United States :: Hawaii

[Sticky!] Introduce yourself here!

Composr — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:06:36 -0700

This thread is where we can all introduce ourselves! I'll start...

Hey! I'm Jon[athon], one of your Hawai'i co-MLs, and have been doing this since the year before last and was one of the MLs from last year. I am fortunate enough to have married the other co-ML over the summer, and graduated in the spring as well! I'm really looking forward to getting to know each of you, and seeing what awesome stories you come up with. I'll see everyone on Saturday, and let's get this ball rolling.
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======================
~*~*~*~*~**~~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~**~
NaNoWriMo 2006: 別の世界に (~18k - Fantasy)
NaNoWriMo 2007: Matu'a (~52k - Fantasy)
NaNoWriMo 2008: The Mountain Trenar (50k - Fantasy)
NaNoWriMo 2008: The Time-Traveller (35k - Young Adult)
~*~*~*~*

United States :: Hawaii

[Sticky!] The Big Write-In Thread

Composr — Mon, 6 Oct 2008 14:06:09 -0700

This is a stickied post, so you can always get to it and post to it! We want to encourage as many of you as would like to host your own events, especially in the far reaches of our Island chain!! Don't be shy, discuss some ideas and if you need any help organising, getting flyers, contacting people, etc, don't hesitate to ask your (hopefully) friendly ML's! ^_~

Any write-ins that are posted that we don't have on the calendar already, we would be pleased to put up for you!!! Just give us a day or so after you've posted your plans for it and we can put it up for you!

Really looking forward to another crazy year!

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======================
~*~*~*~*~**~~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~**~
NaNoWriMo 2006: 別の世界に (~18k - Fantasy)
NaNoWriMo 2007: Matu'a (~52k - Fantasy)
NaNoWriMo 2008: The Mountain Trenar (50k - Fantasy)
NaNoWriMo 2008: The Time-Traveller (35k - Young Adult)
~*~*~*~*

United States :: Hawaii

[Sticky] Regional Wars with Japan and Alaska!

SweetIrony — Fri, 7 Nov 2008 04:36:02 -0800

We have officially declared regional war on both Japan and Alaska. Judging will be based on average words per person, and you can check this widget for our current status.

(Please don't use such widgets in your signatures, however, as it slows down the site. Thanks!)
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United States :: Hawaii

Dares

SweetIrony — Sat, 8 Nov 2008 17:56:31 -0800

This thread is for dares! We've already had a few in-person dares that have been taken, and now we can make more on this thread.

Zanni's dare was to write a paragraph with 26 sentences, each of which begins with the next letter of the alphabet. I took this dare! Here is my paragraph if anyone wants to read it.

"Although the person she had intended to speak with was not there, the woman was not to be deterred. By now he was already tired of hearing the question, "Where were you last night during the blackout?" Curiosity shone in her eyes as she spoke. Despite his mild annoyance with the topic, he answered her. "Everyone is talking about it, and wondering what went wrong," she confided in him. "Few people have heard any reliable information though." Gossip had clearly been repeated all over the city between last night and this morning. "Have you heard about poor Xora? I spoke with her only this morning. Just as the power went out she was riding the lift in her building. Kept on repeating how scared she was when the lift just stopped and the lights went out. Lifts are a terrible place to get stuck in, wouldn't you say? Myself, I was safe at home when it happened. Now Xora, she was in the lift. Only she couldn't get out and had no way to get help, though she called out. Poor thing. Quite likely she thought she would be trapped forever! Really, I don't know how she managed not to go into hysterics. So anyway, she waited in the dark alone until the power came back on." The woman looked at him eagerly to see the effect her story was having on him. Unimpressed, Neruel attempted to look adequately shocked. "Very frightening, isn't it? Wouldn't you have been scared? Xora said she plans to take the stairs from now on. You know, I think she might be right." Zealously she vowed never to take a lift again."

My next dare... is... go to Wikipedia and click on Random Article. Now somehow incorporate what you get into your novel!
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United States :: Hawaii

PUNAHOU!!!!

