USA :: Illinois :: Southern

The Last Nine Days

pcmom — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:13:03 +0000

Whew! The end is in sight. I am still plugging away. Made good catch up progress this weekend. How about everyone else?
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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

[NaNoWriMo: Southern Illinois] Newsletter #4 -- One More Week!

SeanJJordan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:19:47 +0000

Hey everybody!

Sean and Jenna, your friendly Southern Illinois NaNoWriMo municipal liaisons, here.

After a NIGHT OF WRITING DANGEROUSLY last night with a bunch of other Wrimos, we're starting to feel like we're reaching the home stretch of our novels. And that's good news, because we've only got one more week to go for NaNoWriMo 2009!

We'll let you know ahead of time that this is going to be the hardest week of all, because we've got a major holiday on Thursday and major shopping day on Friday. That means that even if you're caught up on Wednesday, it's going to be easy to get around 3,333 words behind by the weekend. We've got some plans to help alleviate this, so keep on reading to find out what we've got planned for the next week!

But first... a word from Sean.

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Sean’s Soapbox
—————————

I've been talking to a lot of folks over the last week about how they've been doing, and I've found that many people fall into one of three categories:

1) OVERACHIEVERS -- Wrimos who are finished with their novels already. These are the folks who look at the grueling 30-day deadline for NaNoWriMo and say, "too easy." They're also atypical of most writers because they're not procrastinators. We should be proud of these folks for finishing so soon... but not allow ourselves to get discouraged by their zeal to be among the first finished.

2) GOAL-SETTERS -- Wrimos who follow the daily word count guidelines and who stick to goals and quotas to keep themselves writing. This describes the majority of folks who will win NaNoWriMo; it certainly describes me. Despite my initial desire to be among the "Overachievers," I'm a "Goal-Setter" at heart.

3) LEFT-BEHINDERS -- Wrimos who have gotten woefully behind and who have either quit or resigned themselves to the idea that they probably won't finish. A few will put some serious effort in this week, write 20,000 words, and cross the finish line. But most will simply accept the "participant" ribbon and talk about how next year is going to be the year they finish.

It's this third group that I want to address.

My first year doing NaNo, our previous ML, Butch Wilson, saw me struggling with my novel and asked me if I was going to finish by November 30th. It was pretty obvious that I wasn't; my retail job was consuming my life, and I barely had time to think about anything else. I told Butch I was going to have to quit and wait until next year.

“You could do that," he told me. "But you know, NaNoWriMo's 30-day challenge is just that -- a challenge. You might have to adjust the goal, but you can still finish your novel. Do you think you could finish it in 60 days?"

"No," I said. "Christmas will keep me too busy."

"How about 90 days, then?" he said. "You can do it. You just need to put in a little bit of time every day. Do it on your break, or before you go to bed, or in the morning. Just keep writing."

I told him I'd think about it. And, truth be told, I never actually finished that novel, because I told myself I didn't have the time. It's actually one of my biggest regrets of the last five years, because I gave up on something simply because I couldn't meet the original deadline I'd set.

Statistically speaking, around 4 in 5 people who begin NaNoWriMo don't make it to 50,000 words in 30 days. I've often wondered how many of those people have stopped writing altogether for a year because they know that they left their November novel unfinished. Based on conversations I've had with many of our participants, I'd guess that that happens a lot more than most people would like to admit. And I'll tell you, folks, that is one of the best ways to remain a "would-be writer" the rest of your life is to abstain from actually writing.

So, in our final week of NaNoWriMo, let me encourage those of you who have been struggling to get across the finish line to take heart. You CAN finish, even if it's not by November 30th. Here's how you do it:

A) Set a deadline for when you think you can actually finish.
B) Look at your current word count and calculate how many words a day you need to write.
C) E-mail me, or Jenna, or a trusted friend, and let them know that you are planning to keep on until you're done, and ask for them to check in on your and keep you accountable.
D) Write every day, even if it's just a few words you write over a 5 minute coffee break. But make time to write SOMETHING.

I am here to be your cheerleader (though I look terrible in a skirt). Just let me know, and I'll help you! After all, I'd hate to see you make the same mistake I made a few years back.

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How To Finish Your Novel
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Unless you've meticulously planned out your story, chances are good that you're approaching the end of your story and have very little idea how to actually finish it. We understand -- we've been there too! But the good news is that we've got a few suggestions for how you can bring your story to a graceful end.

1) TIE UP ALL OF YOUR LOOSE ENDS IN A SINGLE CHAPTER. Bring back all of your characters for a "curtain call" and resolve their storylines by having them explain what they did to solve all of their problems. This is especially useful for reminding yourself what you need to edit in the next draft; you'll often find you forgot about major plot points altogether!

2) INTRODUCE SOME DEUS EX MACHINA. If you're having trouble winding up your story, just have some incredible, outside action resolve the story for you. This technique is called "deus ex machina," which means "the god in the machine." That's because the ancient Greeks would often end their plays by having a god appear in the final act and resolve all of the complex plotting with a brief speech. (The actors were often suspended by means of some sort of ancient machinery; hence the phrase.) A more modern twist is to have a nuclear bomb fall on the villain, a virus wipe out the bad guys, or the characters pull off their virtual reality equipment and say, "that game was a lot of fun!"

3) KILL ALL YOUR CHARACTERS. Don't knock this ending; it worked for a certain bardish playwright in one of the greatest plays of all time, so it can work for you, too! Just force that final showdown and let everyone die. It'll ensure your story is definitely definitively DONE and it will allow you to breathe a sigh of relief in knowing that you don't have to write a sequel to it in next year's NaNoWriMo.

