United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

2008 Goals

Sam. — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 16:06:53 -0800

Does Tucson have its own forum for the The Big, Fun, Scary Goals for the year?
Sam
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S.E.Turner

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

writing groups

midwinter — Mon, 3 Dec 2007 13:15:33 -0800

There has been some talk of looking for/forming ongoing writing groups now that nano is over. If you're a member of a group, or want to form one, please feel free to use this space to get things going.

To start things off, I'm passing on a request from wpenrose:

To those who have written a great novel in November and now are ready
to take it to the next level:

The Electic Writers is a critique group that has met weekly for over
ten years. We meet Monday nights 7-9 in an office on the west side of
Tucson. Typical attendance is five to nine people, and we share and
critique one another's work in a supportive and collegial atmosphere.
Lately, attrition due to moving, death, and just plain life have
shaved our numbers somewhat. All genres are fine, including stories,
novels, and nonfiction. We are looking for folks who are willing to
make a serious commitment to showing up regularly.

Contact Bill Penrose at wpenrose@customsensorsolutions.com or leave a
message at 520-544-7523.

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Municipal Liaison for Tucson, AZ - on call 24/7 during November
~~~~~~~~ Winner 2002 * 2003 * 2004 * 2005 * 2006 ~~~~~~~~

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Thank Goodness It's Over Party and possible post-NaNo plans...

midwinter — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:58:50 -0800

Hello everyone -
I'm still plugging away at a come-from-behind victory, so plans for the TGIO are moving a little more slowly than usual. I'm just waiting on a reservation confirmation at this point, but the party time will be 6:30-8:30pm, Saturday, December 1st.
Everyone is encouraged to bring an excerpt from your novel to share. If you're not comfortable reading it in front other others, we've always got several folks who are more than happy to help out.
Want to see what a typical TGIO looks like? Check out the flickr sets at http://tinyurl.com/36crvm and http://tinyurl.com/2uwljt

We kick back, talk about our experiences over the last month, read some excerpts, and usually end up playing games. In '05, it was Apples to Apples. '06 was a homegrown table-sized version of Scrabble. This year? We'll see! ;)

Would anyone be interested in catching a matinée showing of Enchanted on Sunday? I'm thinking El Con would be the most convenient/central theater, but my personal preference is Foothills Mall. First showing of the day on Sunday is the "cheap" one, so it'd probably be in the range of 10:30-11:30am.

What do you guys think? Interested?
El Con, Foothills, or another theater?
----------
Municipal Liaison for Tucson, AZ - on call 24/7 during November
~~~~~~~~ Winner 2002 * 2003 * 2004 * 2005 * 2006 ~~~~~~~~

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Movie event: Enchanted, Sunday, December 2nd

midwinter — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:38:28 -0800

It looks like Sunday @ El Con Mall is emerging as the clear favorite, so I did some checking. The matinée showing is at 12:15pm and tickets are $6.50 for adults, $5.75 for kids and seniors. Not the best deal in town, but the movie's been getting solid reviews, so it should be worth the price of admission. If I remember correctly, El Con only accepts cash - no credit or debit cards, so come prepared or face exorbitant ATM fees.
I recommend gathering around 11:45am in the plaza outside the ticket booth. If you've got a NaNoWriMo or writerly t-shirt, wear it - that'll make it easier to spot people. If you're in the area, or if you're comfortable with fandango.com's service fees, it might be worth picking up tickets in advance...just in case.

We've got a growing tradition of NaNo movie screenings (Serenity, Stranger than Fiction, the Buffy sing-a-long...), and it's ALWAYS a blast. Can't think of a better way to wrap up the NaNo year :)

Hope to see you all there!