Nikk4aKnakk — Fri, 7 Nov 2008 23:34:27 -0800

Hi! So if there are any other Punahou students, please, please, please email me. If there are enough people who contact me, we can sabotage a classroom and have a mini Punahou students only write in, or we could take over the science center tables. So let me know, please.
~Megan W. sophomore class
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United States :: Hawaii

Starting to catch up...

Uwasa_Waya — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:07:35 -0800

I hit 21,000 today... ug... and managed to finally get to the launch point. HOPEFULLY it's going to be a bit easier now that the characters are all actually aware of each other.

Just need to hit the grindstone over the next couple of days.
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United States :: Hawaii

Finally!

stasianary — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:17:14 -0800

After thinking about my story for the last, oh 13 days, I have finally figured it out. I practically have the whole plot written, but I was missing the most important element..... who is telling the story? I wrote about two pages from "her" (my main girl character) point of view, before I realized that she isn't even in half of the story. That's where I got stuck. Then Jack (my main character), started telling his story to me & I realized that it is HIS story. Finally, I have it together. Haha. I kept going, "Gah, 13 days have passed & I haven't even started?!?" Hopefully the rest will come as easily. :)

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United States :: Hawaii

PIDGIN WRITAS: If Can Can If No Can No Can

NT Dakine — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:01:01 -0700

Write how many words and in how long? Auwe. But I write pidgin and as cutshort dat. so I gotta write twice as much for make da kine la dat hah. One pidgin novel in tirtydays, az one novel idea. So if can can if no can no can.

So I get couple of weeks fo'tink about wot can write. Wot I going write about? I get dat many words. I get one long story. I doRoNo dakine. I tink if I force myself maybe can. BUT wot I going write about? Hannabuddah days? Cutout days? Pakalolo times, nah nah nah. 50,000 words......EH as plenny dat......

a hui hou
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United States :: Hawaii

Word War

Fang — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:59:38 -0800

Anyone up for an online word war, say from 2100-2130 tonight. Desperately seeking more words - my train has been stuck at the procrastination station for way too long.

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United States :: Hawaii

West Side Big Island Write-in

Dulcie — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 12:46:09 -0800

Who's up for a write-in this Saturday in Kona? I checked with Borders Books and they'd be more than happy to have us there, laptop in hand. I'm thinking we could meet around 9:30 or 10am, since I believe someone said only mornings would work for them.

I Do need to know ASAP who is going to be coming. West Hawaii Today is doing an article on Westside Nanoers and want to send a photographer there to take our picture (this is great marketing for those of us who already have books published). But, it won't pay for them to come if no one shows up. I have to call them with a time and location as soon as we set it up so they can get their photographer out there.
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United States :: Hawaii

Procrastination Fun!

SweetIrony — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:21:12 -0800

If you need to get away from your novel for a bit, check out the fun links in this thread! Here are a few:

Passive Aggressive Notes

Engrish

The Infinite Cat Project

I will add some more later. You can donate your own links too!
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United States :: Hawaii

Other UHH Students/Hilo NaNoers?

radioactivealchemist — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:47:19 -0700

Any other UH Hilo students (or general Hilo area people) doing NaNo? I usually put up some fliers around campus, but this year I don't have a printer and am too broke to spend the seven cents a page at the library to print some off. So if somebody else wants to spread the word instead...

I really hope we can get together and have a bigger write-in than last year (there were four of us)!
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United States :: Hawaii

Maui...

Makenag93 — Thu, 6 Nov 2008 13:50:34 -0800

I got the week one Hawaii Region e-mail and noticed there was a lot of write-ins in Honolulu and I was wondering if in years past (since i'm a n00b) any wrimo's from Maui got together for a write in....

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United States :: Hawaii

Hello From Japan (and my thoughts on Phillip Pullman's "moving" pep talk.)

crumbum — Fri, 7 Nov 2008 09:35:36 -0800

Hey guys, it's crumbum, Hawaii nanowrimo participant since 2007! I am happy to say that I am totally keeping up this year and my novel, as ridiculous and cliche as it is, is actually getting somewhere! I even have a friend working on cool concept art/cover art for it, so this is going to be a real treat if I can get it finished in time.

