and happy crossings! See you when we get to the beach.
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"If you are a mother and a writer then you have to make the time to write everyday. Because nobody is going to give it to you. I guarantee it. That means a lot of other things in your life have to go."
Nano 2008: Sendek--win

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Live Virtual Group Writes and Chats

Nvl 917 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:53:28 +0000

I've spent a small amount of time looking for good ways for us to meet virtually any time of day. I have two ideas--this was by no means an exhaustive search.

1- AIM allows for group chats. Anyone can start a chat at any time. If you want to start a chat, however, you have to have the names of people to invite, which takes planning ahead and some effort of the part of the person opening the room.However, some of us might want to be buddies and plan a chat time. My AIM name is cynthialynncrane. I'm also on Google chat as cin.l.crane, which has the advantage of being able to have video. As does Skype, where my name is cynthia.crane58. Skype allows for 3 in a group, but text only for 3. I believe Google is only 2-way; correct me if I'm wrong. If AIM has video capability, I don't see it. As you can see, this is already confusing to keep track of other people's various screen names. I'm not convinced anyone has time for this right now.

2- alternatively, I got a free 30-day trial of DimDim, which is a webinar service. Again, this is not ideal and there may well be something better out there, but I don't have time to research this.

I have opened a group meeting open to the public from 3pm - 8:45 pm today. That's the maximum length of time allowed for a meeting. Please drop in any time, even if it turns out only to be time for yourself. It's a public meeting so you do not have to give your email, you do NOT have to sign up for DimDIm. As organizer, I did that. This is a webinar. You are supposed to pay me vast amounts of money for the right to listen to my incredible wisdom. No box lunch. BYOB. There is video and audio chat, with a slight delay on the sound. I don't know how many people can do that at once. On the right side of the screen you will see a tall column for text chat. In the middle I have put a white board anyone can write on or change. You can also upload documents if you want. I've left a couple of messages there on the white board for you. Something like 50 or 100 people can be there at once, so I would guess that's adequate.

To get in: go to dimdim.com. Click on Join Meeting. Fill out our room name: nvl917 (my wrimo name) and your name in the boxes. Your PC will be checked for compatability and software (like Flashplayer), and then you will taken to the "room."

Then feel free to play. I'm going to nap now, but I'll be there later.

In the future I have the option to schedule meetings ahead, so I will try to have this open as much as they will allow me.It will just means scheduling a whole mess of meetings, but they are easy to do . I just don't think I can schedule ahead right now because I made the mistake of having this first meeting start right away. However, the room name will always be nvl917. Sorry I coudn't give it a generic name. It automatically uses my user name.

I hope this is helpful to people, to chat, have word wars, just write together, whatever. It's free and it's easy to access. Let me know on this thread or on the white board if it's a good idea or not. If no one uses it, I won't bother to schedule any meetings. But let's give it a few days.

If anyone has the energy to cut and paste this message into the other charlotte groups, feel free to do so. The more the merrier. But I was up writing til 4 am last night and I haven't written yet today,and I don't have the energy right now to do that.

I hope to see people there!
Best,
Cynthia
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Nvl 917
If there is no Earth on which humans can thrive, nothing else matters.

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Any Mid-Towners in Charlotte?

justtra — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:27:12 +0000

Would like to do some write-ins mid-town. Anywhere really - Plaza/Midwood, NoDa, Dilworth, wherever!
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There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein. ~Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith

USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

Good places to write- South

graphophiliac — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 20:40:37 +0000

I'm new to the area, and have yet to find a good place to work. I have three kids, a husband, and musical instruments at home, so I tend to do most of my writing out and about. Evenings and weekends.

But where???

Most of the libraries here are closed on Sundays (unbelievable), and the ones that are open are standing room only. The coffee shops I've tried were really loud and busy.

So where do the writers hang out in Charlotte? Seems like every town has their secret hole in the wall writer hang-outs...

Thanks for the help yall!!

:-) Jen
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USA :: North Carolina :: Charlotte

I just got published! (not strictly wrimo related)

lamuella — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:46:25 +0000

well, this bodes well for a good writing month. A story of mine just got published by 365 Tomorrows:

http://www.365tomorrows.com/11/08/the-company-store/

sorry, didn't mean to brag, I'm just pretty happy about this, as it was a story that really worked.
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http://www.irennie.com