So the site's been reset, and all the forums (fora?) have been cleared of last year's desperate pleas for mercy. I guess this is the point where I give in to my juvenile urges and shout "FIRST!!"
Okay - introduction time. I'm your friendly Municipal Liaison, it's my job to kind of guide you through the annual month-long insanity that is Nanowrimo - I'll be here for encouragement, advice, inspiration, and tips on how to procrastinate wildly.
This year will be my sixth Nanowrimo, and my second as Municipal Liaison. I live in sunny Weston-super-Mare, about ten minutes from the beach (so about an hour from the sea) with my two cats, some motorbikes, a few cameras and too many guitars - if there is such a thing - and I work in Bristol.
In my spare time I fly kites, play a number of musical instruments, and I'm just in the process of shifting from amateur photography to freelance photography. I'm also involved with the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre's Care Appeal - trying to raise over a million and a half quid to transform the building and environment at the BHOC - I'll stop shamelessly promoting it now... ;-)
Anyway - tell me (and everybody else) about yourself, and what you're doing for this year's Nanowrimo..
Russ.
----------
ML - Bristol & Bath Region, UK.
Procrastinating madly since 2004
51,342 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 14 55
Hi everyone! My name is Sian, and some of you know me already, as I've been a NaNo participant since 2004. I'm the quiet one whose notebook usually matches her skirt! I can't wait to see you all at the Watershed again (and hopefully meet some new people!) for another year of novelling craziness.
I'm between jobs right now, which should give me lots of time for writing - I mean, responsible job searching *cough*. And I'm turning 25 this November, so the drinks will be on me on or around the 19th!
My novel this year will be something about a woman with OCD whose husband dies. Nice and cheerful then. Maybe one day I'll write a novel that isn't horribly depressing, who knows?
Good luck to everyone!
0 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 17 50
Hi my name's Zac. I'm 23. I am currently working as a temporary administration assistant for the Insolvency Service. I hope to eventually to get a job in local Lib Dem politics. I like reading (surprise, surprise), current affairs, rock music, Jitsu (of which I am an orange belt) and films.
This is my first time participating in the competition. I entered on the recommendation of a friend. I am sort of wondering whether it is a good idea or not now. Ah well, I guess time will tell.
My novel is a semi-autobiographical story named after it's main character 'Karl'. The plot in a nutshell is Karl is disollusioned with his life and starts living a double life. His real life and a dream life in which he fantasizes that he is a bagman for a fictitious crime syndicate in Bristol. It is an idea I originally came up with for a TV series, but I later decided it would be more feasible to do it in a novel format. In terms of genre the story has a bit of everything: comedy, drama, adventure, violence and psychology. The TV idea was for it to be sort of a combination between The Sopranos, My Name Is Earl and Spaced.
----------Z Barker
35,070 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 05 38
I have a feeling I've done this before, but I never get tired of talking about myself! ;)
I'm Hannah, 17, in my last year of school. This is my fourth Nanowrimo and I'm excited as ever! I both live and attend school in Bristol, and in my spare time I play the piano (quite badly) and was studying Japanese, though at the moment I'm not really keeping it up. For this year's novel, I'm writing a story that's sort of based in reality- it's about a mysterious game that takes place underground, as under every city in the world there are various tunnels where people play. It's a secretive thing, but the main character discovers it sort of by accident and ends up playing it.
Are there going to be meet-ups this year? I didn't get to attend any last year, and was disappointed, but hopefully I might be able to go this year!
----------13,601 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 11 00
My name's Linzi. I'm 23 (24 in November!)
This will be my 4th wrimo, and I intend this to be
A) the first one I actually WIN, and
b) the first year I actually attend at LEAST ONE write in, since it would be nice to put names to faces.
I'm currently a youth leader at my local church, and in charge of writing the newsletter and keeping the website up to date. I've also juuuust started an open university course in creative writing (woo!), because it took me 23 years to work out that the thing I've loved doing since I was small is what I want to do with my life. (!) I also love journaling, reading, and photography. Oh yes, and playing guitar.
----------My nanonovel this year: I finally gave in and decided to write about one of my favourite subjects: the zombie apocalypse. It'll be set in a survivors outpost of some kind, AFTER the world has gone kablooey. Am looking forward to doing a great deal of geeky research for it. I can't wait to get started!
