United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Sticky: How to donate now, later, and if you're broke

Ibibenibi — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:57:27 -0700

It's the ten-year anniversary of NaNoWriMo, and with our help we'll see ten more. You may have noticed that unlike almost every free site on the internet, NaNoWriMo has no obnoxious flashing banner ads, and according to founder Chris Baty, it never will. That's astounding to me, and a constant reminder of the integrity and overall coolness of this organization.

We did Indianapolis proud last year and hope we can do it again. We're currently tied for 35th in total donations, even though we only rank a mere 83rd in region size. Keep it up! If you haven't yet, you can donate here. And if you're curious where your money goes, here's a breakdown of expenses for 2008.

I'll have a jar for cash donations at the Saturday write-ins, because I'm very curious to see how much we can accumulate over the course of November with our leftover mocha money (see the following post for my own ideas for this). We'll donate the cash toward the end of the month and give all of Indianapolis a big ol' halo.

There are also several cool ways to donate if you're broke. Setting Goodsearch as your default for novel research is a great place to start.

Money's tight for me this October, actually, but there are plenty of people in our area and beyond who have been devastated this year by natural disasters and the woes of our economy. I intend to split my car change between NaNo and The Salvation Army this year, not only because they're giving us a great location for certain events, but also because they'll make this winter safer and more cheerful for those in dire need. If you can't donate now, please follow the link and bookmark it for later in the year.

Thanks to everyone who makes this my favorite time of year.
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Ericka
Co-ML, Indianapolis
Inspired vessel of the Traveling Shovel of Death

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Sticky: Writers Group: Every Saturday (year round) starting at 5:30pm.

Tara — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:21:41 -0700

I know Alicia will hate me for this, but hers was such a wonderfully accurate description of what the writers group is that I'm going to quote it (and then have it stickied.)

Alicia wrote:

About the writers group:

The ongoing year-round NaNoWriMo-inspired writers group meets Saturdays at Mo'Joe Coffeehouse located at 222 West Michigan Street. Official start time is 5:30 PM, but sometimes people arrive early to get some actual writing done (gasp!) before the discussion begins. We talk writing, but we sometimes -- okay, frequently -- drift off onto spouses, pets, computers, hobbies, and other assorted topics of a more general and social nature. Since almost any subject can tie back into writing somehow, it's all good.

Some of us are prolific writers while some of us write in fits and starts and trickles. Some of us are seriously interested in being published, but some of us aren't (yet). We write in a variety of genres including -- but by no means limited to -- fantasy, romance, and science-fiction. The brave among us occasionally share their writing with the group. The less-than-brave among us, when they're not too busy being awestruck by the brave, seek to build the courage and confidence to share their writing -- admittedly, it's a glacially slow process for me some of us.

Anyway, everyone is welcome to join us. :-)

Writers Group Info in a nutshell:

Location: Mo'Joe Coffeehouse at 222 West Michigan Street
Day: Saturdays (year round)
Time: 5:30 PM
Objectives: Talk writing, share writing, socialize

Everyone is welcome! Come one! Come all!

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Tara ~ Co-ML, Indianapolis

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Keeping it rolling....

clubjockey — Mon, 1 Dec 2008 11:34:32 -0800

I ended the month with something around 53K and the story almost, but not quite, finished. I need to get through about 5 to 10 more scenes before I'm done with the first draft.

I also have a lot of ideas about what needs to be added in terms of sub-plot stuff, and a few glaringly obvious changes that need to be made. and, I have not actually sat down and read this beast from start to finish yet, either.... so, obviously major, major re-writes lie ahead...

My fear is that now that I'm without the deadline, I will fall back into unproductivity. I WANT to get this done... I WANT to get this into a readable state.... I WANT to have soemthing I can try to get published and not be laughed at.

Are there any tools/methods/threats/rewards to keep us on track for the rest of the year?
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"Adventure and love?... there's no such thing as adventure and love. there's only trouble and desire."

