United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

T.G.I.O. Party Set

quillandink — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:13:16 -0800

First off -- a H-U-G-E congratulations to every single one of you who took on this year's challenge no matter what your final word count is by midnight on the 30th -- You did your best and I'm very proud of you. To all those who made it to 50,000 words - a hearty congrats and kudos to you for being recognized by the NaNo word gods as a 'WINNER!"

Whether or not you hit that magic number, you are all invited to our Thank Goodness It's Over party and you can bring a buddy if you like. We're meeting next Sunday, December 7th from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. at the China Buffet on Rt. 69 behind Costco and PetSmart.

PLEASE POST IF YOU CAN ATTEND OR NOT so that I can get an idea of how many tables to save. RSVP by Wednesdy, December 2nd. Thanks so much.

Yours in writing,

Jeannie
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Jeannie Leighton
NaNoWriMo Co-Municipal Liaison, Prescott AZ
2006 "Two Degrees" 38,000 out of 50K
2007 "The Pirate from Peru" 13,000 out of 50K
2008 "The Pirate from Peru - The Completed Story"
"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do.

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Week Four is Here! Attack!

Dreamers Cove — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:15:44 -0800

Here we are, the last week of the month. Yeow! How did that happen? We've survived the Week Two blues, and the characters that tend to come alive and pirate the story for their own purposes in Week Three. Now we come to Week Four, the heady downward slide to the end of the madcap ride that is NaNoWriMo.

This email contains a little advice for everyone, from those who are cruising along just fine (hey, no spitballs, now) to those who are struggling to catch up.

Did you know that a large percentage of people is behind by the beginning of Week Four? At the moment, even our own NaNo head organizer, Chris Baty, is sitting several thousand words behind on his word count. Remember, you are not alone!

There are many things you can do to help yourself over the finish line. Here are just a few to help you out:

Emergency Writing First-Aid:

1. Write in snatches! 100 words here, 100 there. They really add up! If you find yourself with 5 minutes (or even less), put down a few words. By the end of the day, you'll find yourself with a higher word count than you could have thought possible.

2. Reach out for help from your fellow Regional writers. Get them to help, cajole, nag, pester, and aid you to reach daily word count goals. If you need someone in real-time to help, come on over to the Prescott Wordmongers chat each night for the rest of the 2008 Nano and we'll see if we can't help you along. The Chat is open 24/7, but Jeanie or I (or both!) will be there every night this last week from at least 5:30 to 9 PM.

3. Stuck on a scene that just won't let you get by it? Write "And then Character A arrives at Location B" and then move onto the next scene. Don't let a scene stop your pace. Who knows, the next scene might tell you what the previous scene needed!

4. Oh no, a plot hole! And another one! Sorry, but as writers, we all know these things multiply about as fast as plot bunnies (I wonder if they're related in some way?). Don't let this falter you. Make a few notes to remind yourself about it later, and then keep moving on. And yes, you can count these words, too. After all, aren't they apart of your story? Save the revision, rewriting and plot hole filling until December 1st!

5. To fight distraction, think about holing yourself up in a room for a half hour or so. And sit in that chair, you! It's amazing that when your Muse knows you won't entertain it with anything else except the vanilla colored wall behind the computer/paper pad and the words in front of you, it will surprise you with all kinds of ideas, locations, characters, and dialog.

6. If you can't get a little time on your own, such as having to be out in the family room to make sure the kids don't tear up the house, consider a set of headphones with a little music. You can keep an eye on things out of the corner of your eye, but you can create a virtual wall of noise to separate yourself. Then, write like the wind! Many of us have created 'novel soundtracks' and speaking from experience, it works quite nicely!

