Africa :: South Africa

Cape Town Thank GoD Its OVER!!! Party.

immolin — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:43:30 -0800

Meet at 2:30 at Mugg and Bean in Paddocks shopping center, Milnerton . Cnr of Racecourse Road and Grand National Boulevard.
Certificates will be handed out to those who have won but dont have printers/ internet, and hopefully we can have a good afternoon just celebrating the fact that its over for another year and that we've survived it.
Please attend even if you havent finished- we would love to meet you.
I will be wearing my glaringly yellow t shirt again- so it will be worth coming even if its just to point and laugh.
I have nanowrimo stickers and other goodies to hand out also - Please let me know if you are attending/ although its not a capetonian habit- it is the polite and decent thing to do- so I can book a table- partners and friends welcome. M&B is licenced - theres ample parking and the service at the paddocks is actually quite suprisingly good-
see you all on sunday.
Fiona
to rsvp you can sms your name and number attending to 0721147554/ or email.: fionagroenewald@gmail.com

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Youre just jealous because you cant hear the voices.

Africa :: South Africa

TGIO Party - Gauteng

Morcalivan — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:16:29 -0800

TGIO = Thank God It's Over Party

The party is open to all, whether you crossed the finish line and got your pretty purple winner bar or whether you fell 49999 words short. It's not so much about who won and who didn't, but just getting together and relaxing after the madness of November has passed. Perhaps you would like to use the time to remind yourself that you will never do this again (that is, until October 2008 when your fingers start to itch) or perhaps you want to find out what other madness you can torture yourself with while you wait for the next round .

== Gauteng TGIO Party Info ==

Date: Sunday 2 December 2007
Time: 3pm to 5pm (but you can of course leave earlier if you like)
Venue: Cappucinos at Carslworld Lifestyle Centre, New Road, Midrand

Map: http://www.aboutmidrand.co.za/maps.php (choose the Carslworld Lifestyle Centre shortcut and zoom out from there to find your route)

Remember, you can bring a friend or family member for moral support and travel company, just add that to your numbers so I can make sure we have a seat for everyone.

For those wanting incentive, I still have a couple of official NaNoWriMo 2007 stickers left that will be handed out. This is open to all NaNo participants, regardless of whether you won or not.
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Cali,
ML for Gauteng, South Africa

Africa :: South Africa

Eastern Capers: KEEP IN TOUCH HERE

SAShirl — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:15:01 -0700

Okay, I've made our own little lounge here.

Let's here from you. So far, some good word counts. Keep it up. Let's show those bigger regions that the EASTERN CAPE RULES!

Have a great NaNo day folk!

Don't forget to keep those wordcounts coming in.

* edit profile
* author info
* scroll to near end: type in WORD COUNT

It's that easy. You are encouraged when you see your bar begin to grow.
We are encouraged to try and top your score!

Let's roll . . . .

Shirl

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Shirley (P.E., Eastern Cape, South Africa)
http://www.shirleycorder.com

Africa :: South Africa

TGIO Party - KZN region

magependragon — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:40:09 -0800

Ladies and Gents,

The monthly is nearly over and it is time to start contemplating our "Thank Goodness It's Over" Party.

Date: December 1st
Time: 19h00 (7pm) onwards
Location: Cape Town Fish Market, Sun Coast Casino

Please remember that the TGIO party is not just for the winners, it is for everyone who took part, everyone who wrote, everyone who supported, everyone who got neglected while you were writing so bring your significant others and your kids if you've got them and you want to.

Please RSVP using one the following methods so I know what size table to book on Thursday for the Saturday.
1. Via this thread
2. Via facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5271569171
3. Via email to mage dot pen dot dragon at gmail dot com
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Yvette (ML - DBN Region)
"The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!"

Africa :: South Africa

<0>Calling all Capetonians!! touch base here.

immolin — Tue, 2 Oct 2007 11:44:03 -0700

Hey everyone-
I'm a day late *gasp* but I made it and WHOOHOO!!! Its NANOTIME!
So - Introduce yourself- let me know who you are so that I can be a fabulous ML and include you in all the cool activities that we will be having throughout the month of nano-

Man! It feels great to be back.
November- BRING IT ON!

EDIT/
Ok- since we havent had much response yet- and I have had to confirm our venue to secure-

Sunday, 28th October- 3pm at Ikhaya Lodge at Dunkley square in town. http://www.ikhayalodge.co.za/index.html
directions found here: http://www.ikhayalodge.co.za/location.html

It promises to be a great afternoon of getting to know the writers in our group- meeting old writerbuddies from last year and also being an afternoon, should be convenient for everyone. They have great food, snacks and tapas available if anyone comes hungry and a bar . Its also all ages friendly with a comfortable lounge area, and a great view of the mountain.
Please let me know if you are coming so that I can confirm approximate numbers. I will be at Ikhaya from 2:30 pm to secure our spot and welcome you all- remember you have to come to meets to get your nanowrimo goodies!!

