United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Write-in TODAY, Sunday, at Panera's on 23 South in Riverdale

pidgy-widge — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:52:09 +0000

COME OUT AND WRITE.
I'll be there on my laptop from 11 until 1.
I'm hoping to get my word count about 15k as I head into the new week.
By the way, this Panera's is in the same little strip mall as Capezio's.
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United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

North Jersey's NaNo Teens

Zazu — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:58:34 +0000

Hey everyone! I just thought that it would be kind of cool to have a discussion for those of us who haven't yet turned 20. Each age group has their own specific set of things that conflict with NaNo and since technically we're the youngest age group (I think), I thought maybe this would be useful! I'm 17 and from Bergen County and currently dealing with college applications up the wazoo :). How about you guys?
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United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Bergen County Write-in Saturday

Suelder — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:03:02 +0000

On Saturday, November 7th, I will be at the Panera on Route Four in Paramus, the Kohl's plaza on the west-bound side. Across from the Bergen Mall.

I will be there around 10 am and will stay until about 12:30 pm (I've got some food shopping to do), but you're welcome to arrive earlier and stay later.

I've spoken with the manager of panera - they've got plenty of outlets and free wifi and they've got good coffee. The community room in the back is booked from 10 - 12, but there's an area right next to it that's quiet and that we can use.

I'll be there, with some plot-assist handouts and hope to see you there.

Suelder
short, middleaged with brown hair and black-framed rectangular eyeglasses
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Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the cha

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Days Behind... Should I be worried and can I do to recover?

PaulCox — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:41:08 +0000

The beginning of this month has been so hectic with so many other things going on and I have found myself 4 days behind, though I try to write everyday. Should I be scared about a non-completion, or can I bounce back from this deficit?

On the same note, how does everyone write around a filled-to-the-brim schedule? I try to sacrifice sleep, but words that manage to leak out are barely coherent dribble.
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Paul Justin Cox III
NaNoWriMo n00b
http://twitter.com/paulcox

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

NaNo Puns and Gags. Let's all lighten the mood.

Darkfrog — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:24:16 +0000

Long or short, post your NaNo puns, gags and brainspew here. (Lord knows that after all this writing, the mental word processor can get a bit clogged.)

I'll start: "Thirty Days of Write."
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Fear my powers of procrastination!

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Friday Night Write In - Riverdale NJ Borders at 8PM

desertroot — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:44:49 +0000

Hi All,

I plan on sitting my butt down at the Riverdale NJ Borders bookstore at 8PM tonight (11/6) and writing till closing time (11PM). Feel free to join me for moral support. Let's commiserate together over a cup of coffee or tea and let our fingers fly!

The store is on Route 23N, right after the I-287 interchange in Riverdale, NJ. I will be there around 8PM typing away on my green Alphasmart Neo in the back by the tables.

I'm friendly and don't bite, much. =)

Regards,
Tom

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United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Sunday write-in at Panera, Route 23 South in Wayne? Anyone up for it?

pidgy-widge — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:24:00 +0000

I am having a blast so far, and would love to meet for a giant cup o joe and a few hours of writing around a table with other scraggly writers at the Panera on Route 23 south in Wayne area. Anyone up for it? Come on! I am thinking early, like 8-10 am. Moral support + caffeine + scraggly writers = fun times and an abundance of crappy first drafts!
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United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Jersey City would-be-author here .....

kurrgan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:16:33 +0000

Good Morning all, my name is Greg, i live in Jersey City and this is my second year doing Nano, last year being my first. I had a blast last year and am looking forward again to this year, my novel is called THE PICK UP, a thriller about a guy on the run. So, if there is anyone else in or around Jersey City, i would love to know who you are and hear from you .....
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United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

How old is everyone here?

crypticxlust — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:09:23 +0000

Hey. Well this is my second year of doing Nano and I'm 17. I was wondering if there was anybody here around my age. I live in Cliffside Park by the way.
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NaNowrimo 08'- Shadowing Puzzle (Failure)
NaNowrimo 09'- Innocence (Doing well so far!)

