No one's posted in our regional forums yet this year, so I thought I'd break the ice and say hi to all of the abq wrimos, new and returning! So why don't we kick things off with a typical NaNo icebreaker: tel us a little bit about yourself, and what you think you might be writing this year :D
I'm Hugfiend, also known by the various nicknames such as Kid and Oliver, and this is my fifth year doing NaNo, and my second year here in Albuquerque. (Interestingly enough, this is the first time I've done two consecutive years in the same region!) I'm originally from Rhode Island, but I moved here to study languages at UNM. I'm still on the fence about what I'll be writing this year -- either a reboot of an older, failed project about supernatural cops in the 90s, or a prequel to last year's novel involving a five year old murder mystery. I'm leaning toward the second option right now, though.
So, how many wrimos do we have returning to abq this year? And how many of you guys are new faces? Don't be shy :D
----------
2009: The Circumstances of Kenneth Valerie
2008: The Rabbit Effect
2007: Megrez
2006: The Indecent Career of Anchises Tanille
2005: Tomato Soup
18,008 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 11 15
Good idea, Hugfiend. Welcome back to the old hands, and fresh welcome to the newcomers.
I'm Moz, and this too is my fifth year to participate in Nano. Finally became a winner in 2008, yeay!
I pretty much know what I'll be writing about this year, but the plot could go in any number of directions, lol. Suffice it to say it involves Ireland ;)
Looking forward to November and hopefully will see a lot of familiar faces again this year.
;)
----------moz
"it ain't over till the fat lady sings"
-----------------
2009: Eire
2008: That Summer (win)
2007: Recipe for Happiness
2006: One Summer
2005: untitled
38,616 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 13 53
Hello all! I'm Kysis. Last year was my first year, and I managed to do it, so I'm back.
Right now I'm not entirely set in stone about what I'm doing, but it will probably be a fantasy epic no matter what. I am actually starting brainstorming today since I'm sick and can't do anything else, soooooo....
Hopefully I'll get to see a bunch of familiar faces at write-ins! I'm going to see how many of my friends at UNM will be participating this year, and hopefully I'll have my writing buddies (and motivation) this time around.
~Kysis
----------NaNoWriMo '08: Ashes of an Empire (win)
ScriptFrenzy '09: Mikara Falling (win)
NaNoWriMo '09: Missing
5,137 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2009 - 18 45
Hi everyone!
My name is Brittany, and this is my first year in Albuquerque. (I spotted some Hot Air Balloons out the window today and swooned.. I feel like a Newbie. XD )
I just moved here in August, from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and I'm looking forward to November!
I'll possibly be taking classes at CNM, I've got to talk to one of the professors...
I'm writing a Horror/Thriller/Supernatural/Romance about a woman who moves to a new town, buys a house, and starts hearing/seeing things.
----------NaNoWriMo 2004- Untitled (Fail!)
NaNoWriMo 2005- Untitled (Fail!)
NaNoWriMo 2006- The Dragon Saga, part 1 (Win!)
NaNoWriMo 2007- Murder on Lexington Avenue (Win!)
NaNoWriMo 2008- Nursery Rhyme Murders (Fail!)
NaNoWriMo 2009- Shadows in the Dark
41,280 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 17 26
I'm Antoine. I'm pursuing a PhD in biomedical sciences at UNM.
The fact that Nanowrimo is coming again fills me with dread. It was a great experience last year, but it consumed so much time I did not have to spare. I stopped hanging out with anyone who wasn't also writing.
Last year was the first year I managed to ever finish a Nanowrimo - as well as being the first time I had completed such a long piece of fiction. However, in the course of a year, I never got around to polishing or even editing my first draft. I'm considering a re-write - hoping that I learned something last time. Moving on prematurely seems like I'd be abandoning it.
However, if I were to start fresh, I'm fairly certain I'd fail. So I'm still waffling on what to do. Though, odds are likely it will be fantasy with satirical aspirations.
