Introductions!

Hi :3

My name is Jaydee and I just recently moved out to Shelbyville from California. I didn't want to leave my beloved home state, but things are going so bad there financially that I finally decided it was time to get out. Luckily, Tennessee seems to agree with me, as I love greenery and thunderstorms :3

When I'm not writing or getting ready to write, I usually have my nose stuck in a book or my fingers stuck in my sewing machine. I'm mildly famous on the internet for my (still unfinished) 2007 Nanovel "Penny Candy," and I hope that this year I can cook up something to rival it in style and length, if not popularity (fangirls are scary).

I'd really like to have some writing meetups this November, if we can get some people together!

Hi Jaydee,

Welcome to Nano and to Miiddle Tennessee!

Delighted to meet you. Sounds like we have a few things in common. I love to sew, too --quilting's my 'Zen' activity, according to my husband. I'll have to go looking for Penny Candy --sounds interesting!

I think we have a few WriMos in Shelbyville this year, so we may need to schedule out thatta way.... ;)

Melissa

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi. My name is Koren. This is my fifth NaNo.

I've lived primarily Murfreesboro for the last eleven years - my husband and I have been living in Dickson for the last few months but are moving back so he can go to school. We've been married about 2 and a half years, with no kids as of yet. I read quite a bit (I range from fantasy and romance to science fiction and non-fiction, as well as a great deal of fanfiction) and I knit. There are several shows/series that I follow (right now most notably Legend of the Seeker, Glee, Harry Potter, and Battlestar Galactica) and more that I wander in and out of fandom for. I don't necessarily read anything, but I do have a pretty wide range of genres and preferences. I also knit, and do other forms of needlecraft and artwork.

I don't know what my novel is going to be about for this year, but I'm finishing up the editing on my novels from 2007 and 2008 for a couple of fanfiction fests going on right now. One tentative possibility for mine is a spin-off of a long fic I wrote earlier this year with an original character.

Hello!

I'm Sara. This is my fifth year of doing NaNo, and I usually wander in and out of the Nashville group as well. (I may like going to group events a little too much.) I live in the Smyrna/La Vergne area, although my roommate and I are planning on moving around the first of the year a little bit closer to Nashville (and since I have yet to start to pack, I may go insane during this period).

This year's novel is going to be a modern retelling of Snow White, with a Snow who's a little bit (okay, a lot) less passive and rather than wait for her Prince Charming to come rescue her, decides to rescue herself (with the help of her friends). I'm not entirely sure if she's going to have a Prince Charming at all (there are vague thoughts about an FBI agent friend who gets roped into helping her). We'll just have to see!

Sara

2005: The Braids of Destiny (WON!)
2006: Movements of Fire and Shadow (WON!)
2007: Lost Secrets (WON!)
2008: Dancing in the Moonlight (WON!)
2009:

hello!!

My name is Mari. This is my first year of doing Nano and I am really looking forward to it.

I live in Arrington for the next two weeks, but then I am moving to Smyrna. I work in Middle Tennessee, I wish I could be more discriptive but I am a floating teller and go to all the branches in Middle Tennessee, so I am also in the Nashville region an the Tennessee region.

I am looking forward to this Nano and looking forward to meeting some other Nanoers. I tried to Julno and it was very lonely.

I had a great idea for a book back in January, put it aside for my Julno, but I am thinking it may get put aside again for another idea. I am not sure yet.

Hi,
I'm Mary and I'm a professional journalist who would much rather be a professional novelist. Since I tend to work better under deadline, I thought this would be the perfect prod to get me going. It's my first year and I we a bog Thank You to John, my editor, who pushed me in tis direction.
I write fantasy stuff mostly, as well as romance, but I have this great, hulking Coming of Age novel inside of me -- or rather, a Coming of Middle Age -- kind of Holden Caufield meets Erma Bombeck. My "dojanni" tag is one I first picked up in Yahoo because very variation of Mary was taken. It was the name of a character in the first short story I ever sold ( of the two short stories I've ever sold.)

