Got questions? Need information, answers or input? You're in the right place. Now, you could send Landon or me a private message, but trust me, if you have a question, 12 other people probably have the same question.
Here's the answer I sent to one inquiring person today:
The write-ins during November are just people getting together and writing - mostly typing. There may be some brief visiting and comparing progress, but it's all business. These write-ins typically have 2 to 6 people.
We ALSO have write-ins/writing group meetings before NaNo where we have short presentation on a writing book (usually by me), a writing exercise and discussions. These write-ins typically have 10 to 15 people. People often offer to carpool which might be a good solution for you. And even if you don't attend the pre-November write-ins, try to make it to the Kick-Off Party. That's a blast.
Since November is a time for writing and making sure you get your 50K done, we encourage people to attend or set up write-ins in their area. This is my 4th year as ML so the folks down here know we'll go to the same places. The people in Riverside come and go but my co-ML, Landon is based near Redlands so he'll be organizing write-ins near him. There may be some folks closer to you who'd like to get together too.
As people post their info on the forums, we'll see who's near you and perhaps you can hook up with them for a write-in.
Also, write-ins are not necessary, just fun. My first year, we had no ML and when I got tired of writing on my own, I decided to have a write-in at my local coffee shop and one person showed up. If you decide to go that route, just send Landon or me the info and we can add your event to the regional calendar.
Thanks for writing. I hope I didn't overwhelm you.
diann
----------
Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
70,867 / 50,000
oct. 4, 2009 - 15 29
I'll just throw a little info up here for Riverside. The last two years we've had a weekly write-in in Riverside, at the Riverside Plaza Coffee Depot. It's usually 6-10 people and mostly we just sit around writing, but it is a lot of fun, and many of us have made friendships and hung out together outside of the event.
I believe last year we met on Wednesday evenings and sometimes Sunday afternoons, but we've not decided yet this year. I'll definitely put it on the calendar when we decide. We've also had a "last day" meeting for people needing support to hit 50k by the end of the night. The Coffee Depot has free wifi and is usually open until 11pm-midnight, so you can often validate at the coffee shop!
Though of course you'll all finish well before midnight on the 30th, won't you?
44,697 / 50,000
oct. 5, 2009 - 18 59
We encourage you to arrange and host events in your area and post the details here. If you are scheduling an event, PLEASE do not set it on a time or date when it interferes with (or precedes) an official NaNo event like the kick-off or TGIO party.
Also, when posting details of your event, PLEASE CREATE ONLY ONE THREAD and post all events in the same thread. This will make it easier for attendees to find without having to wade through thousands of posts. For example, all Temecula write-ins would be in a thread entitled, surprisingly enough: Temecula Write-Ins. Better yet, send the info to me (email me, it's much faster - I'm at kalindra_at_gmail.com) and I will add your event to our calendar.
You MUST have a date, time, place (with address) and any other pertinent information before I can post it. ALSO, if YOU schedule and event, you must be there. For many participants, this is their first NaNo and we want them to feel comfortable.
Thanks!!
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
32,868 / 50,000
oct. 7, 2009 - 16 04
I just wanted to mention that Eclectic Books in Murrieta would be a great place to have a write-in. They are located on the corner of Margarita Rd. and Murrieta Hot Springs in the shopping center with the Fresh and Easy, Sonic Drive-in and White Lime. Here is the website if you want to check them out: http://eclecticbookstore.com/
----------Donna Leonard
http://writinginmyhead.tumblr.com/
Writing that springs from the surface of existence--when there is
no other way and the deeper wells have dried up--is nothing,
and collapses the moment a truer emotion makes that surface
shake.
44,697 / 50,000
oct. 19, 2009 - 17 01
Reaching Diann:
I love to help people and I want you to feel like I'm accessible. To assist me in that endeavor, PLEASE know that the best way to reach me is by direct email: kalindria_at_gmail.com (remove the underline and use the 'at' symbol instead of spelling it out) because I can get to that at work - I can't get to my private NaNo Mail from work. Not very nice of them, is it? Or you can send me NaNo mail and wait 'til I get home to answer. If it's a slow day at work, I WILL be checking my email... If I'm slammed, you'll still have to wait 'til I get home.