I look forward to meeting other local aspiring writers.
31,942 / 50,000
Oct 4, 2009 - 19 56
Antoine please see the following link! You need the inspiration of Elizabeth Gilbert. I saw her talk this morning (sent to me by someone who understands my need for positive inspiration). Wow! she will set you free.
http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html
Enjoy from one writer to another!
----------Sandy
"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe."
-Gustave Flaubert
18,881 / 50,000
Oct 5, 2009 - 17 18
Hmm, my post was eated. Lets try this again:
I'm Brynna. This is my 4th official NaNo and I won for the first time last year. Will I do it again? Hard to say, because this semester is a doozy. I think this year I will try an old idea for the millionth time. I need to get this story written and it resists! I've tried it twice on NaNo before, each time starting with new material. So now, with my third try, I hope there's still new material to be had! We'll see how this goes...
----------NaNoWriMo 2008: Two Chicks, a Truck Driver, and a Coffee Shop
NaNoWriMo 2009: For When We Have Come
851 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 06 52
Indeed, here we go again. I tried last year, I didn't win because I didn't have a clear direction of where the story was going, and the characters kept running of on tangents. Also, last year, life was way too busy to focus on NaNo.
This time around, life has slowed down, I have a bit more free time, and will be working on this a lot more. This time, I'm planning at least a rough outline to give me a direction, or at least a goal to work towards, rather than letting the characters run amok. At the moment, though, I'm not quite sure what to write about. I normally write sci-fi, but I might try some fantasy or thriller this time. When I get a general plot figured out, I'll be sure to update.
----------The Code Demon Rises.
41,280 / 50,000
Oct 6, 2009 - 10 29
Thanks for the link, Sandy.
I'm afraid I may be too much of a humanist to fully appreciate the point of view she presents.
When she talks of creativity as a 'glimpse of God' or a moment of the divine, I admit I feel a little left out. I'll credit her with being an open theist, on this divine 'thing' being Allah, God, or whatever.
What I can take from the talk is that creativity is externalized in some fashion, that maybe one should look at their idea as an entity that must be understood and reasoned with, then captured and put onto a page.
I suppose I prefer to take absolute responsibility for my works - that if I fail to materialize an idea, it is because of my lack of technical craft, my lack of open mindedness to my world and its inspirations, or even my lack of luck. Whatever it is, I accept my own faults for failing to create and I will gladly accept the misery that comes with it.
She ends on the high note, that even if you are never visited with a glimpse of the divine, or a burst of creativity, it is your job to continue writing and 'Ole' to you, and I can appreciate that.
It mirrors another quote about writing I'm fond of which is (roughly paraphrased), "I don't know where my writing comes from, but I know where it goes. It comes here to this desk and if I'm not here, it will go away again."
47,689 / 50,000
Oct 8, 2009 - 19 06
Hi, I'm Carol Anne, skipper of the racing sloop Black Magic and WriMo-er since 2004. My specialty is murder mysteries of the old-fashioned sort, starting with the highly successful Murder at the Community College (can you tell I teach at CNM?)
I'm looking for a good venue for my community-college instructor/amateur sleuth to find a dead body in this year. I've done the community college, the yacht club, the family reunion, and the little theater. Ideas, anybody? It wants to be someplace full of interesting, quirky characters, one of whom gives about a dozen people reasons to want him/her dead and then ends up dead.
----------Carol Anne
04: The Magnificent What?
05: Murder at the Community College
06: Murder at the Yacht Club
07: Murder at the Family Reunion
08: Murder at the Little Theater
09: Murder on the Sports Desk
12,993 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 10 28
I'm Kerrie, and this is my 3rd year. I only won the first year. Last 2 times I've gotten as far as 5 pages in and then Life intrudes, as usual.
I see no reason why that trend should change this year, but I'm giving it a shot anyway!