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Youre just jealous because you cant hear the voices.

Africa :: South Africa

<0> Pretoria / Thswane / Blue Bulls Territory?

Morcalivan — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:27:03 -0700

ECHO!

echo...

Anyone out there? Don't make me talk to myself, people are already calling me schizo behind my back.
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Cali,
ML for Gauteng, South Africa

Africa :: South Africa

Cape Town events attendance thread-

immolin — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 23:20:11 -0800

Come on capetonians.
I'm starting to get a bit bored of waiting around venues hoping that people arrive after they say they will, and a little embarrassed by the absolute lack of response. Joburg is beating the pants off us on attendance and we have more members?
whats going on?
So far I have had two write ins- both where two people showed up.
Not fair guys.
I'm willing to drop what I have scheduled to be able to accomoodate wrimos- thats my job. But you guys have to meet me halfway. Please let me know if you can attend or not- that way I know to reschedule, or if spending money and CO2 on travelling is worth it.
Thank you to those few who have been making an effort- its is much appreciated.
and everyone in Cape town- if you cant make it - its ok. But please let me know- its the polite thing to do. Everyone keeps shrugging and saying, "its capetown..what can you expect?" dudes, I just want a little support-
So-

Next write in:
Suggestions on where/ when / etc are welcomed. If I get no suggestions- then I will take it that nobody wants to meet. either is fine- Its your nanowrimo. I'm here if you all need me- just drop me a mail-
fionagroenewald@gmail.com

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Youre just jealous because you cant hear the voices.

Africa :: South Africa

Joburg! Thou must congregate!!!

Saeth — Wed, 3 Oct 2007 07:24:18 -0700

Well, I'm no ML (I would have applied, but I can't drive) but I figured I'd start the Johannesburg group thread! Everyone from Jozi (and surrounds?) come and make yourselves known! Let's have a party this year!!!
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I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT AND I WORK 10 HOURS A DAY EVERY DAY.
Please send hugs.
And coffee.

Africa :: South Africa

<0> Welcome fellow SA NaNonians!

Morcalivan — Tue, 2 Oct 2007 02:24:55 -0700

YES! The sign up / sign in process is finally ready. I've been refreshing like a creature possessed all day.

For those returning for another round: *waves in an overly excited fashion* Great to see you guys again.
For those attempting for the first time: Howdi and welcome to the family. Great to have you onboard and I hope you have a fabulous time with us.

So, who is attempting this mad dash this year? Show me names and numbers!

I'm Morcalivan (or Cali for short, or Lindie if you really wanna). Returning for a 4th time and hoping for a 3rd success. Probably doing a fantasy novel because that is what I always do, I like making up worlds. I've promised Immoline and Pen I'd give them a hand this year on the PTA/GP side of things. You will see me on the forums a lot because I have no self control of which to speak.

Enough about me, tell me about you, brave NaNonian (I just really like that word).
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Cali,
ML for Gauteng, South Africa

Africa :: South Africa

<0>INFO POST- INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS_ PLEASE READ

immolin — Thu, 4 Oct 2007 03:09:18 -0700

HI Guys-
I'm stepping in early to just make sure that we have all the logistics ready for making this the most fantastic SA Nanowrimo EVER!!

What we need from you -

-Tell us what area you are from- so that we can co ordinate meets and get togethers- Nanowrimo always starts off with a blast off party in the centers where there are enough writers - If we dont know that you are here, we dont get to include you in all the fun activities

- Let us know if you are keen to have meets in your area- if there is no ML to co ordinate- we can still hook you up with writers in your neighbourhood.

_ PLEASE! Try and attend meets/ us ML's also take time away from our families to try and make this as fun and interesting as possible- please assist us by letting us know if you can make it to a meet and also if you cant attend. Most venues need an idea of numbers before we can book them.

- try and get as many of your writerly friends to join in- the more the merrier!! We have a Nanowrimo South africa group on facebook- so if you have access - please join- http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6044061582
There also seems to be another nanowrimo *general group* - please make sure you join the SA one- otherwise it defeats the purpose of trying to keep our wrimos together.

- be part of the forums- all the support and writerly love and motivation you will ever need will be right here at the click of a mouse. Nanowrimo is about developing community.

- Please give us suggestions on what we could do to make Nanowrimo more fun and relevant to our South African context-
We welcome your input!

cheers-
Fiona
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Youre just jealous because you cant hear the voices.

