Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

[sticky] Regional Word War

MysteriousAges — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:42:40 +0000

This year, I've asked a region of a similar size as us if they were interested in having a Word War. Turns out the closest to us in wordcount last year was New Zealand. As in, the whole thing. Past year they were only out by one thousand or so, compared with the next closest folks who were up ten thousand. Or one million. I forget.

I've taken the liberty of sending an inquisitive nanomail to one of their MLs, and it seems like they're interested. Now the question is: does Vancouver have game? ;)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

UPDATE 29/10: Now taking volunteers for positions in Team Vancouver. We're going to start with 20 and extend if we have enough for both sides. The exact scoring details of the war is still to be decided. To sign up as part of the team, send me a Nanomail letting me know. We are seeking a team Captain for some cheerleading and such.
UPDATE 02/11: We have 19 people on the team, but NZ still has a queue! Do the Hobbits really have that much more writing spunk than us?
UPDATE 03/11: Word war tracker available: http://www.vancowrimo.ca/wctest/ It doesn't seem to refresh all the time and isn't completely accurate, thanks to the Nano API being full of fail lately. Oh well, it's better than nothing, I guess, and saves me having to make a new one. =D

Team Vancouver

Captain: Xore

Wait list - Pending numbers confirmation. (I really should find a team-tracking tool. | :)
Wait list non-empty

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ML for Canada :: BC :: Vancouver

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

[stricky] VancoWrimo chat/word war room

MysteriousAges — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:32:05 +0000

Mark 2.

I've brought back the chatroom that we had last year, including ThereAreSomeWhoCallMeTim, our Word War bot. The server's a bit snappier, and TASWCMT is now known as Timmy, for your typing comfort and conveniance. He is able to facilitate word wars (like a really fancy egg timer) and as I get blocked on my novel, other features may begin appearing.
For anyone who doesn't know what IRC is or how to use it, I've set up a page on the site that explains how to get to the room here. Feel free to post here if you have any questions/comments/concerns about the whole deal. I know there's a couple people in Vancouver who can use IRC at least halfways decently. ( :

For those of you who do know how to use it, the server/room info is as follows:
irc.vaultofages.net
#vancowrimo
This is a private server I've set up because I'm a bit worried about getting an IP ban if Timmy unexpectedly explodes and floods the server. I've also set up the Mibbit webclient to allow up to 60 simultaneous users from both IPs, so that shouldn't be a problem this time. I can up it fairly easily.

Between now and tomorrow, I'll put up a list of Timmy commands on the Chat page on the VancoWrimo website so you can actually put him to use. ( :
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ML for Canada :: BC :: Vancouver

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

[sticky] Introductions

Jennerosity — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:52:25 +0000

Ok, so here's the official introductions thread. Stop in and tell us about yourself. Some ideas to get you started . . .

Name:
Location:
Years Done NaNoWriMo:
Years Won NaNoWriMo:
Hobbies/Interests/Work:
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I'm only happy when I'm plotting!

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

[Sticky] Second Official Write-in - YOU pick the location!

Jennerosity — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:42:06 +0000

Since my thread about having morning Surrey write-ins doesn't seem to be working out, I thought I'd throw out a new crazy plan!

I will host write-ins Wednesday evenings. But here's the catch, the location is going to "float." The first Wednesday will be at Central City Blendz in Surrey, but then it's up to you guys to pick the other locations. This will be a treat for me too, since I'll get to see different places around the lower mainland that I might not otherwise get to.

My only requirement is that it be transit accessible as I can't guarantee access to a car.
I work until 5 in Surrey, so the starting time will depend on how far you are going to make me travel.
Post a specific location. Locations that only list a city will be disregarded.
If there are more than 3 locations posted, I'll figure out a method of choosing between them. Until then, feel free to try to sell everyone on your location. Flattering your ML couldn't hurt either ;)

Floating Write-In Dates

November 4th - Central City Blenz - 13450 102 Avenue. Starting shortly after 5:00 pm. Accessible by skytrain and bus, anything that stops at Surrey Central Station
November 11th - Strawberry Hill Starbucks
November 18th - ~~The Breezeway - 152nd Street & 17th Avenue - accessible by 321, 351, & 375~~
November 25th - Tim Horton's Fraser Hwy & 188th - accessible by 502

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I'm only happy when I'm plotting!