7. Write or Die. Hey, stop throwing paper wads at me! I didn't threaten you, honest! See, this is the name of a web site that is new this year to help writers with a gentle push to get a little writing done. Challenge yourself to write for a certain time period, or to reach a word count goal (or both). As long as you keep typing, you're fine, but once you stop typing, you have a few seconds grace period and then there are consequences... Write or Die

8. Need a last day boost? Our final Nano Write-In will be this coming Sunday from 2-4 PM at the Yellow Leaf Coffee Co. Come on over and we'll see if we can't help you squeeze out a few more words! If anyone needs help with instructions for uploading their finished work to the Nano site to be counted, I'll see if I can't help you along (also see directions below).

Most of all, YOU CAN DO THIS!

Keep telling yourself that. You are your own cheerleader, so make sure you tell it to yourself loudly. Say it to yourself as you are in front of the mirror brushing your hair or brushing your teeth. And if you need a little extra reinforcement, well, that's what your fellow writers are for! If you need a little support or an extra push, just ask for it on the Forum or the live Chat.

Now, a little advice for all of us...

Every year we hear horror stories of computer crashes or of a hard disk eating itself, destroyed a writers precious work before they can validate. Don't let this happen to you! Take a few extra minutes today to email your work to a family member or trusted friend, or to your own internet email account (gmail, yahoo, hotmail and so on). Save it to a USB or Flash disc. Burn it to a back up CD. Whatever is your preferred back-up solution, take the time to do it!

Double check your time zone! What time zone is set in your preferences? Is it for Arizona time? Why does this even matter? Well, it could make the difference in you being able to put in your last minute word count come November 30th. Check this thread on details on how to set it correctly and a more detailed explanation: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3070558

What is your home Region setting? After November 30th, if you haven't set this up to say Prescott, your words won't count for the group until next year. If you need any help in setting it up, see this thread: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3014537

Okay, are we ready to validate come November 25th? Maybe? Possibly? When you are, here are a few tips.

First, make a copy of your work. We'll be working with only a copy! Next, we need to save this puppy as a text or .rtf file. Don't know how to do that? Usually, you choose "Save As" in whatever word processing program you are using. In a little drop down box near the bottom of the window should be various file formats that you can save it as. If you need help with a specific program, ask in the forum, and we can see about giving you some advice.

Option: while the NaNoWriMo word counting robot counts and then deletes the file, some of us like to make things a little more secure. How can you do that? By using the Search/Find and Replace option in your Word Processor. Turn every letter to the letter "a". How does that help? Don't you end up with a document of only the letter "a"? Exactly! See, the robot counts the groupings of letters separated by spaces. It doesn't care what the words say. So, if the spaces are still there, it will count the number of words just fine. Here is another explanation for this: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/402946

Validation Uploading: Here are the official instructions: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1044627. Basically, starting on November 25th, the little word count robot becomes active on the "Novel Info" page within your preferences. You then copy and paste your novel into the validation box. Upon clicking the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page, the robot will then count up your words. If you have hit the 50,000 word level, or above, you will get a lovely page with new goodies!

Some of the goodies include a beautiful certificate to print out and display that you are a winner! There will also be little web badges (and perhaps a few other goodies) that you can use around the 'net. One super exciting winners prize is an opportunity to have a copy of your novel, printed and bound, thanks to CreateSpace. CreateSpace provides free self-publishing tools, which enable authors, like you, to self-publish and sell your book on Amazon.com and other channels - no setup fees and no inventory needed. As a 2008 winner of NaNoWriMo, you'll be eligible to receive a free proof copy of your trade paperback book. Details will be posted on the "I Wrote a Novel, Now What?" page beginning December 1. From what I understand, we'll have 6 months from the end of NaNoWriMo 2008 to take advantage of the offer.

Now, isn't that spiffy?!?!

We invite everyone, no matter their word counts, to the Prescott Region TGIO Party! (TGIO=Thank (G)oodness It's Over). We'll be having it on Sunday, December 7th from 2-4 at the China Buffet just behind Costco. If anyone needs detailed instructions on how to get there, just ask! Bring your 2008 NaNo war stories with you to commiserate with your fellow wordsmiths. We'll have plenty of Chinese tea to drown our sorrows in!

