Shout into the void

*waves!*

I'm here, and very excited! This will be my first NaNo, but certainly not my first attempt at a novel-length story.

I've know about NaNoWriMo for some years now - as moderator of a writing-based forum on a much larger board, I've heard people talk about it and even post some of their works. But I've never actually gotten around to participating myself. This year, I decided: I'm doing it, come hell or high water.

Well, both of them came this year: high water to Wichita and hell to me, LOL. Things are insane at work - now working serious overtime with no end in sight, my dog has kidney failure, and my parents want me home for Thanksgiving (they live on the east coast). Completing NaNo is going to definitely be a challenge! But I'm still gonna do it!

My parents will just have to understand why I have the laptop at the dinner table. ;)

I'm also here!

This is going to be the first year I've participated for real. I'm already anticipating the difficulty of working full time & trying to make word count!!

I'm in a Physician Assistant graduate program right now, so I'm also thoroughly swamped--but I'm so very impatient to be writing. I think I've been looking forward to this for months, and now I'm determined to try.
Welcome to the Wichita NaNo group. Ever heard of "Zoomdweebies" tea bar? We spent near every weekend there last year.

"Foxhunt" 2006
"From the Waters' Edge" 2007

First time NaNo participant, long-time writer. Usually when November rolls around, I'm neck-deep in trying to finish up a regular WIP. This year, I have a tremendous idea for a new novel that I plan to work.

Looking forward to it...

Visit AstonWest.com to check out my various short stories, and my novella Heroes Die Young

this is my first nano but i have been writing all my life. and i think that i have a really great story idea but i think i need some more ideas to reach the minimum word count. if anyone has any ideas that they would let me use than e-mail me at bhg_132@yahoo.com i would really apretiate it very much.

Aaaaaaah Zooms. SonataAllegro and I go there practically every weekend now, after going there last year during Nano. Love the place! It's amazing. Everyone should go!

I am SO excited. I've been waiting for NaNo to finally get here forever! I have about three story ideas, but no idea which one I want to go with. I want to pick one I can actually finish the story to during NaNo. The last two years I've made the word count but my plot never got wrapped up.

Mm, not sure who our ML is.

Hey, go check out the adoptable's thread. There are always plot ideas there up for grabs!

Hey, it's great to see you here, Kairi! I had thought that SonataAllegro wanted to be ML this year, but she won't be 18 quite. I think she'd be great at it, though.

"Foxhunt" 2006
"From the Waters' Edge" 2007

Yeah, I knew I couldn't do it this year. But I'm DEFINITELY applying next year, when I'll have more time anyways since theatre won't be eating things up.

Hi everyone! I'm Rebekah, I'm 17 and this is my third year doing NaNo! I won both times and actually wrote a completed manuscript last year though I never edited. I have no good ideas this year but I'm gonna give it a shot!

I'm gonna be a lil busy this year since we've got a play Nov 14-15 that I'm in, but I'll definitely be shooting for that 50k. It's great to see all these new faces!

Realm of Dreams: Inherit the World - 2006
I'm With the Band - 2007
Catchers of the Sky - 2008

Hey all, this is my first year doing NaNo, and hopefully it won't be my last. I decided to do this after so many people (including my English teachers for the past four years) have told me I have a talent for writing and should get something published. Well, this is going to be my first step towards just that.

And on another note, has anybody else been to the new Barnes and Noble? I've been there once, but I never really stayed long so I was just wondering if it was any better than the old one or if I would be better off just going to Borders.

The new Barnes and Noble is nice and cozy, I grant it that, but I'll always be a Borders fan, ESPECIALLY after B/N moved. It's always rather noisy there and their music is far too catchy to entice me to write. Borders is quiet and just seems more welcoming. But that' sjust me!

Realm of Dreams: Inherit the World - 2006
I'm With the Band - 2007
Catchers of the Sky - 2008

Parasky - lucky you for having such supportive and inspiring teachers!

I was not so lucky. Back in my high school days (which were well over a decade ago, thank goodness, LOL), my Junior year English teacher told me to my face that I had absolutely no writing talent whatsoever, and was never likely to develop any either, no matter what I did. My grades her in class proved it (the only "C" I'd ever made). My guidance counselor also told me that I was not college material (despite the fact that I graduated in the top 5% of my class and aced every math and science course placed before me).

Of course, I figured out later that both of these buffoons were not only idiots, but also blatantly lying. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but it did affect me for some time. My first attempt at college was not very good and, sadly, it served only to reinforce what they had said. I often wonder if they had been more encouraging and supportive, just how far I would have gone.

Anyway...my second attempt at college (after a year an a half respite) found me in a World LIterature class, which of course I was dreading (because I had been told I couldn't write and never would). To my great surprise, I not only passed, but with flying colors! The professor was this ancient guy, old to the point of sometimes forgetting what he was talking about, but likeable enough. Our term papers were our final exam, and were due on the scheduled date for our final. I dropped mine off at his office that morning. I'll never forget it.