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

[Official Event] [Auto-poll] Inagural Transit Write-in

MysteriousAges — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:39:28 +0000

What's the best way to make sure you're not distracted while banging out your words for the day? Lock yourself into a place with few distractions. And what better way to do that than to put yourself in a place with doors that open and close for you, and comes with a great view, packed full of story writing ideas and chalk full of potential characters? Probably nothing short of going into a coma in front of your computer while still able to type.

Join us on Saturday, November 21st for the first-ever Vancouver SkyTrain Write-in. We'll most likely be using the Expo and Millennium lines for their above-ground scenic views and longer travel times end to end, unless someone has a Really Good Reason™ to use the Canada Line for this. We'll be meeting at one of the terminus stations around 1 pm, likely Waterfront or King George, seeing as how VCC-Clark is in a strange spot. Make sure your laptop is fully charged and bring paper and pens if you know your unplugged laptop life is short. Ensure that you have a valid Monthly Farecard, a U-Pass or a Daypass for the duration of the trip. Those without valid passes will be shunned mercilessly, and will be ineligible to win VancoWrimo and NaNoWriMo swag. We also expect that everyone who comes is on their best behaviour since this is a public space, and we would very much like to do this again next year.

I've created a VancoWrimo site post with the public event info here. If any updates occur both locations will be changed.

Please let us know here if you are coming, and if we need to wait for you. Since there are trains leaving like crazy and we get on without you, you're on your own unless you can catch us. If you're late coming and we know to wait for you, we will.

EDIT
Let's try out these new auto-polls. Please select one of the following responses in the following format:

VOTE="(YES, NO or MAYBE)"

The bot will only catch the first VOTE tag in your post, so make sure you don't quote anyone's vote, or that one will be counted!

Question: Are you able to come to the Transit Write-in?

Results are updated every 15 minutes, please be patient for your vote to show up.
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ML for Canada :: BC :: Vancouver

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

[sticky]How To . . .

Jennerosity — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:47:29 +0000

I thought it might be handy to have a thread where people can request and offer some NaNoWriMo related 'how to' posts. As I get asked questions, I'll try to address some of them there. I'll also try to keep an index here of what 'how to's have been asked and answered.

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I'm only happy when I'm plotting!

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

[sticky] Volunteers Needed

Jennerosity — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:25:09 +0000

Things look like they are shaping up really well so far. But for as much as Myst and I have been able to do, there are a few things that we'd like to call upon our amazingly talented Vancouver Wrimos to help out with a few things as well. If you think you might be able to help out with anything, let us know by responding to this thread or sending us some private NaNo Mail.

[List updated October 26, 2009 @ 2:13 pm]

Here's what we've thought of so far. We'll update the list as volunteers are found or new ideas are added . . .

custom twitter background. Preferably one that will work well with the VanCoWriMo crest that Myst created.
- TheWeeJenny
photographers to take pictures at events and upload them to our Flickr pool. Right now it's kinda lonely looking.
- chanceholiday
- Suzaah
- ShirtNinja
- TheWeeJenny
- Asheyna
~~veteran wrimos (or just very social people) to be designated minglers at kick-off helping newbies to NaNo and Vancouver feel welcome~~ Thanks to all the minglers at kick-off. I was a bit busy but I know that a lot of people were doing a great job circulating and making people feel welcome. You helped make the event great!
- pwinkle
- highnez
~~anyone who wants to throw together a pre-NaNo mingler/planning session. I believe Langley already has one of these in the works.~~
- highnez - Blenz on Granville on Sunday, October 18th, 1-4pm
- Asheyna - October 16th - Location TBA, probably the same as the Langley write-in location
Other regions have their own song. Any musical Vancouver participants out there wanting to try their hand at song writing?
anything else you can think of! I won't promise that every idea will be capitalized on, but it will definitely be considered.