And speaking of life after Nano, did you know that the Prescott Region Nano writers now have their own home page? Come on over and sign up at Prescott Wordmongers. We'll be scheduling meet-ups and Chats throughout the year, to help us all in our continuing writing and revising projects. Plus, we have our own forum to keep in touch with each other. It's free, and we would love to see you there!

Jeannie and I are already making plans to edit our books enough that we don't blush in embarrassment at some of the prose, so as to take advantage of the CreateSpace free book. 6 months to edit! Anyone else up for the challenge starting December 1st?

Onward fellow writers!

Julieann, your helpful Co-ML
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Over the Hump

coyoteradio — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:44:04 -0800

Well, I'm proud to say for the first time ever, I crossed the halfway point in a NaNoWriMo as of tonight.

Hell, its all down hill from here!

Go Prescott!
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United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Week Three and Over The Hump

quillandink — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:35:30 -0800

Can you believe we have written ourselves into the second half of the month?

It is now Week Three - are you where you want to be in your word count? No matter because wherever you are, you are further along than you were November first. Even if you think you will never make the magic 50K number by the thirtieth, set yourself a smaller word count goal and go for it. You are in control of your writing. Do not quit just because of a number. Your story is worth it and I support you in every single effort.

In 2006, I managed only 35K words. In 2007, only 12K. This year, I am focusing very hard on the magical 50K. So far, I am keeping up with my daily word count although I confess I pushed into a five hour writing mini marathon Saturday night to reach the 25K mark I set for myself (this after working all day).

It has taken me three years to gain strength and confidence that I can write crappy words and know that I can revise them later, after the 30th. The point is to get the words out of my head and onto the paper - repetition, stuttering, and lots of "strike that" notes within my text. This is how I am getting through these 30 days.

How about you? Are you forging ahead, no holds barred, no words deleted? Are you damning the writer block syndrome and slamming the door on your inner editor's screams of pompous agony? Or are you feeling a little less than comfortable with the blank pages still waiting your story? Is the thought of falling behind in your word count stopping you from continuing?

Reconsider. Sit down, dig out your pencil and paper or fire up your computer and start writing. Doesn't matter if it's out of context. It's words - they will flow and they will find their way into your story eventually. Give them plenty of lead rope. Let them get tangled and trip over each other. Let them play. Just keep writing.

Hope to see you at a write-in, every Sunday afternnoon from 1 - 4 at the Yellow Leaf Coffee Co. on Willow Creek in Prescott.

Your co-ML,
Jeannie

P.S. My cats have carried their toys and placed them around my computer chair - I think they're trying to tell me something.
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Jeannie Leighton
NaNoWriMo Co-Municipal Liaison, Prescott AZ
2006 "Two Degrees" 38,000 out of 50K
2007 "The Pirate from Peru" 13,000 out of 50K
2008 "The Pirate from Peru - The Completed Story"
"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do.

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Coyote Radio To Promote Our Region this Sunday

quillandink — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:48:28 -0800

I am so excited, folks. This coming Sunday, the 16th at noon, I am going to be featured on our very own local radio station for the arts, KJZA 90.1 FM. for their Prescott Arts Beat department.

I was interviewed by Andrew Johnson-Schmit, who is an active member in our region and goes by the user name of coyoteradio - their website is www.coyoteradio.org and they are based in the Raven Cafe on Cortez Street in Prescott.

I plugged the Nano website as well as our write in events. Maybe we'll get some new folks involved.

Sorry, just had to share. Now, get back to writing.

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

New Prescott Writing Homepage

Dreamers Cove — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 06:47:47 -0700

Prescott Wordmongers at http://www.prescottwordmongers.com

Yes, we now have a homepage on the internet to use as a home all year long! Hopefully this will help us keep in contact all throughout the year, where we can keep encouraging each others writing even in non-Nano times.

Features:

The big feature is the Live Chat. We can have virtual write-ins, wordwars and such anytime of the day and night. This chat does not need any special software as it works in any browser. Just sign into the site with your favorite browser, go to live chat (the chat uses the same username and password, so if it prompts you for a login again, just use that), go into the writing room and you are good to go!

