Welcome, and welcome back!
Ten years... Wow. It doesn't feel like Nano should be that old! I remember when it was still toddling around in nappies and with a security blankie.
*grins*
For those who don't know, I'm Jami, one of your local Municipal Liasons. This year, I'm joined by the utterly amazing Tiffany (Toggy) as my awesome coML, with assistance from the fantastic Emily (Smudge). Any questions, problems, suggestions etc, feel free to contact Tiffany or myself via the contact form at http://www.nanowrimo.org/mlcontact, emailing the san_antonio_TX @ nanowrimo.org, or using any other way you know to get hold of us, and we'll take care of them asap. We have pretty hectic schedules, but we're around fairly often anyway.
Right now, those of you who are new are looking at this all with hopeful grins, probably a bit intimidated, and ready to conquer the world, or at least 50k of it. Those who are veterans are sitting there with a knowing smile, perhaps, and wondering what surprises we have in store this year. We're not quite ready to reveal them all, but we can share a few...
There are special San Antonio shirt designs in the works, different than the ones tossed around last year that never quite got anywhere. We have more events planned this year than ever before! And a midnight kickoff party, because that's just how we roll. ;)
There's a few changes in how things are running this year. Since there are two official MLs, we're going to have a lot more flexibility in events. Some will not be all ages appropriate. We ask that at any "working" session, any non-participants (such as parents, children, tag along cousins, etc,) find something to entertain themselves quietly. If anyone is disruptive, we reserve the right to tell them to shut their yaps, or go elsewhere until they're done. At social events, please try to keep things to a dull roar. No running. No setting things on fire that are not intended to be on fire. Please keep all heads, arms, and legs inside the ride at all times. ;) This will make the experience enjoyable for everyone involved, including the staff of places we invade. See the events thread for details.
I know I'm forgetting things right now. I had all this typed up weeks ago, but hadn't synced my Alphasmart Dana, and it did the yearly crash, so I have to wing it. Boo.
That reminds me. Always, always, back up your writing!! SERIOUSLY! Every day during Nano, I email myself the file when I'm done for the night. I save it onto a SD chip and two separate hard drives! Make sure there are multiple copies of your novel, so that if something happens and one gets deleted, or corrupted, or lost, you have others. It's incredibly difficult to recover from lost writing.
And never, ever give up. Nothing is impossible. My first year? I went into the final weekend with 25k. I locked myself in my room with a dinosaur of a laptop, this ancient compaq with 12K of RAM that had no CD drive, no battery power, and a very outdated version of MS Works, and did nothing but write. I emerged briefly for frantic foraging for food, and that was about it. My fingers hurt, my eyes were bleary, and I don't even remember sleeping much if at all... but when I emerged, I was triumphant! 50015 words!!
My record low is something like 7k.... It happens. You simply have to try, try again. I'm 2/5 at this point. I'm determined to bring it to 3/6 this year, and then 4/7 next year!
Any questions, suggestions, etc, feel free to contact me or Tiffany. You may PM us on here, or email us at the address in my siggy.
I'll shut up before your eyes cross, I promise!! :) (Scary part is? This is shorter than the original by a LARGE chunk!!)
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~Jami~
InSANo ML- San Antonio, TX
As the lights go down, the hearts go up.
As the lights fade, the imagination grows.
0 / 50,000
sept. 26, 2008 - 17 24
Ready to conquer the world, sounds like a shnazzy idea. :)
114,204 / 50,000
sept. 26, 2008 - 21 24
Woohoo! I've been getting excited I think for the past month. :D
Can't wait to see the shirts. INSANOWRIMO just fits so well! (It is that, right? Or, um...ok, sitting back to wait for surprises. ;) )
50,002 / 50,000
sept. 26, 2008 - 21 43
InSANowrimo is a lovely word. It's Emily's fault, actually. Insane, in san antonio, in SA (na)Nowrimo... It all goes together!
And how goes? *glomps*
50,103 / 50,000
sept. 26, 2008 - 21 50
You will get to see the shirt when the coML digitalizes the designs and passes them along to Jami. This of course means I would need to find my motivation. I think it is hiding with my muse. I just hope the cat didn't see them scurrying away and pounce on them. There is an idea of nano. How my cat killed my muse: A 50k tribute.
I will say that we have three designs in the works at the moment. One Insano specific one, and two more nano themed. And that is all I will say.
