Intros

Hey Tammy. Interesting job. You must have a flexible schedule.

I'm Col. And I live near Reading, and I'm a full time writer and reader, a part time (read: when my mom yells at me) student, and a not very much of the time swimmer. Also, as you can probably tell from my name and unspecified place of living, I'm paranoid.

Besides, I like the name Col.

And, this is my first time NaNo, and while I'm certain I can write 50,000 words, I'm not certain my story will be finished by that time. Guess I'll find out.

Look! It's a completely bland colour of lime green!

Hey guys! I'm Charlotte, and for the purposes of Nano I live in Millersville, where I'm a full-time student of English Ed (Whoo!) Yes I'm insane (but who here on these forums isn't) and I'm taking a few friends down with me! (muahahahaha!) I'm fairly confident I'll be able to make 50k, but I don't expect much coherence ;-)

http://dragcave.net/user/charpixpix419

:D How strange to be poking the forums in time to be on the first page of an intro thread. XD;

Hi, all! I'm L, and I'm an old hand at this nanowrimo thing. I live on the edge of Berks and Montgommery County in the little speck of geography known as Boyertown. My usual meet-up group has largely dispersed over the years, but I usually hit the meet-ups in Reading, when I can. :) Just because I understand where I'm going most of the time. As far as work goes, I'm currently a full-time AGS for a class of preschoolers at our local YMCA, though I'm poking the idea of going back to school in the face. :)

50k won't be the problem for me. I think actually liking and finding the story redeeming, that's where the challenge will be for me. ^^ Like always. *shrug*

Good luck to all of you! :D

Story: Chasing Sunset (Redux!)
Words: Ashes to Ashes. :)
Progress: ... x_x I hate this part.
Ashes: o_o um. /more/ than 30-ish.

Hi everyone, I'm Tamm, aka Tammtamm and I've been participating in NaNoWriMo for a long time now. I hail from the Bucks/Montgomery Route 309 region in a little town called Souderton. I work full time down in Horsham for an Insurance Company and love to write in my spare time.

If I'm not being the hermit I normally am with hubby at home, I sometimes venture out to the Panera Bread at Airport Square Shopping Center down in Montgomery, PA. They have a nice little room behind the soda machine that when not crowded, is a nice place to write. I'll probably spend one or two Saturday afternoons there during NaNo this year, family issues and time permitting. Otherwise, all my writing will probably be done late at night or very early in the morning.

Hope everyone has a successful and fun NaNo experience!

Tamm

Hey everyone! My name's Tresa and this November I will be running interference for you to Nanowrimo HQ. We are going to have a spectacular year this time, I can feel it (not that the previous years haven't been completely awesome. This year will be even awesomer).

A bit of my experience with Nano. I'm fresh from a two-year stint as the PA :: Centre County ML, and I'm a four year nanowrimo veteran, having completed the full 50,000 words every year since 2005. I'm shooting for 100,000 this year, because I am completely and utterly insane, and hope to be checked into an asylum by November 23 at 3:23pm precisely. Hopefully I'll be done my novel before then.

Look for the regional emails for information on meet-ups and events. I'm going to be running things remotely for you all, because I know it's sometimes hard to get to write-ins when our state is so big. Cheers!

NanoWrimo wins: 05, 06, 07, 08
Science Fiction Forum Moderator
ML for PA :: Elsewhere

Hi everyone. :)

I'm Marleigh aka volcana and this will be my ..5th (!) year of NaNo, though I've only won twice so far. I hope to make this year #3. For the past four years, I've been in college and balancing NaNo with school is always fun (why I lost last year, senior year and all). So it should be interesting to see how I do at home.

I currently live in York, at home with my parents being the winner that I am. I work at a grocery store as cashier and personal shopper (lol srsly) and I really need a better job. I studied graphic design and art in school, so hopefully I can find something. ^^

As for NaNo, I mostly write fantasy as I find it more fun than real life and I enjoy creating worlds and characters in them. :) I still need a plot for this year though!

Hello all!

