Akron Roll-Call!

Hi all! My name is Laura Stuart and this is my 3rd year of NaNo. I live in Highland Square with my fiance and our two cats. I'm an English major at UA, and this is my 6th or 7th year there (there's no shame in taking a few victory laps).

I could probably list about a gazillion songs that would fit this question (I'm a shameless music geek in my spare time). Unfortunatley, I can't seem to think of one specific song.

Anyway, good luck to everyone doing NaNo.

My name is Shirley Rininger. I live in Wadsworth with my husband and our lovely 3 month old daughter. This is my second NaNo and I -will- win this year. I have outlines and everything, plus tons of candy already. Last year I found out during Nano that I was pregnant and any kind of text sent me running to the bathroom. Needless to say, I didn't get very far. This year, I have even found a super writing buddy who was also my pregnant buddy. Hopefully she'll be to the forum soon.

As for lyrics... "Inside the Fire" by Disturbed is right up my alley. I've also done stories based on "Rapture" by Hurt and "War and Destruction" (I think that's the title) by Lacuna Coil.

Welcome Laura and Shirley! I look forward to getting to know you both. Don't forget to stop by the calendar! We have our first meet-up this Sunday. It would be great if you guys could make it.

My name is Carmen. I've done NaNo the last 3 years and finished the past 2, although last year was just barely. I've been getting together with the Canton group. This year I'm a busy bee and although I'm hoping to make some meetings, it will just depend on where/when/what else I've got going. I'm a SAHM, currently homeschooling my son. I knit, crochet, play darts, sing, play piano, play guitar, hike, read, and I'm constantly on the move.

Never thought about writing a novel based on song lyrics, but maybe "A Man and His Beautiful Wife" by Brek Alan.
http://mp34u.muzic.com/posting/5711

Hey everyone!! I'm Shirley's pregnant buddy, Angela. I am 21 years old, I also have a 3 month old and have been married 1 year. I love to read, write and play video games in my spare time and this is my first time doing Nano though I believe I would have done more if I had heard of it eariler. I typically write Fantasy/ Romance though I do a little Sci-fi and horror mixed in there.

Hm... A song that I would love to read lol. Probably, Liv Kristine- Fake a smile considering I actually am writing a story based on that song....or at least a main character is based off that song.

I hope to meet some fellow writers soon!

Angela, Carmen, Welcome welcome! I'm happy to know you'll be a part of our Akron group and I really look forward to getting to know you all.

Wow... do I sound like a Kindergarten teacher or what?

Hi Everybody!

I'm Di and I was previously in the Akron/Canton hybrid region. Officially I'm now in Canton, but I'll be coming to the Akron events, too. I apologize in advance!

This year I'm writing horror based on too many made for the SciFi Channel movies and Norse mythology. Good times!

Song: Well I don't know about a story, but I can't get the song out of my head so I'll pick some lyrics from "I Didn't Get Where I Am Today" by the Pet Shop Boys.

"When you can’t get what you want
you still have all the rest
but isn’t it sad to settle for second-best?"

Di

Hey everyone!
My name is Kristina. I'm 23. I'm a vegan. Graduated from the university of Akron in Dec '06 with BA in English. I attempted NaNo last year but failed miserably. I didn't go to any of the meetings last year so I'm hoping that having this group so close to home, I will get out there & stay motivated through the month.
I look forward to meeting everyone!!

Oh. And a song...
I really like "Splendid Isolation" by Pete Yorn
It'd probably be a really depressing novel though.

Christopher, 30s, spookular.

This is technically my third year of Nanowrimo, though I got too busy for the first year. Last year I completed the 50K words just in time, and ended up selling the novel. This year's Nanowrimo, I'm writing the sequel.

I'd say a song that could be made into a novel:
http://tmbw.net/wiki/Lyrics:I%27m_Impressed

Just a quick hi from the Canton ML! *wave* I work in Akron and will be stopping by to support Akron events when I can, and I appreciate the consideration for trying not to overlap too much so that everyone can go to whichever regional events they'd like. :) I'm excited to see what Nicole does with the region and glad to have a little work on my shoulders, so many thanks to CoffeeGirl. :)

I'm 27, recently married and finished with grad school (MSW), this is my 7th year participating, 6th year ML'ing, and hopefully 5th finish. All the other boring details most of you already know and are listed in my Canton intro. Look forward to meeting some new people again this year! :)

Hello.

I'm Renae. I'm a librarian and I live in the boonies of Portage County. This is my 5th NaNo, 4th win, and 3rd year with the Akron/Canton group. I've declared allegiance to Canton but will definitely do stuff with Akron, too.

The song prompt is great fun. Skimming through my music and coming up with fantastic novel ideas for so many of them. Brad Paisley's Flowers would make a great humor novel. Hula Girl at Heart - Jimmy Buffett is pulling on me now, too. I think it would be a sad one if I actually wrote it.

Leaving October Behind- Sons of the Desert "I'm just fine until the end of September. Then I remember losing you October '89..."

Sloop John B - Beach Boys. "This is the worst trip I've ever been on".

Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles

But I think my favorite to write would be Tim McGraw's That's Why God Made Mexico.

