Hi, I'm new to a writing group. Here's the TMI:
'm 59, have been at various time an English teacher, a single mother, an attorney, mother to 2 grown children & 3 step-children -- all married, 4 with children of their own, grandmother to 6, a New England Yankee born-and-bred, a 30+ year Richmonder, a fan resident, a West End resident, wife of a sweet second-time-around hubby for almost 20 years, civil with my ex cuz he's the father of my kids. I love to write, cook, art openings, Richmond ballet studio series, have a pile of books at my bedside, ski, meet new people, think and talk philosophically about life with young adults who are still open to such discussions as if they were essential like air.
The greatest challenge of my life was breaking free from a nicotine addiction that was alienating me from my family, isolating me on my porch all hours of the day and all types of weather. After having my tonsils removed 15 years ago, holding the back of my gown with one hand and an IV-on-wheels in the other, I went down the elevator at Henrico Doctor's Hospital to the outside curb where I searched for the best butt in an ashtray and felt total euphoria as I inhaled the dirty burning smoke. Not a pretty sight for a corporate attorney West End mom of five who usually spent her days in tailored suits. In fact, until 4 years ago, if I was breathing, I was smoking.
I'm 1500 words into my first novel about a 60-something internet-newbie chain-smoking West End Richmond Nana who finds friendship and freedom from her life-limiting 4 packs-a-day addiction with the help of a online world-wide motley crew of characters. One quit buddy turns out to be a total-body-tattooed bipolar single mother in rural Pennsylvania who is a voracious reader/learner and wants out of an abusive relationship. Another is a kindly but frustrated unappreciated stay-at-home mother in Oregon. Another is a racist night-shift uneducated security guard in Texas who trades an obsession with cigarettes for a passion for photographing wildlife near his childhood home. Is this chick lit or mainstream fiction, I'm not sure, but it is somewhat autobiographical and I'm working my way into it. My goal is 50,000 words even if it is total garbage.
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Zoos
41,083 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 23 42
I LOVE your intro I have to say first. It definately sounds like you have lived. That's how i like to put it because I've hit some rock bottoms because of risky choices, but hey! at least I've lived.
My name is Kristen. I'm 19, a single mother(with a new boyfriend who is so mature for his age, and so wonderful to everyone in his life including me and my daughter, i am a student at John Tyler working towards an English teaching degree, but I ultimately want to become a writer(despite the numerous grammar mistakes in my online writing, I assure you I am a perfectionist with my real writing), I am a theatre freak at heart, and I live to be creative.
The hardest times of my life have been more along the lines of having the people I care most about disappear in some way or another. First was my father who has been taken from me many times into jails and prisons by his own addictions, then it was my stepdad in my mother's divorce from him, then my older brother with his addictions as well although i am glad to say that he is clean and back to being my older brother again rather than the empty shell he was for two years, then the worst of them all was unfortunately the stereotypical breakup scenereo. I fell in love head over heels, gave it my all, let my walls down, and got completely crushed and destroyed over a period of 15 months of emotional abuse, then when i finally let go and left him, I discovered I was pregnant. From then on, he spread nasty rumors about me and refused to admit that the child was his, despite me assuring there was no one elses she could be, until the paternity test he ordered came back completely positive. Now, he still refuses to be a part of our daughters life, but with help from his mother, we're trying to get him to grow up.
I am 10,000 words into my thrid novel, even though I haven't finished the other two quite yet. The first is part of my series that is my life's goal, while the second is my attempt for NanoWrimo last year that I have occasionally been continuing for the past year, it is the closest to finishing, although I'm pretty confident that i will finish this year no matter how crappy this story ends up being. I'd like to say that I finished for once, and perhaps the proof that I can do this will speed up my other projects. :P My story this year is a different kind of vampire stiry geared towards a young adult audience because that is where this type of story would fit best i think.
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Nov 9, 2009 - 12 06
'm 59, have been at various time an English teacher, a single mother, an attorney, mother to 2 grown children & 3 step-children -- all married, 4 with children of their own, grandmother to 6, a New England Yankee born-and-bred, a 30+ year Richmonder, a fan resident, a West End resident, wife of a sweet second-time-around hubby for almost 20 years, civil with my ex cuz he's the father of my kids. I love to write, cook, art openings, Richmond ballet studio series, have a pile of books at my bedside, ski, meet new people, think and talk philosophically about life with young adults who are still open to such discussions as if they were essential like air.
The greatest challenge of my life was breaking free from a nicotine addiction that was alienating me from my family, isolating me on my porch all hours of the day and all types of weather. After having my tonsils removed 15 years ago, holding the back of my gown with one hand and an IV-on-wheels in the other, I went down the elevator at Henrico Doctor's Hospital to the outside curb where I searched for the best butt in an ashtray and felt total euphoria as I inhaled the dirty burning smoke. Not a pretty sight for a corporate attorney West End mom of five who usually spent her days in tailored suits. In fact, until 4 years ago, if I was breathing, I was smoking.
I'm 1500 words into my first novel about a 60-something internet-newbie chain-smoking West End Richmond Nana who finds friendship and freedom from her life-limiting 4 packs-a-day addiction with the help of a online world-wide motley crew of characters. One quit buddy turns out to be a total-body-tattooed bipolar single mother in rural Pennsylvania who is a voracious reader/learner and wants out of an abusive relationship. Another is a kindly but frustrated unappreciated stay-at-home mother in Oregon. Another is a racist night-shift uneducated security guard in Texas who trades an obsession with cigarettes for a passion for photographing wildlife near his childhood home. Is this chick lit or mainstream fiction, I'm not sure, but it is somewhat autobiographical and I'm working my way into it. My goal is 50,000 words even if it is total garbage.