Since I'm currently a student, I feel like I need to get the creative juices flowing, even for a month. I'm not sure what I'm going to write - western, historical romance, or even a mystery/adventure with a hiker/backpacker heroine. I'm just playing around at this point.
29,137 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 14 42
Murder at the Coffee Shop, or maybe Murder at the Bus Depot, or even Murder on the Field Trip. That's fun coming up with titles.
29,137 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 14 53
Hello nanowrimos. I'm Jim, your trusted ML. I work in web development, but am trying to quit my day job in favor or writing. Seeings as how I've never been published, I am reluctantly to quit just yet.
I've done nano for four years. Many thanks to rosebug for getting me involved. I live for Novembers; they are such a blast. I always scramble at the end to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Then I sleep for eleven months. Maybe that's why I haven't been published. Something to think about.
This year, I will most likely write the sequel to my novel from last year. Of course, last year I started on one novel and switched after a day. The door is still open. Last year was a fantasy epic, so this year would be also. I've previously done a young adult fantasy and mainstream, uplifting story about overcoming drug addiction. Ask anyone, my characters are always light-hearted and jovial.
Can't wait to see everyone. I even hold out hope that some x-Albuquerque members will make an appearance at some point. :)
39,383 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 18 02
Hey guys, I'm Rick. Starting to get excited about doing this. I participated in nanowrimo about three or four years ago, but didn't get very far. I have no idea what I'm going to write about; I'm traditionally more of a nonfiction writer and big-time journaler, but I think I'm going to give fiction another shot.
The last time I participated I don't think I was aware of any ABQ get-togethers, but I would look forward to meeting somewhere to type away. :)
Best of luck to you all!
Deskdude
38,004 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 21 23
How you guys doing? No idea where to begin so I guess chronologically would be bset.
Born and lived in Ireland until 98 and lived in Santa Fe and ABQ since then with a few extended trips abroad for work. 4 years in Nano but first year doing it in NM. Filled a few pages my first year but life intruded, skipped a year and then knocked out two years of decent writing numbers. 07 was a 53K story about an Irish family in NY facing immigration issues, and last year was a combination of 4 stories totalling over 150K with the main ones being a vampire story based in Antarctica and a story about a group of friends gathering in Vegas to discuss Love and the various aspects of such, other shor stories were more along the lines of self discovery. As you can see, my writing styles are all over the place and my mind is usually the same. I have been a contractor in Iraq for the last 3 years and spent 4 six month seasons in Antractica before that but am now back in NM and living in Santa Fe but working in Rio Rancho again.
This year I am thinking of writing a sequel to my first win and possibly beginning a third story based on the same family and their issues and activities but I am leaning more towards a much depeer and complicated socio political ecomonic story covering all 7 continents and looking into hw little people actually understand about economics and the world outside their own attention span.
Wishing everyone great success this year and looking forward to getting back to writing again and getting to know my neighbors.
Brendan
----------2008. Blade, on Ice. A discussion on Love & Short stories. 150K
2007. Mighy Micks. 53K
47,689 / 50,000
Oct 9, 2009 - 23 01
Kerrie, I teach at a community college, and believe me, Life Intrudes a whole lot with my students. If you find it happening to you, drop me a line, and I can give you some strategies to cope.
Jim, thanks for the suggestions. The field trip angle might work, although introductory English classes typically don't take field trips. Maybe Hannah is asked to go along as an extra chaperon on some other instructor's field trip.
----------Carol Anne
04: The Magnificent What?
05: Murder at the Community College
06: Murder at the Yacht Club
07: Murder at the Family Reunion
08: Murder at the Little Theater
09: Murder on the Sports Desk
851 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2009 - 05 57
@brendanstamp if you can possibly make it to an ABQ get together, i'd love to talk to you about your time in Antarctica.
@CAByrnes Yes life does have a knack for intruding. These strategies to cope would probably benefit us all, let us know...
----------The Code Demon Rises.