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Career writers?

gearhead — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 08:00:04 -0800

This is bugging the living heck out of me. Didn't someone post here within the last few days that they were an editor at some kind of Arts/Lit mag? For the life of me I can't find that post.

I'm interested in hearing thoughts/comments from anyone who is working with writing as a career. I've shared this at some of the write-ins that I'm looking to change careers. My current occupation makes no use of my natural talents, and I'd like to be challenged in those areas in my career.

Any ideas, BTDT, rotten tomatoes are appreciated. You can also send me a private message if you wish.

Thanks,
Tom
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"What could I do if I did not have to do it perfectly? A lot more than I am now."

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

For the Indy members who came up short.

mikers16 — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:05:15 -0800

Though I hope I am part of a small crowd, I know I am not the only one. Come on in and ease up the guilt (a bit) and talk about why this year just wasn't so. I'm thinking of trying to get a short book done by Christmas for some quick printing and gift giving. Does anyone share my idea?

Post away hoosiers!

Mikey
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United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Thanks for a great month

Terridactile — Mon, 1 Dec 2008 06:35:01 -0800

Thanks to everyone throughout this month for encouragement, friendship, etc. Like I said at the kick-off, I tried for several years and never was able to "get it done." I had this on my 2008 New Year's goals. Hope to stay in touch.

Terro
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Terridactile
You're not a real woman unless you can take out the trash in four inch stilettos.

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Check your time-zone

Tara — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:12:57 -0800

This was brought up this evening, and something Steve and I both noticed after the time change. Check your time zone setting in your User Info section ("My NaNoWriMo" --> "Edit User Settings") and be sure it's set to -0500. We had ours set before the time change, and after the time change, it was set to -0400. This will make a difference when you go to verify toward the end of the month, especially if you're waiting until the last few mintues before midnight (your computer will think it's actually an hour later, and you'll be past the deadline.) So, take a look and make sure it's set to the correct time zone.
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Tara ~ Co-ML, Indianapolis

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

The green bar!

Ibibenibi — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 09:49:42 -0800

Holy cow! jwkrug crossed the 50k mark in a whopping FIVE DAYS! Congratulations, Jason, and don't forget to ice the wrists :)
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Ericka
Co-ML, Indianapolis
Inspired vessel of the Traveling Shovel of Death

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Excerpts?...

clubjockey — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 06:42:07 -0800

I put up an excerpt the other day... anyone else foolish enough to follow suit? Doing that makes it feel a little more anchored for me... I want to read what other people are doing...

Now I gotta press on... write, write, write...
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"Adventure and love?... there's no such thing as adventure and love. there's only trouble and desire."

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

The Validation of Indianapolis Mo'Joe

Ibibenibi — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:21:16 -0800

Wow! Indy has 61 writers who have verfied and won so far, and several more who are so, so close. Good luck in the last few hours!

We raised $50 for NaNo this month by collecting spare change at Mo'Joe and at the kickoff. You can see us on the Donor List under "Indianapolis Mo'Joe." 'Cause it apparently was working, see. The, uh, mo'joe...

We also had an option to give a halo to someone, and since Tara and I both already had one, we picked DreamingEagle this year. I'm pretty sure if we took her word count, the number of days it took to reach 50k, and the low number of years she's lived... okay, I take that back... someone who isn't completely fried like me could probably work out an equation by which DreamingEagle would put us all to shame. Well done, Becky. The glow suits you.

Don't forget to validate your novels, everybody. I'll be in Indianapolis chat from 10pm to midnight tonight, in case anyone has trouble with the site or just wants a last Woohoo before the month is out.