Thanks!!
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
44,697 / 50,000
oct. 19, 2009 - 17 02
Donna - want to meet there on the second Saturday in November?? Same bat time??
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
19,297 / 50,000
oct. 19, 2009 - 17 18
I just actually went to Eclectic Books after a quick Sonic run (MMMM Tots!).
----------That place is sooo awesome and really cozy. My friend and I really enjoyed it. It really inspired me and him for the bookstores we plan to open someday.
If you guys are planning a write-in for there I'll definitely try showing up. :3
"When in doubt, have a man come through the door with a gun in his hand"
Raymond Chandler
44,697 / 50,000
oct. 19, 2009 - 17 37
I visited their website: "free wi-fi and loitering is encouraged!" Who could ask for more?? Oh, well, caffeine... I need caffeine...
OK, let's do it. I just included a write-in at Eclectic Books on the third Saturday in November. I'd better get some writing done. Donna, you're in charge of making me write and not shop, OK? Promise??
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
44,697 / 50,000
oct. 19, 2009 - 17 40
Please check your time settings on your computer. Last year, we had someone, a world traveler, whose computer was still set to Ukraine time and when the 30th and validation time rolled around, midnight had already passed in Europe. She could not validate and did not receive her winner's certificate. Very sad.
So, check now. Save yourself potential grief. Make sure you are writing - and validating - in Pacific time. Besides, every word our region writes helps us in the standings!
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
44,697 / 50,000
oct. 22, 2009 - 21 36
Reaching Diann:
I love to help people and I want you to feel like I'm accessible. To assist me in that endeavor, PLEASE know that the best way to reach me is by direct email: kalindria_at_gmail.com (remove the underline and use the 'at' symbol instead of spelling it out) because I can get to that at work - I can't get to my private NaNo Mail from work. Not very nice of them, is it? Or you can send me NaNo mail and wait 'til I get home to answer. If it's a slow day at work, I WILL be checking my email... If I'm slammed, you'll still have to wait 'til I get home.
Thanks!!
**Note: if you're planning to host a write-in, you MUST also send the full info to Landon or me so we can post it. Please don't make us cruise the forums for all the info.
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
44,697 / 50,000
oct. 23, 2009 - 07 59
I found a really good blog post on what publishers are looking for as far as word counts for various genre today. Might be helpful to someone out there: http://theswivet.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-word-counts-and-novel-length.ht...
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
1,953 / 50,000
oct. 23, 2009 - 11 23
Thank you for the word count blog link, I found it very helpful.
44,697 / 50,000
oct. 26, 2009 - 19 59
OK, I see we have at least 2 people in the Hemet area. I would encourage you both to get to know one another and see if you can organize write-ins in Hemet somewhere. Writing in companionable silence with even one other person is enormously satisfying and can give you the sense that you're not completely insane. (You're not!)
Anyone else who lives far from Riverside, Temecula/Murrieta, Pomona, or other areas with already posted write-ins is welcome to organize their own also. Seriously, stay local and spend your time writing during November. Kick-off parties and Thank God It's Over parties are great but take place in other months... spend November writing madly! Then join the group to discuss it all.
If you do decide to host a write-in, please send all the gory details to Landon (Cooper3) or me and we will add it to the NaNo regional calendar. We need the date, start and end time, who's hosting the event (you are just promising to be there,) name and address of the location and any helpful details.
We cordially invite you to organize YOUR town... who knows who else may see you and decide to try NaNo for themselves!
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
44,697 / 50,000
oct. 31, 2009 - 21 04
Yes, I can tell what some of you are thinking. What does Affiliation entail and why should I do it? Ditto with setting a Home Region. Why?
Affiliation
Affiliating yourself with a region
* Adds a region to your My Regions page (available in the drop down menu under My NaNoWriMo)
* Potentially subscribes you to receiving regional e-mail for that region (under Manage my settings). We tend to send mail about once or twice a week in November.
Setting a Home Region
* Go to the Home Region tab on the My Regions page.
* Select Riverside and click the Set Home region button
Note that you must be affiliated with a region before you can set it as your Home Region. You can be affiliated with many regions but you only have one Home Region.
Why go through this?
