United States :: Ohio :: Canton

TGIO - THE AFTER PARTY

Brandice — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:38:14 -0800

It's going to be December 7th, the Sunday after NaNoWriMo has ended.

I'd like to get some suggestions as to where we should hold the TGIO celebration (keep in mind, we usually have a crowd, so there needs to be good space to push tables together, etc.), and I'd like to know who will be attending, so if you could reply with a tentative idea of whether you'll be coming and a suggestion (if you have one) for a location, that would be great.

Looking forward to seeing all of you at the finish line!
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____________________________________
Canton Ohio ML / NaNoVideo Liaison
Particpant since 2001, ML since 2002, Winner since 2003!

United States :: Ohio :: Canton

INTRODUCE YOURSELF!

Brandice — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 09:01:17 -0700

I'll start! :)

I'm Brandice (username also Brandice), and I'm the ML for the Canton, Ohio region. This is my 7th year doing Nanowrimo, my 6th year as the ML for the Canton area, my second year as the NanoVideo ML, and hopefully my 5th year winning Nanowrimo.

I'm 27, I'm a licensed, masters-level social worker and I work full time on a psychiatric unit, I work part-time for Viddler (home of the NanoVideo group) as their Community Leader, I'm a major girl nerd (World of Warcraft, comic books, sci-fi, reading, addiction to the internet in general), and I'm recently married (June) and living in Canton with my husband and one very fabulous cat.

Here's a brief history of my Nano writing adventures -

2002 - UNTITLED (hideous failure and I won't even tell you the plot or title, because it was that embarassing and awful)
2003 - COMA JOURNEYS (failure #2 - tale of a coma patient who could take on the form of nearby objects with her mind)
2004 - HIGHWAY DAFFODILS (win! lesbian love story that ended with a prologue from the point of view of their cats)
2005 - LIFE 2.0: THE REBOOT (win! everyday girl entrusted with collecting information in order to upgrade human existence)
2006 - EDUCATION & ADVENTURES OF THE ALREADY PERISHED (win! this one is... well, it's hard to explain)
2007 - SPRINKLING ERNEST (win! tale told from the point of view of a deceased and cremated uncle in an urn)
2008 - To be determined... ;)

Now you!
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____________________________________
Canton Ohio ML / NaNoVideo Liaison
Particpant since 2001, ML since 2002, Winner since 2003!

United States :: Ohio :: Canton

WELCOME TO CANTOWRIMO : READ ME FIRST!

Brandice — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:36:07 -0700

Hi there! I'm your trusty Municipal Liaison, Brandice, and this is the post to come to if you have ANY questions about the region. Additional questions can be directed to me via my profile.

CANTOWRIMO REGION

Founded: 2003
ML: Brandice
Website: CantoWriMo

WEEKLY MEETUPS - (Saturdays): Longer social meetings with both writing and socializing. Come to these meetings to talk about how your novel is going and support others in the region, and then after we've socialized, we usually do some word wars or have periods of time specifical for writing (shush up and type).

WRITE-INS - (Throughout the week): Meetings specifically for writing and will involve word wars and other writing motivation. Come to these meetings to work and prepare to be hushed if you disrupt the working environment for too long or are socializing during word wars or silent writing time. These are times to really crack down and work on the novel, so there can also be conversation about novel-related concerns, but please contribute to a working environment unless we're on a brief writing break. We still manage to have a lot of fun during these get-togethers, I promise. :) Also, please do not bring non-Nano acquaintances/family/friends/children to these meetings.
[NOTE: If you'd like to schedule a write-in that you are willing to host in the Canton area, please contact me to get it on the calendar, and please do not schedule write-ins that conflict with ML-scheduled events (in the interest of attendance). Also, do not plan write-ins for the calendar unless you're prepared to be present and supportive for that write-in, as that event will be your responsibility.]