Nano 06: Scarlet 151. Bio terrorist attacks wipe out the population of my home town.
Nano 07: Breathe. A story of recovery, love, and change. Possible start of a trilogy.
Nano 08: Disconnect. (Never got off the ground due to illness)
43,362 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 11 02
Hello again!
I'm Elizabeth, I'm 31 years old and I work up at the university. Is anyone else vaguely depressed to see our nice purple bars turning back to a dull grey? :-)
This'll be my fifth year doing NaNo and I'm hoping to get along to most of the write-ins. I've always enjoyed them in the past and I've met some interesting (and only slightly odd) people (you know who you are :-) ). It's great to get the encouragement and meet other people working towards the same goal and find out what they're writing.
My novel this year will, with a bit of luck, be revisiting the plot that I didn't end up getting on with last year: a fantasy setting about a man who has spent his entire life guiding children through a rite-of-passage ritual and sacrificed his own opportunity to come of age as a result. Now retiring, he has to make a personal journey, deciding whether he wants to attempt the difficult and dangerous task of entering the adult world as an old man.
I'm hoping to have an inkling of character and plot before I start, but I might end up winging it like normal. We'll see how it goes.
37,558 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 14 59
Hey. I'm Chris, 26. I'm an office monkey for an insurance company called Unum that nobody has ever heard of. I like video games, films, comic books... yeah, I guess you could I'm a geek ;).
This will be my third proper NaNo (not counting the aborted 2006 effort). In 2007 I scraped a win with a story that devolved into an absolute mess over the course of the month. Last year I did 60,000 words on a story that's still waiting to be finished, and which I will get back to one day.
As for this year's... I did have one idea that's been in the back of my head which I was going to do, but after hearing a song at the end of an episode of True Blood tonight something's popped into my head. Combining it with another song that's been going around my mind lately, and I think I've got the start of something. Too early to say what it's about yet, other than (as usual) it doesn't look like I'll be giving myself something easy to write. Still, no pain no gain, right? *smiles nervously*
14,702 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 15 17
Shaun here, I'm a newcomer to NaNoWriMo, but I have an inkling of the torture ahead, as I was talked into this year's RPM challenge (write & record a 10-track CD in February - rpmchallenge.com). I'm at a loose end at the moment, so another daft creative challenge seemed like a good idea...
I live in Bristol, I'm a biologist/ecologist by training, and also have a number of cameras which I mostly point at wildlife, and an embarrassment of guitars which I play infrequently, and hence badly.
I'm seconding Russ's plugging of the BHOC Care Appeal, as I'm a regular customer - cheers Russ!
Oh, and the novel. Haven't a clue yet, but what the heck - November's weeks away.
AaaaaaaaAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
----------"Don't get it right - get it written" - Mrs Mills
0 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 15 34
well hello pretty people, my name is Billy and this will be my first NaNoWriMo.
This year i'm going to try an easy one and write a series of interweaving short stories based around a block of flats on a council estate. i will be collaberating with my fair-weather chum Pete, who hopefully will be present on these forums soon (probably bitching about me). I am also looking forward to these "write-ins", and i'm hoping to recruit for a writers group to go above and beyond november. good luck my literary brothers and sisters. i wish you pleasant dreams until the morrow caresses you awake with its promise of endless possibilities xxx
----------so it goes...
3,796 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 05 47
Hello everyone my name is Kian, I'm 23 and currently doing my PhD in Bristol.
This is my first time doing Nanowrimo and I'm using it as a platform to try and get me into actually writing all those stories I always planned but never wrote ^_^. About myself humm.. I love music of practically all genre, dancing, reading, Tai Chi and games of all forms. I generally tend to read Sci fi, Fantasy and Steam Punk with occasional variations in horror and Non-fiction.
The novel I will be attempting will be fantasy set with a magic system based around empathy.
3,071 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 14 29
Hey all! I'm Sara and I'm 18, new to Bristol for university. :) This will be my sixth NaNoWriMo novel and hopefully my sixth win - - the last couple of years I've really only won out of sheer bloodymindedness. This year I hope will be a bit different (I do miss properly enjoying NaNo). Doing it now is probably mad but I'm hoping it will combat the homesickness!
I'm not yet sure about what my novel will be about. There are a few things I've been meaning to write for a while, so I may go with one of them, but I really haven't decided yet. I have faith that it'll come to me at some point. Hopefully.