I listen to country and showtunes mostly. Showtunes tend to advance the story of a larger musical. Country songs lend themselves to story-within-a-song so well that a lot of times I think the four minute song tells the story better than a 500 page novel could.
Now I'm full of plot bunnies and I think a new potential NaNo story. The dangers of writing...the more you write, the more ideas you have.

Hope to meet everyone soon!

Hey all! I'm Shelley, this is my, um, 5th Nano. 4 wins under my belt, woo.

When I'm at home I live in Cuy Falls. However, I'm not at home, I'm in VA (a temporary home). I've been a part of the AkroCanto NaNo group for the last two years, and I'll probably flip between the 2 groups when I am at home. I just don't know when that'll be.

(short: husband works in VA and is looking for a job back in Ohio....our lease is up at teh end of hte month, so it looks like we may be doing the him in VA til he gets a job and me in Cuy Falls or Wads til then.)

Hope to be able to make some events soon!

Hi Shelley! Good to see you! Good luck with all of that moving and such. I hope you get to settle here in Ohio soon so you can get writing that novel.

Shelley! Glad to see you posting and hope to see you in person really soon! It's not NaNo without you.

I'm Jacob, a master's student in history at the University of Akron. I live near campus, did Nano for the first time last year, and plan on a dystopia futurist saga this November.

Hi! I'm Erica, 25 years old and an engineer. I've lurked Nano for several years now but never manage to write more than a handful of words, if that. Maybe if I hang out with people who are writing then some of it might rub off on me...

Song? I don't really pay attention to lyrics, but I think I'll go with "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", since if I do manage to get anything written this year I doubt that it will make any more sense than that.

Hello all, I'm Kathy, I am a 32 year old graphic designer/aspiring author. I live in Silver Lake with my husband, 3 year old son, and two cats. This is my third NaNo. The first year, 2004, was a disaster, as November was the month I found out I was pregnant and that kind of sent me into a tailspin. Last year was MUCH BETTER - I finished!

I have always toyed with the idea of writing a short story collection based on the titles to all of the songs on the Beatles' Abbey Road. Not ready to do that yet, though.

Hi. My name is Amanda (some people know me as Amy, I answer to both). I'm a wife and stay-at-home-mom. I like to do genealogy, work with my bonsai, and draw, among other things.

I've already posted over on the Canton forum, as that's where I've been affiliated for a while, but I live in Akron, and would like to meet up with some of you guys too.

If you read my post over on the Canton forum, I mentioned that I wasn't actually going to do NaNoWriMo, but instead do NaNoMangO (30 pages of sequential art... in other words a 30 page comic book), but still use the support of the NaNoWriMo group. Well... I don't think I'm going to do that anymore. I've come to the conclusion that I need to draw MUCH more in order to be even half way happy with what I end up with (That or draw the thing over the period of a year so I can spend the time required on each panel). So... I've decided to write my comic book as a novel, but... I'm also going to try NaNoDrawMo... which is a challenge is to draw 50 pieces of art in the month of November alongside NaNoWriMo . I finished NaNoWriMo a bit early last year, so hopefully I'll have time to do both.

Anyway... on to the songs I would like to know more back story on...

"Apologize" by OneRepublic

and

"I Don't Love You" by My Chemical Romance

The thing is... I've already written short stories for both of these songs. I would still like to know the band's POV on them, but I like my take on things.

I'm Alyssa, guitar-playing SAHM and tie dye artist. This is my 1st NaNo.

How about "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" for a song?

Hey, I think a lot of you remember me! so I won't spend forever on intros. Very cool to have an Akron group, more close meetings is nice. :)

However, I have a somewhat tragic story to tell. Due to my nearing the end of my high school career (I'm a junior), the excessive work load has created a situation where even attempting to write 50,000 words in one month would be tantamount to commiting suicide (can anyone tell I'm a writer?). Unless, of course, you counted all the words I wrote in English class! Therefore, I must sadly put aside all aspirations of novel-winning glory, and subject myself to *gasp* the Real World.
But all is not lost! Simply because I am not planning on winning Nano does not mean I will not input words nor contribute to my region (which will soon be changed from Canton to Akron--Go Zips!) I will also be adding these words in a somewhat unusual, perhaps even heretical too you, way.
About two months ago, a friend (whose purpose in life it seems is to keep us sane while driving us crazy....) came to me and another friend with the workings of an epic fantasy tale and requested help. We joined in, and in those two months of work we have produced over thirty pages of outline, backstory, and characterization, but only about 4,000 words of rough draft. Therefore, I submit my intent to work on an already-in-progress story that has been inspired by someone else. Please don't kill me! What small fragments of the draft already exists were created soley by me, as will every single word throughout the month of November. I submit as a lessened goal to reach 25,000 words in the month. This means I will occasionally be open to a day/hours long word war (I encourage the challenge, as I like motivation!), but unless a miracle happens, will not be meeting.

But to all the rest of you, do not be discouraged! I wish you all well, and encourage you with my past two years of nanoing success. May your swords be with you! (wait...wrong movie)

Oh, and a song. "What I've Done" by Linkin Park. Maybe it's not very creative, but I love it and it often inspires me.