PS - the matinée showings are any time before 2pm, so there's also a 1:40pm option. If you've got a strong preference either way, please speak up!
----------
Municipal Liaison for Tucson, AZ - on call 24/7 during November
~~~~~~~~ Winner 2002 * 2003 * 2004 * 2005 * 2006 ~~~~~~~~

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Little more than 6 hours to the finish line and FA-REAKING OUT!

Atlantis — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:24:19 -0800

Just making sure here - is anyone else not seeing the ability to upload word count and such on their page? Because I can't find it and as I am making the last ditch effort to reach 50K by tonight, I am starting to get worried.

Anybody else making that last dash? And how far are you behind?

I still have a good 18k to write. Yes, I am crazy. Anybody else out there as crazy as me?
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Everyone was born left-handed until they sinned. - Anonymous
You made Brett Bretterson up in the first grade. He's not real. - Cheerleader to So-and-So, Teen Girl Squad.
* * *
Winner 2006 - An Ancient Equivalency
Winner 2007 - On the Sides of

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

I hit 50k

einhart — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 23:03:00 -0800

I did it the other night but I didn't get the chance to update my word total til today. I feel pretty happy about it, but the story is really nowhere near being complete. I wont be finished with it this month, but I'm hoping to break 60k before the end. We'll see... I hope everyone else is doing well though.
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If there is no tomorrow, then today must count for a lot more than I'm making it out to.

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Through Dangers Untold and Hardships Un-numbered...

shortestrose — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:17:55 -0800

I have fought my way to the castle beyond the Goblin City, for my will is as strong as yours, my fingers as tired....

I DID IT!

But I gotta say, I'm sorry for bailing on you guys right before this whole shebang, well banged. Between dead cars and multiple hospitalizations, I ended up not being able to participate as much as I would have liked. However, I did use my bed rest to crank out nearly 80K words of dreck. I hope there's something good in there for me, though. I'll start mining it in February.

Feel free to make to post your success stories here!
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@~,'~~

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Word War update - WE DID IT!

midwinter — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:51:59 -0800

Final count:
(Words per day, Friday - Monday, then grand total)

Tucson 1247 748 1019 1181 4195**
Phoenix 1019 820 1107 1151 4097

Congratulations, Tucson - we pulled out all the stops and did it!
It was a close race, but we pulled ahead at the last moment, and finished with an average of almost 100 more words per person than Phoenix. Great job everyone, and I hope your novels got a much-needed boost this weekend.

Keep up the good work, and we'll see you all at the Thank Goodness it's Over party at the end!

For those keeping track of such things, what were your personal word counts for each day of the challenge? Here's mine:
Friday - 0 (Yes, off to a smashing start!)
Saturday - 5,001 (my highest one-day count in 6 years of doing NaNo!)
Sunday - 3,550
Monday - 3,174
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Municipal Liaison for Tucson, AZ - on call 24/7 during November
~~~~~~~~ Winner 2002 * 2003 * 2004 * 2005 * 2006 ~~~~~~~~

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Check it out: I've hit 25k!

forest_creature — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:01:21 -0800

Go me!
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-Allison Fraclose
-------------------------------------------------
http://afraclose.livejournal.com/
http://www.myspace.com/afraclose
http://afraclose.blogspot.com/

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Greetings from the Library!

pawnhandler — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:15:42 -0800

We are moved into the staff room due to unforeseen circumstances. You can ask at the desk how to get to where we are, but it's a left turn by the desk.
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2007 -- Cafe & Chalk
2006 -- unnamed (IIRC) and unfinished
2005 -- unnamed (IIRC) and unfinished
2004 -- REACHED 50K ON THE FIRST TRY!!

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

I'm officially behind...

cody_gaffney — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:24:15 -0800

WAY behind.

Like 15,000 words behind.

But I figure with Thanksgiving break coming up I'll have time to catch up?

Encourage me please!
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A story in five words:
"I love you." ... "Thank you."

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

End of Month Gathering?

Sam. — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 06:46:57 -0800

After all is finished, will there be a gathering - December 1st? Somewhere?
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S.E.Turner

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

ummm.... oops

iwanna_b_apaperbackwriter — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 12:04:18 -0800

I guess my story did post last night. I swear I looked and looked and didn't see it... so I reposted it. Sorry ignore the second post if you would.
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United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Blck Wdw Ch.2 finished please read it and respond

iwanna_b_apaperbackwriter — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 12:02:13 -0800

hey for all two of you that are reading this, I finally stopped being a slacker and wrote more. I actually wrote and posted this last night, but it didn't post and of course i forgot to save it. So I rewrote it this morning... and of course it was cooler last night, but whatever.

I realize it is too late in the game to win this contest with the amount of words I have written ( which is nowhere close to enough) but I am happy that I am still writing and I hope that some of you will read it and tell me what you think.