4) PULL AN M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN. Throw in an unpredictable twist! It's nice if you've built the story to have it in the first place, but it's not entirely necessary. If Shyamalan can get away with making a movie where aliens attack a world that's 80% water only to find that the beings made up of 75% water can defeat them with, well, WATER, then you can introduce that awesome plot twist where your main character is actually related to a clan of cybernetic ninjas from the Jovian moon of Io who swoop in and save the day. You can even write yourself into the story by having some guy in the background shrug, smile, and say, "What a TWEEST!"

5) HEAVEN AWAITS. If you are writing religious fiction, you can easily end your story by using technique #3 and then setting your final scene in Heaven (or, if your characters are deserving of it, Hell). That way, you give your characters the potential for the ultimate happy ending, and you also free yourself of ever having to write about them again!
Of course, these are just some ideas for ending a story. If you need more, start asking for dares at the write-ins; your fellow writers will delight in helping you find a creative way to bring your NaNo novel to a fitting end!

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This Week’s Events
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We’ve got tons of write-ins available this week. We’ve also got a big writer's retreat scheduled to help everyone get to the finish line!

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Nov. 23 @ Borders in Fairview Heights
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We’ll be hosting a write-in in the Borders cafe from 2:00-8:00 on Monday afternoon in Fairview Heights, IL. Keep an eye out for Katie Gilroy, who will be your event host.

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Nov. 24 @ Starbucks in Collinsville, IL
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From 6:00 – 9:00 PM, we’ll be writing at the Collinsville Starbucks off I-55 and IL-157. Stacie will be present to help Wrimos get their laptops powered up!

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Nov. 25 @ Wise Choice Coffee in Edwardsville, IL
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From 4:00 – 7:00 PM, we’ll be writing at Wise Choice Coffee in Edwardsville. Jenna Stoeber will be hosting — be sure to let her know if you need power or some help getting past your writer’s block!

From 7:30 – 10:30 PM, we’ll be moving over to “After Hours” at the Glen Carbon Denny’s. Even if you can’t make it to Wise Choice, come join us After Hours for food, fun, and more writing with your fellow Wrimos!

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Nov. 26-27: NO WRITE-INS
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We do not have any write-ins scheduled for Thursday or Friday. Please have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

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Nov. 28th-29th — Writer’s Retreat
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Need some serious time away from home to get your novel written? We're going to help you out by having our first-ever WRITER'S RETREAT!

We’ll be back at the Learning Technology Center in Edwardsville, but this time, we’ll be writing for the entire weekend! (You can come and go as you please, but be sure to be there at least one of the two days for some great writing and a lot of fun!)

This will be a potluck event, so please, bring some sort of dish to share with your fellow Wrimos. We do have ample space for crock pots and finger foods, so don't be shy about bring that awesome entree or dessert you're famous for!
Some drinks (soda, tea, water, coffee) will be provided. Please feel free to bring your own as well. As before, no alcohol is permitted.

We will also be having some WORD WARS with prizes. But these won't just be a matter of rewarding quantity, so don't fret!
The schedule of events will work this way:

SATURDAY
10:00-10:30 AM: Welcome and setup time.
10:30 AM - NOON: Quiet Writing time.
NOON-1:00 PM: Lunch Break
1:00-1:30: WORD WAR #1: SMASH THE GOAL
1:30-3:00: Quiet writing time.
3:00-3:15: Break
3:15-4:15: WORD WAR #2: POWER HOUR
4:15-4:30: Break
4:30-6:00: Quiet writing time.

SUNDAY
10:00-10:30 AM: Welcome and setup time.
10:30 AM - NOON: Quiet Writing time.
NOON-1:00 PM: Lunch Break
1:00-1:30: WORD WAR #3: RANDOM TARGET
1:30-3:00: Quiet writing time.
3:00-3:15: Break
3:15-4:15: WORD WAR #4: MARATHON
4:15-4:30: Break
4:30-6:00: Quiet writing time.

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Nov. 30th - Countdown to Midnight! @ Caseyville United Methodist Church
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Eager to finish off this year's NaNoWriMo in the company of friends? Sweating bullets as you try to get that novel finished? No problem! We're going to have our final event at the Caseyville United Methodist Church where our fellow Wrimo Dave "Zdras" Kueker is pastor. Dave's graciously supplying us with space and beverages; all we need to bring along are our novels, our imaginations, our writing utensils, and our good cheer!

We will be having this event from 6:00-12:00 on Monday, Nov. 30th. More details will be included in next week's (brief) newsletter.

————————————–
Denouement
————————————–
As always, you can find out more about our events on our calendar at
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=nnv4ngb4834o2j7io5v6o7a118%40gr...

And don’t forget to check out our blog at
http://soilnanowrimo.wordpress.com!

Good luck with your NaNoWriMoing, and let us know if we can be of any assistance to you!

-Sean and Jenna, your friendly MLs.

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Sean J. Jordan
Municipal Liaison, Southern Illinois Region
Keep up to date on Southern Illinois NaNoWriMo events on our blog!

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Post In This Thread Once You Win!

SeanJJordan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:49:35 +0000

This thread is the designated "Winner's Circle" for 2009. Once you win, post a reply below with:

1) The time/date you won.
2) Your final sentence (or the sentence that pushed you over 50k)
3) Whether your story is finished or, if not, how long you're planning to make it.
4) How you're feeling.

