United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Final Thoughts

TheRubberChicken — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 18:28:38 -0800

Just a note to say how much I respect all of you for taking on this challenge. Whether you wrote one word or one hundred thousand, you are a winner because you took a chance at something so incredibly unbelievable as writing a book in one month.

I also respect the members of our region because we have overcome a special obstacle. We don't get a lot of the reinforcement that comes from sitting side by side with others and writing in close community. We have to sit in our little isolated corners of the state and write with keyboard clicks for company. And yet we have truly become a team. I think the Elsewheres are the most incredible region I've ever seen. We've broken records with word counts that I thought were impossible, and we've made friendships that will carry until next November and beyond.

And you've been there for each other. I love looking back over our posts and seeing that anytime someone was lagging or despondent over their word count, there was someone else who was willing to take away from their own writing time to post an encouraging message.

Now that's the spirit of NaNoWriMo. And that's what makes Elsewhere great.

Thank you for allowing me to be your ML this year and for making me so proud.

TheRubberChicken
ML of the Mighty Elsewheres

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Things happen.
Words are said.
And before you know it, somebody's throwing a mime off a a bridge...

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

The Final Word War!!

TheRubberChicken — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:23:05 -0800

This is it. Today is the day we break the tie and determine this year's word war winners. Are you in?

Get those fingers warmed up. Plan on breaking 3000 words today. You can do it. Turn off any internal editors. Ignore spelling completely. Use abbreviations. Eliminate punctuation. Ignore good taste. And plot? We don't need no stinkin' plots!!!! Let your characters run the show today.

Yes, my competitive side is coming out. I can't help thinking how wonderful it would be to have our region be the final word war champs this year. How about you?

Check in and tell us that you'll be battling with us. Drink way too much coffee. Think of what you'll write today.

And at 2:30, let your fingers run free over the keyboard and watch what strange and exciting things happen. And 3:31, post your word count for the hour. At 4, we will share in victory over the Red Stickers!!

TheRubberChicken
ML of the Mighty Elsewheres who didn't win last week in their word war with BR, but wil make up for it with a sound thrashing of said region today...

----------
Things happen.
Words are said.
And before you know it, somebody's throwing a mime off a a bridge...

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Sharing my work - Visit my blog

clark-stone — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:20:19 -0800

Hello,

I do not know how successful this will be but I have decided to try to create a blog for one of my characters. It is called Narval's Folly. The address is at http://blog.varnarkgonewild.com/

I hope you enjoy it.

Clark-Stone
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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Shreveport Write-in at B&N - Who's coming?

clark-stone — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 14:01:04 -0800

Hello, Just curious to see who all is coming to the write-in at Barnes & Noble tomorrow. I will be there.

Clark-Stone
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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Shreveport WriMos - Who is going to be there Monday?

angelcelestine — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:10:41 -0800

I believe there's been an informal agreement to meet for a write-in Monday at Courtyard Coffee from 6ish - 8ish in the evening. This was for those of us who can't make it to the Saturday Barnes & Noble workshop/write-in, but of course everyone who can make it Monday is welcome!

From what I understand, Courtyard Coffee is located on Youree Drive between Sam's Club and Michael's... I've never been there, so it'll be fun to see how many tries it takes for me to find it!

I'd just like to make it easier for people in the Shreveport/Bossier area to know about this, since it is buried in another thread, and I was hoping for a roll-call of sorts, for people who plan to be there. I know I plan to be there, who else?
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Sabrina Hunt
http://www.sabrinahunt.net
Once Upon a Time - available now from http://www.shadowfirepress.com
Of the Louisiana Elsewheres - The Red Sticks crashed and burned two weeks in a row!

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Eunice Write-In 11/26

Pink Roses — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:02:23 -0800

Need to get in some words before the holidays?

The LeDoux Library, LSUE, will be hosting out last write-in this Wednesday night, 11/26, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. We'll have prompts, the word-count poster, and even readings for those who want to share.

Please join us!

Pink Roses
(x-posted to Lafayette - I'm word-lighting!)

PS - Do posts count as words? Hmm..

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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Word War!!! Are you playing today?

TheRubberChicken — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 08:55:20 -0800

It's that time of week again. The time when we get to build our word counts and trounce Baton Rouge. Are you ready?

Do you realize that most of us are getting over 2000 words an hour during these word wars? And some are even over 3000? They're great for building word counts and practicing our awesomely scary typing skills...

Tips from past weeks that help:
*Ignore spelling, punctuation, and plot.
*Use lots of dialogue (without said punctuation).
*Never hyphenate a word.
*Use lots of short adjectives.
*Never let quality get in the way.