Mary
Tullahoma

Jaydee, I live in Tullahoma but work at the Shelbyville Times Gazette, as does another Nano writer. Maybe we can get together.
Mary Reeves

hey, all!!! my name is seth hanson (at least, that's me pen name...)and i have lived in murfreesboro for ten years. this is me first nanowrimo...

I am an 18 year old wannabe writer, and since i work a whole lot better under a deadline, i thought that i might try this out.

to tell the truth, i dont even know if i will be able to write even a honorable amount, but gosh-darnit, i will try!!! like i said, this is my first year, so i am a little nervous. i am still going through ideas.

a race is a terrible thing to lose.

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is as stoked about NaNoWriMo this year as much as I am. Even though I kill myself trying to reach the deadline every year, I always enjoy it. This'll be my third year doing NaNo and hopefully will be the third year I will win as well. Can't wait to get started. I probably wont be able to do the meet and greet this month, but I definitely plan to be apart of some of the write-ins coming up.

Anywho, I'm an MTSU student, class of 2012. And this year will be the first year I try my hand at first person point of view as well as a historical, so it'll definitely be an experience. Hope to get to know all of you soon!

NaNoWriMo 2007: Leaning Towards Love, 66k
NaNoWriMo 2008: A Plain Summer, 51k
NaNoWriMo 2009: Small Mercies, ???

Hi! I'm August. I'm 25 and a graduate of MTSU (go Blue!) I actually live in Columbia TN, an hour away if you take 840, and I wander in and out of the Nashville group, too. This is my first NaNo and I wish I had found out about it sooner.

My novel is set in a world governed by secrets and plagued by... well, a plague. A brother and sister find themselves in the middle of the secrets and the fight against the plague.

If you're interested in reading some samples of my writing, check out afgrappin.blogspot.com

HI!

So glad to have you join us! Secrets and plagues --sounds intriguing!

We'll be using a virtual chat room for some of our write-ins, so hopefully that will make it easy for you to join in without a long drive all of the time. Feel free to let me know if you'd like to 'host' a virutal chat at another time/date and I'll post it to the calendar for everyone to see.

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi greatamericanauthor,

Welcome --it's great to meet you!

I'm an MTSU alum and love, love, love historicals! Sorry to hear you might miss the Meet N Greet, but never fear --we have plent of write-ins to pick from. Several on or near the campus as well as virtual write-ins. Sounds like you're a pro at this if it's your third year, so we can always use tips on what has helped you to be successful!

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi seththaevilone

If you like a deadline, it sounds like Nano is perfect for you! You're in for a great time and productive output, even if you don't get the full 50k done (though certainly more is achievable if you hit a good stride!)

My first year of Nano I only managed about 25k, but to me that was a HUGE win because I'd never written that much in that period of time before. My internal editor killed my productivity. With Nano I was able to figure out how to muzzle that voice and just get the words down. Which made it a successful experience for me.

Great to have you join in this year!

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi Mary,

It's great to meet you. Sounds like NaNo is perfect for you --deadlines are what we do best --so glad you found your way here!

I hope you'll be able to join us for a few get togethers, but I realize Tullahoma's a bit down the road. Hopefully the chat room that I've set up will offer an alternative to driving all the time.

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi Mari,

Great to meet you --sounds like you do quite a bit of traveling around! I've never tried the Julno --hopefully you'll find our group here engaging. We have lots of opportuntities to get together, both in person and online, so loneliness shouldn't be a problem!

Plus, there are alot of NaNoers in the Nashville area, so you'll find twice the folks and activities if you are inclined to head a bit further north!

I look forward to meeting you in person!

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi Sara,

A modern retelling of Snow White? That sounds fascinating! Will you still have the evil stepmother and seven helpers of some sort?

All of these stories sound so good. We're going to have to talk about a Novel Editing month some time after Nano's done and get some beta reads done.

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi Koren,

Hope the plans for the move back are going well --it's always such a hassle, I know. Will you be back in the area during November or are you shooting for the spring semester?

