United States :: Texas :: Austin

<0> Challenge 2008 -- The RULES!

Breca_Halley — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:58:52 -0700

Rules for the 2008 Challenge: Team Lushguin v the State of Maryland

And please read the highlighted points, even if you've done the challenge before--they're key to participation

Eligibility
• Texans: You must live within 60 miles of Austin or Houston. You may not come from another city that has its own Regional Lounge.
• Marylanders: You must live in the state of Maryland.

Sign-ups
• Notify your challenge coordinator (Breca_Halley in Texas or Tidewaterbound in Maryland) by midnight on November 3 that you want to participate---THIS MUST BE DONE VIA EMAIL ONLY—PM’s or posts do not count.

• You must provide your challenge coordinator with a valid email address. During the challenge, you must respond to any requests from your challenge coordinator within a maximum of three days so we know you aren’t missing in action.
• Your challenge coordinator will provide a “word count thread” -- so post in THIS thread--Challenge 2008 -- The RULES! to track word count. Participants will post ONCE to this thread when instructed by the challenge coordinator. When everyone has posted, the thread will be locked. Which means respond to THIS thread--JUST ONCE--so we can track your word count as we run continual tallies

Updating Word Count
• You must update your word count at least once every five days. If you are unable to update your count, contact your challenge coordinator.
• During the course of the contest, we may ask that you post your word count more frequently.
• You must input your final word count by midnight on November 30. After midnight, you will no longer be able to update your count.

Scoring
• You may drop out of the challenge at any time up to midnight on November 15 without affecting your team’s count.
• Only the official word count from the locked “word count thread” on the NaNoWriMo website will be considered when computing the final score.
• After midnight on November 30, the challenge coordinators from each team will drop the lowest score from their respective counts. They will compute the average score for all remaining competitors.
• The team with the highest word count average will be the winner.
• The challenge coordinators will compare results, and when both coordinators agree, the results will be posted on the NaNo boards.

Trash-talkin’
• Each team will have a clearly labeled “trash talk” thread. The Lushguins trash talk thread will be in the Austin Lounge. Trash talk is to be posted ONLY to the trash talk thread and should remain in good fun and within the bounds of good sportspersonship.

Our God-like powers
• MLs decide what “good sportspersonship” means.
• We reserve the right to remove folks from the competition for any violation of the rules and guidelines listed above.
• MLs are the final authority in any dispute or question about the rules.

Remember It’s All in Fun
• In the heat of competition, we sometimes forget it’s just a game. If you have a concern or question about anything regarding the competition, please contact your challenge coordinator before you post.

To sign up for the Lushguin Team, email me at with the subject line "CHALLENGE," and include your NaNoWriMo username somewhere in the email.
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Austin, TX Co-ML
You can call me Becs, Brex, Chewbecca, or just, yanno, Rebecca. :)
Cats, Writing, & Mayhem | YT Channel

United States :: Texas :: Austin

<0> It's the Thank Goodness It's Over Party! Come!!!

lazym — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:22:48 -0800

It's the Fifth Annual Fabulous Fantastical Whoop-de-doop Thank God It's Over and We're Still Standing, Bloody But Unbowed, Austin NaNoWriMo Party and Laugh-A-Thon!

What? A Party!
When? Saturday, December 6, from 7-10 p.m. (or later)
Where? Austin Visual Arts Association, 3705 Home Lane, Austin 78705
This is a small building, mid-block, on the east side of the street. Home Lane is just south of 38th, 1.5 blocks east of Guadalupe, in the Hyde Park neighborhood. The map insists this is on Cedar Street, but actually it’s on Home Lane. At least the arrow is pointing in the right place.
Who? Anyone who registered for NaNoWriMo 2008 and has written at least 500 words, plus guest(s) (13 years of age or over). Shy persons are especially encouraged to attend..

RSVP please to lazym

Please include your NaNoName and indicate if you are coming solo or with a guest. Also, if you have been accompanied on your November journey by a look-look (the correct term for "plush toy" or "stuffed animal"), they are welcome at the party.

