Canada :: Newfoundland

How is everyone doing?

Cherish — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:43:27 -0800

I just wanted to check in with everyone and see how you are all coming along with your novels. I just now hit 27 000 so I have a long way to go :( I know there are a few winners in the group already which is just amazing, but what about the rest of you? Is there anyone close?
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Canada :: Newfoundland

The Grand Finalé

cdntennispro — Mon, 3 Nov 2008 15:37:15 -0800

EDIT: Friday, December 5th: 7pm-9pm.
Jam's place: 46 Whiteway Street.
Holiday-themed. NaNo-themed. Fantastic-themed.

So, I know this may seem preemptive as we just started the madness, however we should choose a date for our closing par-tay.

I just want to get some general feedback on dates and times and themes and all that. First of all, the last meeting we have scheduled is Wednesday, November 19th. We can either have another meeting the week of the 23rd and then have the final in December, OR we can have the final the week of the 23rd. Also, did we want to have it at Hava Java again or do we want to have it somewhere else? I live near campus (MUN) and only have two roommates (who are hardly ever home) so I really don't mind hosting a holiday JAMboree or something. Do we want to have it holiday-themed? Do we want to have it somewhere else? Question mark, question mark?

Anyway, feedback me.

Jam
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To settle is to fail.

Canada :: Newfoundland

Missing Ampersands Swag!

angus — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:24:20 -0700

Hey Everyone,

I've done up the logo proper and opened up our very own cafepress store so we can get our swag on! It's here: http://www.cafepress.com/nlnano

Here's the fancied-up logo, which now actually looks the provincial one:

Here's the text that's on the back of some of the shirts (it looks rockin' on the shirts -- check the store):

The black/dark shirts have a gray and white version of the logo. Personally, I think the shirts look pretty smack-tacular with the logo on the front center and text on the back. So get those. :) Also, if you want something different from what's there, let me know and I'll see if I can hook you up.

Jam -- I'm curious, have other regions set up similar things? If so, link me up!

- Angus
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http://anguswoodman.com/words/

Canada :: Newfoundland

Inspiration and Happiness

cdntennispro — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:16:27 -0800

Hey peeps.

So, while Facecreeping some of you and glancing at word counts on here, I realized how well you're all doing and I want to express how proud I am of all of you that have stuck to your guns (weirdest saying ever--if I'm stuck to my gun, that means I have one less hand to work with and am probably going to do something gangsta) and are near-or-on-point with your word count, masterfully manipulating those MCs to do your bidding time and time again. You have managed to do what I could (can) never seem to do, but I am simply happy to be the ~~dictator~~ moderator of such a committed and fun group of writers. I can honestly say that this is the best year of NaNo that I've ever experienced due to our success at the meetings, as well as the overwhelming success with all of your NaNovels.

Congrats again everyone!

Jam, the proud ~~father~~ not-creepy guy
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To settle is to fail.

Canada :: Newfoundland

November 27 Meeting

cdntennispro — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:13:52 -0800

Hey peeps!

So, bad news--I won't be able to make the meeting this week. A hidden assignment (aka an assignment I forgot about) has popped up and I am going to be spending all night working on it and just can't justify running downtown and back tonight. If a lot of you guys are thinking of going tonight, then by all means go for it, be the fabulous NaNoers that you are! I feel so bad, howeverrrr I will use this opportunity now that I have your attention to remind you about the grand finale!

December 5
46 Whiteway
7-9pm

Sorry again people, but I hope to see you all next Friday! Take care and happy finishing!

Love your faces!

Jam
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To settle is to fail.

Canada :: Newfoundland

Write Ins!

k-wal — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:47:06 -0800

Hey guys!

No one has started anything about write in so I figured I would. If anybody is looking for a write in or wants to volunteer their prersonal space for it, this is the place to be.