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Greetings all,

My name is Jeremy and despite the handle I will be taking NaNoWriMo very seriously. I have toyed with the idea of being a writer for years; so I hope to use this opportunity to push past my Internal Editor (personified he would stand 7 foot 5 weigh 300 pounds and eat manuscripts for breakfast) and get some ideas out of my head.

I have only written short stories and these I often abandon because of the big guy that stands over my shoulder with the disapproving look (mentioned earlier). I tend to try to write Science Fiction but also stray into more literary work; think Flannery O'Connor meets Dan Brown sired by Asimov and you might have me pegged.

I have been married for eleven years and have a daughter who is nine. I too am an Alum of MTSU and work there in the IT department.

I want to thank you all in advance for keeping me honest and on track. I don't know if I will be able to meet everyone at the meet and greet it is too early to tell with my schedule, as soon as I know so will you.

Finally a statement of what I hope to write about. I have a few days to decide right!???? I have an idea about a coming of age story on an isolated space outpost. Complicating factors include the colony is dying and the boy is not really a boy.

Talk to you all soon.

Jeremy

My name is Jean, and I live in T-Town. This is my third NaNo, and I am throwing it all to the wind this year. In the past, I have had a clear sense of plot, or at least a strong outline, moving into November. This year, my goal is to create strong characters and let them take control. I don't have so much as a working title, so this year will be my greatest noveling adventure thus far.

Yep, they'll both be there. The evil stepmother is going to be pretty evil (she kills off my MC's father and brother), and the seven helpers are my MC's good friends. I'm still working on adjusting some of the other elements of the story (like the magic mirror), though.

Sara

2005: The Braids of Destiny (WON!)
2006: Movements of Fire and Shadow (WON!)
2007: Lost Secrets (WON!)
2008: Dancing in the Moonlight (WON!)
2009:

Hey all! I'm Jen. Live in Smyrna, in my 3rd year at MTSU (after taking some time off to start my family) [though I opted for all online courses this semester], married, work for 2 transcription companies, and have 2 kids (8 and 13). This will be my 5th attempt at nano. My husband and I do nano together (though he slacked off one year and didn't participate!!)... We've been in TN for just over 3 years, and I would love to get to some of the activities & meet you all.
As for my story, I think I've got a pretty clear at least basic general overview worked out. I've had 3 different stories kicking around in my brain, wanting to be written throughout the past 8 months or so. And just the other night, two of them merged & I think that will be my story. The basic premise is going to be a couple w/2 children who decide to build a castle in their backyard... and since they are building it & devoting a lot of time to the task, they put in extra time w/their kids by way of a super, special, elaborate bedtime story (which takes place over the course of multiple nights). There may be several stories, or just the one (which was one of the other story ideas I had had).

Anyway. I'll stop rambling on for now & save up some rambling for when nano begins! Take care everyone, good luck, and hope to see & talk to you through the journey!!

Jen

Hi, everybody. I'm Jen's (see the post above mine) husband, I also have two kids go figure... we're all originally from Indiana, this is my fourth nano... I'm shooting for scifi this year. I have yet to win but am sure this will be my first year to do so. My nano is a tough one to explain. Suffice it to say it will be about social networks, future technology, and virtual reality so immersive it is given the name which coincides with my novel's title: Exit Reality...

I look forward to finally coming out to some meet ups for once. The kids will both be doing the young writer's program for the firs time this year so maybe we can all make our way out to some.

Bob

Hi Jeremy,

It's great to meet you! I think you'lll find this a great experience to jump start your writing and to stifle that internal editor. We'll see if we can't help you put him on vacation for a little while. I'll have some tools and suggestions to distribute during our Meet N Greet if you get the chance to join us (I'll bring copies also to later write-ins for those who can't make the MnGreet).

And, yes, there's still plenty of time to decide on elements of your story. I always lament how long October is, because I'm so eager to get started, but I find that I manage to work out some big plot holes in the lull, so it's always time well spent (I just figured out another one on Friday --w00t!)