The Forums are private to members so you don't have to worry about anyone other than the local group seeing any snippets you might want to post, or any of the other writing conversations.

Included in the site is a calender of events (a back up of the Google Calender we have here).

The http://www.prescottwordmongers.com/plfl/content/content.php?content.5 ">Prescott Region 2008 Word Count Tracking page has been moved here, as well. From this point on this will be the version of the page that will be updated for the 2008 Nano.

If you get stuck, you'll notice "Writing Prompts" at the top of the page which will change anytime the page is refreshed. There are currently over 100 writing prompts that will come up at random! along the same vein, on the side menu bar is a "Word of the Day", which also has a way for you to look up a word in a dictionary, thesaurus or reference.

Poofie, the Flagstaff group is also welcome to use the site, as well. It would make the live chat more fun. :) I know you guys have a thread going about AIM and other chat lines, but this may be an option for someone who doesn't have the software for those. Also, Poofie, if you wanted to host a version of your Regional WordCount tracking page here, we can do that as well.

If anyone has any links or articles they would like to have included, just let me know!

Hope to see you there!
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Keeping Up the Pace

quillandink — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 08:14:33 -0800

If I gave in to every disgruntled thought about how crappy my writing has been this month, I wouldn't get anything done.

Does it matter how good my writing is today? No.

Does it matter that the drivel I put on the page yesterday or the day before sucks and should never be read by any other human being? No.

Does it matter that I sat my butt in the chair every day this month and typed out at least 1662 words, some of which might even have a remote connection to the story I wanted to write on November first? YES!

Remember the notice that Dreamers Cove posted about Devon Ellington's 30 Tips for 30 Days? Are you reading it? Today's tip happens to be for Day 6. I paraphrase: "...for one month, get out of your own way and push yourself beyond what you think is your endurance. . . It is one month, four weeks, out of your life. You have the rest of your life to write at a slower pace. For one little month, push. See what it's like to go beyond your resistance...learn from it...There will never BE time. You MAKE it.

30 TIPS FOR 30 DAYS If this link doesn't work, I'm sorry - I'm not very tech savvy. Go to Dreamers Cove post about pep talks for it. Read it. Then write. Write more. Type a response to this post and encourage others. Tell us how crappy or how good your stuff is this month. Then write some more.

Your struggling but still on target co-ML.

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Jeannie Leighton
NaNoWriMo Co-Municipal Liaison, Prescott AZ
2006 "Two Degrees" 38,000 out of 50K
2007 "The Pirate from Peru" 13,000 out of 50K
2008 "The Pirate from Peru - The Completed Story"
"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do.

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Sound Off - Introduce Yourself!

Dreamers Cove — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:12:13 -0700

So, who is ready and rarin' to go in the Prescott area?

I'm Julieann, and this will be my second Nano, and I'm hoping to win a second time! Time to start clearing out the freezer and make room for the cheesecake! Hey, it works a lot better as a writing carrot than an actual carrot does. ;)
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Time Zone Settings Help

Dreamers Cove — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:38:31 -0700

I know we have several newbies this year, and understanding how to set up your personal account settings can be confusing. One item in the settings that is often ignored are the Time Zone settings.

Why does the Time Zone matter?

The Time Zone setting decides then your personal month of November starts and ends. It might not make a big difference at the beginning of the month, but it can at the end of the month.

Perhaps you are working to the last moment, and go to try and to validate your wordcount at 11:50 PM on November 30th. If your Time Zone isn't set correctly, it may decide that your month of November has already ended! Oops.

So, setting up your Time Zone correctly is a good idea. Fortunately it's pretty easy.

Once you are signed into the Nano site, go to: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/oll/my/settings (this link will take you to your 'Edit User Settings' area)

Scroll down a little to find the Time Zone block. For our area, set it to -0700.