This is my first year! I live in the Philadelphia area. I'm really excited to get started, and if anyone has any advice they can throw my way, it would be extremely appreciated. =)

I just have one question. What are "Write-ins?"

Hello -- I'm ready for my fourth Nano -- with two novels completed and almost a third last year. I live in Altoona in Blair County and can meet up at the Broad Ave United Methodist Church -- Thursday nights? Lots of coffee. Let me know who's interested. I have a folder full of ideas, nothing solid, and I'm getting nervous!

Jamie

Try? There is no try. There is only do or not do. -- Yoda

Hi Kaydance! Welcome!

To answer your question, write-ins are meet-ups wrimos with the intention of writing. More like write-outs, in my opinion, since these usually happen in libraries or coffee shops. ... Note that I said 'intention'. Some groups are more productive doing this than others. :)

For advice, I'd say don't be afraid to kill your plot if you know it's going to go badly. o_o I have slaughtered my main plot, thrown the whole ball of wax out the window, and still found a much happier thing to write and win the month the last three years in a row. I wonder what this says about my planning abilities... Probably that I should stop trying to want to write medieval fantasy. XD Stick with my spaceships and subway trams. XD

Story: Chasing Sunset (Redux!)
Words: Ashes to Ashes. :)
Progress: ... x_x I hate this part.
Ashes: o_o um. /more/ than 30-ish.

Hey everyone! *waves*

I'm Cathy. I live in Greene County, right in the southwest corner of the state. This is my third year of doing NaNo. My first year I didn't find out about it until November 2nd and then I tried to write about something too personal to me and burnt out at 8,000 words. Last year, I had a pretty solid idea(and even an outline!)...but it was too wacky and I just couldn't wrap my head around what I was trying to do and stalled out at a little over 28,000 words. So, if my pattern keeps up then I should hit at least 48,000 this year, right? If I can make it to 48 then I can make it to 50! So, here's hoping this year's idea won't crap out on me!

Other than NaNo, the only thing going on in my life right now is that (and at this point everyone who already knows me groans because I just *can't* shut up about it...) I'm pregnant! I'll be 28 weeks pregnant on November 5th. Definitely wasn't planned and my boyfriend and I are forced to live apart right now due to financial issues, but he lives only 5 minutes away and my landlord says as long as he gets no complaints about me my boyfriend can stay over whenever he wants, so that's cool. :)

I figure living alone during NaNo will be pretty nice. Cause once I get on a roll with my writing I absolutely hate being interrupted!

So, if there are any meet-ups/write-ins near me I will be sure to join in. I doubt there will be, but you never know!

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison

Greetings all,

I’m a first time Nanowrimo… attemptee?… contestant?… outpatient?… whatever we’re called. I live in Carlisle and am a professor at the Army War College. I’m not military, but I work with a lot of them. I’m still trying to decide whether I’m going to work that into this particular story line. I’ve started many, but never managed to finish any, novels in the past. I have published scholarly works before, but that doesn’t really count for this.

I’m looking forward to this. We’ll see how it works out.

T. Fox McManus

Hey'a! I'm officially from Jersey, but I'm in college in Chambersburg, PA and wanted to keep an eye out for things going on near me!
This is my fourth year participating, but I've never won, busy balancing school and writing and horses doesn't seem to work for me. But I'm going to put my shoulders to the wheel, my nose to the grindstone. I've got to hunker down and pull together, all for one and one for all.
Oh, wait... sorry, too much M*A*S*H :D

Ah, well, hello. My name is Lacey and I live in Fulton County in the south central portion of the state. I've never done this before, although a few of my friends have, and I figured what the hell. I've had an idea for a story in my head for years now, and I have to get it out one way or another. I'm probably going to fail miserably at this, but that's the par for my course, so maybe I'll surprise myself and actually win.

I am currently unemployed, despite my best efforts to the contrary, and have been since last December. I'm so utterly boring, I think, since I can't think of much else to say.

"Give me the beat, boys, and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock 'n' roll
And drift away..."