Even though I'm in Japan this year I thought I would still write for Hawaii, seeing as that's where I was stationed before I came out here and you guys are the people I feel most connected with!

Anyways, it would be funny if we had a regional competition with Japan because I would be battling the country that I'm currently in..haha..treason!!

Anyways. On a COMPLETELY random but not unrelated note:

Phillip Pullman, you are a douchebag.

Allow me to clarify.

I was so excited when I saw that Phillip Pullman wrote a letter to all of us cheering us on, I clicked on the email in a flash!
And then I read it, and how utterly shocked I was.

I am not a huge reader. In fact, I hate reading most books. Why do I hate reading most books? Because most books are bad. Yes, bad. In my opinion at least. A lot of books just don't do it for me.

There are few books that actually made it on to my very short list of "completed fiction", which is comprised of mostly JK Rowling, Noriko Ogiwara, Jane Austin, and Shakespeare works.

The other author who just happened to make it to the list was, must I say? It was Phillip Pullman.
And not for that stupid dark trilogy crap he wrote, either. I happened to very much enjoy The Ruby in the Smoke.
Now, when I read this I was probably in the 5th grade, and to be honest I hadn't really enjoyed reading books that much then either. But when I read The Ruby in the Smoke, my 5th grade self was completely blown away by its intricate plot. Hell, I didn't get most of it and had to have my dad explain it to me, but still, to me, it was awesome.

I looked for other books as cool as The Ruby in the Smoke, but every book after that was boring and dull and I never got past the first two or three chapters. I can count on my fingers the number of novels that I've read for fun and completed since then.

When I read Phillip Pullman's email today, though, all of that admiration that I had for him for writing that one, awesome book (imo) turned into utter disappointment and dislike. And at that point I thought, wow, Phillip Pullman is a douchebag!

I'm not a reader, but I can say that I have enjoyed writing for Nanowrimo and have even started a couple of other things on the side because of how it inspired me to let my imagination flow.

Let's examine this amazing paragraph which is now, for me, a new way of defining complete and utter douchebaggery.

"The last thing I'd say to anyone who wants to write a novel is not actually a piece of advice, but a question. It's this: are you a reader? Every novelist I know—every novelist I've ever heard of—is, or was, a passionate reader. I don't doubt that someone with determination and energy, but who didn't read for pleasure, who only read for information, could actually write a whole novel if they set their mind to it and followed a few rules and guidelines; but would it be worth reading? Would it give any pleasure beyond a mechanically calculated sort? I doubt it. Novels that last and please readers are written because the novelist is intoxicated by the delight and the endlessly renewable joy that comes from engaging with imaginary characters—with story; and that engagement always begins with reading; and if it catches you, it never lets go. Write a novel if you want to win a competition, or impress your friends, or possibly make some money—do so by all means. But if you're not a lover of stories, a passionate and devoted reader, don't expect your novel to please many readers."

Wow. Way to be a patronizing snob, Mr. Pullman, and thank you for crapping all over my dignity as a writer.

I don't know if my writing is good or not, but I'd like to think that I don't have to be a "passionate reader", or whatever title you want to give to the members of your elitist circle of author friends, in order to write a novel that inspires something in somebody else.

But apparently, you who have published many books and even had the honor or having someone make a crappy movie out of one of them knows, for sure, that someone like me could only write something that gives its readers no more pleasure than that of a "mechanically calculated sort".

And yes, I happen to think that maybe not all, but at least SOME of my work is "worth reading".

So you can take The Ruby in the Smoke and ~~cross it off~~ of my list of books "worth reading", because apparently the guy who wrote it turned out to be a pompous ass.