Looking forward to potentially meeting you all!
0 / 50,000
Oct 7, 2009 - 15 05
Hi I'm Sam,
this will be my fourth NaNoWriMo but hopefully the first I actually win. My major problem is that I'm a huge perfectionist and have serious trouble finishing anything I'm not 100% happy with. Also, I'm really lazy and distract easily. I used to go to meet-ups when I was at University up north but didn't do any of the Bristol ones last year for no real reason, but this year I'm really determined to go and to finish the novel.
I've got a little something brewing in the fictionalised-autobiography genre, inspired by my favourite writer Charles Bukowski. I've been meaning to actually get it down for a while and this is the perfect opportunity.
39,029 / 50,000
Oct 8, 2009 - 13 16
Hi I'm mark!
----------I'm the guy with the strange Aardvark obsession. This will be my 4th Nanowrimo and so far hit the target each year (I'd like to say finished, but I've still not actually completed last years story!)
I describe my self as an 'IT Guy', it's what I do and what I am. In other words I'm pretty much your typical geek, nerd or anorak (delete as appropriate). One day I'd like to be able to call my self an 'Author Guy'.
This year I hope to be able to make it to one of the met ups, now that I actually have a proper job, last year I was looking for a new job in at the start of a recession while trying to hammer out 1660 words a day. Ahh, happy times :}
Anyway I now have a job (and what a job!) and I work just down the river from the Watershed, so I'm hopping that might the venue for the meet ups this year!
I plan to live forever, or die trying
--Vila
13,754 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 00 30
God it sounds like I'm older than all of you put together. That's depressing!
This is my 2nd NanoWriMo. My first WriMo novel was - as I believe it is supposed to be - utter tat that deserves only burial at midnight in an unmarked grave.
I may make it down for a meet-up, but with a new baby in the house (and he's number 3), there ain't a lot of time for anything much at the moment. Didn't manage it last year, despite the lack of a new baby!
Plot? Genre? No idea. But about 98% of it is going to be written in the dark, one handed on an iPod Touch while holding / soothing a crying baby with the other hand. Now, if only I can work out a way of balancing my laptop somewhere in his room, that'll make a WORLD of difference...
See you in cyberspace.*
Max
(* nice phrase. not mine.)
----------The Only Max You Know
(probably)
0 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 00 51
Hi.
I'm Simon, I'm 33 live in Weston and work in Bristol for an IT company. I've completed one Nano, started a second and fooled myself into thinking I'll have enough time to do two others. This year, well who knows - I might have a go again, although I have no storyline, characters or time - which probably will leave me stepping in for some cheerleading work again.
Nice to see some familiar names again here though :)
----------Life is nothing to be serious about
43,362 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 02 05
Now I'm curious, Mark. What's the new job?
I'd like to second the Watershed as a meeting place suggestion, by the way, it's worked well for us in the past.
And any thoughts yet about a Welcome Party, Russ? As always, avoiding the night of Halloween might be a good start.
Elizabeth
13,006 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 14 46
Hello.
I'm Rich... 25, live in Bedminster and work in Clifton (all very central Bristol). This is my third nanowrimo... no wins, sadly, although in 2004 someone threw a alcopop over my laptop (disaster!) and in 2008 someone went and died unexpectedly and killed my effort.
In my spare time... well, I finished a law degree a year or so ago; other than that and stuff connected to that all of my 'hobbies' and 'interests' withered during Uni.
As a side note, I'm zombie obsessed, which is sad because my nanowrimo plans seem to entirely forgo any of the living dead. So far, anyway. It's hard to shoehorn zombies into everything, though every writing-related thought I've had for a year seems to include the brain-hungry.
Anyway. Looking forward to actually getting past day ten with no major catastrophies this year.
Rich.
32,600 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2009 - 00 29
Hello! My name is Simon, and I moved to Bath about a month ago from the other side of the country. I dabbled with Nanowrimo last year, and this year I am going to try and win:)
I work in Bath city center in the IT department of a small business. I'm an avid reader of fantasy, science fiction, cyberpunk etc. and my favourite authors are Michael Moorcock and William Gibson. In my spare time I play the piano and maintain a fantasy MuD thats been running for 10 years now.