And if you haven't donated, please do! Let's keep NaNo running for another year.
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Ericka
Co-ML, Indianapolis
Inspired vessel of the Traveling Shovel of Death

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

RSVP for Saturday's write-in / writers group 11/29

Tara — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:38:46 -0800

Hello from Oregon! :-)

Please let me know if you plan to attend the write-in at Mo'Joe on Saturday. I plan to be there around 2pm, though I hope to have my novel wrapped up by Friday. My MMC is being a little bit stubborn right now, but I might be able to sort him out on the plane tomorrow as I head back to Indy.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :-)

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Tara ~ Co-ML, Indianapolis

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Write-ins, Final Week

Ibibenibi — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:18:56 -0800

The weather's colder, we have a holiday smack in the middle of the week, and some writers are hunkered down at home in order to catch up. We will absolutely have the Saturday write-in, but I need some feedback on the rest.

Is anyone planning to come to the Broad Ripple Starbucks tomorrow night? We could change the location if that would help some people attend. The Panera on Allisonville and 82nd was a good spot, and there's always the Central Library or Mo'Joe.

Is the Greenwood Starbucks on for Sunday?

Where else do you plan to write this week?

Keep an eye on the calendar, as things may be updated through the week.

Tara is out of town until Thursday, and I'll be out of town from Wednesday night until Saturday morning. I'll have internet access the whole time, to cheer everybody on. Good luck and keep writing!

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Ericka
Co-ML, Indianapolis
Inspired vessel of the Traveling Shovel of Death

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Regarding Week Four Pep Talk From Nancy Etchemendy

David_West — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 05:00:28 -0800

Did anyone else notice in the most recent pep talk that Nancy Etchemendy basically just used half of the week two pep talk, albeit paraphrased?

Quote:

From the Week Two Pep Talk, by Katherine Paterson:

I live in Barre, Vermont which calls itself the "Granite Capital of the World." Outside our town are enormous quarries, so when I speak in local schools every child has a mental picture of a granite quarry. "You know how hard it is to get granite out of the quarry," I say. "You have to carefully score the rock and put the explosive in to make the great granite block break loose from the face of the stone. Then you have to attach the block to the chains so that the cranes can lift it slowly out of the hole and put it on the waiting truck. That’s the first draft. It’s hard, dangerous work, and when you’ve finished, all you’ve really got is a block of stone. But now you have something now to work on. Now you can take your block down to the shed to carve and polish it and turn it into something of beauty. That’s revision."

Quote:

And here's an excerpt from Nancy Etchemendy's Week Four Pep Talk:

I heard or read somewhere an observation by a gifted young novelist whose name escapes me now, for which I apologize. He said that a first draft is like a chunk of marble. It's a big, formless block. Later, you'll carve away the unnecessary bits, and you'll shape what's left into something beautiful. Michelangelo's Pieta was once a shapeless block, most of which ended up as dust on his studio floor. As you write, give yourself permission to create that formless block---the necessary first draft from which a wonderful book can spring.

Also, note how Nancy refers to the "gifted young novelist" as a HE -- as in Male.

Maybe this is just a huge coincidence; maybe it's subconscious plagiarism. Or is this metaphor from a more ancient source (Greek, Roman, etc.)? Maybe Nancy and Katherine know each other and this is a little joke?
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http://indyhermit.blogspot.com
http://tracesofgeek.blogspot.com

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

When you've run aground - play breaks

gearhead — Fri, 7 Nov 2008 17:07:43 -0800

There are times when you'll be zipping along, words flying from you fingertips with nary a pause, the text whipping across your screen like a supersonic train - and then nothing.

"What the hey?" says you. "Things were going so well! I was master of my domain! Nothing could stop me...and now I've run aground, my supersonic train now a one-wheeled buggy in a ditch."

On some occasions like this it can happen that we hit a shallow spot. Our creativity needs to be occasionally recharged, and we have zapped it of its reserves. One way to recharge things in a moment like this is to divert the creative mind for a moment and let it play, since that's what it likes to do, anyway. Take a piece of paper and some colored pencils, markers, or crayons, and spend about 20 minutes drawing while listening to some favorite music.