He said, "How long before you earn your Associates?"

I replied that I needed two electives and would pick them up over the summer quarter.

He said, "Well, I'm probably being horribly selfish, but I'd encourage you to consider taking my summer lit class. We're doing the Renaissance period."

I said, "Well, I'm already registered for some science courses. But why are you being selfish?"

He said, "Because I enjoyed your writing so much this quarter, I'd like to see more of it."

I was puzzled beyond belief, and informed him that I didn't like writing courses, because I had been told I had no writing ability, and in fact was very surprised I had done as well as I'd had in his class.

His eyes got very wide. "Whoever told you that you have no writing talent is a complete idiot. You write extremely well."

Those two sentences completely revamped my entire view of myself. Mentally, I challenged the statements that had been made about me by my teacher and guidance counselor, and realized that they didn't fit with what other teachers and professors thought about me...and what I knew about myself.

My college work from that point on improved dramatically. And when I moved out here to Wichita to complete my Bachelor's, I probably would have been an honor grad had my associates work been better (I literally missed it by like a .2 on my GPA). Again, it did not reflect my true ability, thanks to those two idiots that, for whatever reason, told hurtful untruths.

So...about 5-6 years ago, I joined a forum for Clan of the Cave Bear fans. I read some of the fan fiction, and started to write some of my own. I became a forum moderator there, in one of the writing forums. I gathered a loyal following of readers, who refer to themselves as "Rage's Militant Fans" (they get militant when I don't post, LOL). I learned about NaNoWriMo 4 years ago. After dithering about, I decided to go for it in 2008. This will be my first original work.

My ultimate plan is, of course, to complete a work and get it published. When I do, the book will be dedicated to Mrs. Diane Darby and the late Mr. John Gresham, the two people who told me I couldn't do it. Nyah-nyah-nyah. *sticks tongue out*

Hi. I'm going to try this again. 3rd time trying, but maybe this year I'll complete it. I hope so. I love Zoomdweebies too. I think I meet SonataAllegro and Kairi there one time. It was cool to meet you. I go there every chance I get. I live in Hutchinson, but go to Wichita fairly often. I hope to get to some of the write ins. I think that might help me this year. I'm starting to get excited.......and nervous.

Rage -- crazy story! I'm so glad you stuck with writing. I think there's a writer in each of us, and I can't wait to get to know yours! =)

Twisted -- yes we've met, though my mentality is not connecting your username with a face right now. We'll recognize each other, I'm sure.

Hey I know I'm not ML, but is anyone interested in a meetup BEFORE NaNo to talk about plot ideas and get to know each other? I know my schedule's pretty full, but I'm free this weekend and next weekend with the exception of next Fri-Sat late night. I think it'd be a great thing for us to do!

Realm of Dreams: Inherit the World - 2006
I'm With the Band - 2007
Catchers of the Sky - 2008

Sonata, a pre-Nano meet-up sounds like a fine plan to me. That way we can get to know one another BEFORE the insanity hits, instead of while it's using our minds and bodies like the Pod-People. LOL.

My schedule is nuts, too, but I can always shuffle things around if necessary.

PS: I have a minor character in one of my on-going fanfics named Sonata. Thought you'd like to know.

LOL! Exactly! That's what we've done the last two years. Are most people here east siders or west siders? I'm an east sider.

Hee. That's spiffy. I'm a musicy person. I got the username out of the back page of the Wichita Symphony program, on a page that explained musical terms.

Realm of Dreams: Inherit the World - 2006
I'm With the Band - 2007
Catchers of the Sky - 2008

I'm a middle-sider. LOL.

Guys, I wouldn't be the best ML but since signups end this weekend and we don't have one yet, I am willing to volunteer. For all you newbies, I will make sure that there are definite meeting places and times that everyone knows about--that really helped me a lot last year, so I'd hate to have you all deprived. (Otherwise we'll be lumped into "Kansas Elsewhere" and all the meetings will take place in other cities.) I can't promise to always be at write-ins, but I will answer emails daily, if you have questions. And we can definitely set up a pre-NaNo meeting.
If anyone else wants to volunteer, have at it. But in the meantime, do evenings work best? Any particular day horrible for you all? Last year we had a west location one night, an east another night, and Zoomdweebies in the middlish location on Saturday mornings/afternoons, which worked pretty well. The east location was the old B&N on Rock, but could as easily be the Borders on Rock. And Zoomdweebies is at Central and Hillside. I don't remember the west spot.
Tell me what you think.