The beginning of this chapter was posted before but I changed it a bit and added the end of the chapter. I don't know if I like it. There is a dream sequence and I don't know how I feel about it. Perhaps I have just been programed by my last writing teacher to think that dreams are bad, but I don't know. I feel like I need the "dream" though because it's pertinent to the story, and it might not even be considered a dream... I don't know you'll see, and please tell me if it works or if you can think of a better way to do it. I think that's it for now. please enjoy. thanks.

~Amber

Ch.2
It seemed like the smell from the shop had followed him to his house. He felt more then smelled the comfort of the odd sort of musk. It reminded him of sleeping over at his grandparent’s house. He found himself hoping for fresh pancakes in the morning.
It had seemed like a long day even though the sun had started to set around five. Darkness slipped through the windows despite all the lights he had on in his tiny rural home. Tonight felt like a night for darkness and writing. He shut off all the lights save for a small lamp on his desk. The marble notebook lay open on his desk. It seemed odd, he didn’t remember opening it.
Shrink: To become reduced in amount or value; dwindle: .
3. To draw back instinctively, as from something alarming; recoil.
4. To show reluctance; hesitate

She set down the large dictionary and shook her head.
“Is that what I do to people? Is that what I am Marcy?” Linda, pet her furless, seemingly spineless dog, and perused the dictionary once more. “I don’t think that is what I do, I sure hope not. I didn’t study psychology to get a PHD in shrinking. Why do they call us that? A shrink.”
Dr. Linda Hollenback’s office was found next to the nurses, two orange doors down from the principal’s office. It consisted of a small waiting room, with a small table scattered with magazines from the eighties. There was a tall fish tank that contained one lonely fish that would fight with its reflection until it’s flat nose was bloody. There was another pass needed to go to the bathroom, and a knock at her door if you wanted in. No one ever WANTED in. Students who came to Dr. Hollenback’s office had to come in, and they usually had to come at least once a week, but the three boys came twice a week on Tuesday’s and Thursdays after school.
The three boys were, John Cushner, Nedd Woodyt, Russel Jesnson. They were a special case. They were all in tenth grade and they all took the same classes. They we best friends with each other and no one else. They just weren’t social. They were quiet and stoical. They seemed to show virtually no emotion. Linda had become very interested in these three boys. Her goal was to help they break out of there shells. Her goal was to separate them and help each individual feel.
She took out her marble notebook and jotted down a few notes. She looked at the time. It was Thursday and classes would be ending in just a few minutes. She thought she would play a new game with the boys today.
Kat set down the silver pen and watched it roll over ink saturates pages.
“We have only so much power over a young person’s mind Linda.” Kat mumbled to the silence as he took a sip of his de-caf. This story would be interesting that was for damn sure, and so was something else: Linda Hollenback was going to die.

* * * * *
Kat woke with a start, his hot coffee had gone cold and now smelt rancid. He tapped the keyboard on his laptop and brought up the time, 2:57 am. It was time for bed, but as he and his notebook made their way the old wooden steps to his bedroom, Kat could not stop thinking about the story he was writing.
He settled into the comfort of his freshly made bed, but despite how tired he was he couldn’t quiet his thoughts. He eventually dozed off, but found himself tossing and turning. He grabbed the notebook from his bedside table and began writing. Suddenly his heart rate quickened, and his scribbles became quick and incoherent. He felt as though he had no control over his hand.

“It’s rusted. It’s over. The poor children. Their minds. They voted red against me in their minds. Try to run. Scream. Silence. My notebook. Stop it. Stop the swing. Unconscious. They called me names. They called me Black Widow.”

Kat woke slowly. His eyes slowly focused the red numbers on his alarm clock. It was 3:45. He must have slept longer and better than he thought he would when he laid down. But why was he awake now? Why did he feel so unsettled? He had dreamt about writing something. It was about Linda. He turned on the lamp on his bedside table and picked up the notebook. He turned to where he had left off writing down stairs. There was nothing else written there, but he half expected there to be. The more he stared at the blank page, the worse the horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach became. What he wrote must have been rather chilling. He continued to look at the page, as if he could will the writing to appear, then he wrote down the only thing he could remember.

“They called me names. They called me Black Widow.”

Kat read back over the words then searched the silence as if Linda hid stood amongst it.

“They called you names did they? How cruel of them. But who are they Linda, and what else did they do to you?”