It's kind of surprising how well this little trick can work. I ran into a flat spot earlier this week, got out the crayons and paper, and all I did was doodle for about fifteen or twenty minutes. Two hours following that allowed me another 1800 words in my novel progress.

If you're at a write-in and I'm there, fear not if you're without crayons. I always have a pack of Crayolas handy.

Oh, and yes, Tara, if you're reading, I totally got this from The Artist's Way. I wish I were so clever as to discover it myself, but it's great info to pass along.

gearhead
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"What could I do if I did not have to do it perfectly? A lot more than I am now."

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Indianapolis vs St Louis, round two!

Ibibenibi — Mon, 3 Nov 2008 16:51:00 -0800

Our I-70 neighbor has challenged us to year two of our fabulous regional war! Once again, we'll pit ourselves against St Louis in total words, average words, and percentage of winners. When the site's fully functional, we'll have widgets (widgets!) on our regional header to track our progress.

They have more writers. Oh, yes. And they're an energetic group, to be sure. They even have a big Pointy Stick. However...

we
have
ninjas!

And what's more, proof of ninjas!

So welcome, quantum tea, etoiline, InjunJoe, et al, and guard your plots carefully.

To my fellow writers here in Indy, may all your adverbs turn into lengthy, Missouri-defeating clauses.
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Ericka
Co-ML, Indianapolis
Inspired vessel of the Traveling Shovel of Death

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Guest NaNoWriMo blog today

gearhead — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:49:14 -0800

For any of you who may be curious, I was asked by Ohio WriMo Jamie Grove, who writes the blog How Not to Write, to do a guest blog post for him. I wrote it last week and it posted today: http://www.hownottowrite.com/

It's basically about sticking with something and seeing it trough even when it looks as if it's going badly. Oh, what a crazy thought this fourth week of NaNo!

I guess it's a pretty appropriate topic for me today, because I'm still kind of stuck like I was when I wrote it!

So, if you're done, or enjoy procrastinating, feel free to check it out.
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"What could I do if I did not have to do it perfectly? A lot more than I am now."

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

I have sappiness - BOOOO!!

Terridactile — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:49:26 -0800

My novel is supposed to be about three "Boys" in their late twenties/early thirties behaving badly. Now, I have a couple sub-plots with one of their fathers reminiscing about his past and a great-grandmother talking about coming over as an immigrant and the struggles they faced. NOOOOO!!! this is supposed to be crude and vulger and not sweet. Who stole my story????
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Terridactile
You're not a real woman unless you can take out the trash in four inch stilettos.

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Central Library Write-In

Alicia — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:19:29 -0800

I will be writing downtown tonight at the Central Library (corner of Meridian and St. Clair Streets) from approximately 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Feel free to join me. :-)

Central Library is fabulous and just cries out to be used for write-ins! It has free wireless Internet access throughout the building, lots of electrical outlets, an on-site café, group study rooms, and lots of other writer friendly amenities. I could go on and on, but I would sound like an advertising brochure!

Anyway, if anybody wants to join me, just go to the third floor information desk and ask to be taken to the Assistive Technology Room. That's where I'll be unless and until somebody comes at which time we can relocate to a nearby table or group study room.

Alicia
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United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Week 3 Write-ins

Ibibenibi — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:06:42 -0800

We have ~~three~~ four write-ins going on this week!

Tuesday, 11/18
Broad Ripple Starbucks, 7-9pm

Thursday, 11/20
Panera at 82nd and Allisonville, 6-8pm (may run longer)

Saturday, 11/21
Mo'Joe Coffee downtown, from about 2:00 until everyone gets too jittery to type or even talk

Sunday, 11/22
Greenwood Starbucks, 10am-noon
(Sorry I forgot this one in the original post)

Check the calendar for details and maps.

