A couple of questions

Hehe how cool. We have a budding journalist in our midst >:D

Here's mine:
1) Who participates? - Anyone and everyone. I've heard of people as young as 6 years old getting their writing pencils out to the more mature age of 80s. In Brisbane we have a range from youngsters at age 10 to the mighty 60s and 70s.
2) What is NaNoWriMo? - NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge. Something we all inflict on ourselves year after year in the hopes of breaking all the rules and doing something amazing that not many would usually set aside time to do. Writing a story.
3) Where is it held? - All around the world and generally in the comfort of our own homes, schools, workplaces, local cafes or wherever else we can put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.
4) When is it held? - Every November from the 1st to the 30th.
5) Why does it occur? - Some people need a reason to go through sleep deprivation and caffeine addiction. But generally because we all have the ultimate goal of writing a novel and without NaNoWriMo we would just let that dream slip to the end of the to-do list.
6) What events are taking place? - Write-ins, social gatherings of the like-minded, word wars and other games, and last but definitely not least, at the end of the month we celebrate in style with the TGIO (Thank God Its Over) Party!
7) How many people are participating this year? - A lot. There are usually a lot more turning up to the events than we originally plan. Last year for the Kick Off we had around 30 people turn up at various stages during the day. We definitely have more than that subscribed to our area - breaching 400 and nearing 500 last year alone and getting stronger every year that passes.
8) What is the point? - V. similar to question 5 I noticed. - With NaNo it can be anything. Some people are budding authors and use NaNo as a starting block. Others do it for a hobby. Myself, I feel the need to entertain and when I write something people can start to see the little movies that play out in my head.
9) How do you participate? - I write, I help organise events around the area, I like to encourage other participants and when someone looks like they're hitting a roadblock (or Writer's Block)... I crack the whip when necessary to keep them moving along.
10) When did it start? - The Year Y2K. Though Brisbane didn't get its own dedicated region until 2003 after a little pleading.
11) How did it start? - Before the Brisbane region was created for NaNoWriMo we were all hiding around in the 'Elsewhere' section for the Australia and New Zealand area of the forums. After getting enough local interest from the Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast we managed to sway the forum moderators to give us our own spot on the map.
12) When did you personally begin? - 2003. Strangely enough, the same year I started as ML. So 5 years and still going strong.
-- Any further comments you would like to let the public know.
For sure! NaNoWriMo is open for everyone. Age, gender, work/study status - none of that matters. NaNoWriMo is a great family-friendly challenge to get all writers and their support-groups in on the action. Don't think you can make 50,000 words in a month? No problems! The challenge is there to help you push your own limits. The only prize authors have after November 30 is the joy of having written a book. If you don't write the whole thing, there's plenty of other opportunities to finish during the year.

Hope I didn't babble too much ^^;

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Ellie
co-Municipal Liaison for Brisbane, Australia
Captain of the Writey Ducks aka TEAM 3!

NaNo Title: tba
Genre: Thriller/Suspense

No, that's great. Thanks Ellie [in need of last name].

07: ... *fails*
08: Twisted Fate (genre: YA spec fic)

The Writey Ducks! (TEAM 3)

Tennyson :D

And yes, I chose it after Good Ol' Alfred Lord Tennyson *giggle*

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Ellie
co-Municipal Liaison for Brisbane, Australia
Captain of the Writey Ducks aka TEAM 3!

NaNo Title: tba
Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Questions:
1) Who participates?
Anyone can participate in NANOWRIMO, people from all around the world, and many people here in Brisbane. personally i know about 4 people who did nano last year and about 10 more who are thinking of giving it a try this year. that doesn't even include the fellow writers who i met at the write ins i participated in last year. a write in is where a bunch of writers that are participating in nano get together both to write and convey ideas to each other and have overall fun.

2) What is NaNoWriMo?
nanowrimo stands for national novel writing month and it is a somewhat contest where anyonewho wants to attemps to create a 50 thousand or more word story in the space of a manth. it doesnt have to be edited in that month of coarse but the challenge of writing 50 thousand words is both exciting and exhausting.
3) Where is it held?
nanowrimo is held on the internet, which is why it has participants from all over the world, it is a chance for everyone to test out their writing skills, as well as how they cope with no sleep and a fairly pissed off muse....hehehe...and the great thing about it is that you can write at home, at school, at work, or on the toilet if they realy desire, it can be done anywhere.