GOODY BAGS: You get one if you come to either the midnight kickoff or the daytime November 1st meetup. If you miss the kickoff, you're out of luck in terms of ML-provided goody bags, although I usually give away other prizes throughout the month. Please don't ask me to save you a bag or mail you a bag if you don't attend meetings, as I am usually already carting enough stuff around to Nano meetups/write-ins as it is, and the goody bags are meant for those who attend the regional events. :)
[NOTE: If you'd like to contribute to goody bags, please contact me asap.]

LIVE FEED AND CHATROOM: If you have a problem being on the live Ustream feed for meetings, please contact me *prior* to November to voice this concern. I often lifecast the meetings (especially the weekly meetups). Also, the chatroom associated with the live feed is always on and open, even if our region isn't broadcasting live, so we are often logged in and chatting in there, myself in the evenings for the most part. If you can't make a meeting or write-in, feel free to attend virtually by hopping into the chatroom and watching online.

RESPECT: Everyone in the region is to be treated respectfully at all events. Please be mindful of the fact that we're all ultimately trying to finish a novel in 30 days, and if your behavior lessens anyone else's enjoyment of the event or inhibits our productivity during meetings, I will be addressing it directly. Please be mindful of offensive comments and/or language (especially if there are underage/younger participants in the mix), and remember to have fun, but not in a way that results in any harm of others. I'm sure I won't need to mention this rule again. :)
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____________________________________
Canton Ohio ML / NaNoVideo Liaison
Particpant since 2001, ML since 2002, Winner since 2003!

United States :: Ohio :: Canton

NaNoWriMo Guilt

EBO — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:25:33 -0800

I’d heard about “Catholic guilt” before, but now I’m learning first hand about NaNoWriMo guilt.

“I want to watch Chuck, but I’m down 5,634 on my NaNoWriMo word count.”

“I want to go the game, but I’ve fallen behind on NaNoWriMo.”

“I want to go to work but … “ Err, wait. Bad example. ;)

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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

ML Appreciation!

EnchantedOnyx — Sun, 9 Nov 2008 21:23:34 -0800

I know I already told her in person but I just wanted take a moment to appreciate our amazing ML, Brandice. She keeps us on task and writing, helps me figure out how to fix problems in my novel (will be removing the fingertraps, thank you very much), and makes fantastic goody bags!

We love you, Brandice, oh yes we do.
We love you, Brandice, and we'll be true.
When you're not near us, we're blue.
Oh Brandice we love you.

(be glad I typed it rather than sang)

Happy Noveling Brandice and thanks for everything you do as our municipal liason!

~Renae
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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Do you have a soundtrack for your novel?

Colubridlady — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:32:56 -0700

Cross-posted from the Akron forum
__________________

Do you have a soundtrack for your novel? Or at least certain songs that you plan on listening to during the month for inspiration?

I do. Some of them actually triggered the ideas in my novel.

Here's my list of songs:

"I Don't Love You" by My Chemical Romance

"Leavin'" by Jesse McCartney

"Forever" by Chris Brown (This one doesn't completely fit the novel, but it's close enough that it still evokes images of my story.)

"Shattered" by O.A.R.

"Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis (This also doesn't completely fit the novel, but it's close enough that it's still relevant)

"Love Remains The Same" by Gavin Rossdale
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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Don’t Forget to Backup!

EBO — Wed, 5 Nov 2008 20:08:53 -0800

This is just a friendly reminder to backup your novel. The only thing worse than not completing your novel because of time constraints would be to not complete it because you lost it all when your computer crashed or it got deleted.

Trust me, I've lost work this way before and it isn't fun.
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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

taking care of your body

clcassiaw — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:27:21 -0700

as a massage therapist, i know that i can help myself during this month of over-using my writing muscles.
here are a couple of u-tube sites that may help - either that or come see me & i'll fix you up! :-) (even though i know i'll be achy & sore as well - it's my job!)

for the neck - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg2IR9XnT-w
for your hands - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o7u7EH_juA
i looked for an arm video that i liked - couldn't find one, but your lower arms will need work as well. use lots of squeezing on the muscles then up near the elbow, work around with your thumb - believe me, you will find sore spots as this is where your finger muscles attach.

stretching is also important - that hunching thing most of us do will get some relief if we remember to stretch at regular intervals.

i may not have a plot, but i have a plan! tee hee hee

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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Character game

EnchantedOnyx — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:07:25 -0700

This will probably show up on the regular boards but things were slow here and I'd rather hear about local people's characters. Several years ago a credit card company used the tagline "What's in your wallet?". It was cheesy but it stuck. It also makes for a great character development game.