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I'm only happy when I'm plotting!

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

[Official Event] Vancouver Public Library Write-ins

MysteriousAges — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:00:14 +0000

I just realized that I haven't officially posted this thread! *facepalm*
VancoWrimo has been approved by the VPL as an official library event and so we have secured a room every Thursday evening in the Central Branch from 6:30 to 8:30. We will be following a format similar to the word count Jetpack from the No Plot? No Problem! book and the VancoWrimo PDAs: 3 30-minute periods of writing separated by 10-minute breaks. You will get the most out of the event if you come right at the start. Wrimolympics awards are also up to be won at these events.
We have the Meeting Room on level 3 (one level up if you're entering from Library Square) and the program coordinator at the library has warned me that the room is a bit short on table space. The room is usually set up as a small lecture hall, so there are plenty of seats, but not too many tables. (Another benefit of arriving early!) Also bring an extension cord, preferably with the ground pin (the 3-connector type) so everyone has a plug in.

The event is drop-in; no pre-registration is required.
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ML for Canada :: BC :: Vancouver

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

[Sticky] Welcome! Your Adventure Begins Here (Please Read This First)

Jennerosity — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:50:28 +0000

Welcome to another year of crazy noveling challenge! I hope that everyone is excited as I am! I'm going to try to write up a guide post to help those new and returning find the information that they are looking for easily.

[edit: October 2, 2009 - links working, I found my hot reference problem :D]

First, some introductions . . .

Your Municipal Liaisons:

For 2009 the Vancouver region will have 2 Municipal Liaisons. It's our job to organize events, provide support and pep talks, address your concerns, give advice and answer questions. This year, Marc (aka MysteriousAges) is returning for his second year and I (Jennifer, aka Jennerosity) will be stepping up for my first year as Municipal Liaison. Here are the ways that you can get a hold of us . . .

* using NaNoWriMo.org to send us a message
* checking out the contact form on our regions new website vancowrimo.ca
* we also have a twitter account @vancowrimo

I know many of you will be wondering what happened to Inez, who has been Vancouver's awesomely talented Municipal Liaison in year's past. She's definitely still going to be around in Vancouver helping us out with things as we learn the ropes. But, she's decided to take a break from the Municipal Liaison position for Vancouver.

Here are some important links to help you find the info you need . . .

First of all, our website: http://vancowrimo.ca It's new and pretty but still a work in progress. If you have some feedback or suggestions for the site itself, we're very happy to hear them (but no promises on how quickly we'll get to any of them). We're going to try to keep a lot of the important event information duplicated here so that if the main NaNoWriMo site goes down, we'll still have a way of keeping in touch.

The Vancouver Area Events Calendar can be found in a few places, like the region header and the Events page on the website. A note about the calendar: anything that says "OFFICIAL" in front of it is something that is being put on by Marc or Jennifer, but everyone is welcome to create write-ins or organize other fun events and we'll add them to the calendar. If you have an event that you need added to the calendar, we'll set up a thread for calendar requests.

We've started up a VanCoWriMo Flickr pool as a central place to share our photos from the various write-ins and events. You do need a Yahoo/Flickr account in order to upload photos, but anyone should be able to go and view them. We encourage you to bring along a camera and take some pictures so that we can all see how much fun we are having.

We'll definitely be continuing with our regional IRC chat room. I'm not sure if it's all set up and configured, but when it is, we'll post a link and some instructions for those who are new to IRC chat. This way, even if you can't make it out to real life write-ins, hopefully you'll be able to meet us for some virtual write-ins, word wars, etc.

For now, if you want to go and introduce yourself to the rest of us virtually, the introductions thread is over here.

