Greetings, brave NaNoWriMo novelists of the South Bay! Welcome to NaNo, or welcome back for 2009! I'm Lisa, aka marcopolo, and I'm one of your municipal liaisons for the South Bay, along with Ian, aka idunno. The two of us will be posting lots more regional NaNo information in the coming days, but since the site has just relaunched, I wanted to get our forum started with a thread for introductions. Please tell us a little bit about yourself!
This will be my 8th NaNoWriMo and my 3rd year as ML. The fun of fast-paced noveling and the awesome people I've met through NaNo mean that November is my favorite month of the year. I'm lucky enough to get to spend the other 11 months working on novels as well. When I'm not writing, I watch a lot of movies from Netflix and play a lot of Rock Band in my home in Santa Clara.
For next month's novel, I've decided on the main characters and the situation they're in, and I'm planning to figure out what happens to them as I go. There's bound to be a lot of fights between significant others, adult children resenting their parents, worrying, guilt, and probably some sex. Maybe some Rock Band, too.
Who are you? Do you have ideas about what you're going to write?
%) Lisa/marcopolo
----------
7,000 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 05 42
Hi everyone!
I'm Steph or skneal, resident overachiever. This will be my 4th Nano, and I've won every year so far.
My story is a romance set in my alternate world and all I know is that the story begins with a man running away just as a building explodes behind him. (I'm thinking it's probably a James Bond spy type story, but who knows?)
I look forward to the writing craziness! And for those keeping track... my goal this year is 1 - 50k novel (a murder mystery) and 1 - 75k novel (romance).
----------2006 - Star Fire - 65k
2007 - Demon's Desire - 100k
2008 - Dead Lines -125k
2009 - Gideon's Gambit - 54k
2009 - Just Desserts - 46k
The Beatings Will Continue Until Word Count Improves!
47,002 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 06 04
Yay, the site's up!
I'm Kandybar or Kit, and this will be my seventh year participating. I've won five of the last six (my first year the flu and a concussion tried to eat me) and hope to continue my winning streak this year. Since last Nano I've finished a non-Nano story and edited the heck out of my '06 NaNovel, which I hope to be submitting to agents by November (poke me if I haven't by the time we get started!). Other than that, I work as an aerospace engineer here in Sunnyvale and spend a lot of time doing silly things.
For this year's Nano, I'm rewriting 2004's NaNovel. The original draft is pretty much a wash so I'm just starting over from scratch and hoping the whole thing makes more logical sense this time around.
----------Master and Founder of NaNo Zen
NaNo 2009: Boughs of Fate, rewrite of 2004 NaNovel Phoenix Lost
49,117 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 06 58
This is Bill, signing in for my third year. I'm going to have a LOT less time this year due to personal issues, and I still have no idea what I'm going to write about. Hopefully that's something that I can consider over the next 30 days! I'm eager to hear about the kickoff party--these days everything for me has to be planned way in advance. But I'm excited about the new Nano season and hopefully I can come up with something before it starts!
Bill
48,227 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 07 14
I'm Ian, or idunno, the other ML for the South Bay, and I want to echo Lisa's welcome. We will indeed be posting lots of stuff here, and sending out a fair number of regional emails, to keep you guys in the loop over the course of this year's event.
This is my 8th nano, and my 6th as an ML. October used to be my favorite month (Halloween plus my birthday), but then I discovered NaNoWriMo. This is a great creative outlet, and I've loved every year. This time round I have the added complications of being on the lookout for a job (Crumbling economy, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways...) and being a newly minted father of two (Sleep deprivation, how do I hate thee? Let me coun-Zzzzzzz.). I'm wondering if this will be the first year where I DON'T win nano.
I have no idea what I'm going to write about yet. I keep meaning to think about it, but haven't gotten around to it. The last couple of nanos I've used an outline, and I find that helps me immensely when it comes to putting together a coherent first draft.
I look forward to meeting you all electronically and in person at the write-ins and other gathering events!