So, you just ask your character, "what's in your wallet?" and list the answers. The stuff carried in wallets really tells a lot about a person.

My two MCs

Maverick McCoy - Idaho driver's license with the name Charlie Larsen on it. Debit and 2 credit cards for Charlie Larsen. Nebraska driver's license for Louis Williams. Credit card with name Louis Williams. Illinois driver's license for James B. Wiland. Credit card with name James B. Wiland. $800 cash. Business cards for Charlie Larsen for an insurance company. a toothpick.

Gary Norton aka Conrad Chaos - $80 in cash. b&w photograph of a young woman.

Anyone else?
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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

noveling nests & magical tools

clcassiaw — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:16:58 -0700

you can use my questions to answer or make your own.
i'm curious about you!

where/when will you write?
i will write at my desk in the early morning (will start 5ish til 6:45am) for the main chunk. the rest will be on the road (look out!), at work, & possibly in the evening (although my head goes dead by afternoon)

will it be different than what you do the rest of the year?
the past 10 years i've only written when the mood strikes - at least 3 times a week - sometimes only my blog, but it's still writing - right?!

did you buy any new magical tools?
no, but that's because at this time of year i have "magical tools" for next year like my new datebook & a fancy pen to go with it, so for this, i'll just be using what i have

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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Holy crud buckets... it's almost time!

Brandice — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:27:27 -0700

I am not ready.

I am actually less ready than I was a few weeks ago.

Crud. Darn.

Anyone else totally wigging?
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____________________________________
Canton Ohio ML / NaNoVideo Liaison
Particpant since 2001, ML since 2002, Winner since 2003!

United States :: Ohio :: Canton

KICK-OFF Sign-Ups

Brandice — Thu, 2 Oct 2008 17:14:36 -0700

Who's coming to kick off events? Please indicate which you're coming to (the midnight and/or Saturday kick off meetups).

I'll lead by example. :) I'm attending the midnight and the Saturday events (since I'm the ML and I'm automatically in for double the fun). :)

Midnight - YES
Saturday - YES

Now you!
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____________________________________
Canton Ohio ML / NaNoVideo Liaison
Particpant since 2001, ML since 2002, Winner since 2003!

United States :: Ohio :: Canton

feeling stupie...

clcassiaw — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:59:59 -0700

how are you posting your title? i've looked everywhere - except where i should be looking! LOL
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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Good books to read to prepare for writing?

Colubridlady — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:36:49 -0700

So... with about a week left before we start writing, I thought I would post a short list of books on writing that I have found to be helpful, in case you are looking for a good "how-to" book to read before NaNo. Hopefully you like them too.

"The Writer's Journey" by Christopher Vogler (Great book on the aspects of the "Hero's journey." I had no idea that my little romance/mainstream novel idea would have so many aspects of the hero's journey to it. I actually thought it would be a waste of time to read it, but I couldn't have been more wrong. This book helped me fill in missing links, and expand on other ideas. I don't think my idea would have been half as good if I hadn't read this. Highly recommended.)

"Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott (An author and teacher of writing, she talks about every tip that she can't think of on how to write better. There are some GREAT tips in here. I would recommend it to EVERY writer. Very quick read too. My only gripe is she seems very egotistical and whiny at times. That was a little annoying.)

"On Writing" by Stephen King (It's actually been a while since I read this, but from what I remember it's a good general 'how I and many of my friends write books' book, but read the other two first, if you haven't already. The first part of the book isn't very helpful, as it's mainly biographical. It was a bit interesting to read about Stephen King's life starting out as a writer, but I wish he would have just gotten to the point sooner.)