Best wishes!

Melissa

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi Jean,

So glad you'll be joining us this year! I just came up thru Tullahoma (visiting the inlaws in AL this weekend) and waved as we roared by. ;-D

Sounds like you've a great literary adventure ahead --I admire folks like you who can just run wild with a couple of characters. I always seem to get stuck with a blank page, which is why I plot (leaves me no excuses, naturally!)

Melissa

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi Jen & Bob,

Delighted that you'll be joining us this year --and how exciting that it's going to be an entire-family experience! Both of you AND the kids in YWriters program? AWESOME! I hope they'll be interested in joining in some of the group activities --I've been trying to place some all-ages venues and easy-to-access locations, so I hope you'll find something to suit you.

The family that writes together, delights together? (OK, sorry, that's corny, LOL)

Hope to meet you all soon!

Melissa

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi! My name is Erica and this is my third Nano attempt!

I go to MTSU -- I'm a junior -- and I live on campus, so I'm here all of the time. Forever. LOL.

My novel hasn't a hammered out complete plot yet. I know that it is fantasy in nature as my MC is a vampire, but that's it. So, I'll just tell you about my MC.

His name is Kallias. He was born in Greece circa 419 BCE (I haven't decided on an exact date) His father was in the military and was heavily involved in the Pelopponesian War as such he was heavily absent while Kallias was growing up. When Kallias was a teen, he was very interested in Philosophy and spent a large amount of time studying and following Socrates around. However, none of this actually takes place in the book, it's just back story, as Kallias is turned into a vampire when he is only sixteen years old.

The story will mostly take place in present day although I will have flashes of Kallias's past as he travels through time in a world that he is in, but can never be a part of, forever destined to be Other and hence Alone. He never lets himself be a part of the world he lives in until he meets someone who reminds him of his first lover.

But this isn't like Twilight or any of the other many Twilight knock-offs out there.

Kallias and his love interest have many obstacles to overcome. He's a killer for one. Not a cuddly, sparkly vampire like Edward. He is trapped in the body of a sixteen year old boy for all of eternity. His love interest is much older (in so far as appearances go) so this will certainly be a hindrance. Although much more so for the love interest as opposed to Kallias as he doesn't have the same morality code the love interest (who has no name yet... lol) has.

Well, I guess that is the plot. Somewhat.

Sorry for that -- I didn't mean to write all of that! It just came out!!

So, I look forward to meeting everyone!

Hi Erica,

Wow ---a vampire and ancient greek, sans sparkles. Sounds awesome! And you're heaping some fascinating dilemmas on the fella. What a fun challenge to work on for Nano!

Since you live on campus, you may find our write-ins at the library & The Grind especially convenient! Hope you'll be able to join us!

Melissa

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hi Erica,

Wow ---a vampire and ancient greek, sans sparkles. Sounds awesome! And you're heaping some fascinating dilemmas on the fella. What a fun challenge to work on for Nano!

Since you live on campus, you may find our write-ins at the library & The Grind especially convenient! Hope you'll be able to join us!

Melissa

Melissa
>Official ML for Murfreesoboro, TN<
Follow on Twitter! http://twitter.com/NaNoInTheBoro

Hey everyone!
My name is Rachel. I've lived in Murfreesboro most of my life. This is my fifth NaNo and this year will be a challenge. My laptop died last month so I have to borrow my sister's computer whenever I can. Then I'm going to NYC from the 18th to the 23rd. Actually I hope to meet some NYC NaNo-ers while I'm up there. I haven't settled on a plot yet. There are 3 different ones running through my head. One's science fiction, another is young adult, and the third is chick lit. As usual I probably won't officially pick a plot until Oct. 31st. I can't wait to meet some of the other M'boro NaNo-ers. During my college years in Indiana I wrote with a pretty active group and we always had a lot of fun.

Hi. :)

My harddrive died last year right before NaNo too - but if it's any kind of encouragement/consolation, I still managed to pull it off by using my friend's computer when I was over there. I'm sure you'll do fine!