United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

December First.

starrschaos — Mon, 1 Dec 2008 05:45:51 -0800

Today we wake up and face a new world; December. NaNoWriMo for 2008 has come to an end and another novel is in the books. Well, for some of us.
As an ML it's hard to sit here and realize that yet again I did not win, but as all those in my shoes must realize, there is more to a goal than just its completion. I see that this is my first EVER novel to reach such a high word count. This is my first ever time of getting 25,000 words, and best of all this is the first NaNo that I didn’t quit when I got behind. I knew in week 3 that I would not make 50,000 but I kept going, kept writing, kept pushing to surpass last year's word count. And you know what? It feels kind of good.
For those of you who won, who reached their goal and have earned the label 'Winner', I offer you my most sincere congratulations on a hard fought job well done. To the rest of us I say, good job, good effort, and there is always next year.
I almost don’t want November to be over, yes my house will again be clean, I'll have a chance to work on some other projects and slowly I'll push to finish what I started on my Novel, but getting to meet so many of you in the Write-ins was wonderful. Thank you to all who participated, both online and in person. Without you, Nano would be an individual effort, not the community it is.
I am working on plans for a TGIO party and will post to the forums later this week. Keep your eyes peeled.
Finally please remember the wonderful hard working people at The Office of Letters and Light. Without them we would not have this group. Please take a moment to Donate, or make a purchase from the store. St. Petersburg has only donated $35 thus far and without donations, next year's NaNo will not happen.

Thank you all and again, congratulations!
Harmony (StarrsChaos)
St. Petersburg ML

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"Scars don't make the man y'know? It's how the man bears the scars."
"There is no such thing as day without night, joy without pain, or success without loss, but that will never make it easier for the heart."

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Tuesday evening write-in Time/Location change (again!!!!!!!)

starrschaos — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:26:17 -0800

This is just a heads up that the ML lead write-in for Tuesdays night has been changed.

EDIT: Though it was wonderful to have a write-in and actually have people there (THANK YOU GIRLS (and girls ride)) but having to pay for wireless access??? "How 'bout no, Scott." So i've moved it again, just across the street. We should be close enough to Panera to use theirs if B&N does not have it. WOOO! fun.

Location: Barnes & Noble by Tyrone Mall (2501 Tyrone Boulevard St Petersburg, FL 33710 )
Time: 8:30pm - 10pm

As before, we'll be in the Cafe area and I'll have signs out on the table to help you all find us.
I look forward to seeing you there!

Oh, and if you wanna show early its fine by me, i just work till 8 and its a 30 min drive so... yeah.

StarrsChaos (ML)
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"Scars don't make the man y'know? It's how the man bears the scars."
"There is no such thing as day without night, joy without pain, or success without loss, but that will never make it easier for the heart."

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Half Way Home

starrschaos — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:48:01 -0800

Welcome to the half way point everyone. Fifteen days left of this crazy ride and what do we have to show for it? Well, it is my hope that most of you have about 25,000 thus far.

I've been keeping an eye out and some of you are doing so very well. Pat yourselves on the back and keep going, the end is closer than you think. For those of you who, like me, are a bit behind, Do not Despair. There are still 15 days to go and if you work hard you will catch up.

I am personally struggling with fear, and I wish to share that with you all briefly. My fear is that anything I write after this point will spoil what has come before. I had a few very hard scenes to write and once done, they came out so… heart wrenchingly wonderful that I truly fear that nothing else I write in November will compare. But that is ok! Now is the time for me to just write, to just get words on paper and let December decide what is worth keeping and what needs to be reworked. I know this, and I am ok with it.

Are you struggling with your own internal editor? Are your plot bunnies laying down on the job? Has your main character died of a mysterious illness completely unplanned by you? Don’t let it stop you, just keep writing. Write, and when you can’t seem to put any more words to paper, change the song on your ipod and just keep going. You never know what wonderful things will happen, if you never let them.
Good luck, and word speed.

StarrsChaos
http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Challenge - Help me honor a true hero

starrschaos — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:38:13 -0800

I would like to share with you the following post and ask that anyone who is interested join the challenge.

http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3129303

I know many of us have lost friends or family, or know someone who has. I know this story has hit home for me.