And my husband, Joe, is currently reading:

"The Writer's Little Helper" by James V. Smith

I plan to read that when he's done. Hopefully it's helpful. Joe says it is. I've read reviews online and it seems like, in general, everyone likes it. Even those people who "didn't like it" were only complaining because the author regurgitated stuff from previous books and combined it into this one, and they were pissed they bought it when they already had the other books.

So, what about you? What books have had great insight into the craft, or at least a few good tips, that you would recommend to other writers?
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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Books

EnchantedOnyx — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:00:14 -0700

Trying, once again, to get some life into the forums for the local groups. Today my topic is books (okay, I'm a writer and a librarian, every day the topic is books). The best writers say reading is almost as important as writing. So, here we go.

What are you currently reading?

Do you tend to read in the genre that you write in? If not, how do you think that impacts your writing of that genre, both good and bad?

Mine:

What are you currently reading?
Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs (first adult novel I've read in months) But I'm getting Paper Towns by John Green this afternoon and I'll be reading it right away.

What is the last, good book that you read?
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. The reason I don't write children's books. Amazingly well done children's book.

Do you tend to read in the genre that you write in?
Sometimes. I don't read mystery at all but have written mystery. I read fantasy and literary stuff, mostly children's and YA, though. I write adult fantasy and literary, mostly.

If not, how do you think that impacts your writing of that genre, both good and bad?
It's hard to avoid the cliches of a genre if you don't read the genre. But it also frees up some of the contraints placed by a genre's usual restrictions. At least, for me that's the way it tends to work.

Enjoy the cool fall weather and beautiful leaves and let's talk about our books!

~Renae

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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Starbucks or Panera?

Cam — Thu, 9 Oct 2008 21:58:52 -0700

Saturday, October 11
2:00pm
Pre-Nano Meetup
When Sat, Oct 11, 2pm – 4pm
Where Panera Bread, Belden Village Ave., Canton (map)
Description Meeting for planning and mingling for Nano at the Starbucks near the Belden Village mall (corner of Belden Village and Dressler).

So, is the meeting at Starbucks or Panera?

Cam
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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Last line of last year's novel

Brandice — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:01:32 -0700

Spill 'em! And "The End" doesn't count (which never stops some smart alec from posting it, but hopefully mentioning that it's unoriginal will deter said smart alec-ness). ;)

Mine:

"Together, they properly sprinkled Ernest and then headed off to the bar to drink themselves silly on Pepper’s private island."
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____________________________________
Canton Ohio ML / NaNoVideo Liaison
Particpant since 2001, ML since 2002, Winner since 2003!

United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Link to the calendar?

Cam — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 10:48:08 -0700

I can't find the calendar... again. Would someone please post the link here so I can bookmark it?

Thanks.
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United States :: Ohio :: Canton

Looking for Akron info?

CoffeeGirl1224 — Sat, 4 Oct 2008 18:42:34 -0700

Akron Region is now up and running! Join us HERE!

______________________________________________________________________________
I learned today that the person who volunteered for the Akron ML position has stepped back out of it. Rather than leave we Akronites blowing in the wind, I have stepped up to try to get us an area of our own. I'm in the process of making it official (so we can have our own forum-- Thank you Brandice for letting me borrow a thread Canton's for the time being) but I wanted to let you all know that I'm trying to fill in that position.

What I need to know, however, is how many Wrimos will be joining the Akron region out of Canton's. I'm a little behind the others in planning so any info I can get about the group now would be great. Knowing how many there are will help me figure out how big of a meeting place I need to arrange and other such important things. *cough*Goodybags?!*cough*

Again, I'm hoping we can get our own region up and running PDQ but until then, you can reach me through my NaNoMail or here on this thread. As soon as I get confirmation that we're official, I'll post what dates and activities I have planned.

Thanks everyone!
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“Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong.”
Robert Anton Wilson