Then click "Submit" at the bottom to save your changes, and you are done!
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Rev Up Your Writing Engines!

Dreamers Cove — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 06:54:05 -0700

Well, it's that time of year again. Less than 24 hours and we're off on the crazy madcap ride that is "National Novel Writing Month"! Get out the caffeine, post the "Do Not Disturb" signs, ready the laptops, computers and pens. Warn family, friends and pets that your priority this month is your novel.

Hopefully the plot bunnies have been nipping at your heels with all sorts of ideas. Hopefully one of the ideas has taken your fancy so much that your Muse has gone crazy with ideas and is throwing them back at your with a fury that you can't keep up with.

Even if this hasn't happened, do not despair! Many people go into the first part of Nano still unsure on what they are going to write, but the act of writing meanderings the first few days suddenly crystalize an idea to them. Then they are off!

A few practical writing tips:

1. You will run into plot holes. When you do, keep writing. You can come back and fill them in later.

2. Your characters will do things you do not expect. Do not take it personally. Keep writing.

3. Procrastinating on the forums or in Chat is fun and encouraged. However, when it becomes an avoidance tactic, go back to your story. Keep writing.

4. Ten minutes of writing may not give you glorious prose, but it can help you write yourself out of a funk. If you feel like your story is terrible and horrible and start to believe your characters are plotting mutiny, force yourself to sit down and write for ten minutes. You'll be surprised with what you come up with.

5. Turn cleaning into a break from writing. When you get stuck, go put a load of laundry in the washer, or empty the dishwasher. Then sit back down and keep writing.

Most of all: Keep writing!

The Nano website has been super slow the last few days and this is likely to continue for the coming weekend as huge numbers of Authors sign up at the last minute and writers clamor to update their wordcounts. Last night there was another Server failure, which hopefully the Tech-Monkeys were successful in fixing.

If the site goes down again, remember that Prescott now has their own separate Home Page at http://www.prescottwordmongers.com/ . This site also includes a Live Chat where we can meet up at any time to encourage each other, have fun little word wars, and the like (The Chat is open 24/7). I intend to be there every night after work (after 5PM) if anyone wants to wander over, and intend to be there for most of this coming weekend.

The Regional Tracking Page at http://www.prescottwordmongers.com/plfl/content/content.php?content.5 has been updated with all the new names as of October 27th. Hopefully by the end of tomorrow or the beginning of Sunday we should be seeing little bars showing up on everyone's graphs!

An exciting statistic is that so far this year we have 16 people who have chosen Prescott as their 'Home Region". Last year we had a total of 12 who were "Homed". This means we have 4 more people whoms wordcount counts towards the Prescott Regions total wordcount. Last year we were ranked 302 in highest Wordcount against the world. Can we beat that this year? I sure hope so!

A Reminder: We will be having our first Write-In on Sunday, November 2 at the Yellow Leaf Coffee Company in Prescott from 2 pm to 5 pm. This will be a recurring meeting every weekend throughout November. See the Google Calendar linked to in our Regional Forum for more information.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone there! If anyone needs any help or encouragement, please post a forum thread or come into the Chat. We're here to help.

Julieann, helpful Co-ML
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Fun at the Kick-Off Party

Dreamers Cove — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:06:14 -0700

The Kick-Off party was a resounding success, and a lot of fun. I think my favorite part was the Plot-Twist game. Thanks to momcginn for her digital camera which had charged batteries (dratted batteries!).

A larger picture is located on the Prescott Wordmongers webpage.

We ended up having some newbies and our very first Young Writer. Horrah!
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Nano Ebook: 30 TIPS FOR 30 DAYS

Dreamers Cove — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:43:13 -0700

Here is the link to the Ebook that Jeannie showed at the Kick-Off party that gives useful advice, and then pep-talks for each day in November.