I don't know about you, but I could really use the word boost today, so I'll be at the keyboard at 2:30 to 3:30 pounding out words. If you're going to join me, please check in here so I'll know who will be sending in word counts. The site is fast enough now that you can post them on this thread -- but if you have any problems, just send them to me at rubberchicken10@hotmail.com.

Thanks for being the Mighty Elsewheres!

TheRubberChicken
ML of the Mighty Elsewheres
Who so humiliated the Red Stickers the last two weeks that we almost feel bad for them... but not really...

----------
Things happen.
Words are said.
And before you know it, somebody's throwing a mime off a a bridge...

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Anyone else in Houma?

blr52 — Tue, 4 Nov 2008 17:36:01 -0800

Anyone else in Houma doing this thing? I'd love to get together with other people who have pledged their month to this wild ride. Let's plan a write in. We'll write, we'll moan, we'll beat our internal editors into submission.
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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Eunice Write-In 11/19

Pink Roses — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:15:09 -0800

Hello all!

The LeDoux Library will be hosting a write-in this Wednesday night, 11/19, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, in the Louisiana Room. We'll have prompts, the wordcount poster, and maybe even games! Please join us.

Sorry again about last week. I'm doing better (except in words) and am frantically trying to catch back up.

Good luck, all, and good writing!

---Pink Roses
(x-posted to Lafayette to share the fun)

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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Word War Today!! Sign In Here and Play!

TheRubberChicken — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 05:49:06 -0800

Just a reminder -- Today is our word war against the evil Baton Rougeans! 2:30 - 3:30 is the time of battle.

Here are the steps:
Check in here by 2:15 so I have a head count of who is participating.
Track your word count from 2:30 - 3:30.
Post your count or email it to me at rubberchicken10@hotmail.com (with your NaNoWriMo screen name in the subject line of the email).
I'll do the math and contact the BR ML so we can see who is victorious.
I'll post the number as soon as it is final.

Last week we had an incredible victory. They had an average word count of 1954. We had 2239. We had lots of warriors with over 2000 words in the hour and a couple over 3000!!! Violinagin led our battle with 3662 words in one hour!! Can we do it again this week?

Quantity, not quality is our battle cry.

Ideas we learned from last week - dysfunctional family fights make for great fast writing. Straight dialogue is also a quick work count upper.

"What did you say?"
"I said dialogue is great for getting your word count up!"
"But what if it doesn't go anywhere?"
"Who cares -- it adds a lot of words."
"Well, I guess I can see your point."
"I thought you would."

So, fire up those keyboards, think of inane plot twists, and let's smoke the red sticks AGAIN!!!

TheRubberChicken
ML of the Mighty Elsewheres!

And last week we beat BR sooooooooooooooo bad!!!
----------
Things happen.
Words are said.
And before you know it, somebody's throwing a mime off a a bridge...

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Natchitoches: Monday night at Watson Library

WitchyRobyn — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:07:09 -0800

Hey, all, just a little reminder that I'll be at the Waston Library around 5:30 on the second floor if anyone wants to join me for a write in. There will be a presentation on Native American Powwows in the Reading Room across the hall with free drinks and cookies to attendees if anyone is interested. It's from 6-9 pm and includes a detailed presentation and history by my husband and others, including Dr. Gregory of the anthropology department.

If anyone wants to join for a write-in or cometo see the presentation, come on by. I'll be around until after 9pm, probably and be going between the write-in and the presentation.

Hope to see some of you NaNo'ers there.

Donadagohvi, (I will see you all again soon),
Robyn
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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Word Sprint Friday!

leighlady — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:43:39 -0800

Hello all of you in Elsewhere! I'm Courtney from Baton Rouge and I'm issuing a challenge to Louisiana Wrimos. I'm turning tomorrow into Word Sprint Friday and challenging you to do as many word sprints as you can.

What is a word sprint you might ask. Sit down and set a timer for ten minutes and then write furiously until it dings. You have just completed a word sprint. At the BR Friday write-in last week everyone seemed to get 300-400 words in each session. Some people even got more! Just think, four to five 10-minute sprints and you've got (or are ridiculously close to getting) your 1600 words for the day.

I personally am aiming for fifteen 10-minute sprints and plan on getting at least 5000 words. If anyone thinks they can beat me, I'm willing to see you try!