Marc and I are already busy planning write-ins and the kick-off and we're hoping to arrange a few other new events for this year. Watch the forums and check out the website for news on more regional events and happenings.
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I'm only happy when I'm plotting!

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Any teens out there?

tweak3 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:30:27 +0000

I'm just wondering if we've got any other teenagers in the Vancouverish area?
I feel like I should write something else here but nothing comes to mind... so fellow teens? Speak up.
I'm 15, by the way, and this is my first year attempting NaNo.
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Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Reasons you're not writing right now...

Calvynne — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:48:47 +0000

Also known as our local procrastination station!

I've been distracted this weekend with:
-Cleaning.
-Fight training
-Test prep
-Cleaning up the wallpaper for my netbook
-Trying to sell things at game stores.
-Shopping for a pot to melt molding plastic in.

Let's here some "good" excuses for letting that writing drop off!
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Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Calling Kitsilano writers!

raptor22 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:25:05 +0000

Any writers in Kits want to do weekly write-ins at Calhouns? They have the BEST chair:table height ratio--- plus, delicious beverages and muffins.
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Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Walnut Grove Impromptu Write It

goagleon — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:32:54 +0000

I'm headed over to the Denny's in Walnut Grove to do some serious writing, if anyone wants to join me. I'm going to be spending a lot of time at that denny's, I think, so I'll just update here whenever I'm gonna be there. I hope to be there until around 9 or 10, maybe later.
I'm gonna make a little tent card type thing that says NaNo on it so people can spot me. I'll put it on the end of my table. I'll also try to get a booth with a plug nearby. I'm the girl with glasses and ponytail with a little black Mini Laptop.

Hope to maybe see someone there!
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Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Blogging anyone?

Sue___B — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:42:57 +0000

As part of a new venture, I've started a blog chronicling may adventure as a writer. You can read it at
http://suenelsonbuckley.ca/blog/

So who else is blogging and willing to share their insights with the rest of us?
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Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Wrimolympics Personal Goals

Jennerosity — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:02:41 +0000

For those participating in the Wrimolympics, you get to pick two of your very own goals and get punches/checks/initials for them. I thought it might be nice to start a thread where people can share what kind of goals they picked for themselves. Pretty much anything goes for them as long as they aren't already listed on the Event Pass. So, let's hear about them . . . what goals are you setting?
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I'm only happy when I'm plotting!

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Kick-off Redux - a whole lotta info

Jennerosity — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:44:51 +0000

Ok, so I did promise to do a post about the kick-off so that those that couldn't come, would know what's going on. And though the world seems to be conspiring against me with interruptions every time I log on, I am determined to persevere!

Summary

Write-ins & Socials
New for NaNoWriMo 2009
Word War vs. New Zealand
Wrimolympics
Goodie bags & Hipster PDA's
TGIO-Thank God It's Over

This year is already looking like it is going to be a fantastic year for NaNoWriMo and particularly in Vancouver. We had a great turnout at the Old Spaghetti Factory with about 70 people in attendance. If you want to check out some of the pictures of the event, just head on over to our Flickr photo pool.

Now, what to expect from NaNoWriMo 2009?

First of all, we have a bunch of events planned this year. Here's a brief run-down of what's going on . . .

Write-ins & Socials

Thanks to a partnership with the Vancouver Public Library we are able to host write-ins at the Central Library Branch. These happen every Thursday evening from 6:30-8:30 pm and are hosted by MysteriousAges. Check the calendar or website for the details.
Each week will also have another official write-in with a floating location. We asked for suggestions from our participants on locations where they would like a write-in held and so we'll be holding the write-in at a different spot each time. For details on where it will be, check the forum thread (linked above), the calendar (see regional header), or the map on the bottom of the events page of our website.
Many of our members are also planning their own write-ins so there is something happening almost every day of the week. It is not to late to plan your own, or check out the calendar to see what's already on the schedule. If you want to host a write-in and need it added to the calendar, just pop over to the ANNOUNCING WRITE-INS thread and let us know the details!
Of course, we wouldn't dream of stopping the tradition of our Sunday Social gathering at the Blenz by Pacific Centre! This is the place to come and chat Sundays starting at 1:00pm
Returning from last year, we also have our chat room. It's IRC, but don't let those scary mysterious letters intimidate you. It's really quite easy to use. So if you're up for some online chatter and robot run word wars, come by and check out the chat room!