30 TIPS FOR 30 DAYS
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

MsB

MsBonomo — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:07:22 -0700

Hi everyone, I'm Barbara from Cottonwood and am going to give nanowrimo a shot again this year. I would love to get together with everyone but I work every evening accept Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday soo... Also daytime would be good for me to meet if that is good for anyone. The NaNoWriMo booklet was great by the way and I love hearing how everyone is doing. I do seem to get all the e-mail. I've posted a couple of posts but am not sure if they really posted. Anyway, good luck to everyone.

The phantom NaNo of Cottonwood
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United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Announcing Prescott's Co-Municipal Liaison

quillandink — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:16:10 -0700

I am pleased to announce that our very own Dreamers Cove has been officially designated co-Municipal Liaison for the Prescott AZ region.

Dreamers Cove brings her skills in ultra-marathon Wrimoing as well as high tech computer stuff. She's already designed a website for us to use during this season's NaNoWriMo and throughout the year. It's at www.prescottwordmongers.com

I appreciate the help she's already given and I look forward to working with her during these next weeks and during the months to come as we team up and build a writing community.

Give her a hearty welcome, folks.

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

A Welcome, A Plot Mixer, and Weekly Write-ins

quillandink — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:56:06 -0700

I want to welcome everyone to this year's NaNoWriMo challenge that will begin in less than ten days. To our new regional members, you're in for a treat as we begin an insane writing month; to our returning members, you know what you're in for so hang on and keep flexing those fingers.

Our Kick Off Party is set for this Sunday, October 26th at the Yellow Leaf Coffee Company in Prescott. There's another posting with details on this. I urge you all to come out if only for a short time to meet your fellow Wrimos and get some cool incentive gifts. We're going to have a plot mixer, too. What? You don't know what a plot mixer is? Stop by on Sunday to find out.

Weekly Write-Ins are posted on the Google calendar. They will be held every Sunday at The Yellow Leaf Coffee Co. from 1-4 p.m. I will be there. Hope to see you there, too.

Any questions? Any issues? Need encouragement? That's what this forum is for. Take care. Happy plotting. See you Sunday.

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

NaNo Prep and Planning

Dreamers Cove — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:24:36 -0700

November 1st will be sneaking up and pinching us in the hind-end before we know it. How is the Nano prep going? Not just the plotting and novel planning, but also the supports? Stocking up on food and drink yet? Warned the family, friends, dog and cat about the forthcoming adventure? Are you doing anything special for personal incentives?

This last weekend I realized I had a character introduced in an entirely wrong area of the plot. So major plot reorganization is currently going on! While I’m glad I figured it out now, I don’t like that it came up so close to November 1st. Oh well, time to do some major plot cramming after work!

November Wordcount Incentive: A slice of cheesecake (the good big ones from Costco) for every 12,500 words, which would typically be the weekly wordcount goal. This worked fantastic last year, so I see no reason to change. Hehe, bring on the sugar rush!

Personal Ending Prize: I now have a DVD (Avatar, Season 3), still in its wrapper, placed in plain view that I get to watch if I win Nano at the end of November.

Food: Other prep is including coming up with meal ideas that are easy and quick to cook, and perhaps can even be made ahead of time. Soups and crock-pot recipes are at the top of the list, as they are typically easy to make and then can last for days. TV dinners and Mac & Cheese will be for those days when the writing is going so great that food just isn’t the priority (Gee, I hope I can get at least a few of those days!).

Writing Times: Oh, and the early mornings. I’m now starting to set my clock back a little farther each morning to become accustomed to earlier mornings. I think it’s starting to work (I say between yawns). This morning I was able to start bringing together one scene that had been foggy for a while. My goal is to have 45-60 minutes of writing time each morning before work. Last year this method worked really well, as I was able to get a good chunk of the daily wordcount finished before even going to work! I’ve noticed that other people in the main forum have been doing this, as well, with great results.

And what a wonderful way to start off the day: by being creative. :)

Anyone else?
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

What Genre Are You Writing In This Year?