Hi, other 'elsewhere-in-Pennsylvania' Pennsylvanians!
I'm from outside of Altoona -- so maybe we can work something out, Jamie (do you have tea as well as coffee? My daughter, who is also a NaNo, and I are tea drinkers). This is my second year of NaNo, but I never tried to make any regional contact last year since we're so thinly scattered in Pa outside of the larger metropolitan areas. This year, one of my goals is to spend more time on the forums, so I guess I'll start by declaring a home region. Oh, yes, I won last year -- finished with over 70,000 words and wrote the last words (of the rough draft) on the last day of the month. Then I couldn't turn my brain off and went on to write not one but two sequels (the second one isn't finished, but is getting set aside during this month to be finished later, so that I can start fresh with a new NaNo. This year I'm trying something different, though -- I always wrote fantasy before, but this is going to be a 'real world' setting, sort of a crime story/ detective story kind of thing -- so I may need a lot of encouragement!
Any other Altoona area people out there who could get together with us?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Sparkleberry.

Hi. I'm Sherry, a first time Nanowrimo participant. I live in a dinky town with too many people called Waynesboro. I work at home as a daycare provider, but have lots of family obligations, aka children and pets, specifically parrots that demand (!!) my attention. I'll have to lock myself in a room and not come out until Nov 30th. heeheehee Oh, wait. I can't do that! I'd miss turkey day!

Hi!
My name's Melissa (or Lemissa or missa; I answer to all three). I've heard about NaNoWriMo quite a bit for the past several years, but always figured that I would get bored or distracted or the gremlins would conspire against me to keep me from finishing. Not this year! This year, I will finish my 50k! I will have most of a novel done!
I suppose that could be difficult, though, with two jobs, one of which is retail, so hopefully we'll be busy! *fingers crossed*
I also work at a coffee shop in the dorky little town of Womelsdorf. Few people actually know where my miniature town is, but if anyone happens to be from the area, I'd love to meet ya! We could meet for coffee, tea, or whatever at the Crave! Sounds fun, right?
Generally, my favorite things to read are fantasy, so that's where my mind usually heads to daydream. I guess that's where I'll start with writing my novel then! Now to come up with an idea...

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup"

Hi guys!

Third year of NaNoWriMo, to go with third year of high school.

But seriously, this insanity is addictive. I've been looking forward to torturing myself all year! But this year's goal is not to reach 50k (I know I can do that) but to actually finish the darned story. I have two unfinished novels in files already. Wish me luck!

I hail all ye fellows from little ol' Norristown, where I have three cats, one dog, and two parents. I love all sorts of music, reading, history, mythology, some science, theatre, and - duh - writing. I read and write mostly fantasy and sci-fi, and I love to talk about books and characters with people.

This is my first time really trying to get into the NaNo community on the forums, especially with people in my area. It's rather exciting, actually.

Pleased to meet you all! *bows*

2007 - Change of Ways - Won!
2008 - Between Two Worlds - Won!
2009 - Unknown - ...?

"Falling star, shine with the pale moon light, Elfin come, everybody dance by night."

Hello all, Nate here from Davidsville, PA. Tried it last year, college stuff happened pretty hardcore, and I'm trying it again. While in school. But I have a much easier course load this year, so wooo!

Davidsville is... a bit south of Johnstown, in Somerset County. That's about all I can think of, since I moved here from Altoona a few months ago. I'm a student at Penn Highlands, still living with my dad.

I technically don't have a major right now, but that's just while I scoop up the cheap credits before transferring to UPJ sometimes in the near enough future. Looking at teaching high school science right now - biology, physics, chemistry, whatever. I'll also be looking to coach cross country and I know that's not an easy sport to get coaches for, so hooray job security.

I'll honestly be happy to just hit to word count this year without finishing my story, and as long-winded as I can be I probably won't have it done.

Good evening to all from GCC. I'm Caleb, an English-secondary ed major from the quiet farmlands of the Ohio border. I lost NaNo last year due to lack of preparation, and am hoping to make a better run of it this year.

I live in a small town that no one ever recognizes anyway, and attend school in Grove City from September through mid-May. I am most able to join in write-ins in Mercer or Crawford counties, though I wouldn't mind online competition and cooperation with people from other regions.