So I guess I'll start. Is anyone up for a write in this Sunday (the 16th)? I haven't planned it out much beyond that, mostly because I live in a shoebox (disguised as a residence) with another girl. But we could go to Hava Java or some such place or if anyone wants to volunteer their living room or basement or whatever.

And remember, keep writing so that Sam doesn't come after your MC :-o
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Canada :: Newfoundland

Tales from the Meetings

cdntennispro — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:31:15 -0800

Yo NaNodawgs. Here's a couple stories from our last meeting. Thought it'd be fun for those of you who couldn't make our meeting to see the wacky hijinks us crazy kids got up to. Please keep this thread to stuff from our meetings so we can stay relatively organized. If you have any of your mini-challenge-stories, post them! (Sorry for having two of mine here. Not enough people gave me theirs. *tear*) Radical!

Five Minute Stories
Round One: Use a sentence written by another Wrimo to begin a paragraph. Write for five minutes. Rinse and repeat.

The sky was black. The ocean blacker, but fate the blackest. The sound of the crash had deafened me. I lie gasping on the rocky beach, the tide washing over me as my eyes scanned the terrain. As I went to stand, I slipped--the water thicker, full of liquid tragedy. The oil covered my legs and mixed with the blood that clung to my skin. The crying in the distance turned to frantic screaming as I looked to the sky for an explanation. -Jam

My pants are on fire! How did this happen? This doesn't make any sense! One minute, I'm walking down the street, the next I'm on fire. If I were on Facebook right now, I would be making frowny faces everywhere. Anyway, back to the fire and the burning and the smell of roast chicken. "Ahhh!" You know what keeps running through my mind, this is probably Angus's fault. I don't know how, but it is. Maybe he borrowed Dad's blowtorch and rigged my pants to be flamable...I dunno. Then I remembered...Stop! Drop! and Roll! So I'm rolling on the ground and I'm still on fire. This is rigged. -Kyle

Round Two: Use four words chosen by another Wrimo and use them in a paragraph. Write for five minutes. Same bat channel.

"Lord, you're flamboyant."
"Shut. Up."
It was a daily routine for us, sitting in Starbucks, drinking expensive lattes (low-fat please) and chatting about this or that.
"I'm just saying that neckerchiefs are perfectly acceptable."
"Yeah, for cowboys and Freddy from Scooby-Doo. Which one are you again, buttercup?"
"When did our relationship evolve to the point where calling me buttercup was okay?"
"About the time you decided it was alright to scratch your boyzone around me, sugar dumpling."
"Listen, cupcake, I only did that after you thought it was alright to talk about your sexual experiences in detail."
"And I stand by my decision to tell you about that guy and that sock."
"Fine." -Lilly

Charlie fell off his unicycle. The fairies must have pushed him off. Yes, that makes sense, he thought. Such a clever excuse. Nobel prize. He then realized he was talking to himself, aloud. Great. He picked up his glasses and hopped back on. This can't be that hard to learn, he said loudly. Once I know how to ride, no one will be able to stop me. Not even that Jimmy Kimmel! He moved two feet and fell off again. I'll show you, Jimmy! The fairies are on my side now! Talking aloud helps. -Jam

Round Three: Write for one minute. Pass the story to the next person until all people have written. Insta-amazing-ness.

The gingerbread house was collapsing and the gumdrops were still inside! I must save them at all costs or how will we go on? As the gumdrops plummeted towards the cardboard base of doom, the walls were crumbling from the weight of the fresh, warm milk. I knew I was going to have to be fast in order to save them from their fate. Poor gumdrops... would the firefighting gingerbread men get there in time? The crumbs began falling towards the ground, crumbling around the multi-coloured candies. Outside, the firefighting gingerbread men arrived and began shouting orders. "Bring the milk! The building's going down!" What? What? The long tube of licorice trudged into the house and start screaming for the gum drops! It was all so terrible. And they stopped. They realized that the cat was Morikae Kurisuke, a japanese NORMAL person arrived.