I'm excited to start hearing some victory stories here -- so start posting 'em! :-)
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Sean J. Jordan
Municipal Liaison, Southern Illinois Region
Keep up to date on Southern Illinois NaNoWriMo events on our blog!

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Halfway Point -- How Are You Doing?

SeanJJordan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:52:12 +0000

It's November 16th, and if you're on track, you should have 25,000 words down on paper and be working your way towards just under 27,000 by the end of today.

Of course, I've only got 21,000 down because I took the weekend off to celebrate a couple of birthdays. (So much for my original goal to be FINISHED by the 15th!) My wife, on the other hand, is well above where she should be.

Where are the rest of you? Are you ahead of the curve? Or are you still struggling to hit 10k?

2 weeks remain in NaNoWriMo. Tell us how you're doing!
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Sean J. Jordan
Municipal Liaison, Southern Illinois Region
Keep up to date on Southern Illinois NaNoWriMo events on our blog!

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Happy NaNoWriMo - Post your first sentence!

falseramona — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:08:51 +0000

"May 8, 1996 was the day I died."

Good night. I'm going to bed! See you tomorrow at the kick-off.
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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

SoIL Night of Writing Dangerously

c.h.valentino — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:05:24 +0000

Sean sent and email, but I wanted to open a thread with a few more things and a place for anyone to ask questions if needed.

We will be in the Glen Carbon Police Department's Community room. 149 N Main St. Glen Carbon IL.

From 159, take Glen Carbon Rd about a mile south. There will be a black sign out front that says Village of Glen Carbon, and a large brick building set back from the road. You will need to follow the road that runs the side of that building back to the lower lot. The police department is abotu 600 yards across the lot and says "PUBLIC SAFETY FACILITY". Please park in the BIG lot next to the building.

Come into the front lobby of the PD and you'll see the room. :)

Additionally, I will be providing beverages (coffee, water, and soda) and pizza but we would like to do this pot-luck style. Please bring something to snack on and share.

IF YOU HAVE GIVEN UP OR FALLEN BEHIND THIS IS A GREAT CHANCE TO GET BACK ON TRACK!!!

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A blank piece of paper is God's way of telling us how hard it to be God.
-Sidney Sheldon

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Wise Choice - Tonight!

LostieBorden — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:23:25 +0000

Hey gang! Jenna here to remind you about tonight's write-in at Wise Choice in Edwardsville. I will not be in attendance as a friend of mine is in the area and I'm gunna go pay him a visit. However, that in no way excuses YOU from going and getting your words in! I've heard a few people say they're getting behind, and I am too, but there's still so much month left to catch up. I can look ahead today and see a big chunk of free time Thursday afternoon, plus I've got the whole weekend! Even if you don't have a few hours to devote to writing, why not skip that next Facebook check and spend 15 minutes with your NaNo?

And if you can't write, at least plot! That what I'll be doing on my drive up; think about all the scenes I have yet to write so when I do have a chance to sit down, they can all come tumbling out.

Good Writing, everybody! See you at the next write-in!
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Eight lords sleeping till it’s foretold
By an old hand they will be stirred
One a tree that’s grown too old
One a sound that’s never been heard
One a shade that hasn’t a caster
One a light been swallowed by a bird
One hangs like a ghost in the sky

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Got 100 words to spare for a contest?

SeanJJordan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:00:39 +0000

Rob from BoingBoing is having another flashfiction contest. (I got 3rd place in the last one!) This time, you write 100 words around the theme, "Found in Space".

Here's the link. Post it in the article's comments.

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/16/100-word-fiction-com.html

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Sean J. Jordan
Municipal Liaison, Southern Illinois Region
Keep up to date on Southern Illinois NaNoWriMo events on our blog!

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

SIUC Wrimos

K.R.Chas — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:45:31 +0000

Any students from SIUC working on novels this month? Perhaps we could arrange write-ins or something around lunch times on weekdays. Anyone here up for that?
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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

I'm doing great as far as the story goes...need a buddy...is there anyone in Carbondale NaNoing?

maxmyluv — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:41:35 +0000

Help! Best content yet (obviously I edit as I go)need speed. An area buddy would help a lot. If you are there let me know who you are.Alto Pass isn't on the road to anywhere but there is the net.
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maxmyluv

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Literary Confession

falseramona — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:37:13 +0000

Well it is Sunday and in the spirit of confessing my sins I would like to point out that today -

I quoted William Shakespeare and an Appalachian folk song in a portion of my novel set in the 14th century in a blatant use of anachronisms.

Anyone else want to volunteer some literary sins or examples of plain bad writing? The confessional is open. :-)
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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

[NaNoWriMo: Southern Illinois] Newsletter #3 -- Halfway There! (Or What To Do If You're Woefully Behind)

SeanJJordan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:56:54 +0000

Hey everybody!

Time for some more NaNoWriMo news, Southern Illinois-style!

It's Monday morning, and we're officially two weeks away from the finish line on November 30th. If you're on track, you should be halfway done (25,000 words) as of yesterday. A few of you are ahead of the curve (and I know at least one person, Lell, is already past the 50,000 mark!), but on average, we've got 16,088 reported words per person in our region. That's the bad news, because we have many folks who are behind or who have given up. But, the astounding news is that we've had 1,721,423 words reported written thus far in our region -- that's enough words to fill 34 50,000 word novels!

Fortunately, we've got plenty of events scheduled over the next two weeks that should help many people to get caught up. The next two weekends, in particular, are going to be epic, and we hope you can make it to our "Night of Writing Dangerously" and our weekend "Writer's Retreat" as they come up!