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United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

We have SWAG!

midwinter — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:32:09 -0800

The stickers from ML headquarters came in today's mail, so anyone attending a write-in between now and the end is welcome to pick one from the pile. First come, first dibs :)

Upcoming events:
Tonight (Friday, 23rd) - Cutter's Point coffee shop @ Orange Grove & Thornydale. It's on the northwest corner of the intersection, behind the subway restaurant. Kind of hard to spot while driving by, but easy once you're in the right shopping center.

Tomorrow - Bookman's @ Grant & Campbell from 4-9:30pm

Sunday - same bookmans, 6:30-9:30pm.

Wedneday - Woods Library (First and Prince) - 5-8pm. We're in the small of the two conference rooms. The big one is being used by Gabrielle Giffords for a big solar power initiative kick-off.

The east-side bookman's has been cutting our Wednesday day-time reservation short due to spotty attendance, so check the message boards for updates if you plan to head out there. In light of this, I'm forfeiting the Friday (Nov. 30th) cram day reservation there and am moving things to the Black Rose Caffe. Stop in any time from 10am to 10pm and there should be some writerly folk around. I'll be there most of the evening, for sure!

Good luck everyone!!
----------
Municipal Liaison for Tucson, AZ - on call 24/7 during November
~~~~~~~~ Winner 2002 * 2003 * 2004 * 2005 * 2006 ~~~~~~~~

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Black Widow Ch. 2 (there's more please read it)

iwanna_b_apaperbackwriter — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 00:13:56 -0800

I wrote more . Woo Hoo! I reposted the first Ch.1 to refresh the memories of all two readers ha, and added more… ch.2 if you will, although I feel like it should be part of ch.1 still. I don’t know…opinions over the division of chapters and the story itself would be so very much appreciated.
I realize that this late in the game. I won’t win this contest, but I like that I am still writing and I hope you are still reading.
Thanks
~Amber
Ch. 1
Fall fell suddenly over sun dusted streets. Cornelus Kat made it a point to step on each fallen leaf. He enjoyed hearing the satisfying crunch. His assistant, Todd Downey trudged along behind him.
“So what’s on the agenda today boss?” Todd pushed his think brown hair from his face and studied Kat.
“I need a new notebook.” He turned on the heel of his tattered dress shoes and headed down a street crowded with small shops.
“A new notebook? You have a whole shelf full of empty notebooks. In fact I just took the liberty of organizing them by size and color.”
“Right. About that, don’t do it again. None of those notebooks will do it for now. They just simply don’t have what I need.” Kat looked up at a sign hanging crookedly from a metal chain. “Needful Things” was scrawled across it in red.
“Well if you think you’re going to find what you need in there. You can forget it. I am not coming in.” Kat paused on a creaking step.
“Don’t be ridiculous. If you are referring to that drivel King wrote. It’s entertaining perhaps, but has nothing to do with you, this shop nor I. Come now.”
Needful Things was a cramped space cluttered with other people’s rejections. Books, Cds, and videotapes crowded tables, tempting a person to give in to certain nostalgia. Dust caused each item to glisten an odd sort of silver. It smelt of familiarity. Something like old people and soap. The shopkeeper snuffed out his cigarette and greeted his patrons.
“So did you name the store after the book?” Todd asked, keeping his hands close to his sides as he glanced about gingerly.
“Yeah, sorta. People made a big stink about it at first. They all thought I would get sued, but you can’t copyright a title as far as I know.”
“No indeed.” Kat mumbled “Too damn bad.”
“It’s great for business though. Some people like to pop in just to see if the Devil himself is lurking in the corner.” Todd looked to the dark corners of the shop. “Hasn’t shown up yet though and we’ve been here nearly three years.”
“Has it been that long? I’ve procrastinated longer then I thought.” Kat answered as he wandered over to a glass case. It displayed a shinning silver pen and a few old pocketknives. With the flick of his slender wrist he released a three-inch blade. It seemed stained with some sort of red rust. He flicked it back in and set it down next to the pen. He found Todd standing over near the children’s toys. He continued to keep his hands behind his back and refused to touch anything. A battered china doll in a pale blue dress stared back with hollow brown eyes.
“This place gives me the creeps. In fact all thrift stores do. I really don’t like the idea of owning what once belonged to someone else. Like that doll, what if it belonged to some dead little girl or something.”
“Where do you get this stuff? It saddens me that you posses such an imagination and you can’t write worth shit.” He left Todd to shudder amongst the abandoned toys.
A small wooden shelf against the back wall housed a collection of used notebooks. Kat scanned each spine in search of his new companion. Each looked broken their own way. Some were yellowed, tattered scribbled on. Todd approached quietly.