New This Year
We're trying out a bunch of new stuff this year so we'd really love to hear your feedback on any/all of it to let us know how it's affecting your NaNoWriMo experience.

Transit Write-In For the first time ever in Vancouver, we are going to have a write-in that travels at speeds of up to 90km/hour! That's right, we're taking it to transit on Saturday, November 21st. Bring your laptop or pen and paper and join us for a few hours of writing on the move. The event will go for as long as batteries and bladders will last. and a link to thread for details and RSVP
Twitter Mostly because of Jenn's love of shiny things, we started a twitter account to try to reach more people, and give us a different way to interact. If you tweet, feel free to follow us at twitter/vancowrimo
Website We also decided to go ahead and put up a simple website. We thought it would be a handy place to put information about events and such, on the off chance that the NaNoWriMo servers couldn't handle the load this year. So far, it looks like they are doing remarkably well, but if they do slow down or you just need an alternate place to find event info, be sure to check it out --> www.vancowrimo.ca
Flickr pool As mentioned above, we've also started an online Flickr pool where people can upload their pictures from events. It's already starting to fill up :)

Word War vs. New Zealand
This year we've decided to have another word war and we're taking on an entire country! The war is already underway and you can see more details in the Regional Word War thread. If you aren't on the team, please feel free to give support and encouragement to our team members (or pop over to the New Zealand forums and let them know that we're not afraid of them!)

Wrimolympics
In honour of the 2010 Olympics being held just a few months away in Vancouver, we thought that it would be fun to hold some Wrimolympics for those participating in NaNoWriMo. So, if you attended the kick-off party, your name-tag also doubles as your 'event pass.' The idea is to complete as many of the Wrimolympic events as possible in order to win a Wrimolympic award! We have some awards that you may be eligible for just by attending one of the Official write-ins or Sunday socials. Some of the other challenges involve feats of writerly bravery and daring! If you want to try to participate, but didn't come to kick-off, you can always print out the list linked above and start bringing it with you to get us to check them off.

Goodie Bags & Hipster PDAs
One of the things included in our Goodie Bags that kick-off attendees received was a 'Hipster PDA.' For those unfamiliar with the term, it's basically a collection of index cards with helpful advice and worksheets printed out on them, specifically for NaNoWriMo. Jenn still has a few assembled ones that haven't been claimed left, so bug her if you want one. If you ask very nicely, we may just make the source file available for download.

TGIO Party
What? You want ANOTHER party? We can totally do that. Because of the high turnout at kick-off and the fact that the 1st of December is a Tuesday, we thought we might split it up into 2 events, one mid-week and one on the weekend following. That's pretty much all the details we have right now, but if you're keen to help us plan or have a great location in mind, feel free to send us a message!

Ok that's it. If you're reading this, thanks for sticking with me this long! If I missed something or you'd like more clarification, etc. Feel free to reply here, send a PM, start another topic, tweet, . . . you get the idea!
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I'm only happy when I'm plotting!

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Vancouver Scanpost Graph

MysteriousAges — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:01:32 +0000

Another nifty gadget from NewMexicoKid - this one tracks word count in a pretty graph for everyone who posts to the thread.

To make things interesting, when you reply, tell us one interesting fact about either your hero or villain.

Please reply to this post if you want to be included in the following graph: Graph

Interesting fact: I have no idea who my villain is but I do know why they are doing... whatever it is they're doing (which I also need to figure out... soonish.)
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ML for Canada :: BC :: Vancouver

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Any East Van Writers who might want to get out the laptops and hang at cafes?

philipstephen — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:09:43 +0000

I am in the Commercial Drive area and could use all the social support I can get for writing.

