Plot workshop and/or kickoff party

I'm game!
It would be great to meet other NaNo participants.

"Why shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense."
-Mark Twain

I'd be up for it. I'm actually going to participate this year, so I'd surely be good for me. :) What plans are being looked at?

Well in the past we have held the workshop on a Saturday afternoon a week or two before NaNo starts. So that leaves us with this saturday the 10th (probably too soon), the 17th, the 24th or the 31st. One year we held it in a room at the library (I think this option worked out particularly well) and another time at a local restaurant. I didn't know if our new ML had planned for one of these so I wanted to bring it up because it was always one of my favorite events of the NaNo season.

So to get the ball rolling, who all is interested and what Saturday looks good for everyone?

I'm all for the 17th or the 24th for the workshop - either one is perfect. Let's get a general consensus concerning which date and what time - I'll contact the library.

Bear with me, folks. This is my first year as an ML and I'm learning as I go.

Monda

ML :: Conway, Arkansas
2008 Winner
http://freshribbon.blogspot.com

I can do the 17th or the 24, depending of course on what time of day it is. I think the 17 is Fall Break at UCA, though, so actually, the 24 might be better.

No worries, Monda, I'll help you out all you need. Apparently I'm officially your co-ML! Which I can handle, so long as I have time for Russellville, too.

What would you guys like to see at the workshop? I don't recall what's been done in years past, but I'm more than happy to provide plot buckets, character questionnaires, anything like that. Freddy Mercury Knows I have plenty. I have also been reading Good Omens too much lately. What would you all like to do?

--Sarah
ML for Russellville, AR

Winner 2007: There's No Easy Way to Eat Pie Filling
Winner 2008: Fatal Hilarity (part 1, apparently?)
This year: Dancing with Devils (title subject to change. A lot.)

Sorry freshribbon, I got so excited the minute the boards went back up and I didn't want this event to get forgotten. I am sure you are going to do a great job despite having to deal with pushy, overexcited Wrimos like myself. =)

Don't you dare worry. I just received my ML powers yesterday and I'm still trying to find the right earrings to go with them.

Let's get to the important stuff - which coffee shop is everyone's favorite? I'm a Something Brewing woman, but rumor has it they've opened up another at Pickles Gap and I'm curious. May have to do a little coffee shop recon this weekend.

Monda

ML :: Conway, Arkansas
2008 Winner
http://freshribbon.blogspot.com

I don't drink coffee but the food at Something Brewing is great. Hot chocolate is good too.

I think the 24th sounds like a good date. I'm a rookie "Wrimo" (as we seem to be called), and I'm fairly excited about this upcoming November. I'm game for anything.

I'm partial to "Something's Brewing" too, but I've only been in Conway for 3 months so I'm not the best person to ask about those sort of things. However, to me coffee is coffee as long as it's black and caffeinated.

-Nathan

Hi all!

I'm not a coffeeshop person and have no idea where Something's Brewing is. 24th is good for me, I might be able to do something the 17th but that's a little more difficult to arrange for me.

I'm in for anything at the library.

Voirey Linger ~ http://www.voireylinger.com | Romance Divas ~ http://www.romancedivas.com

I'm a Something Brewing fan too. Besides the good food/drinks, they seem to be most open to mass amounts of crazy writer-types taking up space (I say this because my friends and I, all crazy writer-types, take up all of their space with some frequency).
The library would work, but then we'd be crazy non-caffeinated writers, which is kind of paradoxical.

I'm good for anytime, anywhere, though. This is my first year doing NaNo and I'm ridiculously excited.

If I were to moo aggressively at you--
How would you feel?

I have no clue as to where Something Brewing can be found, but I go to UCA Monday-Friday, so that will be easy enough. I am available the 24th, but the other days are quite busy.

2009 - The Great Conflagration

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." - John Lennon
O o
/¯/___________________________
| BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH
\_\¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Okay, guys, your MLs are probably going to be meeting up soon to discuss logistics of the plot workshop and what's going on at it, so here's what I need from you guys.

Tell me all about your favourite past plot workshops! What worked? What didn't? What do you want to see at workshops and write-ins this year? I've only been to a few Conway meetings, since I'm usually working with the Russellville group, so I can't recall off the top of my head what's gone on at the plot workshops. I know what I'd like to do at one, but I really don't want to disappoint if you guys are expecting something totally different. So tell us what you want to see!

Thanks a ton, guys! We'll get with you soon and let you know what the date and place will be, assuming we can straighten out our schedules. ^^; Wish us luck!

--Sarah
ML for Russellville, AR

Winner 2007: There's No Easy Way to Eat Pie Filling
Winner 2008: Fatal Hilarity (part 1, apparently?)
This year: Dancing with Devils (title subject to change. A lot.)

This is my first year, so as long as it is entertaining and constructive, I don't care.

2009 - The Great Conflagration

"Reality leaves a lot to the imagination." - John Lennon
O o
/¯/___________________________
| BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH
\_\¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

I think anything you can come up with would be great, but I can tell you some of what we have done in the past. We have talked in past workshops about different ways to develop a plot with handouts on character sheets and some popular plotting methods (I think one was called the hero's journey?). Those who have wanted to have shared about their ideas. (Which is always interesting I think) My favorite handout was one that involved milestones you could check off as you reached them in November. If I can find it I will bring it. I think it was put together by ML from another region.

It might be interesting to discuss ways of outlining a storyline. I have found the snowflake method useful this year and maybe some of the others who are new might as well.