Allan came down the stairs, rubbing his forehead. Something crashed in the kitchen. "Good lord!" He bustled into the room, socks slipping on the linoleum, head shaking. "Not again. God." It only happened when he was in the other room, too. Of course. So he'd never be able to leave again without securing all of his porcelain bunnies in their respective little beds--if they weren't in their proper places then they'd be mad at him! He was sure that the odd crashes were caused by this--angry porcelain smashing their angry porcelain heads into the side of the cabinet. And what a lovely cabinet it was. It was like a giant majestic tree, but with a lot more smashed porcelain in it, and comparing a tree to a cabinet is where it's at. Trees are wood. Wooden cabinets. Give yourself a pat on the back, self. Oh right, my bunnies. They live in trees. Weird.

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To settle is to fail.

Canada :: Newfoundland

EMERGENCY NOTE!

gremblin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:06:41 -0800

EVERYONE GO TO ATLANTIC PLACE! THERE IS NO SPACE AT HAVA!
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Canada :: Newfoundland

Final Meeting Dates

cdntennispro — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:25:23 -0700

Hey everyone. Lots of confusion over when the kick-off and weekly meeting dates are, due to scheduling conflicts and the like. Here are the final dates for the meetings. ~~All meetings are at 7pm at Hava Java on Water Street.~~

Update: Meetings will now take place in Atlantic Place on Water Street near Starbucks due to capacity issues. Kay? Kay.

Kick-off:
Wednesday, October 29

Weekly meetings:
Tuesday, November 4
Thursday, November 13
Wednesday, November 19
Thursday, November 27

All you have to bring is yourself, possibly your laptop or part of your story, and we'll just talk about how our stories are progressing, bounce ideas off one another, and get to know other writers in the city!

Hope to see you all there!

Jam
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To settle is to fail.

Canada :: Newfoundland

Introductions

cdntennispro — Fri, 3 Oct 2008 06:28:19 -0700

WELCOME, all you crazy ambitious writers, you!

Another autumn has begun and I hope you're ready to jump in, both feet first! For those of you who are new to the wonderment of NaNo, it's a crazy month, but it's completely worth it. Aside from the (insane) amazing task of trying to write 50k in one month, you get the lovely experience of meeting different writers and authors from in and around St. John's. You get feedback on your hurried writing. If nothing else, you'll have a great hot beverage at Hava Java and have some great conversation with other like-minded people, which is always nice.

Anyway, enough of that mushy gush! It's so great to see some people posting already and getting back into the NaNo spirit! I think we should start off with some basic introductions so we know who's who and who's not who.

Name: Jam(es), the illustrious ML
Age: 24
Career: Full-time essay-writer (aka over-worked student)
Favourite authors: Coupland, Lessing, Orwell, Camus
My genre: Not really a specific one, but I guess somewhere between Lit Fic and Sci-Fi
My goal at this year's NaNo: Pump out that 50k. 4th time's a charm, right? Right?

If you guys have any questions or concerns, don't be hesitant to message me and let me know--that's what I'm here for. If I don't know the answer, I can contact the NaNo hierarchy and I'm sure they'll bestow me with an answer ASAP!

Great seeing you all here and be sure to introduce yourself as well so we can get this wordy ball rolling!

Jam
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To settle is to fail.

Canada :: Newfoundland

Emails!

gremblin — Tue, 4 Nov 2008 17:19:34 -0800

Sorry if this isn't allowed or isn't considered 'on topic' Jam! I didn't have time to ask you... oh, forty-five minutes ago? at Hava Java!

I noticed at the end of the meeting there was a bunch of people that wanted to exchange emails but weren't able to get some people that had already left (some of you guys moved really fast!) so I volunteered to put up a post about just that: emails.

So... I think it'd be a good idea to put your name and your email, just for those clueless people like myself that aren't able to put usernames to faces, or go to the facebook community that Abby made (which I'm not actually able to find), or go to someone's userpage.