18,367 / 50,000
sept. 27, 2008 - 00 02
Waaaaaaa hoooooooo! *does a little dance* I can't wait till November. Jami and Toggy - you both rock as ML's :) I have no doubt that this will be the best year ever!
0 / 50,000
sept. 27, 2008 - 15 24
Hello out there in SA! This is my first NaNoWriMo and I'm slightly petrified...looking forward to complaining and whining with you.
50,002 / 50,000
sept. 27, 2008 - 15 47
No need to be petrified! It's not easy, but it's far from impossible either. If you keep on top of it, it's FAR more manageable. I simply procrastinate too much. ;) That, and overscheduling myself (One year I tried while taking 19 hours of college, mostly English classes, trying to graduate, working halftime at the mall, all while MLing...) Welcome in! :)
110,185 / 50,000
sept. 27, 2008 - 15 59
Whoa! I thought the forums weren't going to be open until October 1st! What the heck?
I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO excited for NaNo to start!
I already have my NaNo idea, but it's going to be EXTREMELY painful to write. =(
But I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!
18,367 / 50,000
sept. 27, 2008 - 16 29
Welcome to NaNo :) It is soooo much fun. I hope you can make it out to some of the write-ins.
61,076 / 50,000
sept. 27, 2008 - 17 18
Hi everybody! I decided to join the insanity this year. I'd heard about NaNo before, but never quite committed. I'm doing it this year! Started my research and outlining and everything. It'll be nice to hang out with fellow crazy people. :D
50,002 / 50,000
sept. 27, 2008 - 17 50
Hey Marisa! :)
Very pleasant surprise! Hopefully this means it won't completely crash the first day like it has in years past.
Sophmore year this time?
50,002 / 50,000
sept. 27, 2008 - 18 21
Welcome! Yeah, Crazy is definitely something to describe our group. ;) There's a reason I have to tell people no setting things on fire.
It's a lot of fun, I think you'll enjoy it! :)
110,185 / 50,000
sept. 27, 2008 - 23 39
Haha yep! Dude, took me a while to figure out what you meant by that and then I was like "Oh!" lol. Sophomore year - which means I have to write about being completely in love with someone I'm trying VERY hard to get over. Yippee. lol
I'm sad though because my Alpha can't hook up to my new laptop. =( So idk what to do about that. But I have two free periods to write my novel back-to-back, one's a teacher's aide position where I do nothing so she lets me write on my laptop, and the other is a study hall. It's nice.
I'm also excited because I FINALLY have my license/sort of have a car BUT I can't drive at night because I have depth perception issues, so that really cancels everything out. My poor grandparents are gonna have to drive me everywhere for our Socials. Good news is, I can probably ride the bus to the write-ins since I had to go up that street for summer school anyway and I know it'll work. Besides, I don't really mind riding the bus, if I have my iPod that is, and I don't have to cross a crazy-busy street so it's all good.
I had the most life-changing experience this week with a person who's coincidentally in my novel (haha). Everything is FINALLY fixed between us (it's a shame it took 4 years) but Idk what to do now because his character is dead in my junior year/senior year novels lol. Sad.
50,002 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 08 00
*laughs*Well, if you haven't written it yet, then he doesn't HAVE to be dead. I think that resolution may be a good thing for the character. Or maybe she can have a fantasy about him dying, and that's what prompts the change? Or the other way around. She fantasizes about making up with him, and then learns he's dead. It'd be all lovely and missed chances and so on.
I dunno, I barely remember most of high school. Didn't particularly like it then, don't really care to revisit it. XD
And why can't your alpha hook to your new puter? You know you can get a plug to convert the old serial ports to USB, right?
50,103 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 09 40
Slightly petrifies is good, i think. It means you are taking it seriously. Things will settle down as you get into the swing of nano. Sometime in the near future there will be a tips, tricks and thoughts on how to win at, and loose at, nano posting from me, to the SA peeps. Perhaps that will help some.
50,103 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 09 42
That is the exact reason that i try not to write anything that is too true to life. I will write about things inspired by real life, like a break up scene in one of my stories, but writing about people I know, sometimes the wounds are just too raw, and you have to relive things that you would much rather not.
This is the same reason that I am hesitant to write the memoirs of a disgruntles graduate student. We shall see.
114,204 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 10 04
It goes...mostly ok. Fun with trying to find my mom a car after hers was totaled (she's fine). Trying to get my outline done so I don't wind up quite so stuck this time around. And I don't have another full work week until December!
114,204 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 10 05
Sounds great. :) Can't wait to see what they look like.