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Hello everyone

discomybisco — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:59:13 +0000

Just wanted to pop in and say hello. I've started pretty late in the game so hopefully I can get on the ball and start writing. Anyone have any good tips for starting out?
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“I hope some animal never bores a hole in my head and lays its eggs in my brain, because later you might think you're having a good idea but it's just eggs hatching.”
Jack Handy

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Changing projects - bad idea?

LeslieKnowlton — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:28:41 +0000

I don't like the way my project is going and wondering if should start something else before too many days go by. Thoughts?
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Leslie
images-1.jpg

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Heya Everyone. Clifton here.

Crash_Override — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:39:34 +0000

Hey everyone, this is my first year writing with NaNo and I was just wondering if there were any get togethers or anything like that for this region.
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United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Snazzy Locals on Twitter?

hillarydepiano — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:45:01 +0000

If you are on twitter, please throw your ID up here so we can find each other for meet-ups, etc

http://twitter.com/HillaryDePiano
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NaNoWriMo along with me here!
www.HillaryDePiano.com for books, blog and more

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Englewood area?

LillaWhitneySnow — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:01:56 +0000

Anyone else out there?
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United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Nano for Grown Up/Professional Writers

debgaines — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:27:47 +0000

I'm happy to meet the younglings, but I'd also love to buddy up with other full-time, professional writers who are Nanoing this year. Are you out there?
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--Deborah
South Orange, NJ

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

November 13-15...Mid Month Gathering

GaryF — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:28:55 +0000

We were talking last night about getting together mid-month as a check in to see how folks are doing. I thought I'd throw this out now so we can start planning. How's Sunday afternoon for people? We can start as a write-in and move on to chatting about how the novel's going. Perhaps the Tick Tock diner?

Any ideas are welcome.

Happy Writin's!
Gary . . .
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Institutional Memory...Work is torture (Out now from Medallion Press)

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

My Guide for Succeeding at NaNoWriMo, Advanced Word Count Calculator and other tidbits

hillarydepiano — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:19:36 +0000

I have a tendency to blog a lot about NaNoWriMo so I just thought I would point you in the direction of a few posts some people might find interesting/helpful.

Who am I? Hi, I'm Hillary. My only claim to fame is that I'm the author of a play called The Love of Three Oranges but I also write fiction and non-fiction. I have done NaNo just about every year since it started and, while I don't always win, I have some experience with writing because I do it year round and have for a while. I live in Denville, NJ (the hub of Morris County, take that!!), I run a small business, I do some occasional contract work for POD company Lulu.com and I'm sure I knew my blood type at some point but I certainly don't recall it now.

If you have any questions, concerns, etc about NaNo or anything else, I'd be happy to help. I have my foot in many pies (is that even an expression?) so I can sometimes be handy. I am, like the earth, mostly harmless.

I am a very big fan of the NaNoWriMo process which makes me a handy cheerleader. ;-)

I'm just going to link to some links of note so this post isn't insanely long.

My 12 Step Guide for Succeeding at National Novel Writing Month http://www.hillarydepiano.com/2009/10/29/my-12-step-guide-for-succeeding...
Taken from a 12 days series I did last year, I complied this all into one post for this year.

If this is your first NaNo, you may also enjoy My National Novel Writing Month newbie/first timer pep talk http://www.hillarydepiano.com/2009/10/28/my-national-novel-writing-month...

I also created the NaNoWriMo Advanced Word Count Calculator http://www.hillarydepiano.com/2008/11/05/nanowrimo-advanced-word-count-c... which some people like. I haven't touched it in a year so I many tamper with it in the next day or so, if you have a request for it, let me know.

Lastly, here is another old post Music to NaNoWriMo by (or for any writing project) http://www.hillarydepiano.com/2008/10/29/music-to-nanowrimo-by-or-for-an... with some of the music I like to write to.