Welcome Quizzer! While the others may recognize you, you're completely new to me and I'm excited for the chance to change that. Good gravy you're obsessed with death! Suicides, murders! What kind of establishment do you think we're running here? Just because we have a tendency to beat people bloody doesn't mean that we actually KILL them! We have class! Somewhere. Where did I leave that class? I swear it was here a week ago.

As for your writing, I'm very vocal about my opinion on BFCs (Big Fat Cheaters) but from what I can tell, you don't seem to be cheating. The idea of your halfa-novel may be a collaboration but as long as you're only submitting what you wrote and what you wrote between November 1st and 30th, things seem on the up and up. It's just like a fan fiction, only you're a fan of your friends! Now, if you included what your homies were writing or what work has been done up until October 31st, then I might go into a "thousand yard stare" and my head may or may not explode. But you seem to be taking a fun way of getting where you're going. It's always more fun with friends.

Good luck to you! I hope to meet you soon! We'll be cheering you on! Exclamation point!

Hi,

My name is Brian. I live in Uniontown. This is my first NaNo. Very Nice to meet all of you.

My LJ is brian_ohio

Now... let's do this already.

Alright! That's the spirit! LET'S GO TEAM LET'S GO!!!! Whoooooo! We're gonna kick NaNo butt and take NaNo names! We need a pitcher not a belly itcher!! GO AKRON WRIMOS! WE CAN DO IT! VAMOS!!!

(This concludes the "Five days till we write" pep talk. I hope you all feel as charged and empowered as I do. Thank you, good night.)

Hi, I'm Paul. This is my second Nano. Last year I was with the Akron/Canton group. This year I'm officially with Canton, but plan to attend meetings with both groups.

A song? Hmm. Maybe either "Thrash Unreal" by Against Me or "Light from a Dead Star" by Lush.

Hello to all. I'm Kyle. A few know me and some of you know of me. My wife doesn't seem to want me to mention her so I wont. :P

This is my second try at NaNo. Due to a stressful job and lack of ambition I didn't complete my previous attempt. I am determined to finish this time. Because I am a giant Batman fan I am writing a Batman novel. Maybe one day it will be a movie and I can star in it as a bum.

Nice to be here with all of you.

Hello all,

My name is Theresa and this is my first time attempting NaNo. (And that felt very much like a movie-version of an introduction at a support group, minus the unenthusiastic "Hi [insert name here]" in unison.)

I'm a poet/spoken word artist/performer, traveling quite a bit around Ohio for gigs, but I consider most of my attempts at fiction to fall short of successful. Yet, when I heard about this wonderful website/event/community/brother-sister-ship-hood, it sounded like way too much fun to not at least give it a try. In terms of my novel-to-be, I scribbled a looseleaf sheet or two of nonsense a while back in that half-conscious state just before falling asleep, and thought, "That might make a good story sometime." That's where I plan to start. I have no idea what I'm doing. I have no outline. Just a bunch of crazy people, whom I plan to throw in a room together and then watch what happens! I like adventures :D Godspeed to all! This should be a rockin' good time.

(Other interests: I have a rodent obsession. Hence the profile picture. Squirrels are a metaphor for life. Seriously. Well, at least mine. Oh, and I'm a big fan of a few folks here in the local music scene. So when I'm not writing or performing myself, I tend to be roundabout somewheres like Northside or Jimmy's Cafe or Musica, taking in a show. ....and apparently, I ramble. A lot. At least today...)

Music question: any song ever written by U2. I heart Bono.

Do novelists have a war-cry? I feel like I should insert one here before ending this....something like, "BLUEBERRY PANCAAAAKES!!"

BLUEBERRY PANCAAAAAKES!!!

I love it. Here I was looking for a team and mascot and all we needed was a war-cry!

Welcome, Theresa! It's funny you mention Musica! I had planned a write-in at Mocha Maiden but thought better of it when I remembered that they don't sell food. It's a fantastic place to be, though! Good luck to you in your first year of writing! I hope you can make it to the Kick-Off on Friday and/or Saturday! We've got quite a few first year wrimos!

Hey fellow NaNoids!

I'm Hisart and this is my third year of participating in NaNoWriMo. I won my first year (2005), I wrote it by hand and Brandice was a witness to the big finish! The next year I bombed terribly, don't even remember why. The next one I think I skipped it? Which brings us to this year!

I am a Substitute Teacher, published illustrator, college student (Master's), husband and father of six (6) kids... did I leave out anything?

The Album/CD that I was contemplating using as a base for this year's NaNo, is KISS 'The Elder'. Don't worry if you've never heard of it, most people haven't! I've always thought it had a lot going for it as a possible basis for a novel. I was still thinking it over when I found this thread, but haven't yet locked it down yet as an absolute.

Anyways this year I am starting NaNo in the middle of writing six papers for college, yes they are due Wednesday the 5th! Arrgh!

I will try to make one of the write-ins but with my schedule I don't see it really happening.

As I said in my ramble, I am an artist and my site is http://hisart.us/ which you are invited to stop by and check out!

Well back to my papers!