Fraser Valley

While, I'm not on the North side I am in Abbotsford.

Abbotsford's not so far away, thanks to the Mission bridge. Let's hang out here from day to day and see if any other locals turn up. Maybe we can marshall our writing wits and find a convenient time and place for at least one get-together during the zany-ness of NaNoWriMo. Or maybe even a pre-kick-off gathering to spur each other on.

So how about it Fraser Valley-ites... any more of you out there?

Checking in from south of the river in Langley...can't wait for November 1st! Starting to stockpile my necessary items, develop my characters, put together a very vague outline...

Here's another Langleyite. Out near Aldergrove and the Otter Co-op.

I have no idea what I'm going to write about at this point but I received an email from "My Imagination" urging me to join, so here I am. I was here a couple of years ago, too, but got too involved with other things to finish.

Here Muse, Here Muse ...

I am writing out in rainy Lake Errock between Mission and Harrison Hot Springs and would be willing to meet anywhere between Abbotsford and Chilliwack - if my ten week old agrees with that.

I here trapped in the 'wack... and doing my first NaNoWriMo.... so would love some pointers from any of the veterans. Would anyone close to here like to Get Together for a kickoff in Chilliwack? I downloaded the youth package (which I am going to send to my son's middle school humanities teacher) in hopes of getting some youth involvement. My son is an aspiring writer too... so maybe he'll join us. :)
Maude

Let's see... that's six of us reporting in so far, with Abbotsford being about midway for most. If we were to try a meeting, maybe our Abbotsford resident could suggest a suitable location? And would the concensus be for a daytime, evening, weekday or weekend gathering?

Just two weeks until we put noses to the grindstone (ummm, maybe it's less painful to picture noses pressed to monitors???) and put our commitment into action. Has anyone started outlining or otherwise tackling some mental gymnastics in preparation?

Checking in from Mission. Not really ready but willing to give it another shot ;-)

I'm from Abbotsford. =)

Hey Folks!
I'm The ML for Surrey, and as such am moderating this particular forum...

No Flame Wars Please...

I'll be running events out of my college's coffee shop.

Were in surrey on 66a ave just off 152nd

Here's a link to our campus map, detailing where Clement's coffee bar is.

http://www.pacificlife.edu/files/campus-map.pdf

Hope to see you all Oct 31 @ 10:00!!!

Yay!!! a fellow Mission-ite (or Missioner, maybe?). Welcome aboard... the 2007 journey will soon be getting under way, ready or not. And I'm with you on the "not really ready" bit. My excuse is my usual one... that I'm not ready to devote the kind of time I need to bury myself in thirty days of continuous writing. I relate to Julia Cameron's comments: "We have a fantasy that there is such a thing as good creative time, an idyll of endless, seamless time unfolding invitingly for us to frolic in creatively. No such bolts of limitless time exist for most of us. Our days are chopped into segments, and if we are to be creative, we must learn to use the limited time we have." (Julia Cameron's "The Sound of Paper", Tarcher/Penguin, 2004) Hopefully ten days from now I'll have talked myself into the commitment.

Good to hear from our esteemed ML and editor... thanks for the map and invite. I'm not sure how many of us are likely to venture that far south and west for a gathering (is Surrey actually in the Fraser Valley?) but certainly those in the Langley and Aldergrove areas are within reasonable running distance. Will see what the 31st brings (besides Halloween... is there symbolism in having NaNoWriMo begin the morning after the ghosts. and goblins' night of haunting???). ;-)

Checking in from Maple Ridge. Have a vehicle this year ... so may be I can meet up with you guys this year!

~Jax

I am, as I said, trapped in Chilliwack. No car and only "free" for maybe an hour or so in the morning during the week (one child in kindergarden, the other in middle school). I would love to get together with those who can make it to Chilliwack.. I will check with the Library to see if they have room for us (will post later) in the days leading up to NaNoWriMo (or even during the month). I would be willing to coordinate stuff around here (if others are willing to come to Chilliwack).

Hey everyone,

I'm in Langley...and good point on NaNo starting after Halloween...works for me, I'm writing a urban fantasy :D

Hey, yet another Langley-ite here. I'm able to meet anyplace accessible by bus, and only on weekday afternoons. :) (Work on the weekend, school weekday mornings)

Hope we can figure something out and meet up soon. :D

Okay... I have managed to schedule THREE meetings for NaNoWriMo at the Chilliwack Public Library. We will have use of the multipurpose room on October 31, November 6 and November 30th from 10 am (when the library opens) to 11 am.