When not involved in NaNo, I can often be found doing character sketches, studying for class, reading, studying for class, stumbling through new plot ideas for one of n stories, studying for class, and researching - when, of course, not preoccupied with studying for class. I hope to teach English as a foreign language in a Japanese high school after graduation.

--Gene

"[I]f fiction is your line, then your only real answer is to drink way too much coffee and buy yourself a desk that doesn't collapse when you beat your head against it." --Douglas Adams

Hello all! I'm Denise from Douglassville. This is my fourth year participating in NaNo (and looking for my fourth win! *knocking on wood*) I'm up for meet-ups anywhere in the general area. I think a Boyertown gathering is starting to be organized.

I'm a professor at Kutztown University and also own a graphic design and illustration business. This year is going to be tough on the writing as I'm going up for tenure and my business is crazy busy (Any freelance designers out there? I could use the help! Seriously!). I am determined to find the time to complete my novel again this year since I feel like I have a solid plot idea. Of course, as with years past, my plot details will likely change at least 16 times before Nov. 1st. My genre this year is mystery though I plan to write it in a chick lit style. In other words, a fun, humorous, chick-inspired murder mystery. Wish me luck pulling it off!

In my spare time I like to... oh wait, I don't have any spare time.

Best wishes to everyone for a Nano adventure this year!

2006: Crash Test Dummies of Love - WINNER
2007: Chance - WINNER
2008: Beautiful Kill - WINNER
2009:Title TBD
Here we go a-NaNo-ing!

I'm in the Philly area as well. But I'll be spending at least one weekend up in the "Elsewhere" area's. Cause, my writing group is the best. Not terribly productive. But still the best! <3

Write-ins are a fantastic, fun-filled few hours, my group always did two because we would lose concentration if we went any longer. Though, we usually didn't last the full two hours either. Computer batteries would die. Attention spans would wan. Cole Summers would change her story five times each week and forced everyone to play silly little ice-breaker games. But yes, point! Fun-filled few hours of getting together with people in the area and writing. Bouncing ideas off of each other, having word-wars to see who would leave at the end of the night with the most new words. Terrorizing the local iHop waiters. Fun! Write-ins are fun!

I'm in the Philly area as well. But I'll be spending at least one weekend up in the "Elsewhere" area's. Cause, my writing group is the best. Not terribly productive. But still the best! <3

Write-ins are a fantastic, fun-filled few hours, my group always did two because we would lose concentration if we went any longer. Though, we usually didn't last the full two hours either. Computer batteries would die. Attention spans would wan. Cole Summers would change her story five times each week and forced everyone to play silly little ice-breaker games. But yes, point! Fun-filled few hours of getting together with people in the area and writing. Bouncing ideas off of each other, having word-wars to see who would leave at the end of the night with the most new words. Terrorizing the local iHop waiters. Fun! Write-ins are fun!

Hey there, I've recently moved into Glenside, PA and I'm looking forward to finally doing NaNoWriMo! My aim is 50,000 words. As long as my inner editor doesn't escape her iron prison and chains, I don't see a problem with making the goal--I've been trying to get fiction out for years, but that wench has always come out and criticized me into silence (I am an ESL teacher and a decent editor, so I have to look at grammar a lot). Bah!
My novel is setting out to be a mystery/supernatural/metafiction with spiritual (re: Christian) undertones. We'll see how that goes! Philly stuff isn't too terribly convenient for me, due to limited mobility (one car shared by two people), but I'm hoping to find at least one local write-in.

Hi there. Not here. Leave Message. Later!

Hi guys, I'm Odessa, and I'm new to this whole NaNoWriMo, so I may actually get that finally push over the edge of insanity by participating. I live somewhere in PA (obviously) but don't feel like disclosing exactly where because there are creeps in this world my friends, and I don't want to end up in the newspaper for all the wrong reasons, but I felt bad not picking a region, so this is my compromise.
Check out my Blog of all things English and geeky, it's a fledgling and I'd love your support and commiseration.
http://thebookeaterblog.blogspot.com

"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes." Oscar Wilde

http://thebookeaterblog.blogspot.com

Hello everyone! I'm Kate and this is my first year participating in NaNoWriMo. I'm a recent college graduate and I'm spend most of my time working/ adjusting to life in the real world. ^_^ I have lots of ideas for stories, but have never really acted on any of them due to a major lack of confidence in my writing ability. A friend of mine from college who is a fantastic writer convinced me to join and now I'm really excited!