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Zoos
Hi. That was a fascinating bio, though what do you mean by the following: “New England Yankee born-and-bred and fan resident, a West End resident”?
Here’s my bio.
My Arthur name is Feibush Melech (My old arthur name was Kashikio Fuubi) I’m 20 years old, born in the City of Petersburg, but grew up and was raised in Chesterfield County, and currently working to become a professional comic artist by means of Art training and writing stories so I can make graphic novels for people and see the look on their faces/ read the responses I get from people when they look at me books. I founded a studio named “Natural Studio” on this Art website called “DevaintArt,” but right now not much going on their.
Uuuuh, I don’t really want to mention about my personal problems right now, so I will skip to what I am doing this month for NaNoWriMo.
I was originally going to write an original story, but due to certain circumstances it didn’t work out, so when I learn it was okay to do fan fiction, I decided to write a retelling of two games known as both “Pokémon Red and Blue Version.” It was going well at first but then I had a few problems that led me to get stuck during the writing process and then I have to cal it off for now. I decided to try writing an original story again, but it still didn’t go well. Thankfully I finally settled on a story that I can work with. Its fan fiction and a retelling of another three other Pokemon games called “Pokémon Gold, Silver and Chrystal Version.” I only manage to write parts of chapter 1 so far, but its looks like the story I am writing is going to turn out to be a great fan fic maybe better. ^_^ It’s on paper now, but it would types soon. I have to get the entire first chapter written and typed by the 18th other wise if I don’t by that time in would be to late for me to reach 50,000 words.
That’s my bio. I will have a more detail one soon on My NaNoWriMo. Have fun with your story.
2,734 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 12 27
My name is Kristen. I'm 19, a single mother(with a new boyfriend who is so mature for his age, and so wonderful to everyone in his life including me and my daughter, i am a student at John Tyler working towards an English teaching degree, but I ultimately want to become a writer(despite the numerous grammar mistakes in my online writing, I assure you I am a perfectionist with my real writing), I am a theatre freak at heart, and I live to be creative.
The hardest times of my life have been more along the lines of having the people I care most about disappear in some way or another. First was my father who has been taken from me many times into jails and prisons by his own addictions, then it was my stepdad in my mother's divorce from him, then my older brother with his addictions as well although i am glad to say that he is clean and back to being my older brother again rather than the empty shell he was for two years, then the worst of them all was unfortunately the stereotypical breakup scenereo. I fell in love head over heels, gave it my all, let my walls down, and got completely crushed and destroyed over a period of 15 months of emotional abuse, then when i finally let go and left him, I discovered I was pregnant. From then on, he spread nasty rumors about me and refused to admit that the child was his, despite me assuring there was no one elses she could be, until the paternity test he ordered came back completely positive. Now, he still refuses to be a part of our daughters life, but with help from his mother, we're trying to get him to grow up.
I am 10,000 words into my thrid novel, even though I haven't finished the other two quite yet. The first is part of my series that is my life's goal, while the second is my attempt for NanoWrimo last year that I have occasionally been continuing for the past year, it is the closest to finishing, although I'm pretty confident that i will finish this year no matter how crappy this story ends up being. I'd like to say that I finished for once, and perhaps the proof that I can do this will speed up my other projects. :P My story this year is a different kind of vampire stiry geared towards a young adult audience because that is where this type of story would fit best i think.
Wow. You have been through a lot as well. Well at least it seem your life is better then it was before.
Have fun writing your novels.
41,476 / 50,000
Nov 10, 2009 - 09 39
Hope to see you guys at some of the write ins! Tomorrow I'll be at Colony Coffee pretty much all day, and next week I plan on doing a little more traveling to write ins, since I really don't mind the travel time- just more time to plot where the heck my novel is going!
My name is Kate, and I'm 32. This is my first official NaNoWriMo, because I chickened out last year. I'm newish to the Richmond area, the Hubs and I have lived here just a little over a year. I grew up originally in Fairfax, VA but moved when I was 13. The 10 years prior to my move out here I was living in Oklahoma. Glad to be back on the east coast and near my wonderful family (my brother and niece are also doing NaNo this year).
I work part time as a home health care companion and most recently I started a book blog on blogspot (MidnightBookGirl), but I've decided that it's okay that I don't have time to blog or read as much as normal since I am actually progressing quite nicely with my novel. Not that it's good, but it's coming along nevertheless. I've written short stories and poetry, but have never, ever, ever finished any novel I started. This month so far has taught me that I am capable of focusing my energy into a long term story, also proving my excuses before stem from my exteme laziness. Aren't we all our own worse enemies?
Anyways, my book is geared towards young adults, because it was authors like Christopher Pike and Lois Duncan that really made all the grammar lessons in school bearable. I'm just focusing on completing the novel, just to prove that I can do it.
I met some of you at the Kick Off party, although I didn't mingle as much as I should have! I am so impressed with how many people in our area are involved with NaNoWriMo.
~Kate
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Nov 11, 2009 - 07 09
Okay, Nice. I won't be in the writ ins though.
41,083 / 50,000
Nov 12, 2009 - 10 00
yea i cant find any write ins near me i live near hopewell. I may go to a petersburg one but it isnt an official write in. :P So how is everyone's story going?
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