“I don’t get it. What are we looking for?’
Kat jumped slightly and turned to Todd. “What we will know, when we see.”
“Right.” Todd sighed.
“Here.” Kat removed a marble composition book from the shelf and tapped the cover confidently.
“What? That’s it? It belonged to someone obviously. You shouldn’t—”
“Shouldn’t what?”
“Does that say Linda Hollenback?”
“Yes, do you know her?”
“No, not. Really. Well that name seems familiar I don’t know. That notebook gives me chills. Why does it say black widow under her name?”
“I haven’t the foggiest. But I think it’s fantastic and mysterious, and would make a great title. Job well done. Off we go.”
“Thank God,” Todd beat Kat to the counter, and drummed his fingers impatiently on the rotting wood.
“Just this for you sir? The notebook?” The clerk looked it over slowly and smiled. “I remember when this came in. It was dropped off with a bunch of other office junk. I only decided to try and sell it and the pen.”
“It came with a pen? The one in the case over there?”
“That’s the one. Would you like to see it?” Kat placed a strand of long dark hair behind his studded ear and nodded.
“This is a three dollar pen?” he examined the tarnished silver.
“It’s a nice pen, and it comes with a notebook.”
“It’s a fifty cent notebook.”
“Ok here’s what I’ll do. The pen is half price. Let’s do two dollars for the whole lot.”
“Deal.” Kat slid the pen’s clip onto the cover of his new notebook and paid the man.
Ch.2
It seemed like the smell from the shop had followed him to his house. He felt more then smelled the comfort of the odd sort of musk. It reminded him of sleeping over at his grandparent’s house. He found himself hoping for fresh pancakes in the morning.
It had seemed like a long day even though the sun had started to set around five. Darkness slipped through the windows despite all the lights he had on in his tiny rural home. Tonight felt like a night for darkness and writing. He shut off all the lights save for a small lamp on his desk. The marble notebook lay open on his desk. It seemed odd, he didn’t remember opening it.
Shrink: To become reduced in amount or value; dwindle: .
3. To draw back instinctively, as from something alarming; recoil.
4. To show reluctance; hesitate
She set down the large dictionary and shook her head.
“Is that what I do to people? Is that what I am Marcy?” Linda, pet her furless, seemingly spineless dog, and perused the dictionary once more. “I don’t think that is what I do, I sure hope not. I didn’t study psychology to get a PHD in shrinking. Why do they call us that? A shrink.”
Dr. Linda Hollenback’s office was found next to the nurses, two orange doors down from the principal’s office. It consisted of a small waiting room, with a small table scattered with magazines from the eighties. There was a tall fish tank that contained one lonely fish that would fight with its reflection until it’s flat nose was bloody. There was another pass needed to go to the bathroom, and a knock at her door if you wanted in. No one ever WANTED in. Students who came to Dr. Hollenback’s office had to come in, and they usually had to come at least once a week, but the three boys came twice a week on Tuesday’s and Thursdays after school.
The three boys were, John Cushner, Nedd Woodyt, Russel Jesnson. They were a special case. They were all in tenth grade and they all took the same classes. They we best friends with each other and no one else. They just weren’t social. They were quiet and stoical. They seemed to show virtually no emotion. Linda had become very interested in these three boys. Her goal was to help they break out of there shells. Her goal was to separate them and help each individual feel.
She took out her marble notebook and jotted down a few notes. She looked at the time. It was Thursday and classes would be ending in just a few minutes. She thought she would play a new game with the boys today.
Kat set down the silver pen and watched it roll over ink saturates pages.
“We have only so much power over a young person’s mind Linda.” Kat mumbled to the silence as he took a sip of his de-caf. This story would be interesting that was for damn sure, and so was something else: Linda Hollenback was going to die.

Ch.2

Kat woke with a start. His hot coffee had gone cold and smelled rancid. He tapped the keyboard and awoke it laptop to see the time, 2:57 am. It was time to head to bed. But as he climbed up the wooden stairs with his notebook, he began thinking again, writing in his head.
Despite how tired he felt, Kat was having trouble falling asleep. He finally dozed off, but soon he found himself tossing and turning. He grabbed the notebook from his nightstand and began writing.
Suddenly his heart rate quickened and sweat poured down his forehead. What he scribbled was incomprehensible jibberish.

“Rusted knife. Mind games silence. Voted red against me. They were creative. I ruined it, they ruined it, me. It’s over. My notebook is rusted lost. Scream. Help me. Stop writing. Don’t. Swing. They called me names. They called me Black Widow.”

