Introductions

Hi. My name is Ed. I live in Mountain View with my wife and baby. This is my first year as a father and my first year participating in Nanowrimo. We'll be traveling at least one week in November, so it may be foolish of me to think I can handle that, a baby and writing a novel... but I'm going to try.

I've not decided what I'll be writing, but I will go out on a very short and sturdy limb -- more of a chair-shaped outcropping really -- and say it will be science-fiction.

hi- i'm lauren. this will be my third year tryign nanowrimo, but i've never finished. i'm still in school, so i usually end up bogged down by homework. however, i will be tryign again.
i'm not sure at all what to write about(writers block beign another reason for why i haven't finished yet) but i'll think of something eventually.

Hi everybody!
My name is Leanne, and I've been enthusiastic about Nanowrimo for about 2-3 years. I think this year, I'm less stressed than I was last year, but I'm more busier than I have been. Senior year is both amazing, fun, and busy for me. :) I hope to be going to SDSU or SSU next year.

Anyway, I plan on writing... um. I plan on writing.
Yes. No official plan as of right now, but I DO plan on writing.

C'mon, everyone. Let's make this year count!

Hello everybody!

Song here, aka Beth Davis, principal cellist of the Palo Alto Philharmonic. Right now, I'm still mostly busy getting ready for our opening concert October 24th featuring great Hungarian and Hungarian inspired works (blatant plug, check out www.paphil.org for more concert and ticket info!), and only vaguely thinking about what I'll be writing in November.

I live in Redwood City now, transplanted up from San Jose last summer following spouse around in his tech jobs. No laptop, though--I'm chained to my desk!

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." - Kurt Vonnegut
2004 - Leena's Tale
2005 - 50K or Bust! (win)
2006 - Circling the Glen (win)
2007 - What Now?
2008 - You want me to do what? (win)
http://www.newworlds-rpg.

Hi everyone!

I'm scribblegrl, aka Shuai, and this is my second year participating in nanowrimo. I am super excited and kind of terrified at the same time!

Does anyone want to have a weekly or bi-weekly write-in on or near Stanford? The Co-ho, Coupa Cafe, Clark Center, Old Union, etc all pop up in my head as nice places to write. Also in Palo alto: Red Mango, Coupa, Cafe Epi, Peets. And Menlo Park has some nice cafes and places to write too :)

22 days and 1 hr til nanowrimo!

Hi everyone!

This is my first NaNo in recent years (I participated in '03, '04 and a brief attempt in '06). I'm new to the area, having moved to Palo Alto in August to begin law school (I know, I know...). I'm planning on writing a work of Fantasy, though beyond that I don't have many details yet.

Scribblegrl- Definitely count me in for a write-in at/near Stanford! As I'm new I don't really have a location preference (of the list you suggested I've only been to Co-ho, which seems like a good option to me).

Looking forward to November!

Hi! I'm bubble. I was in Redwood city for NaNo '04, in Santa Cruz since then, and am now back! I MLed in SC for a couple years, but I think I was pretty bad at it.

Anyway, I don't know what I'll be writing, but it's sure to play into my obsessions: science fiction, fantasy, mystery, anime, French, Japanese, languages in general, feminism, Judaism, queer issues etc. etc. etc.

I'd be game for occasional write-ins at places easily reachable by way of Caltrain or Samtrans. Stanford-area stuff is I suppose feasible with the Marguerite.

Participant 04-08, Winner 04, 06, 07

Hi!

I'm calen. ...Oh, right, they call me Maia in that "real world" place that isn't the internet. This is my second NaNo; here's hoping it'll be my second win. I'm also new to the area, as I'm a frosh at Stanford. I'm writing a romantic comedy in a fantasy setting, and if I try to explain more I'll probably end up babbling on about it forever; my characters have taken over my head.

I'm definitely up for a write-in at/near Stanford, preferably at since my primary transportation is a bike. Anywhere on the list sounds good.

Can't wait till November!