I've taken the challenge and Specialist Jon Lee Stiles has become part of my Novel's world, good luck to any that do the same.

Thank you,
StarrsChaos

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Week two e-mail

starrschaos — Sun, 9 Nov 2008 06:13:58 -0800

(If you did not receive this in your personal email inbox, Please ensure that your email address is correct with nanowrimo)
Welcome to day nine, and week two. If you're anything like me, this is when the shine of your idea begins to fade. The words no longer seem to flow, your characters are getting as flaky as a teen pop star, and your plot... well... do you even have one yet?
Take a deep breath.
Keep typing.
Don’t Quit.
I swear it gets better.
Week two is like our very own trial by fire. This is where we must shield ourselves against our own self doubt, grit our teeth, and push through. It may be hard, and we may hate every word we write this week, but as long as we keep going, as long as we put words to page, we will make it.
Week three is only just over that hill, and let me tell you, week three is a beautiful thing.
By the end of the day today we should all be at about 15,000 words. If you are behind, take this day. Set a timer for yourself and commit to write for thirty minutes, take a break if you need it, and then do thirty more. And again, and again. with a bit of determination you can catch up. Are you ahead? Wonderful. Take this time to give yourself a bit of a buffer, surplus words will help you keep up and stay on track in the days ahead.
Dare yourself to continue. Dare yourself to win. Dare yourself to write without any inhibitions and to do things differently.
Don’t Quit. Remember, write every day, don’t judge yourself too harshly and most of all, Don’t Quit. When we make it through week two you will feel as if nothing can stop you, but first you have to push through it. Don’t Quit.
You will be glad you didn't.
Good luck, and don’t quit. I'll see you at week three.

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Meet-Ups and Write-ins

starrschaos — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:37:29 -0700

Welcome to the Meet-up/Write-in thread. If you feel like hosting a write-in or meet-up post the Date/Time/Location/Details here to invite others from the St. Pete Nano group. (I’ll try to get them on the calendar as time permits)

Remember, there is a difference between a meet-up and a write-in.
Write-ins are mostly intended for gaining word count (a great time for word wars/ caffeine reloads/ change of scenery/ friendly competition). Socializing will happen, but it’s not the main focus.
Meet-ups tend to be more social, yes, writing can take place but it tends to be more of a recharge time (share funny stories of hardships and troubles in your novel or your life thanks to Nano/ an excuse to get away from the computer for an hour or so and get to know your fellow Nano members/find inspiration in people watching/ talk out a troublesome plot point in hopes of forcing past the dreaded writer’s block).

You can also post pre-nano planning sessions for October if you would like. Make sure it is clear in your post that this is an OCTOBER event/Pre-NaNoWriMo so that no one gets confused.

We look forward to meeting you all in person at some point in November!

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Introduction Thread!

starrschaos — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:42:10 -0700

Just copy the basic introduction listed below and paste it in a reply. Fill out your info (or add to the list) as you wish.

Name:
Handle:
Location:
Age (optional):
Years you have participated:
How you heard about NaNoWriMo:
Genre:
Working Title:
A little about yourself or your Novel:
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"Scars don't make the man y'know? It's how the man bears the scars."
"There is no such thing as day without night, joy without pain, or success without loss, but that will never make it easier for the heart."

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Count down to November Meet-up Oct 31st

starrschaos — Wed, 8 Oct 2008 18:03:17 -0700

Hello all from your friendly neighborhood Co-ML.
I am looking to organize a Count Down To Midnight meet up at Denny's or another such 24 hour location for any one who is interested in showing up, hanging out, and getting started on their word count at midnight. As the 31st is a Friday this year, those of us natural night owls will probably be up anyway, and the true Nano addict will probably be watching the clock as well. Why not count together!

So my question… Anyone willing to join me?

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

YOUR BOOK COVER

kayJen — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:50:27 -0700

if you want to put a book cover in your novel info, but don't have one, i can help

i'm expanding my photoshop skills and would love to design one for free - just for the practice

if you've got photos you want to use or have any ideas, just send me the stuff in an email and i'll
fool around with it

i just finished one for my book today and had a ball!!!

kayJen
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Eliska a.k.a. kayJen

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Creative Juices

TheGreatAndPowerfulOz — Thu, 9 Oct 2008 22:31:16 -0700

You know, I can't say I've been able to think about the concept of 'creative juices' much past the point of it taking a horrible turn into the gutter... however! I think, I think if I had any kind of creative juice, it would be pineapple juice. With possibly a dash of vodka. Or a healthy pour of vodka. It really depends what day of NaNo you're producing this 'creative juice' on.