38,004 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2009 - 09 39
CDSpace, I work a 4 day week right now so should be able to make the meet and more than happy to pass on info about the Ice.
----------2008. Blade, on Ice. A discussion on Love & Short stories. 150K
2007. Mighy Micks. 53K
14,166 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2009 - 13 24
Hello everyone! I'm Holly and this is my second year. I didn't finished last year, life got in the way, which seems to be a common theme :)
I have a couple of ideas floating around on what to write this year but haven't decided on anything yet.
52,021 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2009 - 17 51
Hi Everyone! I think I am the first "first timer" that I've seen in this post!
Honestly, I had no idea this even existed, but it's a brilliant idea. I've been writing off and on since i was old enough to reach the computer/typewriter and in the last few years have really struggled with finding the time and motivation to focus more on my personal writing.
I work in non profit, and write ALL day long- grants, media pieces, etc. I miss writing from my gut. I hope NaNoWriMo will allow me to do it.
Thus far, I plan on writing a semi serious/semi satire about being a bartender/server. It is the subject I am most familiar on and I am so chock full of stories that I keep hearing "you NEED to right this shit down" everytime I tell them. So I will!
Additionally, I am brand new to New Mexico- been here a week! So if there are any meet ups planned, would love to participate!
----------18,008 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2009 - 20 17
@brendan: hopefully we'll meet at one of the write-ins! my novel this year is about ireland, and my brother lives in ireland. what fun to have a chance to discuss eire with a native son ;)
----------moz
"it ain't over till the fat lady sings"
-----------------
2009: Eire
2008: That Summer (win)
2007: Recipe for Happiness
2006: One Summer
2005: untitled
38,004 / 50,000
Oct 10, 2009 - 20 38
Moz, I work 4 days a week in Rio Rancho and looking forward to the write ins that are coming up. Always more than happy to talk about home and the weird odd people I come from.
----------2008. Blade, on Ice. A discussion on Love & Short stories. 150K
2007. Mighy Micks. 53K
47,689 / 50,000
Oct 11, 2009 - 02 13
Interesting the Irish connection .... My two main characters are both of Irish ancestry, and back in Murder at the Family Reunion, one of the more interesting characters was Uncle Paddy, who had been a 9-year-old spectator at the football match that was the original Bloody Sunday.
----------Carol Anne
04: The Magnificent What?
05: Murder at the Community College
06: Murder at the Yacht Club
07: Murder at the Family Reunion
08: Murder at the Little Theater
09: Murder on the Sports Desk
38,004 / 50,000
Oct 11, 2009 - 04 28
I keep hearing that it is a small world but when you are Irish, it is positively microscopic.
----------2008. Blade, on Ice. A discussion on Love & Short stories. 150K
2007. Mighy Micks. 53K
36,877 / 50,000
Oct 11, 2009 - 09 56
Yes, it definitely is that time! 20 days before the frenzy begins. This is my 6th year. I vividly recall going to an ABQ meeting where everyone was writing about gryphons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin) -- you know the ancient mystical creatures. In fact, some of the then-members (and then-ML) were writing their second or third nano novels on gryphons. I must admit having that WTF reaction. But, none-the-less, I wrote minutes for the meetings and continued on as if that was the Nano norm. Tell me, Dear ML Schnedar, are some of the former Gryphonites still attending??
While donating to the Nano cause yesterday, I ordered the group pack, so I'll have a few extra "I eat Novels for breakfast" buttons that we can use as incentives for most words at a write-in, or some such thing. So, I'll see you at one of the coffee shops or book store sessions. I'm warming up now with 500 words per day so the 1667 isn't such a massive shock to the system. (yeah, I know, I can't count the advance wordage.) I know the nano game....... but, I'm also a Cheetah! hee hee!
----------ZenWoman (aka, ej of ABQ)
04 - "14th Club" - rebel "win"
05 - "the Delphi Technique" (c) 2005
06 - "AKS, Redux" (legit win)
07 - "AKS III: The Quest Continues"
08 - "Copyright 2008" (c) 2008 / semi rebel win ;)
09 - "it's about time!"