NaNo '08 - Triad: A Tale of Somnium (Won!)
NaNo '09 - Lessons in Falling, Lessons in Flying

Hi. This is my second year doing NaNo. I didn't quite make it last year (okay, I wasn't even close.) But I signed up plenty early this year and have been doing lots of planning. So I'm getting geared up and will be ready to go November first. Tried my hand at fantasy last year, and am going with science fiction this year. Good luck to you all.

Only when men are connected to larger, universal goals are they really happy - and one result of their happiness is a rush of creative activity. - Joyce Carol Oates

Hi, I'm Shelby! No idea what my general plot is this year... I attempted last year's NaNo, but ended up only about 15,000 words in before homework (eesh!) got the better of me. I'm hoping to finish this year! I guess a plot should be developed by now, huh? I've go characters... that's about it :)

I'd be totally into a write-in in Palo Alto. Let me know where and when!

Hi there, everyone! I'm Samantha and I'm participating for the very 1st time this year. I have a long list of excuses for not writing regularly, so I'm hoping that having a fixed duration and goal might get me out of my rut. Haven't gotten too firm of an idea of what I'll be writing yet, but I've ben wanting to write a thriller, so this might be the time! I'm definitely open to meeting up for write-ins on the peninsula as my schedule allows, I think it'd be fun to meet others with an interest in writing. I'm married with no kids and manage a website for a videogame company, I live in San Mateo. Good luck to everyone!

Cheers,
S

Hello Fellow NaNoWriMos,

My name is Jeannie Davis of SSF. This will be my third NaNo challenge. I'm both excited and nervous about this year's challenge as D-day nears because this year has been so extremely hectic that I'm totally off my personal plan in preparation for 11/1 so that makes me very nervous. Then again, last year I almost didn't take the challenge as I was kinda in the same boat as I am now but it worked out anyway. In any event, I'm going through with it and hoping for the best.

2007 - The Accidental Columnist (won & published)
2008 - The Accidental Columnist - You're Next! (won)

Looking forward to meeting you all!

May we all encounter passion and chair glue during our Nov challenge!

Jeannie

Hi Everyone,
This is year 2 for me. I won last year, but it was a win in name only since I have not been able to make heads or tails out of what I wrote. Oh well!

This year, I have been planning for several months now, and think that I have a very good shot at producing a readable first draft this NaNo. My novel is a Science Fiction Time Travel story. I live in mid-town Palo Alto.

Leslie

www.atfore.com

I'm Bruce Jewett, live in Mt View, work in San Mateo. Been focused on poetry but looking to do something bigger, better, betcha bottom dollar sort of thing. Anything that motivates one to write is a good thing, right? I absolutely have extremely little time to do this NaNoRhino deal (job is nutz, also I'm an evangelical Buddhist) but somehow this has a perverse appeal to me. I don't know what I'm writing but I listed it as "Erotic Fantasy" (could not find "Neurotic Fantasy") just in case naughty bits get in. Thank you for sharing karma.

Hey, treesponge here. Nichole in the land that is real. I would have introduced myself earlier, but this is the one forum that won't work on my blackberry and I'm currently internet-less. I'm borrowing some internet right now.

This is my first year doing NaNo and I'm really excited. I'm doing a semi-postapocalyptic fantasy, sci-fi adventure type story. We'll see how that goes. Haha. I'm up in Millbrae...which so far seems farther north than most everyone else.

Nice to be able to pop in and say hi!

"With fronds like these, who needs anemones?" -Owl City

NaNo '09- first try! "All That Glitters Isn't Gold" 0/50000

Greetings, Wordsmiths!

I'm swanquill, aka Francesca.

I live in Millbrae (just like you, treesponge-Nichole!).

The NaNo year of my "Personal Best" was 2007. I wrote 20,000 words in the first two weeks. That was a win, in that it taught me the pace. Also, I've got some likely short stories within the verbiage. My main character was a time-traveling storyteller, who was a bit of a shuckster. The storyteller and shuckster traits were great; I had lots to write about. Ironically, the time-travel slowed me down, because with each long jump I had to create new characters and worlds, or at least age them.

This year I'll write pseudo-autobiography, exaggerating the bleep out of real-life incidents. It's a strategy designed for speed. First-person is fast, and real-life is replete with characters, settings, and remembered feelings. The challenge will be to warp the scenes of my life into "extreme sports" versions of themselves. My drive to entertain must win out over my longing for sympathetic understanding. Let David Sedaris be my guide.