4) When is it held?
nanowrimo is held in november, originally because of the weather where the contest began. alot of people ask why they cant start the contest eary and finish early, and the rules say you cant. this is because the mindset would be different for someone who is starting the contest alone, as opposed to someone who knows millions around the world have the same deadline as them. i guess you could cheat if you wanted to but you would only really be cheating yourself, and where is the fun.
5) Why does it occur?
thats a really good question, i mean, nano exists because someone was smart enough and determind enough to think of it but if u ask me, nano is about showing a writer that a challenge, eveen one as great as this can be met by them, its about knowing you achieved something great and knowing that after november, you have a story that one day may even get published....who knows, it shows you anything is possible...

6) What events are taking place?
well along with the writing of carse, there are meet and greets, write ins, kick off parties and tthe amazing thank god its over party.....its an amazingly busy month.

7) How many people are participating this year?
ok i honestly dont know that one becase iknow heaps of people that havent signed up yet, but im guessing alot more than last year, its totally fun.

8) What is the point? - V. similar to question 5 I noticed.
it really is the same as question five, its an oportunity for people to be inspired and test their skills.

9) How do you participate?
just sign up on the net and let the creative juices flow lol
10) When did it start?
ten years ago, its the ten yr annaversary this year
11) How did it start?
someone wanted to write..lol
12) When did you personally begin?
i began last year but unfortunatly didnt get to finish it but i am determind this year
-- Any further comments you would like to let the public know.

my name is de-anne w :)

xoxo princess de xoxo

Elle, I'm not sure if this helps you any but its fun to reminisce!!!

I have found 2 group photos (veeeeeery small and pretty bad quality) from the FIRST and ORIGINAL KOP from back in 2003 ;)

Yes... I keep a hold of this stuff ;)

Pic 1
Pic 2

MWAHAHAHAHA :)

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Ellie
co-Municipal Liaison for Brisbane, Australia
Captain of the Writey Ducks aka TEAM 3!

NaNo Title: tba
Genre: Thriller/Suspense

Who participates?

Anyone and everyone! It's why I love NaNo- anyone can participate. Maybe not win, but definitely participate. I know I've dragged in a bunch of teens in the couple years I've been doing NaNo and everyone has been very welcoming and supportive.

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month, when writers all around the world gather together and pound furiously at keyboards in the hopes of producing a coherent sentence every so often.

Where is it held?

On the interwebs! But there are lots of get-togethers, mostly in the CBD for the Brissie bunch, I think. It really is an exercise in teamwork. I know I would never have won had I not had friends to kick me back into gear when I stalled.

When is it held?

November! Because it's much better for writing 50k words in than February is.

Why does it occur?

Because Chris Baty once said, "Hey, let's write 50 000 words in a month!" and some other guys went, "Kay, I guess. Where's the caffeine?"

What events are taking place?

There's always a kick-off and Thank God It's Over party/gathering, plus generally a bunch of write-ins (where everyone gathers together to ignore each other as they write) that I can never make it to :(.

How many people are participating this year?

Enough to crash the servers yesterday and the day before with all the new signups. I'd say we'll have no problem with making it past a billion words collectively this year.

What is the point?

There's a point? I think it's different for every person, really. For me it's to write more than I'm normally capable of, and hopefully to come out in the end with a decent story that should shine if I bothered to edit it. Bothering to edit, however...

How do you participate?

You write. You sit down, butt-in-chair, and you write. You talk to the other NaNoers about how well it's going. You talk to the other NaNoers about how badly it's going. You drive people not participating insane with incessant chatter about characters and plots and subplots (I call them splots!) and how fun it is to kill people with shovels and trebuchets (Travelling Shovel of Death and Trebuchet Club are both in the Writing Groups and Clubs forum for anyone who doesn't know :D). And then you just sit down and write some more.

Good fun.

When did it start?

I don't know! And although it would only take a couple of clicks to find out I'm very lazy. So I'm going to say it started when Chris Baty thought of it.

How did it start?

I refer to my previous answer of 'Chris Baty once said, "Hey, let's write 50 000 words in a month!" and some other guys went, "Kay, I guess. Where's the caffeine?".'

When did you personally begin?

Two years ago and I can't be gladder I did :).

My real name is Ashlyn Tomlinson and I'm glad if I helped in any way ^^

---

Nano '06: Waking Dreams :~: Won
Nano '07: Lines Drawn In Red :~: We'll see

Heheh it started in 1999 luv but opened up on the interwebs officially in 2000 ;)

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Ellie
co-Municipal Liaison for Brisbane, Australia
Captain of the Writey Ducks aka TEAM 3!