Kat woke slowly and his eyes finally focused on the red numbers on his alarm clock, 3:45. He had slept longer and better than he thought he would when he laid down with all those thoughts. But why was he awake now? And why was he experiencing such and unsettled? He rolled over, and his eyes fell on his notebook. He had written something. Or dreamt that he had. It was something about Linda. He sat up and turned on the light. He opened the notebook to where he had left off in the story. There was nothing there but what he had written down stairs earlier. He tried to remember his dream but felt nothing but a sickening feeling in his gut. Whatever her wrote was chilling. He stared at the blank page for a second willing those words to reappear. He wrote down all that he could remember:

“They called me names. They called me Black Widow.”

Kat scanned the words and looked around his room as if Linda stood amongst the silence.
“They called you names did they? How cruel of them? But who are they Linda and what else did they do to you?”

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United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Done. 50918 at last count.

allinmyhead — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 16:06:39 -0800

Can't believe it. Thank you midwinter for suggesting I give this a try.
I have one section I want to build-out a bit and then I might actually print this puppy out and label it "First Draft". It may never go beyond first draft, but this is farther than I ever thought I would go, so I'm a happy camper right now.
Without NaNo and the "goal" of hitting 50,000 in an allotted amount of time, I would have proscrastinated forever. Now I need a glass of wine and a nap.
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A little ignorance goes a long way.

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Happy Thanksgiving

Erik Fesler — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:32:13 -0800

I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving, and I hope everyone takes a moment today to stop and think about everything they have to be thankful for...

okay, now get back to writing!
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Erik
A.K.A. Monkeyman

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Starting over

Sej the Pumpkin — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:52:14 -0800

Will be a helluva task. I'm daunted.
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It must be humbly admitted, that an artist does not create out of void, but out of chaos.

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Tucson - Two Million

Hoomi — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 23:38:21 -0800

Hey, Tucson! We're right on the threshold of hitting two million words.

Wow!
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"We do not quit playing because we grow old; we grow old because we quit playing."
2006 - The Daedalus Child - Winner.
2007 - Lana's Pack - Winner.

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Northwest Side, Represent!

Atlantis — Fri, 2 Nov 2007 00:12:16 -0700

Okay, so I know I'm not the only person way the heck out in the boonies (actually, I'm on the cusp of the boonies, but who's keeping track?) so even though the Grant/Campbell location is semi-decent, I've been looking for something a little closer to home.

There is a coffee shop on Orange Grove/Thornydale called Cutter's Point and it is a fabulous little place and the gals that run it are very much into helping groups in the area. If I can get something set up, would anyone other than myself be interested in attending? I can do evening write-ins every day of the week except for Tuesdays and they are open until 9pm Monday thru Friday.

Can't remember their hours on the weekend. I'll find out and add it to this post later.

I work just down the street at Sportsman's Warehouse so I can even dash down on lunch breaks if need be but 10-15 minutes away from home is much better than closer to half an hour with all the alternate streets and such we have to take while the interstate is constipated...

Anybody game?
----------
Everyone was born left-handed until they sinned. - Anonymous
You made Brett Bretterson up in the first grade. He's not real. - Cheerleader to So-and-So, Teen Girl Squad.
* * *
Winner 2006 - An Ancient Equivalency
Winner 2007 - On the Sides of

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Ocotillo Poetry slam, and a humble request

Faldwin — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 03:30:55 -0700

I mentioned at the Kick-off party that there is a poetry slam, this November, that is in desperate need of attendees. If you don't know what slam poetry is (other than the type of poetry read at a poetry slam), then Google it, because it is too hard to explain here, though if anyone else wants to take a stab at it, feel free. Anywho, as promised, here is the info.

What: Ocotillo poetry slam
Where: Bentley's House of Coffee and Tea. I don't know the address, but it is on Speedway, just west of Campbell, next to a bar called Dirtbag's(this is no reflection on Bentley's I assure you). There is limited parking there, or you could use the Parking lot on the southeast corner of Speedway and Cherry(about a block west of Bentley's)
