Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

[STICKY] TGIO party

LaurenInScotland — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:55:49 -0800

in an effort to keep me motivated, I'm thinking about the TGIO party.
shall we have one?
Where?
When?
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

[STICKY] Welcome to Writing in the Literary City!

DreamHonu — Fri, 3 Oct 2008 03:57:57 -0700

Hello Edinburgh!

First, let me introduce myself. I’m Elysse, one of your Edinburgh Municipal Liaisons. The other in our dashing duo is the lovely PastMidnight, who I will allow to introduce herself.

I’m utterly thrilled that Scotland has regions this year! This is all thanks to one of our general ML’s from last year, Marie Rex, who managed us from Skye and then went on a whirlwind tour to see all the Wrimos at their Thank-God-It’s-Over parties.

So it’s October. I’m already plotting ways to up my wordcount, I’ve got my NaNo ML folder with all sorts of digital goodies (which boil down into two distinct options: “NaNo is TOTALLY AWESOME,” as it is, and “How not to die and make sure your fellow NaNos don’t, either!”), and have started scheming such things that will possibly get me nicknamed the NaNo Proselytizer (press releases yay!).

And now, the official things: please remember that this is an all-ages forum, and that above all your MLs are here to help.
Now sit back, relax, pour a caffeinated and/or alcoholic beverage of your choice, and relax (and introduce yourself, too!).

28 days until November—time to party!

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Elysse Meredith
Co-Municipal Liaison for Edinburgh, Scotland (with Past_Midnight)
Seventh-Year Veteran
Knows Too Much About Medieval Stuff
Absolutely Nuts

Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

[STICKY] Word War Sign-up

Past_Midnight — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:47:53 -0700

If you would like to take place in the Inter-Regional Word War, please sign up in this thread ONCE and ONLY ONCE. Thank you!
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

[STICKY] Word War Rules

Past_Midnight — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 06:19:37 -0700

Eligibility

You must live within the UK or Ireland, and be relatively close to the city or region you
wish to represent.

Sign-ups

Your ML will provide a "Word War Sign Up” thread on your local forum to track word
count. Participants will post ONCE in the Word War Sign Up thread by 8pm on 10th
November stating that they wish to participate.

The Regional Word War

You must update your word count every two days, on the even numbered days of the
month, by 8pm. If you are unable to update your count, contact your ML.

During the last partial week (26th –– 29th Nov), you must update your word count daily, by 8pm. If this isn't possible, contact your ML immediately.

If you do not update your word count on four consecutive occasions it will be assumed that you have given up and you will be removed from the war (unless you already have more than 50k) If you know that you’re going to be away and won’t be able to update, let your ML know so that we can prevent this.

You must input your final (verified) word count by midnight on 30th November. After
midnight, you will no longer be able to update your count.

Scoring

You may drop out of the Regional Word War at any time up to 8pm on 20th November without affecting your region's count. If you do not drop out by messaging either myself or your ML, you will be in for the remainder of the competition, NO MATTER WHAT!

During the Regional Word War there will be a regularly updated leader board on an external web site. I'll post a link to this board to each competing region as soon as I've confirmed it myself!

Only the official word count from the "Word War Sign Up" threads on the NaNoWriMo web site will be considered when computing the final score.

After midnight on 30th November, I will ask the other MLs from competing regions (or their designated representatives) to verify the figures before declaring a winner.

Results

There will be two prizes:
The city/region with the highest average word count.
The city/region with the highest proportion of winners from the starting participants.

The MLs will compare results, and when all regions agree, the results will be posted on the NaNo boards.

Banter

Participants are encouraged to engage in good natured banter with participants from other regions in the various Word War Banter threads. Banter should remain good natured and within the bounds of good sportsmanship. The use of 'smileys' in messages is actively encouraged.

Our God-like powers

MLs decide what "good sportsmanship" means.
We reserve the right to remove folks from the competition for any violation of the rules and guidelines listed above.

MLs are the final authority in any dispute or question about the rules.

Trophies

To be determined...