More details on those events below. But for now, let's hear from Sean.

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Sean's Soapboax
---------------------------

I turned 30 this weekend, and I was hoping to celebrate that milestone by at least hitting 30,000 words by the 15th. Unfortunately, I spent most of the weekend celebrating and procrastinating, and barely any time writing. As a result, I'm sitting at 21,000 this morning, and hoping to get a lot of writing in this week to make up for getting behind. (My wife, on the other hand, crossed into the 30k territory last night while I was playing video games. She's got a lot more discipline than I do!)

So, take it from me -- it's easy to get behind, and even easier to get so behind that you start getting annoyed and depressed. The first year I attempted NaNoWriMo, I didn't come close to finishing. The second year, I finished a few hours before midnight on November 30th. THe third year, I finished the morning of the last day. This year started out seeming easier, but my penchant for procrastination has put me on schedule to maybe be finished by the evening of the 29th.

My point is that even those of us who have done this for years struggled with NaNoWriMo. Every year is a new challenge, and while it might be marginally easier once you have some experience built up, NaNoWriMo is still something you have to work hard at doing if you want to achieve success.

I know some of you are still struggling to cross the 10,000 word point. To you I say -- don't give up! Even if you're only at 10,000 words two weeks in, you can still finish your NaNo novel by the 30th if you are willing to push through. There are three ways you can accomplish this:

1) Write in short, 15-minute bursts. Challenge yourself to rack up as many words as possible in those periods, but shoot for 500. Do this four times throughout the day and you'll have only spent an hour of time writing... but you'll have 2,000 words. 2,000 x 15 days = 30,000 words. That's more than half a NaNo novel right there.

2) Come to the write-ins. We have write-ins almost every day. You can also organize write-ins with other Wrimos on your own, have some informal write-ins via an online chat, or just force yourself to go sit at the library for a couple of hours and write with some friends who are working on homework or something. Get yourself out there and get some writing done.

3) Find someone to keep you accountable. In the worst-case scenario, if you were starting from scratch today with 0 words, you'd need about 3,334 words per day. So, find someone who can check in with you every day to make sure that you're hitting that number. Give that person some sort of power over you. (Chris Baty suggests some sort of positive or negative reinforcement in his book, _No Plot? No Problem_.) I would suggest that it's a trusted and respected friend and not a spouse. But whomever it is, have them hold you accountable.

Next week, I'll talk about "Life After NaNo" -- when those who finish their novels in November begin the tedious process of editing and those who have not finished are encouraged to keep on keepin' on.

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How To Self-Edit
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Are you finding yourself wanting to edit as you go along? It's hard to ignore that impulse, especially when you know that what you're writing is likely to be tossed out when you get to the editing stage. And yet your NaNo friends are yelling at you for spending time editing when you should be writing. Isn't there some way you can edit as you go and still be a model Wrimo?

Actually, there is. First of all, if knowing that you need to edit something bothers you, use this rule of thumb. If a change takes you less than 60 seconds to make, go ahead and make it. If a change requires more rewriting, make a note to yourself to fix it later. As you're writing, you can insert little notes for yourself as a reminder of what you want to fix. If you're using MS Word or Open Office, it's as easy as creating a "comment" that you'll be able to see in your edited draft. If you're using a word processor that doesn't have the feature, you can open up a text editor like "Notepad" and simply write little notes to yourself corresponding to the line you want to change. In this way, you can keep your mind clear of changes without losing a record of what you were thinking as you were writing.

But what if a whole section needs to be removed and rewritten? I suggest creating a section called "GRAVEYARD" at the end of your document and moving your writing down there. That way, you get to keep the words -- and, more importantly, the writing! -- without having that section remain in the continuity of your story. You'd be amazed how useful graveyards can be. Sometimes, that awful section you wrote as Chapter 2 can sit in the graveyard and then be resurrected for Chapter 10 or 12 or 15 with minimal editing. Sometimes, that section will remind you about where you were originally going with the story and help you get on track when you get stuck. Sometimes, it's just nice to reflect upon how awful your writing was when you started and how much better it is now.

"But what if I just delete stuff because it's bad?" you might be asking. The answer to that is simple. Use the highlighting function in your word processor or change the color of the words you want to delete and move on to the next section. This is called "flagging" words. It's a good practice! For one thing, you might find that the words you want to delete are not as bad as you thought when you were "in the moment." For another thing, it keeps you focused on creating, not editing and evaluating. Just having the words there encourages you to push on, knowing that you can edit later and make them go away.

Understand, too, that the creative process is about taking nothing and turning it into something. As you shape that nothing into something, you're going to see things you didn't see when you started. Your story will change and evolve as you go, and you're going to have to deal with that in revision. That's fine! But remember that nothing ever springs out of nothing fully formed; it takes time and constant refinement for that to happen.

Good luck!

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This Week's Events
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We've got tons of write-ins available this week. We've also got a big party

on Saturday that you're all invited to attend!

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Nov. 16 @ Borders in Fairview Heights

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We'll be hosting a write-in in the Borders cafe from 2:00-8:00 on Monday afternoon in Fairview Heights, IL. Keep an eye out for Katie Gilroy, who will be your event host.

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Nov. 17 @ Starbucks in Collinsville, IL
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From 6:00 - 9:00 PM, we'll be writing at the Collinsville Starbucks off I-55 and IL-157. Stacie will be present to help Wrimos get their laptops powered up!