Ian
----------idunno, co-ML for California :: South Bay
2009 Novel: The Stephen Hawking Detective Agency
16,383 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 21 37
Hi, everyone. I'm Brian and this is my first NaNo, as well as my first real attempt at writing any fiction. I'm much more of a poet, generally. I have a couple of characters starting to take form in my head and some ideas of various sorts I'd like to work into something, but no real ideas as far as plot goes, yet. I'm just going to wing it and see what happens.
----------A moment is all it takes to touch someone's life.
A link to my book of poetry, "Breathing Into The Sunlight", if you're interested:
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/351878
5,452 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 11 34
Woot, the site is up! I'm Jon, windral, windy, or just plain win. This is my ...fifth? Nano. I hit 50K once. I had a long list of excuses for the other years, but it wasn't backed up and I lost it in a tragic power outage.
I have no plot as yet, but I think I'm going to do some weird steampunk/zombie mashup. I'm considered a "regular" at the all-year write-ins, which pretty much means the people there recognize me, but I'm a slacker and don't end up going more often than not. I plan to attend as many write-ins as possible during November. If any get scheduled for Red Rock in Mt. View, I'll be there, even if I'm working - because hey! I work at Red Rock now! Go me!
Anyway. Hope to see some old faces, some new people, and lots and lots of words in the next couple months.
windy
----------Meals are books for the body.
"Lies are attempts to hide the truth by willfully denying facts. Fiction, on the other hand, is an attempt to reveal the truth by ignoring facts." -John Green
43,200 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 11 43
Hello! I'm Sandra, and I'm new to the area, but not to NaNo--I've participated every year since 2006, but something always came up: exams, exams, then moving to Mountain View. This year I have no reason to focus on something else, and I'm determined to reach my goal!
Right now I am split between two ideas: an Austenesque adaptation, or a novel relating to video games (not Rock Band, in this case, although it is awesome). I'm leaning towards the latter, since a lot of my personal life is fully immersed in the topic. In both cases, I have a fairly good idea of what the main character is like, and who she is, but not a lot of information on what happens to them.
Good luck to everyone in deciding... I know I will need some.
- wordium
7,002 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 13 57
Hey there! I'm Kristina and this is my 4th NaNo. I won the first two years; last year, I made it to about 20k. I was disappointed but taking 18 credits at uni and having a horrendous flu (induced by lack of sleep, which itself was induced by trying to finish my schoolwork and keep up with NaNo) can get in the way of functioning like a human. I wish I'd hit 50k but, word count aside, I got part of an interesting draft of out last NaNo and that is what it's all about. Going for my 3rd win this year. :)
I'm an English Lit major at SJSU, an aspiring author and editor, and all-around geek. I can't wait for NaNo this year. I have no idea what I'll be writing (I'm thinking something dystopian) but I'm excited to find out!
Looking forward to meeting all of you! Happy noveling and DFTBA!
----------2009: Untitled dystopian project
Plot: Distant future, internal combustion engines banned. Story begins when MCs inadvertently reinvent the engine and incite a revolution.
Protagonist: Darity Porter
Fuel: Nos energy drink and Halloween candy
Author mo
0 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 15 17
I love this witty program and I know that soon, yes, very very soon, my story will appear to me in a perfectly clear voice, the voice of a confident narrator who knows her characters so well that they jump off the page and...
Then what happens?
38,235 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 15 39
::waving:: Hellooooo! Coastermeg, aka, Meg, here for my fifth (?) year participating in NaNo hijinks. I keep coming up with terrific titles and amazing first lines, then forget them when something ooooh! pretty! shiny! comes along. I will probably keep my same main characters (Betha and Evan) and toss in some new friends that they meet along the way. Which way would that be? Um... thataway --> I think. Maybe. Who knows... they've surprised me in previous years, I expect they'll do the same again this year!
I'm still tossing around the possibility of hosting a write-in down in South County this year (Morgan Hill ennyone?), just like last year, however, that's not locked in yet.
- Meg
----------Winner 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Winner-to-be, 2009!
Write on!
39,635 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 15 55
Yay! NaNovember is back! First of all, a huge Thank You to Lisa and Ian for being ML's again! You all do such a great job.