NaNo Title: tba
Genre: Thriller/Suspense

1) Who participates?
In a word - "writers". That doesn't mean "professional writers", or even GOOD writers. Just anyone who loves to write, and that's a larger section of the population than you'd think.

2) What is NaNoWriMo?
It's actually "International Novel Writing Month", but InNoWriMo doesn't sound as good. The aim is to write 50 000 words of a story (or "novel") in a single month. That works out to be 1667 words a day, which is daunting for new writers, but once you get into the swing of it, you can be pushing out upwards of 5000/day.

3) Where is it held?
World-wide. The Brisbane group is actually one of the largest in Australia - turns out that Brisbane is a good breeding-ground for writing. I've met a lot of the Melbourne crew as well, and they are equally cool.

4) When is it held?
November 1st through November 30th, though there's a meet-up at the end of October, and a "Yaywedidit" party afterwards.

5) Why does it occur?
Because sad as it is, people often need an excuse to write. Ideally we'd all be writing all the time, but real life gets in the way, and so we need a bit of an impetus. Probably the best reason for its existence is that you get to struggle through with everyone else who's participating, and encountering the same problems as you are.

6) What events are taking place?
The Kick-off party and the Thank Goodness It's Over party spring to mind.

7) How many people are participating this year?
Generally it's about 50 in Brisbane, about 2/3 of whom will make it to some of the social events. I'm making those numbers up, I should point out.

8) What is the point?
For me? I get to meet a lot of very cool people. I was brand new to Brisbane in 2006, and it introduced me to about 5 or 6 of my closest friends, and literally dozens of others I'm still in contact with.

9) How do you participate?
I try to make it to as many meet-ups as I can, and I write like mad (both my novel, and on the forums.)

10) When did it start?
For me? 2004 was the first year that I heard of it, but I was in the middle of Senior Highschool at that point, and I couldn't get involved. By 2005, I was still doing Senior Highschool, but cared a lot less about my grades.

11) How did it start?
In the first year, Chris Baty wrote a novel. And he saw that it was shit. Shit, but completed, and that made him happy.

12) When did you personally begin?
Oh, shit. I should have read the questions before I should have started answering, hey?

2005 - "Trevor James: Space Actor"
2006 - "Writing a Novel"
2007 - "Basil Turret and the Prisoner of Algebra"
2008 - "The Black Handle Club"

Well, most of these questions have already been answered but I'll give you my perspective.

1) Who participates?
Anyone and everyone -- sanity optional. :-) If you have ever wanted to write a novel, but never been able to find the time, NaNoWriMo is for you!

2) What is NaNoWriMo?
National Novel Writing Month is an annual event in which the aim is simple: write a 50,000 word "novel" ("novella" might be more accurate at that length, but let's not quibble) in 30 days.

3) Where is it held?
All over the world, and in your own home. Access to the internet is a big plus -- and it is probably where most of us first heard of it -- but is not vital to the actual writing challenge. If you have a computer or laptop, or a typewriter, or a pencil and pad of paper, you can give it a shot.

4) When is it held?
November every year. I believe the first one, limited to a group of friends in -- well, whichever US state it began in, the website will give you the history -- took place in April. After that Chris Baty and friends wisely decided that attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days of blistering heat was crazy, so they switched to November -- which now means, of course, that we Aussies get to attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days of blistering heat. Crazy idea, really.

5) Why does it occur?
Because we're crazy. More specifically, because Chris Baty and friends were crazy, and decided to share their craziness with the whole wide world.

6) What events are taking place?
Locally, there will be the Kick-off Party, the TGIO (Thank Gerbil It's Over) party, and doubtless there will be weekly social gatherings and write-ins. All of these are optional, of course -- but while they may not always be conducive to actual writing, they are certainly a lot of fun. Oh, and there will be writing, probably mostly solitary (unless anyone can actually manage to produce a decent wordcount at the write-ins?)

7) How many people are participating this year?
I have no idea. Worldwide the number has grown in leaps and bounds since it first began. Again, the website will have a pretty accurate count. Back in 2002, when I first signed up -- well, my user number is 2467! I notice that some of our newer local members have user numbers above 310,000! This does not mean there will be 310,000 participants, of course -- some people sign up and never come back -- but there will be a lot of us!

8) What is the point?
To challenge ourselves. There are some professional writers who participate each year (and, unfortunately, some professional writers who feel the need to prop up their own egos by sneering down their noses at we amateur wannabes.) Most of us, though, are people who want to write, who love playing with words, but who don't -- for one reason or another -- have the time to actually sit down and write. Those who sneer would say that "writers write", but for most of us it is a hobby, a bit of fun. Maybe some dream of being published. I certainly don't.