During November, it's fun to compare our region's progress against all the regions in the world, both in word count and donations. Please help us by ensuring your successes are included in our regional total. To do this, you need to affiliate with Riverside AND set Riverside as your Home Region.
Thanks!
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
44,697 / 50,000
nov. 4, 2009 - 18 57
Anyone can hold a write-ins. Landon and I only ask that you do not schedule anything that conflicts with the kick-off or TGIO party. Other than that, the field is wide open.
*IF* you are meeting at a coffeeshop or bookstore, you *may* want to talk to the owner or manager BUT you do not need to. We generally only have two to four people at an event and these are businesses that are open and trying to make money in a poor economy. *IF* your group has the potential to overwhelm the business or they might need additional staff to serve you and their normal customers adequately, then by all means, tell them you'll be coming. But it's absolutely not necessary.
*IF* you hold the write-in in your home, please use common sense and do not post personal information here where anyone can see it. If you choose to do this (I'm having a post-Thanksgiving write-in at my house) have people RSVP and then email then your information individually or communicate in a more secure way than open forums.
Don't forget to send the write-in information (time, date, place, who's hosting and anything else we need to know) to Landon or Diann and we will post it to the regional calendar for you. If an existing write-in changes (this happened yesterday,) let us know as soon as and we can change the calendar listings.
Please *POST* your write-in in your region's write-in thread. If you don't have one, go ahead and create one but please don't create one for every single write-in. It's easy to get overwhelmed - especially for those who aren't Internet or forum-savvy - with too many posts and too much information.
Thanks and let me know if there are questions about write-ins. Or about anything else!
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
44,697 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 20 22
I have a Google Wave account. They're introducing it as they do many of their products via invitation. I have 17 more invites if anyone would like one. I saw a video on this and it's a VERY cool collaboration and communication tool.
You can watch the video here if you haven't already heard about Google Wave. And let me know if you want an invitation... I have a few. :-)
https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=wave&passive=true&n...
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
50,214 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 20 54
Count me in, ive been waiting for my email for a while
----------44,697 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 22 36
I added your name to the invite list, Landon.
Google Wave is more fun when you have others to wave with, so please nominate people you would like to add. Keep in mind that this is a preview so it could be a bit rocky at times.
Invitations will not be sent immediately. We have a lot of stamps to lick.
Happy waving!
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
44,697 / 50,000
nov. 8, 2009 - 14 56
Poet and host of Poets INC. Robt O'Sullivan Schleith is our featured writer at our free monthly reading on Tuesday, November 10, at 6 p.m., at the Café des Artistes in Fallbrook. The reading is followed by open mic — so bring your poetry, short-short fiction or creative nonfiction to share!
O'Sullivan Schleith is a gifted poet whose work is reminiscent of the beat poets of the 1950s, but with a contemporary lyrical voice. He currently hosts Poets INC., a monthly reading through Escondido Arts Partnership at the Municipal Art Gallery downtown (www.escondidoarts.org), and he is the founder of the San Diego Poetry Slam. His poems have appeared in print with Dan River Press, North Woods Press, Northern Virginia Review, City Works, the San Diego Poetry Annual and The Philosophical Library's Paths. His poems have appeared online at Poetry SuperHighway, Map of Austin Poetry, the Muse Apprentice Guild and Sun Runner Magazine.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend — and to read their original poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction during the open mic session after the featured writer.
Fallbrook's Writers Read is hosted by the Café des Artistes, at 103 S. Main Street, in Fallbrook. Entrance to the Café is from the rear parking lot behind the Fallbrook Art Center on Main Street. Doors open at 5:30, and a special supper menu is available.
For more information, contact K-B Gressitt at 760-522-1064 or kbgressitt@aol.com, or visit www.kbgressitt.com/fallbrooks-writers-read.
----------Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)
44,697 / 50,000
nov. 12, 2009 - 22 45
"Women writers make for rewarding (and efficient) lovers. They are clever liars to fathers and husbands; yet they never hold their tongues too long, nor keep ardent typing fingers still."
----------— Roman Payne (Rooftop Soliloquy)
Diann
~*~
Jamal: Women will sleep with you if you write a book?
Forrester: Women will sleep with you if you write a bad book. (Finding Forrester)