Here's mine, to get the ball rolling:

Liana -
msn- flame_all_noobs@hotmail.com
yahoo- liana_farrell@yahoo.ca
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Canada :: Newfoundland

Conflict!

Sky-Fish — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:29:29 -0700

I once lived off waffles for a weekend because I really wanted to finish that RPG. Good evening, I'm O'Rourke.

The insane writting month is just upon us, and I've started to go nanotarded. As you can see, the title of this topic is 'conflict', but there's much, much more to this notion. I'd like to talk about intrapersonal conflict in our own novels (or soon to be novels), to get into the spirit and also help people straighten things out. I'd like to talk about Character vs. Character (one on one) conflict, as well as Character vs. Society. Here's what I think the thread can out like:

People can post short descripts of Character vs. Character and/or Character vs. Society conflicts in their story, and say if it's open to suggestions or not. Or perhaps you have a plot, but you've minimal conflict? I'm sure there are lost of helpful people around who can really break down that wall of writer's block and help get you out of the that blank space in your mind where hippo's breath fire and people value their socks above their lives.

To help make this work, please respond to the person above you, before you write your own forms of conflict. And if you're the lucky person who posts after me, then congradulations on skipping extra work. Feel free to reply to whomever you want, regarless whether you'll put your own conflict ideas here or not.
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Canada :: Newfoundland

Kick-Off and Weekly Meeting DIscussion

cdntennispro — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:36:37 -0700

UPDATE

Click here for final dates and times for our kick-off and weekly meetings.

Hey peeps!

I think we should start thinking about when we want to have our kick-off gathering.

For those of you who are new to NaNo or who haven't been out to our get-togethers, we basically just sit down for coffee, introduce one another, and just get to know other writers in the area. Throughout the month of November, we get together once a week to talk about what we've been writing, our challenges, our successes, and get some feedback on what we have written from one another.

That said, if you're interested in coming out to our amazing kick-off, we normally meet up at Hava Java, but I want to put it out there that we could meet at Coffee Matters on Water, or anywhere else people have in mind. Of the following days, post the days that are best for you and then the day with the most people available will be our kick-off day!

(And there may or may not be swag from NaNo Capitol for the kick-off, but it is definitely on its way.)

Jam
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To settle is to fail.

Canada :: Newfoundland

Team Name

cdntennispro — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 19:11:31 -0700

Hey guys!

Just a little mini-brainstorm to get us started this year. I've been chatting with other MLs around the globe and most regions have a team name for their region.

Examples:
Edmonton are the Edmowrimos.
Alberta:Elsewhere are the Wrimosaurs.
Oregon are the Oregon Coast Plot Pirates. (That's a mouthful, arr!)
Halifax are the Haligonians. (I have no idea what that would be...)

Anyway, we should come up with a nickname for Newfoundland! Keep in mind it has to be inclusive to all regions of Newfoundland, so nothing to do with a specific city. Be creative and let me know and maybe I can plead to the powers that be and see if we can get some fun swag with our region mascot on it! We have a resident graphic designer here (I'm looking at you, angus) so we may even be able to create the mascot.

Omigosh, I'm getting too excited. Alright--throw your ideas out there!

Jam
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To settle is to fail.

Canada :: Newfoundland

Anyone here yet?

trudyj — Thu, 2 Oct 2008 18:40:56 -0700

Who's up for 50K in November? What else are you going to do in November -- get out and enjoy the glorious weather????!!!! Well, maybe on the rest of the island; certainly not in St. John's!
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NaNo 03 -- Deborah and Barak (available on amazon)
NaNo 04 -- Prone to Wander (available on a shelf in my closet)
NaNo 05 -- Stones of Ashreel (on an editor's desk, being ignored)
NaNo 06 -- Sunrise Hope (coming out in 2010)
Skipped NaNo 07 -- Big mis