----------This will be my 4th Nano, and so far I have been lucky enough to win the first three. This year's story is... of course... a Nascar Romance... what else? LOL!
I cant wait to see everyone at the meet-n-greet and hopefully there will be a midnight write-in on Halloween!
Take Care Everyone,
Carol
1667 Words a Day!!
0 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 18 38
I AM BACK IN THE BAY AREA FOR NANO HELL YESSSSS
To those of you who don't know me: Hello, I am the magical Dylan. My powers are sadly limited to being awesome and exploding, but I get along just fine.
To those of you who do: I'm 20 now. HOW OLD DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?
44,000 / 50,000
Oct 2, 2009 - 21 34
I'm still tossing around the possibility of hosting a write-in down in South County this year (Morgan Hill ennyone?), just like last year, however, that's not locked in yet.
- Meg
Ooh! That would be awesome!
Alright, not much of an introduction there, starting over: Hello everyone, my name is InkyBear, the wannabe artist formerly known as Becki, and I hail from good 'ol Gilroy. This is my first year attempting NaNoWriMo and while I'm currently feeling pretty pumped up about it, I expect at around 7 in the morning that excitement will wear away and that jitteryness won't return until about 9:30 pm when I start getting delusional.
Anyway, it's nice to know there are others out there not too far away just as pumped to get this underway and that even if I am crazy in considering giving this go, at least I'm not alone in said madness. :)
----------9,600 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 08 03
Hi, everyone! Sparky here. I've participated in the past 4 NaNos, winning in the past three years but never by a strict interpretation of the goal (50,000+ words of narrative resulting in a completed work). Same as idunno, I'm an idle new dad. This means I have no excuse not to win NaNo this year, unless I get work before December 1. And, Dylan, when my little girl is your age, I'll be 60 and too feeble to keep up with her and thank you so much for bringing it up.
30,000 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 08 13
Hey! My name is ravenxwriter or Nina, and I am participating in NaNo for the second time. I'm a freshman this year, and I'm worried I might not be able to devote as much time as I would like to NaNo, but I am absolutely determined to win.
----------"You laugh when I haven't been funny and you answer right off. You never stop to think of what I've asked you."-Clarisse McClellan, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
30,287 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 10 01
Hello, Qualroh, Qual, Q, or...if you insist, Melissa, or just ol Mel. This is my first NaNo. I've had a story in my head for about oh...10 years now, guess it's time to get it on paper finally. I had a friend who participated last year in austrailia, which turned me on to NaNo, trying to get a friend in NY to participate too. Gonna try to hit the write-ins and what not. Near the middle of the month, i hope someone will break out the whip and help me keep goin!
Looking forward to meeting some of you.
----------Erondon's Prophecy: Blackthorne's Peace
4,454 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 18 47
Hi everyone, I'm Shannon, and I'm returning to NaNoWriMo after a three-year hiatus. My first (and only) year was in 2005, and I had a marvelous time and came out a winner. Then I decided to go to law school, so NaNo was no more for me. But now, I'm done with school, have a gig that should cooperate with evening and weekend writing sessions (for the most part), and I'm really looking forward to November!
I have no idea what I'm going to write about yet, but I suspect it will be something legal just because I can draw from my daily experiences for it. Now that it is October, I will start thinking about it more so I'm ready to go come Nov. 1!
-Shannon
108,054 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 19 12
I'm Anna and this is my fourth NANO, the last three here in the South Bay (where the best ML's reside...) and my first back in the UK.
So far I'm three for three. For 2009 I'm finishing up an unplanned trilogy that came out of nowhere. All I have to do is figure out the time line, but characters and basic plot are fairly settled. The story takes place in Oregon in late 1979 through early 1981, and I'm planning on incorporating the Iran Hostage Crisis, John Lennon's death as well.
If something from that time period rings a bell, drop me a line. Right now I'm audioscrobbling those months, trying to get into a late 70's, early 80's mood.
http://www.last.fm/user/annascottgraham
Trying to avoid Journey and REO Speedwagon. So far, so good...
