Welcome to CT North!

Does this mean we have to have a laptop? I don't have a laptop...

Yay insanity! ^_^

Sadly my insanity has a broken car incapable of highway travel, thus another year I probably won't be in the area. =(

But to be fair, Katherine Bloodsaw does make a cameo in my novel this year. :D

Hello, hello, hello! I'm ringing it in from Bristol, still, and getting anxious about pulling an outline together before November.

Of course, my presence will probably never be made off-line, as my day job is long and my night classes are plentiful... but hopefully the forums will provide just the right amount of cheerleading, because I think this year might be tough.

Greetings from Danbury!! This is my first try at NaNoWriMo. In August I completed the first draft of my first manuscript ever (an awesome feeling) and I am now doing the re-writes. But it took me a long time to do that first draft so for my next manuscript I am hoping that NaNoWriMo will help me with my lack of discipline! I am also looking forward to possible meet-ups. Whereabouts do they usually take place?

Happy writing!
Maura

Hi! I'm Steve, I live in Goshen, and this will be my second year participating in NaNo and my first year winning NaNo!

I want to say a big, excited Hello! to Kat and everyone--members of the Official Katherine Bloodsaw Fan Club new and returning.

Interestingly, it seems I'm now technically part of the newly formed Valley-NW region, which encompasses the NW Corner (where I am) and the Valley. (If you have to ask "which valley?", I'd have to answer "the one that thinks of itself as THE valley!")(And then you say, "No, seriously, which Valley?" and I go: "THE valley. America's Valley.")(And you're like: "You're starting to P me O." and I'm all: "Look: does the Flood of '55 mean anything to you?" And you're like: "No." And I go, "Obviously. Because you don't know which valley is The Valley.")(At this point you're smarting a little, but you're like "So. . . the Connecticut River valley, right? The big one that bisects the state? THE Valley of THE River which THE State is named after?" And I'm just like: "Fail." and walk away.)

So you can see I've got my writing fingers on, and I'm pumped for November.

I may be technically part of THE new region, but don't think I won't be dropping by the OKBFC. The company's too good to give it up entirely!

I'm here in Litchfield and would love to link up with fellow "North" groupers in Litchfield County!

Hi all! I've had a Tremendously Awful year so far, but hope to pull it out of the doo doo with a fabulous manuscript. Actually I'll settle for just a 50,000 word manuscript and the hell with the quality:) Don't know if I'll make any meet ups but I promise to be there in spirit...

I'm in Bethlehem, and often "visit" Litchfield. Can we meet some time - maybe at the Litchfield Community Center - or the Litchfield or Bethlehem library -??? Just let me know a day/time.

Hey everyone! It's Jacqueline from Bristol. I'm looking forward to this year's nano. And it wll be especially challenging for me as I am going on vacation and will only have 20 days to write! Full steam ahead!

See you all soon! Hi Kat!!

You don't know how great it is to see all these familiar faces, or how wonderful it is to see the new ones as well!

- laptops: nope, they are fun and helpful, but not at all required.

- 4th region: not to be confused with the 4th estate, the 4th region IS the North East corner of the state. You can be part of more than one region, and you can come to whatever meet up you feel like. (and you better back that up Steve, and come visit us!)

-Planning and North schedule: For those of you who don't know me, I will stand up and admit it, "I am a plan-aholic." I'm thinking by the second week, we get into planning and info meetings to gear up for the start of the best month of the year!

that brings us to the next point!

-Locations!: We will be meeting twice a week - and that means we need somewhere to meet! i want to know the best places in all of your areas, so at least some of us will get some short drives in.

Welcome to CT North and cheers to the start of a great new year!

Hello, all! This my first year doing this and I kind of already know I'm going to fail, since length is always a problem for me, but I figured I might as well try.

Hi DF,

I'm the other "Cat" - I live in Litchfield. We have a brand new coffee shop in town - it might be a ride for some but I will find out the particulars and see if it's a good place to meet.

So glad to be part of the fan club again! Looking forward to getting some writing done this year!

Meow, Cat

I subscribe to this region, just because I subscribe to all of the CT regions. I mostly inhabit the Shoreline haunt, though. I just wanted to point out that part of doing Nano is to defeat the defeatist attitude. It's about achieving something, so you will never again say, I know I am going to fail. Go to as many meetings as you can, because those meeting will be full of people who know you aren't going to fail.

Coffee & Art - two of my favorite things!
How about we try for a meet up here at the Blue Bakery? I'm not sure of the hours - i'll check it out. There is also a new coffee shop - with internet - near the Fire house on 202 - and across from the dunkin donuts plaza. I'll find out the name and time.

it might be a trip for you Kat but we might gather the goshen, litchfield, even bethelem people...

Cat

Hi everyone :) I'm Steph, from central Louisiana. I'm going to be in CT the first week of NaNo (in Southington, right Kat?) visiting your ML =P Looking forward to meeting people and writing for my first NaNo!

It's called "Common Grounds" and it's a good place to be.

I think it's a pretty horrible pun of a name, though. Do you really want to say your coffee is merely "common"?

I had a scone and a latte there, which were food. Also: free wi-fi.

I'm a newbie. My home region is Vermont, but I was born in New Britain, and grew up in Southington. So I'll be slipping in now and again.

So what are you doing to prepare? Do you generally have an outline before you start? Some basic idea of how the plot is going to go? Names and locations researched?

Just wondering how folks do it.

I'll add Common Grounds to our meeting place list!

As for "common" coffee... Montpellier has "Captial Grounds" right near the center of town, it was a blast, and they certainly embraced being better than common. (They also made t-shirts that said "grounds crew" for the staff)

This is *NOT* the time to go in and say anyone "can't" do nano. Nano is about a can-do attitude! Expect encouragement!