Anyhow -- I thought I might get a thread going to see what gets your juices flowing. Personally, it can be as easy as a song for me, or a particularly beautiful shade of sky (grey, pink, orange... even blue!) that make me want to write. For that reason, there are some songs that will come on and immediately make me want to write. This is a very handy self-brainwashing tool for all you writers out there. Just a heads up.

Of course, reading an amazingly well written book will inspire me. That, or it might humble me for a while. Again, this may depend on the quality of screwdriver I am drinking while reading great literature.

Dave Barry will always inspire me to at least look on the lighter side of writing, and it will always renew my appreciation for enjoying literature and writing, instead of 'laboring' through it.

And last, but certainly not least... to add a dash of cliche, (a starving artist must!) pain will always inspire me. I remember a day (feels like) long ago where I got the crud beat out of me in my martial arts class. While limping around the next day, I had a thousand ideas for how to express that pain, in all different kinds of way, on paper, through my characters and through the details of my story. I'm not saying my writing was GOOD at the time, but in my angsty teenager years, I wrote furiously. Aah, the days of feeling unduly oppressed, how I long for them!

*grins*

So, your turn. Spill!
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Shakespeare once said, "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players." Keep in mind, the guy was a really big fan of body counts.

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Welcome from your MLs

starrschaos — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 07:07:39 -0700

Welcome back one and all to another wonderful year of the St. Petersburg Florida NaNoWriMo group! Michele (TwentyAfter7) and I are excited to be back as your MLs and are looking forward to a great and productive November.

A few things I would like you all to take note of:
The Regional calendar has been posted on our group forum, so please check it for updates throughout October for info on kick-off/write-in/meet-ups we have planned.
I have posted an introduction thread. Not mandatory but it helps us all get to know each other.
I have also posted a meet-up/write-in thread. If any of you would like to plan or host a meet-up or write-in, feel free to post the date/time/location and I’ll try my best to put them on the calendar for you.

Michele and I are already hard at work planning the regional events for November, as well as our novels, and hope to have that information to you soon. We will also be posting flyers in the coming weeks at local coffee houses/libraries/community boards in an attempt to pull a larger group this year and get the word out.

As always if you have any questions feel free to send us nano mail and we’ll get back to you as time permits.

Thank you and again, welcome back!
Harmony (starrschaos)

United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Attention Younger Writers

twentyafter7 — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:48:24 -0700

Attention Pre-Adults:
Well, what do I respectfully call you? You're not pre-teens anymore. Coal miners. Cool minors.

I suggest you check out Nanowrimo's Young Writers Program http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ and get your parent/guardians involved and on board with your word-count goals. There is even a page with a sweet letter to parent/guardians on the YWP website. http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/lettertoparents There don't seem to be defined forums on that site but maybe that will change before November is here.

If my kid told me he wanted to go to a meetup, I'd go with him to it. I'd talk to the people at the meetup and make sure they weren't creepy creeps. I'd read the message boards. My kid is 2 so he won't be telling me that anytime soon. But you understand my point.

Did you tell your English teacher about this? Did he/she have an interesting reaction?

I'm going to post this in the main area to start a new thread. Hope you reply there!

-Michele

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United States :: Florida :: St. Petersburg

Pimp My Sentence!

starrschaos — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:20:52 -0700

I know there is a thread like this in another section of the forums but i figured its a good way to get the creative juices flowing!
Directions:
Take a short, simple sentence and make it longer by glorifying it with details (and, hence, extra word count).

For example,
She cooked dinner.

can become

In a fury she cranked open the can, dumped the mushy vegetable soup into a plastic bowl, punched up the microwave, and called it dinner.

---

He cried out.
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"Scars don't make the man y'know? It's how the man bears the scars."
"There is no such thing as day without night, joy without pain, or success without loss, but that will never make it easier for the heart."