I'm going to pull some ideas from the NaNoWriMo website to help us get really going. I hope to see you there!

Maude

Yay! Someone else from my neck of the woods! (I'm actually on the border between Mission and Maple Ridge.) It looks like there will be opportunities to meet in Chilliwack and/or Surrey, so we're making progress on a NaNo gathering for the Fraser Valley-ites.

Will keep in touch as 11/1 creeps ever closer.

.

Thanks, Maude. The arrangements sound good. Can you post the address of the Chilliwack library for those who might be coming from out of town?

Meanwhile... is anyone else finding the NaNo site terribly slow to access? I know Chris said it was likely to be slow last weekend, but I'm still finding it takes up to a full minute to respond. It's too painfully slow to wait for so hope it improves soon or I'll be spending less time goofing off here and more time on my writing projects. Of course, that wouldn't be a bad thing... more productivity is good, right?

Chilliwack Library

45860 First Avenue
Chilliwack, BC V2P 7K1
Phone (604) 792-1941
Fax (604) 792-7483

It opens at 10 am most days...

We are allowed to have drinks in the room *but must clean up afterwards* If someone who comes is willing to stay afterwards to help clean that would be great - as I have to RUN (literally) to pick up my daughter from school (a good 10-15 mins walk away).

I just got off the phone with my son's Humanities teacher (middle school) - who is going to share the program with the other Humanities teachers at the school. Looks like we might have some "young folks" joining us. :) I'll keep you posted.

Maude

I'm a first timer, and live in Maple Ridge. Am unable to drive, but would like to meet nearby writers online for support and encouragement. I am roughing in a premise, an outline (loose), setting characters now. The genre I plan to work toward is satire, mystery, crime.

Thanks for the library info, Maude. Hopefully your efforts will generate a good response.

"sgraffito", welcome aboard. Will send a private message a.s.a.p.

En route to the forum I detoured long enough to read the bulletin from Chris. I gather the slowness is a general site problem at the moment, and is being worked on so I'll stop muttering. ;-)

Oh.. and yes, Surrey is considered the mouth of the Fraser Valley by some, not by other's. Elections Canada says no, Real Estate board says yes. Surrey says "We're the centre of the universe, call us what you like, but don't call us second" ;)

I'm out in sunny (HA!) Cultus Lake. Have 4x4, will travel. :) I'm TERRIBLY shy about meeting new people.. but I will **TRY** and make it out on the 31st!

For those coming from out of town..
Take the #119 exit from the number one, Vedder road NORTH. (Turn left at the end of the off ramp if coming from Vancouver's direction)
Get into the right lane soon'ish.
When the road splits, stick to the right side (Cheam)
Turn left onto First.

Curse whomever designed downtown Chilliwack while you pray for parking in the Library lot.

-Shady.
(Was in Surrey 86 - 94 :))

Welcome to "Shadowydreamer". Love your comment on Surrey... it's sure a growing place regardless of how one describes its location. And thanks for the extra directions to the Chilliwack library.

I'm going to try and make it, too. I'm not the outgoing sort either, but NaNoWriMo is such a huge international endeavour that I think attending at least one regional gathering will give us local faces to attach to the whimsical screen names and provide a little sense of community to what is inevitably an individual pursuit. I wouldn't anticipate anyone being shoved beyond their comfort zone; just come and say "hi".

Just a quick reminder that there will be a gathering of Central Fraser Valley NaNo'ers this Wednesday morning, October 31st, at 10:00 a.m. in the Chilliwack Public Library... address below. Hope to see a few of you there and get inspired with a burst of enthusiasm for the start of our big writing endeavour!

Chilliwack Library
45860 First Avenue
Chilliwack, BC V2P 7K1
Phone (604) 792-1941
Fax (604) 792-7483

Carean

I am so excited that we have a small group of committed folks coming together on October 31 - I got the news out to the radio station as well as to the newspapers - here's hoping that they give us some proper "time" in the limelight.

See you, you spooky writing people you!

Maude

Meeting time changed.

I scrubbed the Oct 31st kickoff in favor of one on the 1st.

It is at the same location, only it will be held from 7-9 (PM)

Whoever dares to venture out, I welcome...And Happy Halloween!!!

Hello, everybody. It looks like there's enough people in Mission to actually have a meet-up there, I know I can't travel further than my own town, does anybody want to get together, maybe at a coffee place, for a group writing session?

Another from Abbotsford here.