Africa :: South Africa

Events Calendar

magependragon — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:25:26 -0700

Morning All,

The calendar has been enabled: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/og_calendar/259

The 4 Kick Off events have been added (as best as I can) so far and show up at the bottom of the forum too!

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Yvette (ML - DBN Region)
"The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!"

Africa :: South Africa

50,000 words . . . And here come the winners . . .

SAShirl — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:37:19 -0800

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR FIRST WINNER IN SOUTH AFRICA:

Silaelo of Durban has clocked in with a huge 64,344 words!!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the only one I see in our country that has crossed the winning post.

A couple more to come soon . . .

Watch this space, and don't forget to report in when you make it!

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Shirley (P.E., Eastern Cape, South Africa)
http://www.shirleycorder.com

Africa :: South Africa

We mean War!

magependragon — Thu, 8 Nov 2007 23:06:01 -0800

The widgets are back!
http://www.nanowrimo.org/widgets
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Yvette (ML - DBN Region)
"The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!"

Africa :: South Africa

East Cape TGIO Party

moonblue — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 00:36:42 -0800

Hi all

Any ideas on a get together. There are only three of us left in Grahamstown as Andiji leaves tomorrow for a trip to England and Erin has gone home for holidays (the down side of living in a university town - everyone evacuates druing November/December).

I chatted to the others last night and we agreed that it would be fun to try and come through to PE and have one party. If it does not work out as feasible then we will have two smaller parties. But it would be nice for everyone to meet up face to face.

Any ideas from anyone about dates, venues etc?

I leave for my December holiday on 8 December, in the afternoon. So my choice would be this weekend (or is that too soon) or possibly Sat 8 in the morning. I could then go from the party to the airport. But open to other ideas and suggestions.

Crystal
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Africa :: South Africa

40 000 call out!

Hendrik_T_Burger — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:09:25 -0800

Finally I am there! Only 10 000 to go! Yes!

My poor overstrained fingers!
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Africa :: South Africa

South African Wrimos ROCK! NaNo Stats

SAShirl — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:36:55 -0800

I heard that this afternoon South Africa was lying 120th in the NaNo stats.

I've just checked now, and we're up to 116th OUT OF 350 regions IN THE WORLD!!!

Woohoo! Yeehah! And
"Daar kom die Bokke!"

Give yourselves a BIG CLAP and let's roll out those words! I think this is a pretty awesome statistic for little ol' S.Africa, in our own regional lounge for the very first time.

Don't believe me? Check here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/wordcount_stats

Let's keep it up folks! How about 112th by tomorrow evening?

SAShirl
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Shirley (P.E., Eastern Cape, South Africa)
http://www.shirleycorder.com

Africa :: South Africa

Celebration

Gazelle — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:28:01 -0800

Hey SAShirl,

This is my RSVP for celebrating although I'm not sure where or when.

Gazelle
PS I'm almost there Yippeeee!!!!
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Africa :: South Africa

Durban is bananas!

magependragon — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:44:10 -0700

Hola,

Yip, I am now down on the warm coast and ML for the 3rd year in a row - new region, same job and goals. We have our own Facebook Group so don't be shy and join in.

Event notifications will be sent via this site and via Facebook so don't worry if you can't get through to Facebook. Please though ensure that you have either "KZN" or "KwaZulu Natal" in your location here so I can find you!

I am central Durban based but as the saying goes "Have car, will travel" and as I managed both PTA and JHB last year, I can manage to get around a bit.

Right now, I have just cleared my 27th b-day (yesterday) and am planning for mom's first trip to my new home this coming weekend after that it is all systems go for NaNoWriMo2007. There WILL be a Kick-Off Party and a TGIO Party and at least one write-in a week.

Looking forward to meeting you all!
Cheers,
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Yvette (ML - DBN Region)
"The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!"

Africa :: South Africa

Help?

Richard Stark — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 05:59:46 -0800

i think im not going to make it, maybe if somebody could give me ideas on how not to get distracted by every day life.
it seems that every single thing on my pc, i.e. games, is distracting. almost pulling me away from my NaNoWriMo!!!
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wordcount widgets

Africa :: South Africa

Write Ins - Gauteng :: finished & kaput ::

Morcalivan — Fri, 2 Nov 2007 02:38:57 -0700

Gauteng Write-in Schedule, First Draft:

Midrand based:
Sunday 18 November - 2pm to 4pm @ Mugg & Bean in Carlswald Lifestyle Centre (same place as the kick off)
Sunday 25 November - 2pm to 4pm @ Mugg & Bean in Carlswald Lifestyle Centre