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Nov. 18 @ Wise Choice Coffee in Edwardsville, IL
--------------------------------------

From 4:00 - 7:00 PM, we'll be writing at Wise Choice Coffee in Edwardsville. Jenna Stoeber will be hosting -- be sure to let her know if you need power or some help getting past your writer's block!

From 7:30 - 10:30 PM, we'll be moving over to "After Hours" at the Glen Carbon Denny's. Even if you can't make it to Wise Choice, come join us After Hours for food, fun, and more writing with your fellow Wrimos!

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Nov. 19 @ Starbucks in Collinsville, IL
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From 6:00 - 9:00 PM, we'll be writing at the Collinsville Starbucks off I-55 and IL-157. Sean and Stacie will be present to help Wrimos get their laptops powered up!

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Nov. 21 @ The Sweeter House of Coffee in Lebanon, IL
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From 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, come join us for some coffee, lunch, and writing in a coffee shop in downtown Lebanon called The Sweeter House of Coffee and Cafe! Victoria will be our host, and since she also works there, she can advise on food choices!

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Nov. 21 @ Borders in Fairview Heights, IL
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We'll be hosting a write-in in the Borders cafe from 2:30-6:30 on Monday afternoon in Fairview Heights, IL. Keep an eye out for Sean and Stacie, who will be there to help you with power needs, moral support, and getting settled down to write with your fellow Wrimos.

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Nov. 21st-22nd -- Night of Writing Dangerously!
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From 6 PM Saturday night until 6 AM Sunday morning, we'll be WRITING DANGEROUSLY at the Glen Carbon Community Room inside the Police Department. And it's going to be a blast! This is a great way to get several thousand words on paper.

This is a come-and-go event; you don't have to be there for the whole 12 hours. But we will have food and beverages available to make it worth your while if you'd like to be there for the entire time! (This is a potluck event, so please bring some finger foods to share. Beverages will be provided.)

The room will have ample power and space for you to stretch out, but it will NOT have internet access. That's OK, though -- you'll have one less distraction keeping you from writing! (If you need Internet access that badly, there's a Denny's less than 2 miles away you can pop off to as needed.)

The address is 149 N Main Street, Glen Carbon, IL 62034-1625. We'll be in the Glen Carbon Community Room. We hope to see you there!
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Nov. 28th-29th -- Writer's Retreat
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If you haven't marked your calendars already for our first-ever WRITER'S RETREAT, please keep November 28th-29th free! We'll be back at the Learning Technology Center in Edwardsville, but this time, we'll be writing for the entire weekend! (You can come and go as you please, but be sure to be there at least one of the two days for some great writing and a lot of fun!)

More details to come next week, but for now... mark your calendars!

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Denouement
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As always, you can find out more about our events on our calendar at
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=nnv4ngb4834o2j7io5v6o7a118%40gr...

And don't forget to check out our blog at
http://soilnanowrimo.wordpress.com!

Good luck with your NaNoWriMoing, and let us know if we can be of any assistance to you!

-Sean and Jenna, your friendly MLs.

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-----
Sean J. Jordan
Municipal Liaison, Southern Illinois Region
Keep up to date on Southern Illinois NaNoWriMo events on our blog!

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Create Space promo for Nano winners and editing

Kingofmyownmind — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:03:23 +0000

If you complete the 50,000 word count and are declared a winner you are given a promo code for a free proof copy. You have until June to redeem it. I assume that this means you are allowed to edit your novel before submitting it to Create Space?
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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Sean & Stacie's Party!

SeanJJordan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:55:15 +0000

In case anyone missed it, we're having a party tonight (Saturday) to celebrate our birthdays. Stacie is turning 31, and I am turning 30. Our house is not too far from the Fairview Heights Borders, and we'd love for you to come join us!

Our address is 512 S. High St., Belleville, IL 62220. It's just past Main St. and the Fountain on IL-159. Come join us for awhile after you're done writing!

Call 618-444-2272 if you get lost. See you tonight!

-Sean

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Sean J. Jordan
Municipal Liaison, Southern Illinois Region
Keep up to date on Southern Illinois NaNoWriMo events on our blog!

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Stl Bread Co. - November 5, 2009 @ 7:30 pm

falseramona — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:10:11 +0000

I can't write in my home tonight. Heading to the Stl Bread Co/Panera in Alton.
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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Crawford to Wabash Counties and in between?

writer71 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:50:03 +0000

I am in Lawrence County, living in Sumner, and wondered if there were any writers here from as far as Crawford County to Wabash County? I am 20 minutes from Vincennes Indiana and about an hour or more from Evansville.
Just wanting to hook up with some likeminded folks during this time.
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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Novel ideas. I got no middle.

Kingofmyownmind — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:42:55 +0000

Here is the basic synopis of my novel to date. I am having some issues with the middle. I need some ideas for actions of my character Ash.

Jeremy/Author is a good Christian man living the good life. He has a dark past which are chronicled in a journal he kept in his teens. The journal is fictionalized adding a revenge element to it and published.
To mitigate the number of character's I have to control I have set the premise that he is touring 5 cities over 5 weeks speaking and signing books. The tour will not make it past the second city.His internal conflict is dealing with the pain of his past. He has buried them deep but the book release brings that back to the front.

Ash. I have moved him as a secondary character. Most of the second act still revolves around him and his obsession with the author and getting revenge on his own bullies by imitating the book.
I have added 2 or 3 other small subplot characters who carry out actions from the book.

The publishing agent is the driving force/main antagonist of the book. He plays a demon/devil character who uses the Jeremy's negativity to effect these people. Ash just has the most hate inside him that allows him to be used extensively by the agent. When Jeremy tries to balk at the deal he frames Jeremy for the crimes that have taken place.