Welcome back Cat! and Hi to Steph, who will be visiting me for the start of November!

Hello, Bloodsawyers! I miss you already. I've moved down to New Haven, so I'm technically part of the Shoreline group now, but my heart will always be up there with you. Anyway, here's a cool thing: not only I, but also the boys (Ike, 11, and Emerson, 8) are going to do NaNo this year! See, I'm homeschooling, and as I was casting about for some interesting projects I suddenly realized that it was halfway through October, and a beautiful opportunity was lying at my feet! So tomorrow we're going to walk around New Haven looking for interesting situations (the man in the strange hat who walks past our door three times--going the same direction each time, without going the opposite direction in between; the woman talking to the pigeons about her dentist; the building with the word "FORGET" engraved on the lintel) that might spark a book.

Kat, do you have your snowflake done yet? Everybody else, ask Kat about snowflaking, as it is awesome.

Also: Steve, you crack me up.

Good luck, everybody, with everything! Maybe I'll make it up there for a Cosi's date some time.

kisses to all,
Jenny

Hello from Middletown! I'm brandy new here at NaNo because this is my first year writing a whole novel in one month. I've written things before but I've never put a deadline on myself so this should be fun for me. I haven't done much novel writing-- most of my projects have been articles, blogs, chapbooks of poetry, and a couple of self-help books. I can't wait to try writing a novel because it's always been a dream of mine.

Aside from writing I like to practice yoga, do indoor gardening, sing karaoke, read, and play with my two small daughters. I love animals and have 4 fish tanks containing betas (they are in separate small tanks), gold fish, frogs, a pleco, a kisser, and a pin cat fish. I also have two cats that adopted me in the literal sense-- they just showed up on my doorstep one day and I took them in.

I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you here on NaNo and I hope to get out to one of the meetings.

Kimberley

Hello everyone! Ok, I have no idea who Katherin Bloodshaw is. Should I? Anyway, born and raised in Bristol and live in Farmington. I write in solitude but I wouldn't mind hanging out with fellow writers. This is technically my first NaNo although I've signed up before but I have some major plans for this one. Time to crank out another book!

Hello all! I've been doing Nano for a few years now, but this will be my first year getting involved with meet-ups and such, as this is my first year with a car. I'm excited to finally meet my fellow CT nanoers!

Yay for all these fresh faces!

I have not started my snowflake more than the first two steps, that will be for the planning meet ups.

Katherine Bloodsaw is our CT North Mascot, and might deserve her own thread here on the boards, but she will be well discussed at any meetup at the slightest prompting.

Just more reason to make it out to meetups!

Hello all!

I am Paul from East Hartford. This is my third time doing NANO, and this time around I am going for the gold! I didn't finish in 06 or 07 due to school commitments, the whole wanting to graduate with a good GPA thing kind of got in the way.

This year, I have a clear calendar for the whole month of November, and a rad idea for my novel. It's going to be a prequel to the novel I have been working on most recently, and I am excited to be exploring the same characters at a different point in their lives.

Anyways, if you are in the greater Hartford area, drop me a line and let's be writing buddies!

party on!

Paul

Hi all!

I'm Rachel from Bristol, and this is my first nano. I'm excited and nervous, but I'm determined to do this thing, despite my two jobs and hectic home life.

I hope to make it to some meetups and write-ins!

Ta ta!
R.

Hello everyone--I'm Steven, (Wm.Son on the buddy list) and I was pretty excited to finish NaNo my first time out. I am waaaay up in the NE corner (the "Quiet Corner") so you all seem far away from me--I wasn't able to do any meet ups last time and may not this time, even though gas has come down in price. Like CT is a huge state, but you see what I mean. With two kids in college ( a freshman at UCONN and a sophmore at Eastern CT State Univer.,) I am broker than Lehman Brothers.

(Where's MY bailout?????)

I did attend a Screenwriters workshop at the West Hartford Public Library over the last three saturdays, so I can get out that way, at least! It was a great group and I wish I could go every wednesday when they meet, but i work second shift.

I had to push really hard last year and wrote over 5000 words my last day--I DO NOT recommend that, just on sore fingers alone, but looking back on it a month later, that was clearly the very best part of what I wrote. Seems pressure made me a better writer.

Looking forward to November. Good luck everyone!

Have confidence! Have fun! Have a pot of coffee on!

Hey, Steve from Goshen...you obviously have an ear for dialog! Nice to meet you, sorta...

Steven from Eastford

Hello all!

I'm in South Windsor, NaNoing in my home state for the first time! I tried (and failed) my senior year of college (2004), my first year of law school (2005), and somehow churned out over 50k last year. I moved back home after the NY bar exam, so here I am in CT, noveling and awaiting my bar exam results, which should be coming in during November. It's going to be a wild month, that's for sure!

I look forward to meeting you guys!

-- Sarah

Hiya!

I'm CJ from Bristol, CT. This is my first time participating in NaNoWriMo.

I've been sitting on a fantastic plot bunny for a bit that I think is going to work *so* well for me. What originally started out as what would have been a quick and dirty 5000 word fanfiction one-shot sort of exploded in my brain to become a huge story. And then, as if the bunny needed more feeding, I started playing around with the graphic for the story which just feed the bunny even more lol...

I have a really solid idea of how the story is going to flow, I don't often know exactly how stories will end when I start them but I this one is really clear to me. There's a lot of words to put down from the first to the last but it makes me more confident that I have the core plot mapped out so clearly in my mind.

I'm looking forward to this :)

~CJ aka WritinginCT

Holy cow! There are a lot of people from Bristol here! I wish I had known that so many people wrote from there when I was younger. I wouldn't have felt so alone!