It would be awesome to hang with anyone who has mornings and mid-days free and maybe provide some encouragement as we work on our novels. Maybe laptops at Cafes?

I am working on a fantasy novel for children ages 11-13ish.

phil@philipstephen.com
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- phil
www.philipstephen.com

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

5K in a Day!

Jennerosity — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:01:01 +0000

So, one of the WrimOlympics check boxes was for writing 5K in a day. We can't monitor everyone's word count THAT closely, so it'll be up to you to put a shout out here if you manage to write 5K in a day. Then we'll try to catch you at one of the events to give you your check. This is kind of on an honour system so we're counting on you guys to be truthful here.

I know there are one or two of you who already qualify and if you've done 10K in a day already O.O please feel free to start a thread for that too!
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I'm only happy when I'm plotting!

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Langley Write-In

Asheyna — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:20:18 +0000

So it seems like there is some interest in a write-in happening around Langley. vampire_rogue and I are definitely in, sounds like TrueNorth is too.

Going to confirm with a local coffee shop this week that they wouldn't mind having us. Probably Wendel's (although if there's too many people it won't work) or Wired Monk on 48th.

I think I'm going to go ahead and say Friday nights for the month of November for those write-ins. At the moment I know of no conflicts on my end, and I'm going to try and keep it that way.

There will be prizes for most written at that write-in, and also who has the most to date. Any other ideas for prizes?
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Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

Chilliwack writers?

Nicolle Hodges — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:30:20 +0000

I live in Chilliwack, I want someone to sit in a coffee shop here with me, or in Abbotsford, and talk about things to write about, share ideas, and drink delicious Starbucks Christmas coffee!
Any takers?
I am female.
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Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

UBC Write Ins!

mistress.ophiucha — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 08:05:58 +0000

Places, dates, times? Maybe just meet ups with fellow NaNo-ers? Halloween parties?
Discuss it all here, lovelies. Oh, and do you live on or off campus? Makes it easier to plan.
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"I would my love could kill thee; I am satiated
With seeing the live, and fain would have thee dead.
I would earth had thy body as fruit to eat,
And no mouth but some serpent's found thee sweet."

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

ANNOUNCING WRITE-INS

Jennerosity — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:21:24 +0000

Ok, once you've got all the plans for your write-in worked out, please put an announcement in here so the MLs know to add it to the regional calendar.

Please include the following information, or a link to the thread where it's explained:

*location - name of establishment and an address are greatly appreciated!
*dates & times
*special features - are there limited seating options? do they serve vegetarian cuisine? do you need to bug the front desk to open the bathroom? do you already know the wifi access code?
*who to look for - you gotta give the wrimos some way of finding you, either a particular area of the establishment or some way to recognize YOU the planner

Also, if you want to have an impromptu one time write-in, this is a good place to say "Hey people, 8:30 tonight I'm going to be at bla-bla-bla coffee shop in case anyone wants to join me"
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I'm only happy when I'm plotting!

Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

anyone else on the north shore?

hvipond — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:13:13 +0000

I'd love to have a couple of north shore write-ins... anyone else interested? I'm flexible on the day/time. Lower Lonsdale area may be ideal...?
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Canada :: British Columbia :: Vancouver

New West write-ins

jesskabear — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:57:07 +0000

Hey guys. It's my first year doing NaNoWriMo and I'd love to have some moral support as I plod away. I was hoping I could arrange a couple write-ins in the New West area. There's a Starbucks on Columbia that I know of, near 6th St. It's close to transit. I know this is a little late for planning, but I'm hoping there are some New Westers out there interested.

Weekday mornings and afternoons work best for me, and I'm flexible as to the place. I'm new to the area, so Starbucks is one of the few places I know.

Jess
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Jess