And even if you don't want to compete per say, do a word sprint or two tomorrow. I'm sure we can all use a few hundred extra words as the middle of the month looms!
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***Courtney
My Region defeated the Elsewheres in a word war!
Chicken noodle soup - mmmm mmmm good.

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Calling in Belle Chasse/ Plaqumines NaNoers!

Something Odd — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 21:37:36 -0800

How you guys doing?

3,053 words.
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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Natchitoches Write-In, Anyone?

clark-stone — Tue, 4 Nov 2008 11:38:38 -0800

Hello,

Is there anyone in Natchitoches interested in getting together for a write-in sometime during the week? I am free on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday nights. The problem is that the only place I know I can go to write would be Watson Library on NSU.

I know writing with others helps keep me working as well. Let me know if interested and if there are suggestions as locations and times.

Clark-Stone

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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Anyone in Shreveport?

angelcelestine — Fri, 7 Nov 2008 07:25:18 -0800

Hey there, I live in the Shreveport-Bossier area, and just wondering if there's anyone else around here doing NaNo
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Sabrina Hunt
http://www.sabrinahunt.net
Once Upon a Time - available now from http://www.shadowfirepress.com
Of the Louisiana Elsewheres - The Red Sticks crashed and burned two weeks in a row!

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

No Eunice Meeting Tonight- Pink Roses is Ill!

nubbsy — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:09:27 -0800

Sorry for the late notice, but tonight's write-in is cancelled. Your host is unfortunately ill. But we should be on track for next week.

If someone who's also on the official site could post this to the forums, LA - Elsewhere and LA - Lafayette, I would appreciate it.

I'll be sending out our prompts in a few minutes. Again, I am sorry about this, and good writing, all!

Shelby Anfenson-Comeau
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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Word War Today!! Sign In and Play!

TheRubberChicken — Sun, 9 Nov 2008 06:25:51 -0800

So, today we have our second word war against those evil villains of Baton Rouge.

And how about some ideas for getting our word count up today? Perhaps writing in a vampire from Baton Rouge who shows up to disrupt our plot? Or a radio news report in one of our scenes where a coffee house in Baton Rouge has a huge power outage? Or a virus that wipes out every computer in the city?

Okay, those were just too much fun... But if you have any great ideas that are working for you in getting your word count up, please share!!!

Also, if anyone is coming to the Alexandria Mall today, please holler so I'll know who to watch for!

TheRubberChicken
ML of the Mighty Elsewheres

We lost to BR last week but the tag stops here...

----------
Things happen.
Words are said.
And before you know it, somebody's throwing a mime off a a bridge...

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Eunice Write-In 11/12

Pink Roses — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:04:17 -0800

Hi, all!

The LeDoux Library at LSUE is hosting a write-in this Wednesday night from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. We have some (hopefully) fun writing prompts, and can read exercepts (sp?) and celebrate/commisserate with fellow NaNo-ers.

And don't worry if the back of the building looks dark - it's after hours, so I only light up part of the buidling. But we can see to write, and have computers to use, so please join us!

Good luck everyone!

Pink Roses
(x-posted to Lafayette b/c I'm shameless)

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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Word War Sunday!!

TheRubberChicken — Sat, 8 Nov 2008 16:53:57 -0800

Just a reminder -- Sunday is our next word war against the evil Baton Rougeans! 2:30 - 3:30 is the time of battle.

Check in by 2:15 so I have a head count of who is participating.

Track your word count from 2:30 - 3:30 and post and/or email it to me at rubberchicken10@hotmail.com with your NaNoWriMo screen name in the subject line of the email. I'll do the math and talk to the BR ML so we can see who is victorious.

Last week they had an average word count of 1904. We had 1584. It's not going to be easy ... but we can do it. Let's all go for 2000 words in the hour!!! Quantity, not quality can be our battle cry.

Let's smoke the red sticks!!!

And, for anyone who wants to join us onsite -- We'll be in the Alexandria Mall food court at 2:00 pm!

TheRubberChicken
ML of the Mighty Elsewheres!

And yeah, we lost last week to BR. Boy is payback going to be fun...
----------
Things happen.
Words are said.
And before you know it, somebody's throwing a mime off a a bridge...

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Anyone else from Monroe?

ubersoft — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:45:22 -0700

Just wondering...
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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

The Calendar Works!

TheRubberChicken — Tue, 4 Nov 2008 10:38:14 -0800

Thanks to the mighty NaNo elves who crept in and fixed our calendar, we can now actually see what's going on in our state!