Jeremy goes slowly slides from good Christian to indifferent. He loses the ability to pray as he tries to deal with whats going on himself.
Now I am getting to where I am in my story trying to close it. Here are my ideas.

He finally realizes that he does have responsibility for what is happening when Ash sends a letter to his home. In it is some of Ash's own writing. Very twisted, evil poetry. The author finally sees himself in Ash.And is finally able to pray. I envision a dream sequence were Jesus explains to him that it is the hate in Jeremy's words that has caused this to come about. He tells Jeremy that his reason why has kept falling in and out of faith was due to the fact, he hasn't forgiven Shawn, Jeremy's own bully. Jesus also helps Jeremy deal with his newfound guilt over what has happened .

Jeremy visits Shawn in prison in an attempt to forgive him before going back to Florida and trying to save Ash from himself.

I need some revenge stories for my author's book that Ash will try to copy. Thanks.

15000 and struggling.
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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Week one updates.

queenstacela — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:15:29 +0000

Since Sean is all the way in Boston tonight, I thought I would start today's round of how everyone is doing. At the end of week one this is when it becomes harder for everyone. Now if you make it to next week and are caught up, than there is hope. So how is everyone doing? If you are having a hard time come to a write-in it helps. The Word Wars help add the count. Talking your concept and story with someone will get you through the rough patches. I am lucky the husband is involved in this craziness and pushed me into it. The housework and such suffers though.

Having lost our internet until Tuesday I have been getting a lot of writing done this weekend outside of write-ins. That is in between of pushing laundry through.

I hope to be at 20,000 by the end of tonight and beat Sean to 25k it is fun and rolling fast. This book though with be a lot longer that 50k though.

How you doin'?
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A good book and a cup of tea, what more can you ask for?

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

[NaNoWriMo: Southern Illinois] Newsletter #2 -- What To Do When The NaNo Glow Wears Off...

SeanJJordan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:31:34 +0000

Hey everybody!

It's Monday morning, and if you're staying on track, you should have 15,000 words down by the end of the day. That's 30% of your novel, and, if you're writing a conventional story, likely closing in on the end of your first act!

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Sean's Soapboax
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What I've been hearing from a lot of folks, however, is that while getting to 10,000 was pretty easy, getting to 15,000 has been a challenge. For one thing, the weather was really nice this weekend, and a lot of folks took advantage. For another thing, a lot of that initial NaNoWriMo enthusiasm has waned, and many writers are starting to realize what an ordeal they've gotten themselves into.

Let me encourage you all by saying that last year around this time, I got miserably behind, and had to spend a lot of my free time getting caught back up. I remember plotting out story points aloud as I was driving to work in St. Louis, and I remember keeping a little notebook handy so I could write down ideas as they came to me when I was in class. My TV was barely watched, my video games collected dust, and my laptop begged for mercy as I thundered away on the keyboard. But in the end, I was glad I did it. You will be too.

A few people have told me that they just don't have enough time. Believe me, I understand - during my first year of NaNo, I was managing a retail store, and I could not finish my story during November because I was expected to be at my store pretty much all the time. Some of us just have a lot on our plates at this time of year.

But at the same time, be careful not to make excuses just because NaNo is a challenge. There are 168 hours in a week. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that most people spend 50 of those hours at work or school or in a commute, and let's also say that 56 of those hours are spent asleep. That leaves 62 hours in which all of your other activities can take place. Now, I wouldn't expect that you'd spend all of those doing NaNo. (If you did, you'd be done already!) But what I would suggest is that most people can budget 10 -15 hours per week for NaNo if they tighten up their schedules a little bit.

You might not even need that much time. We currently offer almost 30 hours per week of official NaNoWriMo write-in time for the St. Louis Metro East folks, but what many participants find valuable are those 15-minute "word challenges" we run. My estimation is that most participants jam out at least 500 words during these challenges. 500 words in 15 minutes is a pretty big accomplishment. If you can just find three or four 15-minute stretches of your day in which you can thunder out 500 words, you'll be across that finish line on November 30th, no sweat.

At the same time, let me encourage you to hang in there even if you're woefully behind. We're not so far into this game yet that you have to do anything drastic if you're behind. Just come to one of the write-ins, set a goal for yourself, and have your fellow Wrimos keep you accountable. You will never find more support for writing a terrible novel than you'll find among Wrimos. Take advantage of that.

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Story Structure
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We mentioned earlier on that if you're writing a conventional story, you should be closing in on the end of Act 1 by now. But some of you might not be familiar with the concept of 3 Act structure, so we thought we'd offer you a brief explanation of how it works.

One of the big myths of writing is that it's bad form to write from a formula. That is completely untrue. Since the days of ancient Greece, and maybe even before that, storytellers had a format that they followed. It's a natural progression that shapes many of the books we read and the movies we watch today. It's sometimes referred to as "Three Act Structure". Think of it as being sort of a skeleton of a story -- something that holds things together, but that shouldn't be obvious to the reader. The writer's job is to understand that structure while using his or her imagination to cover that skeleton up.

Every story begins with an "inciting incident" -- something that happens to take the protagonist out of his or her comfortable world and into the bigger story as a whole. In Star Wars, it's the arrival of two droids who have been sent to find General Kenobi. In The Lord of the Rings, it's Gandalf's realization that Bilbo's old ring is actually the One Ring that must be destroyed. This incident sets the rest of the wheels in motion until the plot is ultimately resolved.