38,004 / 50,000
Oct 11, 2009 - 10 15
ZenWoman, they have 3 day writing challenges that may help you hone those number crunching skills too, just for the added self induced pressure of getting things down and done though its not like anyone here to put pressure on ourselves for no reason : )
----------2008. Blade, on Ice. A discussion on Love & Short stories. 150K
2007. Mighy Micks. 53K
29,137 / 50,000
Oct 11, 2009 - 13 23
The Gryphonites might have been before my time. The only one I remember are the bunny-ites, and I'm sure they'll be coming out of their rabbit holes.
4,754 / 50,000
Oct 12, 2009 - 05 19
First year doing NaNoWriMo. I'm not sure why I chose the year where I'll be actually on the road the vast majority of November, but... oh well. It happens I guess.
I have written over 916,000 words in the past 4 years. About a month ago, I wrote 13,000 words in 2 days. I'm figuring this... will not be a problem. The big issue is if I can get my plot moving or not, actually. Well... that and finding something I can stick to like glue, since I usually write oneshot fics. ... And not doing fanfic. *winces* I assume the point is to write an original novel, not a fanfic... which is kind of an issue for me, since I pretty much lack original characters. (I mean... my muses are OCs at heart, but they have bodies modeled after celebrities and the names of them... so... yeah.)
Anyway, I run two websites (co-own one) and I have surrounded myself with all things to do with literature. I'm also a photographer and I have an Electrical Engineering degree... but no job. So, here I am, trying to make a living out of writing and photography, lol.
I have 3 books already self-published.
----------please love me, this blood and the meaning
please love me, this day and this value
...
gasp for breath
~Dir en grey
36,877 / 50,000
Oct 12, 2009 - 12 05
our ML Schnedar said
hmmmm. I think U might have been one ;) R U sure your first nano novel didn't have a gryphon or two lurking around in there?? And, what is our first gathering this year? thx!!! (my halo is on order!!)
----------ZenWoman (aka, ej of ABQ)
04 - "14th Club" - rebel "win"
05 - "the Delphi Technique" (c) 2005
06 - "AKS, Redux" (legit win)
07 - "AKS III: The Quest Continues"
08 - "Copyright 2008" (c) 2008 / semi rebel win ;)
09 - "it's about time!"
31,942 / 50,000
Oct 12, 2009 - 19 57
Ack!! It's only Oct 12th and I am having a tough time keeping up with the emails! LOL This is my second year doing Nano. I managed to write over 50k and plan to continue the trend this year. my nano novel will be book two to last years novel. Last years novel is in pieces now as I am gutting it and rewriting. The agony!
----------I would love to attend some of the write ins ... last year I was new to Nano and had no idea how many people in Albuquerque there were involved in Nano!
My only difficulty is my job. I work for an airline and have a schedule that seems to defy normal. Weekends? Nights? I can be found at the airport. Writing is the job I want ... putting people on planes is the job I have! LOL until I get published I will have to bow to the job that pays my bills ...
At any rate I hope to make at least one or two of the write ins so if there are ever any on Wednesdays or Thursdays ... let me know!!
It's nice to know this city is chock full of Nanoers!
Good luck everyone!
Sandy
"The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe."
-Gustave Flaubert
47,689 / 50,000
Oct 12, 2009 - 22 42
Sandy --
I too have strange working hours, so I can't get to an evening get-together until after, say, 10 p.m. (Because of the strange hours I'm typically online, some people have suspected I'm a vampire.)
Perhaps if there's enough interest, we could have some write-ins at hours other than weekday evenings.
----------Carol Anne
04: The Magnificent What?
05: Murder at the Community College
06: Murder at the Yacht Club
07: Murder at the Family Reunion
08: Murder at the Little Theater
09: Murder on the Sports Desk