I wanna read the cat story. ;)
50,002 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 15 01
Ick! I hate shopping for cars. When mine died, I was like.. I just want MINE! If she's interested in chevys, she may want to go out to just before Castroville, there's a dealer called Lundquist. That's who I got mine from, and they were absolutely fantastic. Everyone out there is FAR nicer than the folks in town were about it. (I was working on a limited budget, but wanted to try to get a new car... And I did!)
But yay for no full work weeks! Though I get more done when I have less time to do it all in... I can't procrastinate as much that way. XD
3,042 / 50,000
sept. 28, 2008 - 21 05
I am looking forward to NANOWRIMO more this year than ever. I have also started a new job and hope to balance it with a better effort this year than last year. God's speed everyone!
51,240 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 07 41
Greetings All!
I'm very excited about this year...and perhaps a bit nervous as well. I've been trying to come up with a list of scenes for my story but I've got maybe a third of what I need. I'm already starting to annoy my wife talking about NaNoWriMo and it's not even Oct!
I'm hoping I can make some of the write-ins this year. Last year, living out by Rolling Oaks Mall and working a regular 9-5 schedule made it difficult, but I definitely plan on attending the kick-off again. (Do we have a location yet?)
50,103 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 08 50
Out of curiosity, what are yo doing with the Alpha since you cannot hook it up to the laptop? You gonna keep it, sell it, let it collect dust?
50,103 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 08 51
You should look forward to Nano this year. We are trying to make it most awesome with the event planning and things. Hopefully we get to see you there :)
50,103 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 08 52
Sometimes, a third planned is enough to get started. Though I had a bit of a crisis last year when I tore through the third of my outline that I had written and went -- crap -- now what. But it all worked out in the end. And you do have a little over a month to prepare.
We do not yet have a location for the kick off. We are throwing around ideas that do not involve being next door to a club. With loud music. I don't so much mind, but i know that not everyone is of that opinion. We are scouring the city for a place that will be better suited for our kick off and writing needs.
As soon as we know, you all will you.
51,240 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 12 17
Yes, I keep reminding myself that NaNoWriMo isn't about perfectly crafted fiction. It's about brainstorming and creativity.
Though I do plan on ultimately submitting this for publication and I do want to avoid pointless filler material, I keep telling myself that it doesn't matter whether or not a particular scene makes it into the final draft or not and that just having written the thing will deepen my understanding of the story and spur other ideas that may be invaluable for the final draft. So I just keep reminding myself to chill out and keep writing.
I can't wait! I'm getting excited.
114,204 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 14 12
Yep, that's exactly it.
She's a Honda person. It looks like we may get a better deal from a place in New Braunfels (a Jeep dealer of all places); still waiting to hear.
I've also picked up an Adopt-a-plot in all this...it'd be awfully easy for someone looking for a getaway car (if they had a fake driver's license) to pick up a car for a 'test drive', or to 'take it to the mechanic to get checked out', and have a fairly anonymous ride. Or, have the mechanic swap out top-of-the-line parts for the black market and then return the car... It's have to be a fairly mobile scam, but it could work. (Too bad I'm not writing crime fiction! And Mom's laughing at me for brainstorming in between dealerships.)
I can procrastinate in any circumstances; if nothing else, days off mean I can catch up on sleep so late-night writing is more effective!
1,054 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 17 00
Rar! Gary here. I haven't really put a very strong effort.. well.. ever into doing and finishing Nanowrimo, but who knows, maybe this year amongst all the homework I'll squeeze in a few words edgewise. I might even try to make it out to a write-in/social meetup once, but all of those are so far away from me and I have no means of transport other than busing to get out there.
114,204 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 19 34
Where are you coming from?
I know what you mean re location; last year I think I made 1-2 write-ins and 1 social, the social only because it was up by me (in the Forum). Hoping I can do more this year.
50,002 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 19 40
Well, if people would suggest places, then we'd have them other places. But when people don't tell me places, I go with what I'm familiar with, which is mostly the I10 stretch of road, because I basically LIVE on I10. XD Seriously. My apartment is like, 2 blocks off the freeway. It's nice. XD
51,240 / 50,000
sept. 29, 2008 - 20 07
I'm at the North end of Judson at the 1604.
I almost made it to a social at (I think) the Northwoods area at 281 and 1604? It's not too far away, but as I remember I was falling behind on my word count and fighting desperately to catch back up. :) If there were any write-ins in this part of town either on weekends or after 5pm, I would definitely make it.