So what is the point? Keeping it to a single month means that many people can actually manage to set aside that small length of time to make the effort. And if, at the end of it, you have managed to produce a novel -- or 50,000 words that can be coerced into something vaguely novel-shaped -- it is an achievement that you would never otherwise have managed!

9) How do you participate?
You write.

Or you party, you socialise, you hang out on the forums, and you procrastinate. But only by writing one word after another will you reach that 50k target.

10) When did it start?
1999. April, I believe.

11) How did it start?
Chris Baty and a group of friends (I believe there were 23 of them, but, y'know, website... ;-)) decided to spend a month writing a novel. Did I mention "crazy"? :-)

12) When did you personally begin?
I made my first attempt in 2002, and I wrote all of 7,000 words. I tried with even more limited results in 2003 and 2004. Then, in 2005, I passed the 50K mark three days or so before the end of the month, and produced my first novel.

And if you want a photo of something NaNo-related, here's one of the first two novels I've written thanks to this crazy event (and self-printed through Lulu.com):

http://www.petesplace.id.au/image/array_wars.jpg

My name -- like it says on the covers -- is Peter Jones! :-)

2005 to 2007 - The Array Wars Trilogy!
2008 - Half Life Zero: No Life

I'm new to the area, but I'll give this a go anyway! My answers will be more general, as I spent my last NaNo in the UK.

1) Who participates?
People from all walks of life! Most people claim that they have a book in them - this is the perfect excuse to get it out.

2) What is NaNoWriMo?
It is a writing challenge to write 50,000 words in a single month. It is a community of like-minded, mildly insane people who exchange ideas, encouragement and caffeine.

3) Where is it held?
All over the world! It is organized primarily through the internet, with arms reaching out to localities through local liaisons, called Municipal Liaisons. People partake from their homes, coffee houses, boats, beaches and anywhere else that will let them sit still long enough to put words down.

4) When is it held?
Every year in November, all month long.

5) Why does it occur?
Because people love to write, they love to do it with others, and they want to keep doing it.

6) What events are taking place?
There will be a kick-off party, an after-NaNo party, and much getting together in between to get caffeinated, encouraged and otherwise kicked to keep on writing. There are games and parties and lots of opportunities to socialize.

7) How many people are participating this year?
Thousands! Worldwide, anyway. Not quite that many in the Brisbane area, but more than a couple and less than omg where did these hordes crazy writers come from.

8) What is the point? - V. similar to question 5 I noticed.
To say that you have written a novel. To prove to yourself that you can do it. To put the words down to edit and polish up later. To get a shiny certificate to show to the world.

9) How do you participate?
Simply sign up on the site, start writing on 1st November and keep going until you reach 50,000 words or the end of the story, whichever happens last. At the end of November, verify your wordcount and receive your certificate.

10) When did it start?
This is the 10th anniversary, so, ten years ago!

11) How did it start?
A few friends decided to set themselves a challenge, it spread onto the internet and it became viral from there.

12) When did you personally begin?
2007. After hearing about it for a few years, I finally decided to give it a go. I'm only sorry that I didn't join in sooner!

And before you ask: Edmonds.

Hope that helps! :)

~Mel
co-ML for Brisbane, Australia
Captain of the Purple Ninja Nightowls (of Death)

2007 - Queen of Diamonds
2008 - Shuriken

My name -- like it says on the covers -- is Peter Jones

No...your name is PETE Jones.

Learn your own name, for criminy's sake!

2005 - "Trevor James: Space Actor"
2006 - "Writing a Novel"
2007 - "Basil Turret and the Prisoner of Algebra"
2008 - "The Black Handle Club"

That's not my name ... it's my secret identity! :-)

2005 to 2007 - The Array Wars Trilogy!
2008 - Half Life Zero: No Life

OMG, those pics bring back memories!

I remember that it was stinking hot that day, walking down the valley mall to Fat Boys was like walking through pea soup. Then a little later in the day a fairly wild storm hit - but we were all safely tucked away in the depths of Fat Boys with far too many index cards, some rabbit ears and a couple of textas :)

Curious as to how many people in the pics (or those who turned up during the day but missed the photo shoot) are doing Nano again this year?

~ LastDance ~ AKA Sammie

Member of Briswrimo Team 1 - The Purple Ninja Nightowls (of Death)