If you want to contact me, I'm here (obviously) and also on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/hillarydepiano) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hillary-DePiano/9373949721) so feel free to say howdee
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NaNoWriMo along with me here!
www.HillaryDePiano.com for books, blog and more

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

anyone else up and writing?

_Lissa_ — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:21:18 +0000

i had my own mini countdown going until midnight. i perfected my playlist (hello alternative rock! :) ), and pulled out my headphone, brew a pot of coffee, and i'm heading into chapter 2 right now.

anyone else??
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~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Nano '07 - Participant
Nano '08 - Won!
Nano '09 - crossing my fingers!

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

i feel a month of writing in the wee hours...

_Lissa_ — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:35:12 +0000

it's 1:30 and i think i am finally off to bed. i have a feeling that i'll be writing like this every day of the month, into the early hours. i am a night owl by nature, but i don't know if i can last a whole month of doing this! i need to find the time to write at normal hours. i'm looking forward to my saturday write ins. it'll force me to write during the day.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Nano '07 - Participant
Nano '08 - Won!
Nano '09 - crossing my fingers!

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

November 1st Write-In?

Brianstorm — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:08:18 +0000

Is anyone interested in a kick-off write-in on November 1st? I'm planning on planting myself at the Panera at Essex Green some time in the afternoon. If anyone wants to meet me there that would be great! My schedule is totally flexible if there's a time of day that works best for anybody. I plan on devoting as much of the day as possible to writing.
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United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Writing Buddies?

lovesthecomma — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:56:42 +0000

Hey all :) Just looking for a some writing buddies (hence the title)!

I'm 22 - just graduated from Montclair State as an English/Creative Writing major - and am extremely bored with unemployment (I want to be a high school English teacher). My favorite form of punctuation is actually a tie between the comma and the dash (yes, I find this VITAL INFORMATION! .....).

My novel is going to be about an American girl and an English boy who develop a relationship via text messages. Obviously there is a lot more to the plot than just that, but it's the quickest summary I could give. There is a little more detail on my page, so check it out if you want :)

So... be my buddy?

My AIM sn is "lovesthecomma" so I'm always open to conversations about writing!
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~*~Amy~*~
2009 - [Title TBD] - {0/50000}

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

freaking out.

_Lissa_ — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:03:55 +0000

i have a ton of papers to grade, projects for my own classes that i have yet to do, studying, nevermind getting lesson plans ready...

is anyone else freaking out? i didn't realize how fast this was going to come! it cannot be the end of the month already....
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~~~~~~~~~~~~`
Nano '07 - Participant
Nano '08 - Won!
Nano '09 - crossing my fingers!

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Welcome all my friends...

GaryF — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:34:01 +0000

Are you ready?

We’re mere hours away from beginning the 2009 National Novel Writing Month challenge. 30 days of chaos, madness and freeform, no-thinking-just-writing excitement.

Are you ready?

Of course you’re ready. You’ve been getting ready for at least a month if not longer. Maybe you’ve been getting ready since December 1, 2008, telling yourself “next year I’ll make it.” Maybe you signed up yesterday, persuaded by a friend, wondering what you’re doing trying to cram 50,000 words in 30 days. Either way, you are ready.

So you don’t have any idea of what you’re writing. So your characters have no interest in running the story you’ve set before them. So you’ve got class or a job or a family and you’re concerned that you’ll never sit down to write.

Don’t worry. Don’t panic. Don’t think. Just write.

You’ve signed on to NaNoWriMo because you want to write a novel and you believe you can write 50,000 words in a month. If you break it down into nice, orderly numbers, you’re looking at somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,666.67 words a day. You can do that. It’s easy. You’re not trying to write a Pulitzer prize winning novel or win grammar contests with your manuscript. That’s for the rewrites and revisions which you are NOT to do in November. That’s why November is Nation Novel WRITING Month. February is National Novel EDITING Month (NaNoEdMo for those keeping score).