I'm 26 years old, but I spent the last 3 and a half years in Japan so I am really just a graduate, yet to brave the full force of The Real World (TM). I speak fairly good Japanese but I don't know any Japanese people to talk to;)
The obvious choice would be for me to write your run-of-the-mill fantasy elves and dwarves book which is why last year I decided to try writing a cyberpunk book. This year I am still undecided.
I am looking forward to any meets there might be :)
Yoroshiku!
3,030 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2009 - 05 03
Hey everyone!
I'm James, 24, and I work as a Project Admin/Config Manager for a software company in Wiltshire.
I entered last year, and got to about 12000 words, which I didnt think was too bad for a first attempt... lol
----------Doing a sponsored blindfolded piano playing for Children in Need - visit http://www.justgiving.com/blindfoldedpiano for more info! :)
105 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2009 - 14 10
Hey! I'm Lauren and this will be my first NaNoWriMo. I'm actually quite scared already!
I'm turning 19 on the eve of the event (i.e 31st Oct. - Halloween!) so my first writing day will probably be void. Also, I've just started at UWE, but I've always lived in Bristol.
My current (vague) idea is a volunteer Samaritans worker, who recalls his most rememberable telephone call each day in a diary. After a while he gets a call from a housemate he vaguely knows. Instead of refusing the call, he listens on and begins to create a relationship through the phone.
I already know I'm going to struggle, but I hope I can talk to some of you guys in the near future for 'group help' maybe? (Hahaha, I don't know!!)
Good luck to everyone!!
40,969 / 50,000
Oct 11, 2009 - 02 39
Hi - I'm Chris (feeling old at 38!)
This will be my first time at NaNoWriMo, and my first attempt at writing anything creative in ages, so just keeping the momentum up will be an achievement, what with the obstacles of a busy job and participation in a major training course during November.
What's that? Terms & Conditions specify that I must - at all times - maintain an excessively positive attitude, even in the face of certain insanity? OK - err... I'M GONNA KICK THIS THINGS A$$ AND WIN! (Is that grandiose enough?)
I live in Bath & work just outside the city. Could probably meet folks to write together in either Bath or Brizzle.
Not quite sure about the plot of my novel yet, but there will be a group of friends thrust into action when of them goes one goes missing, a mysterious priest, a time-travelling viking warrior, a computer virus, Armageddon, a trip into hell, faith, death, loss, and sex. Lots of sex. If you have any ideas how to make that lot into a story, perhaps you can drop me some hints.
----------0 / 50,000
Oct 11, 2009 - 12 04
Okay. Writing this makes it official.
I'm Amanda, 34 (glad to see there a few more in their thirties)
Live and work in Bristol. I'm also an ex-pat American but getting to the point where I've lived over here longer.
I have been aware of NaNoWriMo for a few years, but have never registered or gotten this far. Is that applause?
I am currently a disjointed 20,000-30,000 words into a young adult novel and I think I will use November to write the next in the series (I think it's agaisnt the law to write a standalone YA novel). This may change in the next few weeks. But I thhink I may be able to finish the first one if I have some idea what will happen in the second...
That's all from me for now.
31,881 / 50,000
Oct 12, 2009 - 00 24
I'm also Simon (Simon has always been a popular name amongst Nanowrimoers) and I will be celebrating my 26th birthday by being terribly behind on my Nanowrimo Novel, as I have done for the last 2 years in a row.
I'm writing this at my work (which is how much of my Nanowrimo novel will be written) where I spend my day answering calls to old ladies and dealing with their household insurance claims.
When I’m not writing, I spend most of my time being lazy, watching the Simpsons, reading, or winding up my other half. One of my old Uni mates has recently moved to Bristol however, and is forcing me to go out clubbing again. Compared to most clubbers in Flamingos I feel very old.
Normally by now I would have a good idea of my Nano Novel storyline (which would then be completely mangled during the month of November) but I haven’t even had an inkling of an idea yet. I imagine I’ll just end up writing the same old rubbish as normal.
----------'An interesting character' - Russ Dallen (Bristol and Bath ML)
'Just as weird as the rest of us' - Chris 'The Skoot' Hill
21,613 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2009 - 09 10
I feel so young! (It's great)
I'm Chloe, live in Keynsham, 14 years young. This is my first NaNoWriMo ever, (is it hard?) and I'm super excited and equally as scared. 50, 000 words I can probably handle, but fitting it around my GCSE coursework and and school life - that's what's got me worried.