After the inciting incident, in Three Act Structure, Act 1 of the story actually begins. Act 1 is about shaping the story, and having the protagonist understand the shape of things to come. In the heroic archetype, this section often involves a journey into the unfamiliar. Act 1 is where a lot of that tedious description takes place. It's also where the key players are introduced and the conflict is ultimately revealed. Act 1 typically ends with progress being made towards the resolution of the conflict, giving the protagonist a temporary victory against his or her source of conflict.

It's a good thing Act 1 ends on a high note, because Act 2 is about the decline towards defeat. During Act 2, the protagonist will face ever-increasing challenges, and will ultimately find him or herself in a position that seems insurmountable or even hopeless. This is the dark center of the story, the place where it seems like the antagonist (or other side of the conflict) might actually win. In fact, in many classic stories, the villain does win in Act 2.

Act 3 is about redemption. This is where the protagonist pushes towards that final climax -- the part of the story where the conflict will ultimately be resolved and the protagonist will emerge successful. This could be a physical victory, but it could also be an achievement of enlightenment or a permanent relief from a barrage of troubles.

This leads to the denouement (falling action), where the loose ends are tied up, things are set back to the way they were (or the way they will be now that the protagonist has had this experience), and the story concludes.

Let's use the example of a legal case to go through this structure. So, the inciting incident is that Frank (the antagonist) is suing Joe (the protagonist) because Frank alleges that Joe stole a million dollars from him. Joe did not, and is forced to hire a lawyer and go to court.

Act 1 would be the opening arguments. This is where we would learn about the case and find out what the conflict was all about. We would also see how diabolical Frank might be in telling lies about Joe.

Act 2 would be the barrage of witnesses Frank would bring in to falsely accuse Joe. The act would conclude with Joe himself being cross-examined by the plaintiff's attorney only to find himself tricked into losing credibility on the witness stand. Frank would seem to have won.

Act 3 would be when Joe realizes that Frank's case has a fatal flaw in in, and gets his lawyer to call Frank up on the stand. Joe's lawyer gets Frank to break down and admit that it's all a lie. Closing arguments are made, and the jury convenes only to come back moments later and announce that Joe wins the case.

The denouement is Joe's return home, where he and his family take their lawyer out to dinner and settle the legal bill amicably.

You'll notice that this structure very typically occurs in trilogies. Think of the Star Wars Trilogy for a moment. The original Star Wars (episode 4) is Act 1. The Empire Strikes Back is Act 2. And the Return of the Jedi is Act 3. This is not an accident-- George Lucas was working from this archetype and structured his story in this way. It's a good structure, and it makes it easier for you, as a writer, to see where your plot is eventually going! It's also easier on the reader, and it makes the story more fun to read since it won't seem like quite such a journey into uncharted territory.

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This Week's Events
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We've got tons of write-ins available this week. We've also got a big party on Saturday that you're all invited to attend!

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Nov. 9 @ Borders in Fairview Heights
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We'll be hosting a write-in in the Borders cafe from 2:00-8:00 on Monday afternoon in Fairview Heights, IL. Keep an eye out for Katie Gilroy, who will be your event host.

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Nov. 10 @ Starbucks in Collinsville, IL
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From 6:00 - 9:00 PM, we'll be writing at the Collinsville Starbucks off I-55 and IL-157. Sean and Stacie will be present to help Wrimos get their laptops powered up!

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Nov. 11 @ Wise Choice Coffee in Edwardsville, IL
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From 4:00 - 7:00 PM, we'll be writing at Wise Choice Coffee in Edwardsville. Jenna Stoeber will be hosting -- be sure to let her know if you need power or some help getting past your writer's block!

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Nov. 12 @ Starbucks in Collinsville, IL
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From 6:00 - 9:00 PM, we'll be writing at the Collinsville Starbucks off I-55 and IL-157. Sean and Stacie will be present to help Wrimos get their laptops powered up!

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Nov. 12 -- Elizabeth Donald's "Things That Go Chomp in the Night"
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Our friend Elizabeth Donald (whom you may have met at some of the write-ins) is giving a talk and doing a book signing of her novel THE COLD ONES at the AfterWords Bookstore on 231 N. Main in Edwardsville, IL from 7:00-9:00 PM.

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Nov. 14 @ The Sweeter House of Coffee in Lebanon, IL
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Nov. 14 @ Borders in Fairview Heights, IL
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Nov. 14 -- PARTY @ Sean and Stacie's House
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Stacie (queenstacela) is turning 31, an Sean (SeanJJordan) is turning 30. Sean also just finished his master's degree in marketing research. What better way to celebrate than with a kicking house party? What's more, all of you lucky Wrimos are invited!

Here are the details, from Sean:

On November 14th, we'll be having a party at our place from 6:00 PM on, and we hope you can make it! We'll have plenty of food, and we'll also have plenty going on. Some of the things we have planned involve:

-->Rockin' out with The Beatles:Rock Band and Rock Band 2

-->A "You Don't Know Jack" trivia showdown

-->Some Improv Comedy games

-->A random assortment of board and card games (including an epic round of Apples to Apples!)

-->A screening of "Twilight" with the Rifftrax playing!

-->Some sort of special preview screening of Sean's upcoming book, "Code of the Wild: North American Wolverine vs. Timber Wolf"!

It's going to be a good time. And we want you to be here! Feel free to bring a friend, but please -- RSVP so we know how much food to have on hand! You can RSVP (and get directions) by sending an email to Sean: seanjjordan1 AT gmail DOT com.