Happy noveling everyone!
----------One can never drink too much tea....
60,761 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 00 03
Greetings, everyone, so good to be back among those who understand!
I'm Diane, a.k.a. mootmom or some variant thereof. This will be my eighth NaNoWriMo, but sadly the past two years I was a non-finisher. This year I predict a strong finish, though: just about everything in my life has changed in the past year (and the things that haven't yet changed will probably also change in the coming year), so I ought to have plenty of raw material to draw upon as inspiration. (And for further inspiration, I am parked in Prague just now, for another couple weeks, during which I hope to absorb enough central European flavor to infuse this year's novel with quirky goodness.)
Before the forums were wiped for 2009, I posted a find of a coffeeshop in downtown San Jose where the proprietor is eager to welcome us for a weekly write-in, so as soon as we choose a SJ evening (not Tues. or Fri.) I'll contact him and make the arrangements. (Sooner would be better than later, so he doesn't promise his upstairs area to others.)
I might give The Night of Writing Dangerously a miss this year, but if so might want to plan a South Bay many-hour write-in at the same time, anyone else up for that when the time comes?
Hey, it's almost time to write! Can't wait to see you all again.
--moot/Diane.
7,002 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 13 45
Moot: I remember seeing that thread and was incredibly excited for the downtown write-ins (it was at Cafe Trieste, right?). Very convenient for SJSU students like myself. Also, I'm totally up for a marathon write-in! I went to the Night of Writing Dangerously last year and enjoyed it but I'm not sure if I'll be able to go this year. It would be nice to have another marathon day for people who can't make the official event.
I'm looking forward to anything and everything the South Bay'll throw at me. I didn't finish last year either so I'm pretty determined to turn that around. :)
----------2009: Untitled dystopian project
Plot: Distant future, internal combustion engines banned. Story begins when MCs inadvertently reinvent the engine and incite a revolution.
Protagonist: Darity Porter
Fuel: Nos energy drink and Halloween candy
Author mo
82,185 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 20 17
Ahoy, all!
I'm Alan, newly graduated and returned to the South Bay. I was at school in San Luis Obispo for the past five years, which is a wonderful place to live and a rather less wonderful place to meet fellow WriMos. I'm back in Santa Clara now, working as an engineer in Palo Alto, and really looking forward to November. I'd love to meet fellow writers in the area, so I'll do my darnedest to get myself to any write-ins!
As for my actual novel, I'm debating between three choices. One is a Gulliver's Travels type tale about a dimension-hopping, possibly-mad scientist that I've been tossing around since 2005. The others are novels I've already started (steampunk fantasy for one, near-future science fiction for the other), but I'm only on the first or second chapters, so it wouldn't be breaking the rules TOO much.
I've been missing SLO since I moved back, but I'm excited to be in Silicon Valley for NaNoWriMo!
----------Drunkard's Walk
A multi-genre collection of stories concerning Christopher Meriwether Livingstone Battersby: a historian and sometimes-inventor with the unfortunate tendency of randomly jumping to alternate worlds.
47,002 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 20 57
Diane -
I was just thinking to myself that I'd like to do the Night of Writing Dangerously again but wondering if it would be worth it/if I would be able to do it, so doing a local South Bay writing marathon sounds lovely.
----------Master and Founder of NaNo Zen
NaNo 2009: Boughs of Fate, rewrite of 2004 NaNovel Phoenix Lost
5,219 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 22 35
Hi everyone! I'm Megan. I'm new to the area, if not precisely to NaNoWriMo (I participated in '03, '04, and a brief attempt in '06), having just moved from Oregon to Palo Alto to start law school in August. Seems like the logical time to attempt NaNo again, doesn't it? No? Well, at least it should be interesting... I mean, sleep is overrated anyway.
I've only got a thumbnail sketch of my novel so far, but I know it will be Fantasy. Typically I write short stories in that genre, and all three of my previous NaNo novels were fantasy as well. I can't wait to get started!
Looking forward to meeting everyone!