Good luck one and all.
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

Regional Word War Leader Table Update

Loriba — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 04:46:40 -0800

Hi,

Thought I'd start a new thread for posting when updates have taken place as it's easier to just cross-post across all the participating forums.

The results from the 4th November have been calculated and can be found here:

http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3095947#comment-3239799

If anyone sees any mistakes (and there were several in the last one) please PM me to let me know. :)
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*Hugs*
Lottie
ML for Europe::England:: Cambridge
http://www.nanowrimo.org/mlcontact
2005: Dreaming of Jack - 83k+; 2006: An Ordinary World - 84k+; 2007: Rising Angels, Falling Apes - 121k; 2008 - White Shadows - ??.

Europe :: England :: Brighton

A proposal from the colonies

jameskearl — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:06:37 -0700

Greetings, citizens of Edinburgh. Allow me to introduce myself: I’m James, Saskatchewan’s (self-appointed) International Ambassador. Pleased to meet you,

One of our veteran writers, grammallama, moved to Edinburgh recently and joined your region for Nanowrimo. Which got me thinking... this makes the writers from Saskatchewan and Edinburgh almost like family now. And like any good family member, I’m certain the writers of Edinburgh would be glad to pitch in and help the writers of Saskatchewan in our annual competition against our rivals, the writers of Montana.

Together, Saskatchewan + Edinburgh would be unbeatable. Can we count on your support against Montana? We can? Hooray! Let the 2008 Incredible International Challenge begin.

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Saskatchewan's International Ambassador

Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

Informal Finish Stats

Marie Rex — Mon, 1 Dec 2008 03:30:06 -0800

Good Morning Scotland!

I have to tell you I am in a group of very happy ML's.

YOU FOLKS ROCK!

Seriously last year Scotland had an overall finish rate of 23%. Now that isn't bad.

But this year as a whole we did 31%!

474 people claim Scotland as their home. 149 of them have a purple bar.

I'll get the final stats in a few days from HQ. But my informal survey shows:

World - 119390 signed up - 21400 finished = 18%

For the new regions in Scotland

Aberdeen - 31 signed up - 13 finished = 42%

Dundee - 16 signed up - 2 finished = 12.5%

Edinburgh - 102 signed up - 41 finished = 40%

Fife - 14 signed up - 4 finished = 28.5%

Glasgow - 104 signed up - 31 finished = 30%

Isle of Skye - 8 signed up - 6 finished = 75%

Perth, I'm having trouble separating from Australia so I'll get back with those numbers.

Folks we did AMAZING. *happy dancing ML*

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Important things to remember during NaNoWriMo:
You can still do this! Trust me, I know you can.
You don’t have to spell check
Grammar is optional
Editing comes later
And a plot is used for gardening

Europe :: Scotland :: Perth

And...DONE!!!

Past_Midnight — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 16:03:44 -0800

Well done, Edinburgh Wrimos! From those who won to those who even gave it a try, I salute you!

And now, I sleep.

Hope to see some of you at the party!
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

50K - What now?

PrimroseBeresford — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:03:08 -0800

I can't believe that I did it.

Congratulations to everyone else who made it.

What now?

I've had such fun that I don't want this to be it until next year.

Are there any Nano events planned for later in the year? Can anyone recommend an Edinburgh based writing group?

Thanks
Karen
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

* Don't forget to validate! *

Past_Midnight — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:08:11 -0800

I am THRILLED to see so many purple bars popping up amongst the WriMos on the Edinburgh forum. But I'm also a wee bit concerned at those who have passed 50k and haven't yet validated their wordcount.

*** A win is NOT official until it is validated by NaNoWriMo's word counter. ***

I know that some folks are saving up for a big finish with as many words as they can squeeze in before midnight. But disaster can strike. Not only will the website be frantically busy as midnight approaches, but any number of unforseen problems could arise. Computers could not cooperate, broadband could not cooperate, spouses and/or other roommates could not cooperate. Get your validation in early and then you can worry about adding to your wordcount as the night progresses.