Dreamers Cove — Sat, 4 Oct 2008 21:45:02 -0700

I thought it would be interesting to hear what everyone plans to write this year, if you even know yet. ;)

Personally I'll be working on my scifi young adult series involving alternate universes and alien worlds. And yes, I already have a first line:

"Kelsey Hale discovered a new lesson in life after the second hard landing: The saying "it could always be worse" never makes the reality any easier to deal with."

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Prescott AZ Regional Kick-Off Party October 26

quillandink — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:06:50 -0700

Sharpen your pencils, upload your notes, replace your batteries, and get your notebooks ready because the 2008 NaNoWriMo Challenge is about to begin.

The Prescott AZ regional Kick-Off Party is going to be Sunday, October 26th from 2-5 p.m. at The Yellow Leaf Coffee Co. in Prescott. Yellow Leaf is located on 3180 Willow Creek Road in the Fry's shopping center.

Owners Joseph and Rachelle Burton are thrilled we've selected their coffee bistro as our official meeting spot. They serve coffees, teas, chai, cold drinks, cakes, bagels, and other pastries. There's a Jack-In-The-Box and a Subway in this center as well so you can get dinner or lunch before or after if the sweet treats aren't your thing.

Come on out for meet and greet, for last minute plot bunny work, and special gifts.

Hope to see everyone there.

Jeannie

PS - this is also going out as a regional email
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Jeannie Leighton
NaNoWriMo Co-Municipal Liaison, Prescott AZ
2006 "Two Degrees" 38,000 out of 50K
2007 "The Pirate from Peru" 13,000 out of 50K
2008 "The Pirate from Peru - The Completed Story"
"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do.

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Google Calendar Rocking

quillandink — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:46:35 -0700

Hi everyone,

Thanks to the NNWM staff, we have a Google calendar page to list any events coming up.

I named it "Prescott Wordmongers and Wrimos". There should be a link on your personal NNWM page to the calendar. Check it out.

Jeannie ML
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Jeannie Leighton
NaNoWriMo Co-Municipal Liaison, Prescott AZ
2006 "Two Degrees" 38,000 out of 50K
2007 "The Pirate from Peru" 13,000 out of 50K
2008 "The Pirate from Peru - The Completed Story"
"We don't know who we are until we see what we can do.

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Prescott Regional Word Count Tracking Page

Dreamers Cove — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:02:02 -0700

Since it was such a nice quick resource last year, I decided to bring back our regional tracking page. The NaNo site hasn’t fixed the problem of allowing more than 11 Buddies showing on everyone’s Bubby page, and if anyone is like me, they have way more than 11! Besides, there is no way of organizing them. Sooooooo

http://www.dreamerscovestudio.com/nano/

As people sign up for the Prescott Region, I’ll add them in. Right now I’m using the standard Nano word count graphic, but I really want something different (preferably similar to last years) and should have something new up by the middle of October.

Also, at the very bottom of the page is a stats section comparing our Region last year to this year. I’ll be updating this on a regular basis.

Back to plotting and planning (cue evil laugh)
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Specialties: How Can You Help?

Dreamers Cove — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:12:33 -0700

Part of writing is the fun is working with characters and situations outside our own knowledge. This can also be one of our biggest frustrations when it comes to research.

So, what do you know that could possibly help one of our writers?

I'll start off. If any other writer needs help with any of the below subjects, just let me know!

Pilot and general knowledge about aircraft
Airtaxi operation
Driving an 18-wheeler and the accompanying lifestyle
Animation/Sci-Fi conventions (and general geekdom)
Greenhouse or Distribution Warehouse operation

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Home Region Set-up

Dreamers Cove — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 10:41:43 -0700

The Region Counts listed here on the Nano site look to only take into account those who have their "Home Region" set up properly. What I found out about last year is that a lot of the word-count for the Prescott area was not counted because several did not have "Prescott" designated as their home Region. Otherwise, we would have ranked much higher than 302 for highest word count.