0 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 23 15
Hi! I'm Tiff, 25, living in SJ and working in Los Gatos. It's my third year at NaNo - my first year I really didn't try and the second I won and was knocked on my butt from it, so this year I'm aiming for something in the middle and just seeing how far I can get. Last year I focused too long on the non-fantasy side of things, so this time I hope to go into Nov with more solid direction (unlikely, but oh well) so I can play with some fantasy elements. I'm kinda shy so I don't know if I'll make it to meetups, but they sound like they could be good times.
49,036 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 23 44
Hello all,
I'm Shiral aka Melissa. This will be my fifth year of Nanoing. I live in Mountain View. I am hoping I come up with a better Nanonovel this year than my '08 effort. I finished and won --so far I'm four for four--because my pals at Barefoot Coffee would have razzed me to death if I didn't, but I didn't much like the novel, and abandoned it as of December 1.
Much as I love Nano, I'm a little torn about letting my ongoing writing projects lie fallow for the duration. I have a vague idea of what I'll do, but that's no guarantee.
One thing I know, at some point in the novel, Cliff Brooks will die.
Melissa
----------You can have a sound mind in a healthy body.... Or you can be a Nanonovelist!
Nanowrimo--Eavesdrop on the Voices In Your Head
45,654 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 07 05
Hello, i'm Kate, and i'm a prodigal SoBaNaNoer. I lived in California for most of my life, up to and including my first NaNo in 2006. In the summer of 2007, i moved to NYC, and did the next two NaNos there. But this year, i'm spending the last two weeks of November in California, so i'm throwing my name in here too.
I have no idea what i'm going to write this year, but that's how i roll. My most successful NaNo was my first, and i had no idea what i was going to write until plot bunnies woke me up at 5:30am on November 1st. As the years go by, i start thinking of ideas farther and farther ahead, and my novels get worse and worse, more and more painful to write, and i have more and more 0 word days. Maybe my return to CA will help arrest that trend.
----------Not the sharpest clown in the happy meal.
40,294 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 18 38
Hi, I'm Joanie. I'm a lecturer in English and creative writing at San Jose State. This is my very first nano, and I plan to write a novel based on my experiences as a bellydancer. Truly, I have no idea whether I can finish it, but I'm willing to try.
----------"I never put off til tomorrow what I can do the day after."
Oscar Wilde
82,185 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 20 27
I might give The Night of Writing Dangerously a miss this year, but if so might want to plan a South Bay many-hour write-in at the same time, anyone else up for that when the time comes?
Mootmom: Didn't read your post properly when I first posted, so I skipped over this. I am very interested in a weekly write-in! We tried to do that down in SLO, but it never really got off the ground. I'm also unlikely to make it to the Night of Writing Dangerously, but an overnight write-in elsewhere sounds awesome. I don't know this area all that well, but if you need any help planning things, please ask!
----------Drunkard's Walk
A multi-genre collection of stories concerning Christopher Meriwether Livingstone Battersby: a historian and sometimes-inventor with the unfortunate tendency of randomly jumping to alternate worlds.
50,440 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 21 03
Hi All!
I'm Ashley or Nicole or Nikki or... well, many other names.
Let's say that I'm familiar with NaNoWriMo, and we'll call this my first year. Is that allowed? I think it should be, if it's not.
I have a couple ideas kicking around in my head. One is for a set of characters, a setting and a vague plot. The other is for a great wedding scene. I bet they could fit together.
Let's see... writing about myself, I live in Mountain View and work in SF.
Yup, that's all!
59,228 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 12 23
Traveller Blues here. NaNoWriMo is like a live wire -- once you get on the writing wagon, the words run like wild horses (or perhaps in my case, unicorns).
This'll be year 7 for me -- and this year I want to cross the finish line with a bona fide finished novel, instead of 50,000+ words with an unfinished ending like I've done the past three years in a row.
The good:
I already know how Cliff Brooks is going to die. :)
My software release doesn't take up November. I actually have writing time.
The bad:
I'm scared of my plot. It has the potential to be huge, and I don't even have my main characters fined down yet.
-Traveller