I live in Devon in Chester County and I don't know how many write-ins I will be able to attend, but I would love to get together with other pa wrimos and have some mad writing parties.

Its nice to meet you all and I can't wait to get writing!

Wow, it's been such a hectic month -- lots of extraneous stuff, etc -- the meetups are still on. The tea will be brewing. I don't know if I replied already, but I can't wait to meet someone who churned out 70k, then did two sequels!!!!!!!!! I am really ready to write.

Jamie

Try? There is no try. There is only do or not do. -- Yoda

Hi! I'm Liz, and I live in Greencastle (just north of Hagerstown, MD. I could walk there from here, actually...) I'm a full time writer and artist, and this is my second year doing NaNo! Last year I wrote the sequel to my first novel, which I published a few months ago through CreateSpace. This year I'm writing a fantasy and an urban fantasy novel, aiming for 100K this month!

Can't wait to meet everyone! I've only been in PA since January, so I don't know many people here. Would love to meet some fellow writers!

I don't have Plot Bunnies so much as I have Plot Bunniculas... Mine go for blood.

Hello all you crazy people!

This is my third attempt at NaNo. Third time is a charm, right? I am distracted much to easily.

I live in Johnstown, which could easily be considered the armpit of PA. I grew up in Davidsville (Hi Nate in Davidsville!) and moved around quite a bit (Hey to all younz in the Chambersburg/Waynesboro/Greencastle/Hagerstown area. I lived there for about 10 years and miss it a lot.) before I came back home to the armpit. I work for an insurance company where I pay out death claims all day. It's not very exciting and kinda depressing to look at death certificates all day, but I do find it a great source for new character names (my latest find is 'Zophy').

I have been working on the same story for three years. It's not as bad as it sounds. My story is kind of an open ended thing that I have been working on for my own (and my friend's) amusement. It sort of writes itself as I go, taking new directions and aquiring new characters. I'm starting my Nano count this year with chapter 23 (yet to be titled).

I plan on sequestering myself in my bedroom/office on Sunday and getting a good start. (Though I might poke my head out occasionally to check football scores. Go Steelers!)

"The rumors that Peter Pan was a fairy are completely unsubstantiated; Not that there's anything wrong with that." - Pascal Curious in A Curious State of Affairs

Hey everybody! I just got back from my cross-country move all the way from Grand Canyon, AZ back to my childhood home of Curwensville, PA. That's in West-hecka-nowhere, Clearfield County, for all of those who don't recognize the name (anybody?). I'm home for the holidays before jetting back to North Carolina after a year's sojourn working at the Grand Canyon Animal Rescue, which has recently been shut down by the National Park Service. So I feel pretty crappy! And really, what better time to write? Anyway, I am without a formal job for two whole months, so I'm really looking forward to getting some quality writing done. I won Nanowrimo once when I was in high school, like, a bajillion years ago, and I'm really interested to see how much easier/harder it will be to make the cut this time around. Can't wait!

I'm Trina in Johnstown, which I absolutely adore despite its flaws. I'm the associate editor for our regional monthly magazine, so I do quite a bit of writing on the job, which I think was one of the reasons I crashed and burned during my first NaNoWriMo attempt in 2007. After taking a year off, I'm pretty much absolutely determined to get 50,000 words no matter what. I like books about people like me (one-of-a-kind quirky loners) who have to deal with extraordinary circumstances. So that's what I'm writing.

I will be pushing a bunch of craft projects to the backburner and utilizing my early morning rising in a more productive way to achieve this goal. I just keep telling myself it's no thing.

Hello, all. Best of luck. Peace.

Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; Drugs cause cramp.
Guns aren't lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live.
` Dorothy Parker