If you are unsure of how to do the validation:

1. Go into the document where you've saved your novel. Select all and then click "copy".

2. On the NaNo website, go under "My NaNoWriMo" and click on "Edit Novel Info".

3. Paste your entire novel into the "Word Count Validator" box.

4. Don't forget to scroll down the page and click on "Submit". ;)

5. The NaNoWriMo bots will count your words and, if you're over 50k, will take you to the special Winner's Page!

A few notes on validation:

- The website may give you a slightly lower wordcount than your word processing program. I got a word count that was about 100 words less. So be sure to give yourself a buffer and validate early enough that you can add those last few words to bring the count over 50k, if needed.

- Despite reassurances from the good folks at the Office of Letters and Light, many of us are still reluctant to paste our literary masterpieces in cyberspace. Following these easy instructions (http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/faq#node-402670) you can scramble your document before copying and pasting.

- For those handwriters amongst you, please see: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/faq#node-3002156

I'll be monitoring the forums all evening, so if anyone is having trouble with validation or with that last sprint towards the finish line, just give a shout out!
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

Milestones and Round Numbers

heidialice — Sun, 9 Nov 2008 08:48:51 -0800

Have you reached 15,000? 20,000? 16,667 (1/3 finished)? Or some other milestone?

Post here to brag and inspire others to stretch to the next milestone.

I just hit 15,000 and it feels great, but I must hit 16,667 today too to stay on track.

Go Edinburgh!

-Heidi

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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

There were oaths through gritted teeth to "crush" ...especially Edinburgh

endofnext — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:29:23 -0800

*rofl* I wish I'd seen this earlier! My friends doing nano in Melbourne, Australia, are out to get me and the city I currently reside in.

"There were oaths through gritted teeth to "crush" Sydney, Montana, Saskatchewan - and especially Edinburgh, UNESCO's first "City of Literature".
http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/books/100-perspiration/2008/...

Now if that's not motivational, I don't know what is. Two more days... whooot!

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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

New lows in procrastination

Past_Midnight — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 12:18:57 -0800

I've just hit an all-new low in procrastination (apart from the fact that my flat has been sparkling clean since NaNo started...).

Rather than actually writing the chase scene that I'm on, I'm reenacting it (in the name of research) using a crowd of my children's Fisher Price Little People*. My hero is being played by Noah (sans ark), pursued by two pirates. A little girl with a kitty cat and the number 2 (standing in for the ribbon peddler who got in the way) is being questioned by a little boy with backpack and frog (representing my ultra-suave villain). And even worse? I'm eyeing the box that the Little People came out of and wondering how I can work the rest of the pirates and a few crocodiles or lions into the chase scene. *sigh* A new low in procrastination methods....

How have YOU been procrastinating?

* For those of you who don't have dozens of these things lying around the house http://www.justd2ofus.com/Elliot/blog/uploaded_images/DSC02045-779403.JP...
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

It started to rain when I passed fifty thousand

Aisling23 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:55:14 -0800

Do you have strong symbols in your novels? What are they?

wonderingly yours

Aisling

my symbols relate to water.
What a surprise.
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http://www.symbolicbridging.com/
http://www.aislingnano.wordpress.com/

Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

Distilling a Dram or a Dream

Aisling23 — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:50:26 -0800

I just realized I am not officially affiliated with a region.
I'm happy to land my win here. If the fifty thousand plus words are wished for my allegiance is to Scotland.
Just a thought.
I wish to live in Scotland soon.
Winning Nano for the first time feels great and my book is not yet complete but the fifty thousand words has been achieved.

Slainte
Aisling
http://www.aislingnano.wordpress.com/

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http://www.symbolicbridging.com/
http://www.aislingnano.wordpress.com/

Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

Titles - Neptune's Dream or the Dissolving Detective?

Aisling23 — Sun, 9 Nov 2008 12:03:38 -0800

I keep going back and forth with two titles for my Murder Mysery, I mean Mystery that is set in Edinburgh during Fringe Festival Time. Do you like Neptune's Dream or the Dissolving Detective better?