Where else are you writing? If you want to invite people to join you, post here.
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Ericka
Co-ML, Indianapolis
Inspired vessel of the Traveling Shovel of Death

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Hit the wall

gearhead — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:04:08 -0800

Got a little tangled up in my plot last night, and it didn't seem to be going exactly where I wanted, but it was going, so no biggie, right? I worked on it a little more at the gig between sets last night, and it started to suck. I figured i was tired.

I woke up from eight hours of sleep this afternoon...and I got nothin'. I'm stuck. I've written up three or four different plot ideas, and they aren't going anywhere. I'm kind of certain about what my characters need to do ultimately, but it's kind of like they're in the Grand Canyon and in two days they're supposed to be in a subway station in Manhattan.

That's totally NOT the situation, but it seems like something as improbable. I'm not even sure I have the energy to take them where they're supposed to go. Uck.

I have 50K, which is awesome and all, but I hate not finishign things. I really want to finish this novel,a nd not sure now where to go with it.

Who posted again about taking a shower? I think I need to go do that. At least it'll help me not smell like last night's smoke anymore.

Gah. Shoot me.

NOW!
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"What could I do if I did not have to do it perfectly? A lot more than I am now."

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Please RSVP here for the Sat 11/22 write-in at Mo'Joe

Tara — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:22:57 -0800

I think I'll be there around 2pm, but I'm not sure. Please let me know if you plan to be there so I can set up accordingly.

Thanks. :)
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Tara ~ Co-ML, Indianapolis

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Aaah! They're taking over!

TheQueen103 — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:08:14 -0800

My FMC and MMC insist on having all kinds of romantic hookups when CLEARLY they are never supposed to be together again. Why do they keep making out?! :{

So let's hear some stories about how YOUR characters decided they knew what was best and took over....
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Nano 2004: Untitled (2k) - Lost miserably
Nano 2006: New Westbridge (37,400) - Almost there!
Nano 2007: Winter in Woodbury (50,063) - Won!!
Nano 2008: Smash (50,070) - Won!!
And now for editing....
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United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

What should Mark do?

Terridactile — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:17:51 -0800

Okay, torn on this one and thought I would throw it out to the Nano universe. Mark and his fiance recently broke up and he is now jobless because he worked for her father. He's a financial sort of guy and not very artistic, creative, etc. But he's always had a dream to ???? I think he is going to take an extended vacation and come back and start graduate school to ??? It's probably not teaching or anything humaitarian, that's more his cousin. It's not law school, his other cousins is an attorney. Any thoughts?
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Terridactile
You're not a real woman unless you can take out the trash in four inch stilettos.

United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Plot Hole...

TheQueen103 — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:24:10 -0800

So my FMC and MMC used to be in a big, long, complicated relationship. They live in different towns, but I need them to run into each other. They already ended up attending the same wedding, and now I need them to wind up in the same place again. Their final meeting is at a club where, unbeknownst to her, he's part of the band playing there for the evening.

I just need something to happen between the first and last meetings...It would be great if it were some sort of event where they had to be there together for a while, not just a quick hello, and preferably with other people around. Anything you guys can come up with would be much appreciated!

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Nano 2004: Untitled (2k) - Lost miserably
Nano 2006: New Westbridge (37,400) - Almost there!
Nano 2007: Winter in Woodbury (50,063) - Won!!
Nano 2008: Smash (50,070) - Won!!
And now for editing....
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United States :: Indiana :: Indianapolis

Is anyone in the writer's union?

Terridactile — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:34:59 -0800

I went on the National Writers Union website, and surprisingly it's not very expensive. Basically, if you make no money at writing (me) it's $120/year. I have an ulterior motive for joining that has nothing to do with nano, but am wondering if anyone else is a members and your feelings about it. The membership requirements is pretty vague, it says you have to published, but underneath says you "have wriitten and are trying to get published." Isn't that just about anyone?
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Terridactile
You're not a real woman unless you can take out the trash in four inch stilettos.