When: November 17th. There is a feature poet that will go from about 7:00 to about 8:00 at which point the slam will commence until it is finished. Its length is greatly dependent upon how many poets we have, but it usually ends sometime between 9:30 and 10:30.
Who: I don't know the name of the feature poet, but the other's who compete(including me) tend to be freakishly awesome. At least in my not so humble opinion.
How(much): There is a five dollar suggested donation. This is not enforced at all (see our nearly empty basket from the last slam), but I would encourage you to give five dollars if you can. The features are paid an honorarium, and the winner gets 50 dollars, so this money has to come from somewhere.
Why: I suppose a better question would be why not. Well there is a real reason why not. If you are young or have sensitive ears then this is not the event for you. There is almost always(strike that, always) adult language, and often adult themes. So don't bring your young ones. This is technically an all ages show, but it is all ages with parental discretion.

Okay, then so that is the information, now for the humble request. I have an old computer that I plan on doing most of novel on, but there is one problem. I say 'most' because I seem to have misplaced the mouse and keyboard that once went with it. If anyone has one or both of those that I could borrow (or if you feel extremely generous, keep) I would be eternally grateful, and may even repay you with a flattering cameo in my upcoming literary masterpiece. I will be at the UA library write-in on Friday, and probably some other ones too, but that is really the only one I'm sure about.
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A quote from my novel:
The bartender seemed like a nice guy, but Bosu didn't really feel like discussing the inner workings of his psyche with him over a bowl of porridge.

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

University of Arizona Write-ins

MFrog — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 22:57:31 -0700

I noticed in the introductory thread that a few people mentioned on-campus write-ins for those of us who are campus-bound. The English and Creative Writing club's meetings at Bentley's and Thickening Plots were mentioned, but I couldn't find a listing for the club on the UA website, so if anyone has more concrete information on that, do share! :) The library seems like a good place to meet as well! So if anyone has a particularly good time to meet, this would be a good place to share schedules and pick a time (or ten)!

Good times for me are

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: afternoons and evenings
Saturday, Sunday: evenings

My AIM is UnthoughtSilence and mfgaede@email.arizona.edu is my school address and would love to hear from you guys!

Only 17 more days to go!

Cheers,
Franny
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United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Midway Point! On track? Or Derailed?

Hoomi — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 08:52:45 -0800

Okay, so we're now two weeks into November and this year's NaNoWriMo. We're officially half-way through the month, and we already have several winners in our midst.

For those still plugging away on their stories, how are you feeling right now about the book? Feeling confident on finishing? Or hearing nagging doubts?

I'm still on pace to finish a week from today, and I figure between 15K and 20K additional words. For probably the first time in the two NaNo's I've done, I concluded a sentence and finished for the evening exactly on a "milestone" word count. I'm still ahead of my target pace, though a busy day yesterday diminished my "lead" on that to only 800 words.

The story is progressing and developing, and I'm finding different ideas for the final chapters from what I had originally outlined. This may end up adding additional chapters to the story, but that's fine; part of the fun for me is seeing what the characters end up doing that's different from what I had planned.

I could conceivably pass the 50K mark this weekend, though a trip to Phoenix for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert on Saturday will cut available writing time significantly. I personally won't consider myself to have "won" until the final words of the Epilogue are written. At this point, though, it's hard to not write because everything is starting to close in on the conclusion.

So, how's it going for you?
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"We do not quit playing because we grow old; we grow old because we quit playing."
2006 - The Daedalus Child - Winner.
2007 - Lana's Pack - Winner.

United States :: Arizona :: Tucson

Wednesday the 14th?

Janon — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 08:27:02 -0800

Do I read correctly that there is NO central/"official" write in this coming Wednesday?

If I do read correctly, I'd like to meet up somewhere that evening to write (central, I see the northwest has one going!) Wanna plan something?
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http://www.ameliajune.net
2005--Triple X (winner)::2006--Waking Kiara (winner)::2007--Maya's Web