Introduce Yourself!

I'm Sweetgum, high school junior and first-time NaNoer from Orcutt. I'm going to be seventeen on November 2 (what a birthday, huh?) and I'm looking forward to that sweet, sweet moment of starting in on 50K of tasty plot. For now, I content myself with obsessive outlining.

I'm working on an accidental teenaged time traveler from SB who's doing her best to expose the truth behind the controlling government that sprang up while she was tripping the space-continuum fantastic. And it is no picnic dodging those damn secret agents, either.

Hi!
I'm Angy, seventeen, in my last year of high school, and this will be my second year of NaNo. I have no idea what I'm doing this year. I will probably do something about artsy musicians who are far too pretentious for their own good. That's about all.

Hi, Angy! I don't think we "met" last year; I don't recall your name--but I've forgotten QUITE A LOT in the past year, so don't feel slighted!

Your idea sounds very cool and sufficiently vague to let you go in all kinds of directions. I think I'll have to steal it--I had many delusions of grandeur (with some pretentiousness, but it was mostly internal delusions) when I was younger, some of them involving music. (I still must have some of the delusions; I still own the two guitars involved.) I'm structuring my novel as loosely connected stories, so one of them easily could be about a deluded wannabe musician, even if that's only part of his (or her) character and doesn't have much at all to do with the thread of the story. See how that works? Do a post, let somebody steal your vague ideas; then steal some back! Then, after THAT 100 words is written, steal 499 more ideas!

Good luck, and welcome!

Too overeager on the "post comment" button--posted same message 3 times.

Unable to delete--duplicate posting

You might remember me from last year, or not, but I'm still here, going to be plugging away at my desk. glancing occasionally over the building and trees at the ocean once again. Actually, I had committed myself to not doing NaNo this year, because of my course load (three papers due at the end of the month!) but I ended up dropping one of those classes and decided I had to do something instead and what better than NaNo, eh?

This of course means I have no concept, no plot, and no characters. But November is still a week away, there is yet time to procrastinate and play some video games!

Your last sentence sums up the WriMo Experience SO nicely!

Hi Andy

The server is really slow today. Slow to load pages...

I'm Erik.
I finished a few years ago but was really focused on a murder mystery. I
I'm back with little to no focus and an ungodly and unforgiving work schedule.

...sounds like NaNo season to me!

Worst case I'll write journal style entries with the hopes of re-working them later into a completed piece.

Been reading O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series since the summer. Fun to read something sequential, never ending, and interspersed with correspondence as a vehicle to move the plot along.

0 down, 50k to go...
At least were all tied right now!
-e

Hi, I'm Megan. Last year I won NaNo for the first time in 5 years of trying. I don't have any ideas yet, so I'm getting a little nervous about getting started. I have, however, started to map out the time in my life required to produce 50K words.

Congrats on winning and on perseverance! They're BOTH good!

To newcomers (and those who have not yet "won"): Mapping out time in advance probably is much more important than having absolutely any idea what you're going to write about. Park butt in chair: Words will come. They may not be good words--probably won't be, in fact, but isn't that what NaNoWriMo is all about?--but they'll come, that's what counts. (Pun kind of intended.)

Hi all! I'm Brigitte, an 18-year old college freshman. This is my first time participating in NaNoWriMo, and I'm super excited. I know I'm going to be extremely busy, but that's perfectly fine. I can feel the pressure building up inside already! Considering I had made plans earlier this year to participate, then changed my mind (and changed my mind again as you can see) I don't know what it is I'm going to write about by any means. Yet, that's perfectly fine. The words ought to just flow in broken shards (that probably won't make any sense at all. ): )

So, hello! How are you all?