For those who don't know how to set up their home region, here are some instructions (hopefully they are clear):

1. Sign in to the Nanowrimo web site and hover your mouse over the menu "My NaNoWriMo". One of the options under this menu is "My Regions" (you can also get to this via your profile. On the left you will find a link that says "My Regions" Note: This will only show up if you are signed in).

2. Click "My Regions".

3. There are 3 tabs here: "Regions, "My Regions", "Home Region". Typically you will automatically be taken to the "My Regions" tab.

3a. If you have no regions chosen at all, click on the "Regions" tab. Here you will find a complete listing of all the regions available. Right now, Prescott is on the second page.

3b. On the right side of the "Prescott" line, you will see a link that says "Join". Confirm you wish to join, and now "Prescott" will show up under the tab "My Regions"

4. Click on the "Home Region" tab. Here you find a listing of all the regions that are listed under the "My Regions" tab with a little check box to the left of the name. NOTE: You must first have at least 1 region listed under the "My Regions" tab for you to be able to choose a home region.

5. Choose which of the regions you want to have as your home region and click that circle.

6. Click the button that says "Set Home Region".

Your home region is now saved and your word count will now count for the Prescott area!

If you need any help, just let me know and I can walk you through it. On the Prescott Region Word Count webpage, I've added a graphic to show which people have Prescott set up as their home region. These are the word counts that will add to the Regional word count graph at the very top of the page. http://www.dreamerscovestudio.com/nano/
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Plot Resuscitation (or Creation)

Dreamers Cove — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:09:00 -0700

Anyone in need of a little brainstorming? Perhaps a few ‘events’ to help lengthen out a plot idea? A character giving you fits? Anyone NEED a plot?

If so, post here and we can see about helping you out!
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Official Warmups Begin

quillandink — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 13:24:21 -0700

It's true - it's time and it's about to begin, folks. I'll be sending this message out as an email to everyone who lists Prescott as their home region as well so I apologize for a repeat ahead of time.

DAY: Friday, October 10th, 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

LOCATION: A Good Yarn on the corner of Granite and Goodwin in the Firehouse Plaza in downtown Prescott. We've got a comfy classroom with chairs and a large coffee table. There are a couple of outlets around the shop for those who need to plug in their laptops. We can rearrange tables and chairs to accomodate.

DIRECTIONS: Take Gurley Street into town. Turn left on Granite (one block west of Whisky Row). You'll see the parking garage on your left. My shop is straight ahead on the corner and on the same side.

There's an entrance with a wheelchair ramp on Granite St. AND an entrance with a few steps on Goodwin St. The Granite Street entrance will be locked after 6:00 but the Goodwin Street entrance will remain open.

I can make coffee but probably won't until I see how many "regulars" are planning to show up. There's a great coffee shop across from the parking garage called Wild Iris and you can buy your beverage and grab a snack before you come if you want to.

If the space works for everyone, we can hold our write-ins here as well. Let's discuss options this coming Friday. Also on the agenda will be finding story ideas and how to grow them. If you plan to attend, please reply so I can get an approximate head count.

United States :: Arizona :: Prescott

Free Ebook for Nano Writers

Dreamers Cove — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 08:29:16 -0700

At our Warm-up meeting last night I mentioned a free Ebook that had lots of good advice for Newbie NaNoWriMo's including help with characters and plot outlines specifically for this crazy event. I don't think the book is just for Newbies, but is for anyone.

http://www.lazette.net/

You'll find the book listed on the right side of the page, nearly to the bottom under "Free Stuff."

Here is the original forum posting announcing the ebook availability which also gives a listing of the Table of Contents: Free Book: NaNo for the New and the Insane

This ebook is what helped me develop my novel planning for last year which enabled me to write 100k plus during November. Hopefully it'll help someone else with their project, as well.

Don't you just love free helpful goodies?!?

Have fun!
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***
Julieann Dreamer
Creator/Writer/Artist of free webcomic "Dreamers Cove" - http://dreamerscovestudio.com/comic
Nano 2008: The Phoenix Eggs
Nano 2007 : The String Weavers: WON!