Pretoria based:
Wednesday 14 November - 6pm to 8pm @ Mugg & Bean in Brooklyn Mall (or Menlyn if you prefer, but Menlyn M&B does not have wifi coverage)

Johannesburg based:
Saturday 10 November – 2pm @ Mugg & Bean in Cresta (independently hosted by ImaWritersBlock, please use this thread for RSVPing or questions: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1039425)

Info about the write-ins:
- The main reason for a write in is to all work on our novels together. So when attending, remember to bring something to write with / on. Anything that gets your creative juices flowing: laptop, pen & paper, typewriter, funky little Braille machine, etc.
- There will probably be some chatting involved so everyone can socialise and just hang out with fellow writers. If needed, though, we can have timed writings of say... 20/minutes of solid writing where no chatting is allowed.
- There might be some sort of prize for making a pre-set target during a write in. Random bits of candy works well, I've been told. Yay for sugar rush.
- I have more official NaNo stickers for those wanting loot, so if you didn’t like the one you received at kick-off (or you couldn’t attend and didn’t receive any), you can grab one of the others at the write-ins. The stickers look like this: http://store.lettersandlight.org/product_image.php?imageid=142

You can choose to attend as many or as few write-ins as you like, no pressure. Should you want to attend, please let the host know in advance so we can attempt to make sure there is adequate power supply for all those bringing their laptops with.
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Cali,
ML for Gauteng, South Africa

Africa :: South Africa

30,000 mark

SAShirl — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:36:58 -0800

YEEHAH! I haven't written as many words as usual today, but at least I've broken the 30,000 word barrier.

I wish wish wish the author search allowed us to check the scores in order. Ah well, maybe it's still coming. At least the search facility is back. Please, any of you who pass the various significant checkpoint, let us know. And for the purpose of this thread, let's hear from all of you as you pass 30,000. I'm not the first. TB Woods passed it a couple of days ago. TB? Stand up like a man and be counted.

Any others?

SAShirl going to bed perchance NOT to dream. I need a break from my story!

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Shirley (P.E., Eastern Cape, South Africa)
http://www.shirleycorder.com

Africa :: South Africa

40,000 call out

KwikSilver — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 14:06:25 -0800

Managed to pass the 40,000 milestone just before midnight.
Now to keep these characters in line and not let them wander off on their own!

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Africa :: South Africa

Question: Africa & financial media

KarlaK — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 04:10:52 -0800

Dear fellow writers,
I'm writing a novel about the rise and fall of a female media tycoon. As part of her global expansion strategy, she teams up with a Chinese media organisation and sets up a big financial news network in Africa (ca. 2015). This really takes off when Africa becomes one of the hottest emerging markets and everyone wants to invest there.
Now, unfortunately I'm no expert on Africa, so I was wondering if anyone could help me with the following questions (the African venture is just one of several projects she undertakes, so it's not absolutely central to the novel, but it would still be nice to get the technical aspects right...).
1. Which African country and city do you see as a major financial hub for the region in 10 years' time, ie, where would she be most likely to set up her headquarters? My wild guess would be South Africa-Johannesburg, but maybe there's some other country and city that is less obvious but could emerge as a hub in the future?
2. What's the biggest financial news network in Africa now? And the biggest pan-African general news network?
3. Which are the main obstacles a Chinese-European media organisation would face in Africa- political restrictions on foreign ownership of foreign media? Accusations of colonialism, especially given China's increasingly active role in the region?
Thanks so much for your help!!!!!
Karla

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Africa :: South Africa

20,000 and running

SAShirl — Wed, 7 Nov 2007 12:57:53 -0800

Woohoo! I passed 20,000 today with much jubilation. So far so good, long may it last, and many other clichés come to mind.

I love this story, and even more important, so do my characters. They've already changed the plot twice, and I'm arguing with them right now as they are now plotting a different ending.

This is the first time I've KNOWN how the story was going to end . . . and they want to hi-jack me. It's a plot I tell you! A diabolical plot. Wait, that's the problem. It's MY plot they want to sabotage.

Ah well, I'm off to bed and hopefully by morning they'll have sorted themselves out.

TB Woods, I see you're ahead of me. You rascal you. Tomorrow you'll bite my dust . . .

I wish we could see all the South African word counts. Sob. Ah well, if you're over 20,000 post here so we can give you an encouraging cheer.

Shirl
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Shirley (P.E., Eastern Cape, South Africa)
http://www.shirleycorder.com

Africa :: South Africa

Nanowrimo in Noseweek

marclipshitz — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:39:42 -0800

Yep- theres a nice article in the November Noseweek on Nanowrtimo! Now if we could just get some of the mainstreeam press to profile Nanowrimo... Ah well, there is always next year!
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