Hallo! I'm Mab (or Anna or whatever else) Um... First year nano~~ I don't think I'll get very far because I have very bad story ADD, about 20 pages worth of papers to write, and currently writing several other stories. Anyways, I'm 19, English/Comp Lit double major at UCSB (which is why I joined the Santa Barbara team ;;;; )

My story was actually spawned from several things, including a lot of ideas from the Religious Approaches to Death class I took last year, a short story I wrote for a contest at my writing guild, and the anime Eureka Seven (rofl what a hodge podge). It's about this boy who is completely ordinary and is kidnapped by this mysterious group--but the operation goes wrong and only half of his memories are erased and he ends up in the hands of an entirely different group. Um, it's really hard to explain and I fail at explaining things.... ;;;;; but I do have an outline posted here in my LJ and it has a bunch of character information and terms that have been explained. I still need to figure out why Sam (and the girl Beryl Dawn) was kidnapped.... ;;;;

Anywho, FAITO!!! (victory) And if any one else goes to UCSB, let's meet up :D

Hey Anna! I attend UCSB as well. Sadly, I live in FT... which is a million miles away it feels like. ): Anyway, I'm excited to get started already!!

haha! I lived in FT last year! I live in Tropicana Gardens right now! And yes, that bike ride is a pain in the morning, is it not? D8

On topic:
Wow, thanks for the warm welcome writerdude. I've been playing guitar for a while now and I'm always a little surprised and embarrassed when it works my way into my writing. But they say write about what you know. So I oblige. But I think everyone should have delusions/aspirations of being a musician at least once. Because, even if you don't become famous, you still have lots of instruments to play around with.

Compteley off topic:
I love O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin novels! My parents shoved them into my hands alone with Hornblower with the admonishment "read or die child!" And I read. And didn't die, because I love them soooo much. Good literature right there.

Eh, why not.

Hi, I'm Ross, I moved to Santa Barbara about a couple of months ago. This is my second year participating, I don't know what I'm going to write about* and I have no time to be doing this at all but I'm still doing it anyways. I love hopeless causes.

* okay, that's sort of a lie. I have several idea floating around in the primordial ooze that is my mind. I think I'll do the honorable thing and not develop them any further until November 1st when I'm sitting in front of the keyboard.

Hi everyone. I'm Jen. This is my first time, and I'm so excited! I have no idea what I'm going to write about. I am attempting to take time today and tomorrow to put an outline together. My thoughts have been floating around a paranormal storyline. Witches, vampires, psychics, full moons, healing trees....... Hopefully I will have something put together before Thursday.
Good luck guys! :D

Hi all... I'm ilana, and... wait... wrong meeting.

No, seriously. This is my third year doing Nano. I managed to "win" the first two, but there is not a snowball's chance in hell that I will make it even to the halfway point this year due to a crazed work/ travel schedule, and presumed prioritizing of life choices... ahem.

So here I am. And the worst part is, there is this novel that is just itching to be written. Sigh. I'll do what I can. Good luck to all.

I grew up in Santa Barbara but I moved away in 1987 and live up in San Jose now. I'll be down in S.B. visiting my parents for the Thanksgiving holidays, so if you have any write-ins during that weekend, I hope to be there! This is my first time with Nanowrimo. I'm a librarian and another co-worker told me about the program. Of course, I had to join right away (of course!) I'm more in the fantasy genre (being a long-time D&D player) and am writing a sequel to another story I wrote in 2004, so I know the characters and have a fairly good idea of their motivations. Unfortunately, my daughter is turning 8 on November 2nd (I seem to recall someone else here with that same birthday) and that may hinder my 1st week writing time! (I enjoy being with her of course!)

Take care, and happy writing,

Bill

Welcome, Bill. I'm pleased to have you call our little region "home" for NaNoWriMo (and I'm not putting it up for a vote...).

THANKSGIVING events? I'm just getting around to posting a kickoff party for the 1st! Watch the "Events" button at the bottom of the home region page. Something likely will be happening around then, but smallish, because lots of people travel and have weird obligations like family and friends . . .

Thanks for joining us, and good luck!

Hey All! I'm Tyler. 52 year old child going to try to write the novel I never finished (and lost) five years ago. I know some of the characters but still don't know where, why, or how they end up. We'll all find out together this month. I'll try to be at Mell's on thursday for the kick-off party with bartender Doug and, of course, all you crazies.

Hi, I'm Chad... 31 and in Goleta, and my nano started sort of writing itself in my head around Labor Day, it turns out...