(We may have some adult beverages on hand, but please - feel free to bring your own if you would like some! Please note, however, that any underage drinking cannot and will not be allowed -- we live a block from the police station, and we've got a neighbor across the street who may call the cops if we get too rowdy. So, if you're underage, please plan on being a designated driver, k?)

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Denouement
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As always, you can find out more about our events on our calendar at http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=nnv4ngb4834o2j7io5v6o7a118%40gr...

And don't forget to check out our blog at http://soilnanowrimo.wordpress.com!

Good luck with your NaNoWriMoing, and let us know if we can be of any assistance to you!

-Sean and Jenna, your friendly MLs.
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Sean J. Jordan
Municipal Liaison, Southern Illinois Region
Keep up to date on Southern Illinois NaNoWriMo events on our blog!

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Song lyrics , Bible verses etc.. count towards my 50K?

Kingofmyownmind — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:29:10 +0000

One of the main characters of my story goes on a destructive pattern while listening to music on his iPod that fits the scene. My plan is to use a line or two of song lyrics per scene like this. How do I document it properly and does it count toward my 50K goal.

Same question for Bible verses , movie and historical quotes

For Example:

As she placed the phone down to retrieve the directions I could here "Alive by Pearl Jam playing in the background
"I can't remember anything to this very day
'Cept the look, the look...
Oh, you know where, now I can't see, I just stare..."

"One more second" she hollered.

"You're still alive, she said
Oh, and do I deserve to be
Is that the question
And if so...if so...who answers...who answers...
I, oh, I'm still alive"

Would this count toward my goal and how do cite it? Thanks in advance.
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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

SoIL WriMos In Distress

dedikated — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:08:23 +0000

Personally, I've been stuck the last three days. I'm not sure why, because I know where my story is supposed to go, just...I dunno. Laziness, stress, other people..it's all just adding up. Does anyone else feel like this? I know I've just got to push through it, but right now I'm just eating away at the fabulous wort-count buffer I've been adding up over the first week.
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2006: 11:34 A.M. (Ubran Fantasy), 10k- Fail
2007: Delilah's Demons (YA/Urban Fantasy) 51k- COMPLETION!
2008- Untitled (Historical Fiction) 3k- EPIC Fail
2009- Suns Dissapearing [Working Title] (YA/Fantasy/Romance)

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Nov. 6th Progess report!

LostieBorden — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:26:54 +0000

I wanted to check in with everyone and see how you're doing. Are you where you thought you'd be? Ahead? Behind? Feeling on top of the world or are you starting to lose hope? (Has anyone pulled a Sean yet?)

As for me, I'm ahead of my own personal schedule- usually I manage to get the bare minimum daily word count done and then call it quits for the day, but not so far! I think it helps that my characters are making their actions up as they go along, just like I'm making up the plot. We've both got a end-goal, and we're just navigating our way there.

Hope everybody's on track! See you later!
-Jenna
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Eight lords sleeping till it’s foretold
By an old hand they will be stirred
One a tree that’s grown too old
One a sound that’s never been heard
One a shade that hasn’t a caster
One a light been swallowed by a bird
One hangs like a ghost in the sky

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Where's My PowerStrip

acowell311 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:21:07 +0000

Okay... left it at Edwardsville's Denny's after the After-Hours Write-In... hopefully, some thoughtful WriMo is keeping it company (or putting it good use) until we can exchange it for a nice mocha latte!

Let me know she's safe. Her name is Meredith! =o]

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USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Please don't "Pull a Sean"

SeanJJordan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Hey guys,

I've heard from a few folks that they have, in essence, "Pulled a Sean" - writing several thousand words and then wiping them out so they can start over. This phrase refers to me because I've done it rather infamously for the last two years when I've reached the 10,000 word mark. I'm sympathetic, but I'm a bit concerned about how cavalier some folks are being about it.

We're early in November yet, so you can probably get away with doing this. But please, PLEASE get on a track you're somewhat happy with by the end of the week and make up the words you've deleted by the weekend. I understand how much it sucks to keep working on a story you hate, but really, guys -- the point of NaNo is to just keeping writing. Your novel might turn into something entirely different once you get more words on paper, but you can always cut, paste and revise down the road.

So please - if you've started over, stay on track. My job as an ML is to help you cross that finish line. I can tell you from experience that it is a LOT harder to achieve your goal if you sabotage yourself and set yourself back just because you're unhappy with your story.

To counter my bad behavior, I made a point of attending every write-in I could so I had some other writers there to yell at me for getting behind. I would HIGHLY suggest that those of you who are having trouble finding your groove start showing up at the write-ins so we can help you get on track!

I'll get off my soapbox now, but I must admit that I'm really concerned about this, so the topic will likely appear in this weekend's newsletter. I won't name names, of course, but I am going to be that little annoying voice reminding you that the destination is just as important as the journey in November!

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Sean J. Jordan
Municipal Liaison, Southern Illinois Region
Keep up to date on Southern Illinois NaNoWriMo events on our blog!

USA :: Illinois :: Southern

Here I go again on my own...

JessMcMahan81 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:02:44 +0000

Ok, so are there any southern Illinois Wrimo's that need a writing buddy on Friday afternoons? I will be at the Borders in Edwardsville on most Friday afternoons. Any takers?

I'm not looking to "hook up" or anything crazy. I'm happily married, but more or less new to the area so I just need new people to be writing buddies with. I do ask that anyone who takes me up on the offer be at least 21+.

Thanks folks.

JessMcMahan81
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