I find it shocking that someone who is as respected as yourself among writers would put words of such a discouraging nature in a "pep talk" whose purpose was to encourage aspiring novelists of all ages. Mr. Pullman, I'm not impressed.
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United States :: Hawaii

Daylight Savings time

purplume — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 13:43:16 -0800

IN this forum about how peopel spend their extra hour I posted.
"Hawaiian Wrimos do it in less time."

http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3084685#comment-3244580
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"Have your best day ever." Ron Hulnick

United States :: Hawaii

Regional war?!?! With whom?!

Composr — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:29:43 -0700

So, we'd love to declare a war against another region. Last year, it was with New Zealand, and it was super-exciting, and we didn't do too bad, I must say. The war is word count, and is calculated by averaging the total words counted by the number of active users. Don't worry, this stuff is handled automatically, so no one will be conscripted into being word count tally-ers :P.

Suggestions? Anyone? Hurry up, the day is at hand!
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======================
~*~*~*~*~**~~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~**~
NaNoWriMo 2006: 別の世界に (~18k - Fantasy)
NaNoWriMo 2007: Matu'a (~52k - Fantasy)
NaNoWriMo 2008: The Mountain Trenar (50k - Fantasy)
NaNoWriMo 2008: The Time-Traveller (35k - Young Adult)
~*~*~*~*

United States :: Hawaii

Twitterers in the House?

scrivener — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:36:08 -0700

I see some familiar names from my Twitter stream, which is very cool. Let's follow each other, those of us who Twitter, so we can encourage each other in 140-character snippets.

twitter.com/scrivener
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United States :: Hawaii

What sort of munchies did you stock up on?

Lokemele — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:40:13 -0700

I raided the deeply discounted Halloween candy displays today!!

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United States :: Hawaii

Greetings

Alibod03 — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 21:58:31 -0800

Hello, my name is Ali. I'm stranded on the beauty that is Kauai.

Aside from the excitement of election (Obama!!!), it's been a personally challenging start to November. Maybe I can channel some of the negative energy into my fiction work, a (hopefully) wild caper, "Malarkey." I'm aiming to win, but I see this as a longer project where quality control will be exercised.

Love to all,

Ali :)
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United States :: Hawaii

Windward Authors?

missraye — Fri, 3 Oct 2008 03:09:40 -0700

aloha all... anyone else in the kaneohe... kailua area???

Raye
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United States :: Hawaii

East Hawaii, Big Island Published Writers

thoreauing — Sun, 2 Nov 2008 21:42:47 -0800

Any verifiable published people out there on the east coast looking to hook up?
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"The poet's voice need not merely be the record of man, it can be one of the props, the pillars to help him endure and prevail." William Faulkner

United States :: Hawaii

Hellow from the Latin in Manhattan

MillieIcanwrite — Mon, 3 Nov 2008 06:09:26 -0800

Hi everybody,
This is my first nano challenge, but I am already having a problem. I don't know how to reach out to the powers that be for help, so maybe someone out there can help me. I am having trouble uploading my writing!!!&!#@ I don't consider myself a dense person, but I can't figure it out? I hope someone can help me, or let me know how to contact the webmaster. Thank you for your time and effort. Also, I'm having a hard time getting into the website. Over the weekend I was kicked out 25 times!!!!!
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United States :: Hawaii

HPU, are you here?

Trisha Liu — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:46:05 -0700

I'm just curious...are there any Nanoers from Hawaii Pacific University in the house? I can't guarantee that there will be any smashing parties or get-togethers, but we're always overshadowed by UHM (no offense to the Warriors) and I'd like to see if there are any writers closer to home.

We'll probably end up crashing other peoples' get-togethers, but that's fine too, I suppose.

Have a happy planning month, everyone!
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United States :: Hawaii

And we are off

hrr — Sat, 1 Nov 2008 03:02:43 -0700

It's 12:02 am on November 1. Have you started yet?
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United States :: Hawaii

Dear Hawaii,

Tyche — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:33:55 -0700

It's wet and cold here. And cold. And wet. Wish I was there!

-Me
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A quick wit's best accompanied by quick reflexes.