"Foxhunt" 2006
"From the Waters' Edge" 2007

Sonata : I'll be in Wichita on fri(17th) and sat(18th). If you want to wait until then. Think older short mexican woman.....maybe that will ring a bell. lol

Writers : If anyone wants to do weds somewhere that would be nice. Sats at Zooms would be alright for me most of the time.

Honestly, I think I'd be a poor choice this year, as a first-time NaNo as well as the fact that my worklife has everything pretty well upside down, but perhaps next year...

I usually work 4 10-hour days, which pretty much zaps evenings for me (I'm in the office until 7 or 8 Mondays through Thursdays), and with the over time I've been putting in, I'm usually in the office again Friday and/or Saturday. I'm hoping that things will start to slow down very quickly for me here in a week or two, but I cannot guarantee anything.

ML stands for Municipal Liaison. Basically, that person is supposed to organize write-ins, send out encouraging emails throughout the month, answer questions, moderate the regional forum, and be around the whole 30 days. The ML also has to have participated in NaNoWriMo at least once previously, probably because they already know the pitfalls and actually have some advice. Technically, I should be promising to show up to every write-in, but if you all want to have them 3 times a week, I won't be able to because of my schedule.
What if we said tentatively Mondays and Thursdays, 7-whenever in the evening, and Saturdays 10-2 at Zoomdweebies? That way if you don't get off work until 7 you could stop by if you wanted to. No one typically showed up at exactly the right time each time last year. It was basically a range of time that people might be present. And it worked okay.
If you all would like to meet next Saturday, the 18th, or the 25th, either would be fine with me.

"Foxhunt" 2006
"From the Waters' Edge" 2007

Ah, well, even if I had done NaNo before, I know I couldn't commit to being ML this year. LOL, I'm barely holding on my sanity these days, and it's not even November yet!

Those times you suggested sound excellent to me. Mondays are a little more flexible for me, as I have a chance of getting off at 6 p.m., as opposed to 7. Thursdays are a little weirder, but we'll see.

One thing I do like is that November 1 is on a Saturday this year. I think we should try to organize something somewhere for Halloween night. Perhaps a party and then, at the stroke of midnight, we all power up our laptops and get typing! ha ha! I plan on doing that anyway, but it'd be neat do it as a group, don't you think?

I'd even offer to host it at my house, depending on the number of people interested.

Sat the 18th is awesome as long as it is before 4. Maddie and I have a show that night.

Sara, I love the schedule. I would be able to make Mon at 7 and Sat afternoons. Also the idea of a Halloween write-in sounds great to me. I may be late because being in pep band I have to play for the game that night, but I think it'd be fun, since Maddie and I were planning on getting together anyways.

This is gonna rock!

Realm of Dreams: Inherit the World - 2006
I'm With the Band - 2007
Catchers of the Sky - 2008

This is my second year doing NaNoWriMo, but I didn't know about the write-ins until after Nov. I would really like to go to some of them. I am not sure how many because my work schedule changes form week to week.

I have actually never met anyone who has done NaNoWriMo besides my teacher who introduced my to it.

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid."
-Jane Austen

Hi All!

My name is Kelly and this is my first year doing NaNo but I am sooo excited. I also took the plunge and stopped working this year to both homeschool our sons and write full time. I think NaNo will be a great way to end my first year as a starving artist. (I'm actually not starving because I'm married to an income earner :) )

I live right around Hillside and Douglas so the location at Central and Hillside would work incredibly well for me. I am available any night except Sunday and Saturdays work okay as well. As for a first meeting date and time, the Kansas Writers Association is having a Freelance Writers Workshop on Saturday the 18th from 1:30 - 4 pm so I wouldn't be able to attend then but the 25th would be just ducky for me.

Let me know when and where and I'll try to be there.

Hi Kelly! First time Nano here as well.

That writer's conference sounds interesting; do you have any information on it?

Quite honestly, I don't think I will be able to go to any of your meetings this year. I have no car, no job, no steady income, no driver's license (not that I got it taken away or anything, I've never bothered to learn how to drive XD). You all sound like such interesting people too, it's somewhat of a let down.

As for the whole east-sider west-sider thing, I actually live in Andover. Seeing as we are slowly being consumed by Wichita though, I just say Wichita instead (my house may soon be in Wichita, if the city's plans go well). Ah, how I will miss my unpaved roads and well water; but I suppose that nothing can stand in the way of progress.

Um, Parasky? I wouldn't mind driving you to one or two meetings...being a minor with only a part-time job and buying my own gas makes Andover a bit of a stretch for me, but especially toward the end (when my play is over and I am attending more meeting myself) I would love to bring you to one or two, if you want to come.

Realm of Dreams: Inherit the World - 2006
I'm With the Band - 2007
Catchers of the Sky - 2008

I'm sure I could provide a lift for you as well, if you wanted to come. Andover's not too far for me, really, and my Saturn gets excellent gas mileage. :D