Let that knowledge free you up from editing your work. Send your inner critic and editor on an all expense paid trip to Aruba (or where they really deserve to go: Siberia!), informing them that next year ‘round February 1st they can drop by for tea.

But for now, it’s all you, your imagination, and a blank page or blank Word doc. The whiteness is your friend, the emptiness is your playground where you let your imagination run free and wild. The whiteness is not a void of endless nothingness, ready to swallow your soul you and make you stare your fears dead on and … well, you get it. The blank page is your friend who says, come on, let’s play. This is gonna be fun!

There are people here who’ve made it, there are people here who are trying again, and there are people here for the first time. The truth is that life may intrude this month. If nothing else happens, there’s Thanksgiving at the end of the month. You do have that entire weekend to write (unless you’re in retail and then you have my sympathies (been there, done that, never again!)). If life gets in the way, so be it; it’s unavoidable.

What is avoidable is the television. Nothing is going to happen on TV in November that you can’t get the DVD in the Spring or watch online in December. Nothing is going to happen on TV that you can’t find out about the next day at work or school. So don’t turn the TV on; it will cost you word time and you will be unhappy later on.

And try to stay off the forums. They are a huge time suck. Check in here to see if any write-ins are scheduled or just go to the calendar. If you’ve got any problems and need answers, drop by, post your question and then get back to the novel.

And don’t forget the write-ins. For those who aren’t familiar with them, they’re a chance to get together with fellow writers away from home and all those distractions and write. We usually have it at diners, cafes, or the like. They can be set up on weeknights or weekends.

As for the writing part, don’t worry if the story doesn’t kick you into overdrive by November 2nd. You’ve got a month, 30 days, to work it out. The point here is 50,000 words. This frees you up from having to think up an awesome, cool, never-thought-of-before ending. You can do that in December. 50,000 words. Have fun. Enjoy yourself. Relax. The more tense you get, the more you squeeze shut the imagination, and that’s counter to what NaNoWriMo’s all about.

Finally, I’m here for you all. I’ve done this before. I know what can happen. I’ll get out a weekly post, cheering you on, checking in with everyone, and generally trying to help you get from “Once Upon A Time” to “I wrote 50,000 words!”

You can do this. Anything is possible. There is no such thing as writers’ block. If you get stuck, ask yourself this simple question: What’s the worst thing that can happen to these characters? Then write it and keep going, smiling to yourself over how clever you are. Ain’t it great?

Thank you all for joining me on this crazy journey and I look forward to hearing your stories in December! If you have any questions, concerns, fears, thoughts, musings, or anything else, either post it here or email me directly at worldwhispers@yahoo.com.

Happy Writin’s!
Gary . . .

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Institutional Memory...Work is torture (Out now from Medallion Press)

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

Write-Ins

GaryF — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:26:30 +0000

This has been said before, but I thought I'd sum it up here.

If you want to get a write-in going near you, just post an invite here with time, date, and location. It's a lot easier for individuals to set these things up in their area than for me to try to set them up for the group.

I believe the Facebook page is also useful for setting up write-ins.

Happy writin's and Have fun!

Gary . . .
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Institutional Memory...Work is torture (Out now from Medallion Press)

United States :: New Jersey :: Northeast

October 30 Kick Off Party

GaryF — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:09:06 +0000

Before I set anything in stone, I want to find out how many people can make this Friday night for a get-together in the Clifton/Montclair area. We've gone to the TGI Fridays (not Houlihans, my mistake) on Route 3 West (826 Route 3 West ((973) 778-1828)) in the past and that seemed to work out fine for Passaic and Bergen county folk.

With Halloween falling on Saturday, I didn't think people would be able to make it, hence the Friday night idea. And SWnday is already November 1st.

Let me know if you can make it and I'll go ahead and make reservations.

Gary . . .

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Institutional Memory...Work is torture (Out now from Medallion Press)