~F

Hey all. This is Shane. Been doing this off and on since forever (7 years now? Something like that? Since about two years after it started, at least.) Based in San Mateo, hoping the Peet's coffee group is still planning to get together. I'll be there, at least.

In blatant disregard for internet safety procedures, my number is 650 455 4853, and I would love to hear from anyone who wants to be part of our little meetup group. Others being around definitely bumps your wordcount.

So, right...

My name is Michael. And I guess I'm doing this. Let's see, I'm just terrible at this kind of introductory prose; I always end up talking too much. Either way, I live in Mountain View, and I've been a Bay Area resident since 2001 - I have a deep love of local history that has been making cameos on my writing for some years now - and for years now I've been writing. Since I was 10 years old now, so for 18 years, I guess? Now, I don't mean to say I've been writing -good- things for 18 years, I've just been -writing- for 18 years. It's one of my passions, and its fallen by the road side lately with the brilliance of being a dad - but I'd like to mix these two things together. Everything I write here will probably be shared (aloud) with my 15 month old son. I want to inspire him to LOVE words the way I do, and I want him to inspire me to remember WHY I love words so much.

Okay. Enough of that. All in all, I think this'll be pretty neat. I'm also kind of hoping to connect & discuss writing with other people who do this like me. I've never done that before - never. I mostly just write for myself and forget about it - and the older I get, the sillier that seems, so I'd like to be more extroverted with my desire to write.

I don't really know what I'll write about. I've done straight lit, science fiction, and historical fiction. Maybe I wont do any of that; maybe I will.

-michael

Hi, I live in Palo Alto and am looking for some write-in's. It's easier for me to do something in Palo Alto as I don't have a Stanford ID to get into all the places (plus the parking hassle sometimes).

Dave

DaveNG

So as is my habit, I tap the "Post comment" before finishing my intro:

Greetings All!

I'm a silicon valley exec with delusions I could eventual write a book. I've been romanticizing writing since the 3rd grade though never had the guts to commit to it, going hi-tech instead.

This is my first year attempting. I think I've got to hide this from my wife. She thinks I am crazy to be taking this on right now. I have a pile of story lines and characters from years of writing workshops but I'm a little nervous about trying to hold to a single storyline for 30 days. Just haven't been there before.

Still picking daisy petals over which direction to go: I seem to have three recurring fictional schemes: loosely autobiographical derision of my own lifestyle and relationships, smart women with irresponsible men in various relationships and situations, all-out goofiness in the form of personified animals struggling in a semi-real world of my whimsy. Usually the deadline forces my hand.

I live in midtown Palo Alto and I'm looking for write-in locales, pals and times. I expect weekends are going to carry the majority of the load but I'd like to add a few weekend nights while the rest of the family is watching "So You Think You Can Dance," "Survivor," or the equivalent hooked-repeatedly-on-someone-else-doing-something-daring-with-their-lives broadcast. Did a sampling of how much of my non-sleeping life goes down unproductive sink-holes. It was a frightening 40%. Yiiicks!! But the implication is if I can avoid 50% of this waste, I'll be able to swing it.

Anyway, I'm up for some Palo Alto, Menlo Park or Mt. View writes. Stanford campus works if I don't need to badge in and there's a place to park without perils of the parking-meter nazis. I am willing to drive farther but that might mean more time driving and less time writing. A suggestion for PA midtown is the Palo Alto Cafe. They have space with some tables, couches and free-wifi. The coffee isn't the best but the owner is a pretty good person. If we buy some sustenance from him, he'll welcome an evening crowd I'm sure.

DaveNG

Hello!

I live in RWC and this is my 5th Nano. This year's novel is a sequel to last year (written for my two daughters) so I've got a good bit of plot/chars/setting already worked out.

I love the idea of meetups/write-ins, but between work, kids, and near crippling shyness, I'll likely not participate. Still, I'll be rooting everyone on from the sidelines!

tterrag (Garrett)

Hi All,

I'm in Foster CIty, so the San Mateo Peets is certainly achievable.