Thank you

Aisling

http://www.symbolicbridging.com/
http://www.aislingnano.wordpress.com/

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http://www.symbolicbridging.com/
http://www.aislingnano.wordpress.com/

Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

Writing on Public Transport

EddieLouise — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:22:47 -0800

Well, for the first day of my very first NaNo I wrote on a train. It was a productive day, and I wrote just over 2000 words.

Now I have to fly back to the good ol' USA to get my VISA renewed so I will get to see how I do writing on a plane!

I hope to accomplish a minimum of 3500 words each way.

Wish me luck!

The down side of this is I will miss the Sunday Write In once again. Poor Me!!

Everybody keep writing though and I'll see you in the home stretch next week!

Eddie
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Eddie Louise,
A yarn-spinner, dream-weaver, a teller of tales.

Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

Write-ins this week?

Ashfae — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 07:19:00 -0800

I'm planning on being at Starbucks on the Mile again on Wednesday at least, from about 5:15pm until 7pm (or when I decide I need to stop subsiding on hot chocolate and get some actual dinner). Anyone want to join me? Or request another day/time/location instead?
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

The Halfway Club

EddieLouise — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:46:34 -0800

Yep, that's right!
If your words count is over 25,000...
You have officially made it halfway!
Post your inspirational stories here!
Brag a little... you deserve it Edinburgh!!
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Eddie Louise,
A yarn-spinner, dream-weaver, a teller of tales.

Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

REMINDER: Musing at the Museum

DreamHonu — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:17:59 -0800

Write-in tomorrow at the Museum of Scotland at 1pm!

Suggested format is as follows: meet by the lifts at 1pm, disperse for a bit of writing, meet back by the lifts at 1:30 for a chat, redisperse, continue ad nauseum.

Yours truly will be a bit late -- I'm auditing a class run by one of my supervisors that doesn't end until 1pm; as said supervisor has a tendency to run over, I'm predicting I should be there by 1:30.

And now... I should probably do my words for today!
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Elysse Meredith
Co-Municipal Liaison for Edinburgh, Scotland (with Past_Midnight)
Seventh-Year Veteran
Knows Too Much About Medieval Stuff
Absolutely Nuts

Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

Look at 'Fun Stuff' - word count widgets

LaurenInScotland — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:36:58 -0800

one of the options along the tool bar that has home, my nanowrimo, etc, is fun stuff. click on here then go to word count widgets. you get to see all sorts of graphical information that shows how you are doing, which were good/bad days for you, etc. i've found it helpful in spurring me on
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

REMINDER: Wednesday Writing

Past_Midnight — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00:31 -0800

Just a reminder of the write-in tonight starting around 4:30pm or so at the Starbucks on the Royal Mile by Hunters Square.

I won't be able to make it tonight, but I'll be at the Costa in the middle of St. James Centre today at about 1:00-2:30pm, if there's anyone free in the afternoon who would like to join me.
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

REMINDER: Friday Writing

Past_Midnight — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:02:10 -0800

Just a reminder of the two write-ins going on today. Both have been added to the calendar.

For those early birds, join the WriMos at the Princes Street Starbucks (where our Sunday write-ins are) at 11am.

And for the night owls, Eddie Louise has again invited us over to her flat for some more frantic late-night scribbling. I was there last week and wanted to recommend this as fun and great at getting those words out.
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Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

There WILL be a Friday Night Write in 14 November!!!!

EddieLouise — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:54:14 -0800

Please come.
My place.
Any time after 7pm.
Eddie Louise
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Eddie Louise,
A yarn-spinner, dream-weaver, a teller of tales.

Europe :: Scotland :: Edinburgh

RailWrite: The Sequel

Past_Midnight — Sat, 8 Nov 2008 04:27:40 -0800

I've had a number of folks ask if there was going to be a RailWrite. How many people would be interested in another, perhaps on the 22nd or 29th? Perhaps one at a closer location, so as to get really cheap tickets, and then a longer on-location write-in. Maybe even a meet-up with Wrimos in another city?

Any interest or ideas?
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