(and I did nano last year... showed up at some meetups, and won. woot!)

Hi guys

Casey - 16 year old SMHS student. I did NaNo last year, but I only got to ~10,000 words. Hopefully this year will be better :)

I'm planning on writing about a young teen who abandons his home to "ride the rails" and hitchhike across the country in the '50s. However, the cover came off my Y key, so I can't type very quickly anymore. We'll see!

Hello Everyone,
My name's Gail, long-time Santa Barbara resident. I've participated on and off in this crazy adventure the past several years, but never made it to the end. I've always had good excuses like too much work and not enough time. This year for some reason, I'm really going to try hard, in spite of working 50+ hours a week and going to school full time. There's not enough time to do everything already, so what's one more project? Crazy. But it's sure going to be a lot of fun.
Good luck to all!

Hello, old and new friends!

I'm Emiko. This is my fourth NaNoWriMo, and my fourth and final year at UCSB. :-( I won NaNo in 2005 (beginning of my sophomore year). I live in Manzanita Village this year, and I'm majoring in Japanese because I'm good at languages. I'm not sure what I want to do after college, maybe eventually be a translator.

I *thought* "Bridging the Spheres" was going to be another sci-fi novel, but I find myself writing an Age of Sail story. Granted, it takes place on an alien planet that has both land and sea-based civilizations, and the sentient sea creatures are fictional science elements, but the most advanced technology that will appear in the story is a Jules-Verne-esque submarine (and an elevator and an MP3 player, but those are dares and not a normal part of the story's world). There will also be sailing ships, cannons, and swords. I'm so excited about this story.

Hi, folks,
I'm Danielle, 48 yrs old, have one husband, one 7-year old, and have 3 part time jobs so I can be a stay home mom.

This is my 3rd year in the contest.

The first year, I started late with a great story that just popped into my head. I didn't win, but was pleased with the word count.

Second year, I came in with a huge outline on a Viking story, but spent way too much time researching Vikings online, which is fascinating in itself but resulted in very low word count.

This year....I have no story, no plot, characters who do not or should not speak, and no outline. (I do however have photographs, because I was going to do a children's picture book.)

I have decided to get up at 6am each day, write my 1,667 words between 6 and 7am, and stop for the day. Then I can go around the rest of the day singing to myself, "I wrote my words, I wrote my words!"

And if somewhere between child care, home business, laundry, dishes and meals I can write more words...it's a bonus!

Cheers!

Hey, everyone!

I'm Mel. I'm 29, working professional type from Goleta. This is my third year doing NaNo, though I took last year off. I see some alums here again - Emiko, AJ...hi guys! My genre is once again fantasy, though this one borders on mainstream fiction infused with fantasy. My Muse is suffering from headdesk, probably since I haven't had much time to write til now.

I don't have a laptop this year, sadly. But I'd love to come out to write-ins. The only good times for me are after 6 on weekdays and on weekends, preferably mornings. Drop me a line if you're looking for a writing buddy. ;)

Cheers!
Mel

Hi all, don't know how I missed this thread.
I'm Marcy (SerendipitySB) one of the Muddy Waters crew. This is my third nano. First year I won. Second year I didn't do it purely I just used the time to flesh out my 05 novel so I didn't post any word counts. I've spent the last year polishing that novel and think it's pretty good, and so this year I've jumped in again and am making it work. I will have 50,000 of words of squishy crap, but somewhere in there will be a kernel I can pop.

Glad to see so many of us here. Keep it up, one word at a time!!!!! And don't forget song lyrics.
go to the Forum about Plot Fixing, there is a dare thread there, and I've taken a few and written some interesting scenes with them. Also creativewritingprompts.com has some good word prompts and I use them to get the juices flowing.

See you all on the other side of a novel.

Marcy

Hi, I'm LongOne. I'm from Santa Maria, actually, but my cousins live down with you guys! I probably won't be participating this year because I've already started on my novel, but look for me in 2009 for the second in my series of "The Clan" novels!

Jedi Master LongOne