If you have anything going on in your area -- like a couple of folks getting together at the bookstore, hitting the local coffee shop, or standing on a streetcorner with a sign that says, "Will write for food" -- please send me the details so we can all know where we can find other over-caffeinated types to moan with!

TheRubberChicken
ML of the Mighty Elsewheres who lost a 'practice' word war to BR and will win big this weekend!

----------
Things happen.
Words are said.
And before you know it, somebody's throwing a mime off a a bridge...

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Eunice Write-In 11/05

Pink Roses — Tue, 4 Nov 2008 06:45:09 -0800

Sorry for the late posting!

The LeDoux Library at LSUE will be hosting a write-in this Wednesday night, November 5, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

Write-in activities will include writing prompts, timed challenges, and discussing our works-in-progress. There will be a poster in the library, updated weekly, with the number of words written (“wordcount”) by each writer.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM, email, or call me.

Please join us, and good luck!

Pink Roses
(x-posted to Lafayette to share the fun)

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United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Does the calendar work for you?

TheRubberChicken — Mon, 3 Nov 2008 00:58:20 -0800

Hey - I'm being tech-challenged. I've tried a few more things on the calendar. Could some of you folks check and see if it works for you now? If not, I'll get the NaNo tech elves to help me get it online.

In case it doesn't, the basics of our calendar are:

There's a workshop and write-in every Saturday at the Barnes & Noble in Shreveport starting at 10 am.
There's a write-in and word war every Sunday at 2:00 - 4:00 pm at the Alexandria Mall food court.
LSUE library is hosting write-ins, but I don't have specific dates on that.
Other areas are arranging meet-ups among themselves.
November 15 there's an interesting program at the Alexandria Library with Mary Manheim (The Bone Lady) speaking at 7pm. Cost is $12 and reservations are required. Visit rpl.olrg for details.

That's most of what we have going on right now. We'll add events as you wish! Just drop me a note and when if I get the calendar working, I'll add them.

TheRubberChicken
Yeah yeah ... lost word war ... donation in BR's name... tagline gets old fast, doesn't it???
----------
Things happen.
Words are said.
And before you know it, somebody's throwing a mime off a a bridge...

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Hello! Who is here? Introductions

elegantlion — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 08:33:22 -0700

Hello, I'm checking in for the elsewheres from 2007. I'm in SW LA and looking forward to my 2nd year of nano. Come on in and introduce yourself.

I'm ElegantLion aka EL. I'm not totally sure what I'm writing about this year, but I have some ideas.
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Lake Charles is now the center of the world domination!!!

United States :: Louisiana :: Elsewhere

Sunday November 2

TheRubberChicken — Sun, 2 Nov 2008 05:56:25 -0800

If you've made it to this point on the site, you are a very patient person!! It's a little slow right now, and that just means tens of thousands of other people are trying to visit at the same time you are. Great minds think alike...

For those of you who have had trouble accessing the calendar, please try again. I think that I have found the hitch... yeah, yeah... it was operator error... Please tell me if it works for you!

This afternoon at 2:00 please check in and tell us whether you'll be participating in the word war against Baton Rouge. This will be a completely virtual word war as I won't be able to go to the Alexandria Mall as originally planned... unless you want to listen to me cough, wheez, and whine about the shot I had to get.... Yeah, I didn't think so...

The word war will last from 2:30 - 3:30. You begin writing on the dot and end on the dot. Then you email your word count to me at rubberchicken10@hotmail.com. We'll use this since the site is slow and I don't want to miss any words! But feel free to post your count too! That's fun because we all have our competitive sides and would like to know how we did.

From 3:30 to 4:00 I'll do the math. (I'm slow.) I'll add the word counts, divide by the number of you who are participating, and come up with our average word count. Then I'll call and croak that number to the ML in Baton Rouge. We'll see which number is higher.

And then the rejoicing begins!! We'll be able to tag all of our posts for the entire week with some version of "We trounced the BR region in a word war and are looking forward to doing it again." The other tag is not an option. We won't lose. Because if we lose, I have to donate $10 to NaNoWriMo in the name of the Baton Rouge Region!!! Ack!!!

Warm your fingers up all day. Think of strange things you'll write from 2:30 to 3:30. Consider having someone telling their entire life story with a lot of adjectives. Describe a scene so completely we can smell it. Or just throw a lot of words on paper. Whatever! Just don't make me donate for the BR Wrimos!!!

Wow. The meds I'm on are making me very wordy. This bodes well for the word war...

TheRubberChicken
ML of the Mighty Elsewheres!

----------
Things happen.
Words are said.
And before you know it, somebody's throwing a mime off a a bridge...