This will be my second NaNoWriMo - last year was the first (50,176 words!).

I work with technology all the time, but I'm contrarian and used a fountain pen last year. I think I'll do the same this year (I get distracted on computers all the time anyway).

I have a vague idea of what I want to write. I need to do a little more structuring if I'm going to pull it off. Here's hoping I can!

- KjM

My name is Bette. I live in Los Altos. This is my first nanowrimo attempt. I am getting organized for the start line. Thursday is a tough night to meet, but maybe I'll see you at Peets. Best of luck to you all!

Bette

Um, yo?
The name's Yuutousei, a MD native (and my words are belonging to them *cough**cough*) who's in the SF (Palo Alto, Stanford, whatever - CA's so big and I got confused T3T) area for uni~

So, treat me right, right? I dunno how other regions do it, but are there like special bonuses here in CA?

~::||Overconfidence||::~
Before you attempt to beat the odds, be sure you could survive the odds beating you.

Yuu_tan.InsaneJournal.com

Samsa here, though that's merely a pen name, checking in from San Mateo. This will be my second year of attempting NNWM. I couldn't get anywhere last year, due to some unfortunately timed personal issues, but hopefully nothing will happen this year.

I'm not sure what I'll be writing yet, though it's probably going to be some amalgamation of young adult/drama/comedy/fantasy/adventure/romance, which basically means I'll be able to talk about it at length at write-ins (should I choose to go), and yet no one will understand a word I say. >_>

Hello all. My name is Carolyn and I'm thrilled to participate in NaNo! I'm a California native and have lived in Palo Alto for the last 20 years. I hope we can organize write-ins for the PA/Menlo Park area.

Look forward to meeting you next week!

HIya, all! I'm glad to hear from those of you I remember and meet all the new folks. In the 'real world' people call me Laura, and I'm thrilled to be Linda's new co-ML this year. I won last year for the first time, and participated for a few years before that.

I live in Redwood City and would love to get together for additional write-ins in that region of the Peninsula if anyone else is interested. For those of you in the PA area, Printers Inc Cafe on California Ave. might be a good location for a meetup - it's fairly roomy, there's usually parking to be found somewhere around and there's a shuttle to/fro the Stanford campus.

Right now I'm thinking my novel for this year will be a darkly comic novel of the modern workplace. And I'm trying something new - attempting to outline my basic plot before November starts, but so far it's been heavy slogging.

I look forward to meeting those of you that can make it next Thursday.

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell

Hey, y'all, my name's Alec and this is my second year Nano'ing. I'm 17 years old, so probably the youngest on here, but at the same time I don't feel like the "young person's version" of Nano really does it for me, I'm going all-out for the 50,000 words this year. I didn't make it last year but that's all the more motivation for this year!

They say to write what you know, so I'm thinking my first winning Nano novel will be a school story - but not in the traditional sense. It's going to be a lot more dystopian, with a lot of dark humor and mysteries, etc. etc. No, it's not autobiographical, however much I wish it could be.

Anyhoo, write-ins sound fun but I might not be able to make it on Thursdays, I have piano lessons and sometimes I have work (lifeguard). At any rate I'll be on the forum a ton, so looking forward to see how everyone progresses!

I'm Digby, and this is my third year NaNo-ing. I won the first year, but had a late start in year two due to volunteering for the presidential campaign, and I never did catch up. I did, however, finish the manuscript, and started rewriting both novellas. I'll be writing a mainstream love story this year, and it's chomping at the bit to be written. I've been jotting notes on character and plot and I'm looking forward to seeing what develops! I'll be at the East West bookstore write-in on the 2nd. Oh - I'm a Los Altan too.

Hey everyone,
I'm planning on organizing a couple of write-ins for Palo Alto/Stanford area. I think the easiest way is for us to get together during the meet and greet to figure out when would be good times/locations for write ins (I was thinking Wed night somewhere in Palo Alto and Friday night at the CoHo?). If you can't make it to the meet and greet and want input on when/where we have write-ins, please post here or send me a PM.

Looking forward to november! :)