Half term though, right? I know how envious you must all be. Betcha can't get all that time off work.
My novel? I'm working on the plot.
I'm planning a fantasy novel that follows a teenage girl, (Alina? Amaya?) who has been trapped for 3 years in one room (by zombies? Aliens? SNOWMEN?). She has a rather bright imagination, and her imaginary friends help her plan and carry out her escape. So basically, the whole story is based around the idea that imagination can be stronger than reality.
I'm thinking of calling it Freedom Fictitious.
Have a great NaNo.
----------0 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2009 - 10 41
Hey, I'm Chloe too! ((usually Chloë really, but minor details...)). I'm 27, and I'm actually a girl, dispite my silly username. This will be my first Nanowrimo, and I'm not really sure what I'm doing yet... maybe I've got a few ideas; at this point they all sound a bit lame even to me, but I'm hoping it'll figure itself out somehow once I start writing...
I live in Bristol, my work's boring and my free time is largely empty, but I like to fill it with books, tunes, swimming, trekking, baking, knitting, dancing and sleeping.
That's about it really. I'm just gonna see what happens:-)
30,818 / 50,000
Oct 19, 2009 - 01 25
Ugh, why do these things still double post with no delete option?!
----------"It's not easy having a good time. Even smiling makes my face ache."
30,818 / 50,000
Oct 13, 2009 - 14 16
I'm Rachel, and this is my third NaNo and the first that I shall be attempting without ludicrous amounts of coursework to do as well (I graduated from Bath university in the summer) so I'm hoping it'll be a good one.
I'm from lovely Bath but have rather adopted Bristol as a NaNo home so you'll likely see me about, work permitting - I start training to be a shift manager at Pizza Hut this weekend.
My novel has the meme-infested title of That Would Be Your Mother but the plot doesn't seem to want to settle on anything so I have no idea what it'll be about yet.
----------"It's not easy having a good time. Even smiling makes my face ache."
69,313 / 50,000
Oct 17, 2009 - 03 26
Hi Everyone! I am Dolly, 26, and live in Bristol. I have lived in couple of other countries before.
This is my first NaNo and I am really excited. It's also great to see so many local people here, as so far all my virtual writer buddies are not from Bristol.
I am not sure what kind of write-ins and things you do, but I am looking forward to finding out about it, and also hoping to join in for write-in sessions.
----------Writing Blog - www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com
Journaling Blog - www.journal-addict.blogspot.com
2,616 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2009 - 11 00
Hi, My name is Kelly I live near Midsomer Norton and work in Bath [a BSU worker] I have taken part in about 4-5 but never won, usually something comes up and I haven't enough time or energy to get to 50,000 words, very close year before last.
Other hobbies are crochet and reading, sometimes assist the OH in the garage while he
repairsplays with motorbikes or landroversThis year, I have threatened my boss, my sister and pretty much every relative and friend not to bother me at all, unless it's NaNoWriMo related, of course. Not sure how to fulfill the threat yet, suggestions are welcome.
I shall make an effort to go to some writealongs, usually the night people bother me is the night I am just about to go out the door to some writealongs.
I have had a few ideas in my head over the last couple of months. My first idea was a re-write of what I started last year and only got about 20,000 words in and really was poor. But the summary I like the most is a futuristic post apocoyptical young adult story, with a female protaganist, written in a narrative style with some diary sections. Still to be tweaked, but that's what writealongs are good for.
----------*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´ * Kelly*
37,645 / 50,000
Oct 18, 2009 - 13 17
(I'm always feintly surprised to see other Bristolians online, not sure why.)
Anyway, I'm Matt and this'll be my second NaNo. Like last year I plan to write the bulk of my novel while commuting to and from work - about 40 mins each way on the train.
My plot at the moment involves mostly shady government antics and stuff blowing up with a hint of PTSD, so we'll see how it goes. Might go for something a little less moody next year. B-)
2,690 / 50,000
Oct 19, 2009 - 23 52
Umm... Hi, I'm Greg, this is my first NaNo, and also my first real attempt at writing anything of length since my school days (which were a long time ago, and not nearly as much writing as this). I'm a bit of a geek, and that is reflected in my novel, which will be anthropomorphic science fiction, where the main character is part of a computer.
I'm not sure what else to write here. Maybe I should save all of my "word energy" for November...