PROVIDED: Basic party supplies and starter food (ice, water, some liquids, some munchies, cups, plates, and utensils.)

YOU BRING:

A munchy or liquid – anything you like, including beer or wine. Party food is great, and so are veggies, fruits, non-alcoholic beverages, and other healthy stuff.
Please bring a PRINTED excerpt or brief synopsis of your book (Anonymous is OK.) We like to hang these on the wall for folks to peruse during the party.
A $1-$2 donation per person, to be divided between the AVAA and the NaNoWriMo cause. (Optional and anonymous)
Cash to purchase raffle tickets ($1 each or 6 for $5) if you are so inclined.
If you are collecting Remarkable Feats, don’t forget to bring your card. These cards were handed out at the kickoff and midnight write. I’ll also have a few backups for those who weren’t at these events. The person with the most feats wins a prize!.

CHALLENGES – COMPLETELY OPTIONAL

Come dressed as a character or object in your book, carry something your character would carry, or wear a hat, silly or serious.
Read a short excerpt (4 minutes) from your book, or allow someone else to read it for you. This is not as terrifying as it sounds, and it’s good practice for your future book tour.

PARKING
Carpooling is encouraged. There are about 15 parking spaces in the private lot on the northeast corner of 35th and Home Lane. Ignore the "towing enforced" sign and drive on in, then walk north to the building. There is additional parking on the side streets. Let lazym know if you need handicapped parking. There is a space right beside the gallery that can be reserved for this purpose.
If you prefer to take a bus, check out Capital Metro.

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ML Captain of Capital Ideas
Austin, TX Municipal Liaison 2004-2008
NaNoWriMo Winner 2002-2008

United States :: Texas :: Austin

<0> Frequently Asked Questions

lazym — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:36:36 -0700

Who can come to events?

Folks attending events should be registered NaNoWriMo participants (13 years of age or older) intending to write a novel in November.
Writers may be accompanied by an Unobtrusive Adult – a support person acting as chauffeur, chaperone, etc. Your Unobtrusive Adult will be writing, reading, or otherwise fade quietly into the background.
Folks are welcome at the kickoff who are thinking of joining but haven’t decided yet.
Please do not bring children under 13 to Austin NaNo events, unless the event is specifically labeled "kid-friendly." We try to have at least one event that includes children during November.
At parties – such as the Thank Goodness It’s Over celebration, a non-Nanoing friend, spouse, or significant other is encouraged to whoop it up with us.

Why all the rules?
It’s National Novel Writing Month, and our intent is to write a novel in 30 days. We want have as much fun as possible doing it, but we also need to be able to write without too many distractions. People who are not participating in NaNoWriMo will not enjoy sitting for hours watching us write.

How can I find out about events?

Information on events will be posted on this forum. Note the handy calendar at the top of this page! Well, actually it's not there yet -- but it will be, and we’ll be adding to it as we go along.
Also, if you are a member of the Austin AuNoWriMo group, you can check the calendar there. To join AuNoWriMo, see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aunowrimo
I will include event information in occasional emails to everyone who has affiliated with Austin.

How do I find the places where events are held?
This year, the Google calendar automagically links to a map of the location. You can also Google the address yourself. If you ride the bus, check out Cap Metro.

What should I expect at a write-in?
A write-in is a chance to meet with other Wrimos for writing and socializing. Write-ins are usually hosted by your Municipal Liaison (lazym), a veteran Wrimo, or a year-round Austin writing group. If it’s on the calendar, chances are that there will be anywhere from a half-dozen to a dozen Wrimos in attendance.

Bring your computer or a notebook and pen. Have your computer fully charged, if possible. We try to make outlets available, but it’s not always possible for everyone to plug in. Bring some money for treats for yourself and tips for the servers.
To find the NaNoWriMo group, look for tables full of laptops, penguins or other animal mascots, crazed looks, or odd attire. Some venues are small and crowded, and the "group” may be scattered around the room. If you can’t locate other Wrimos, don’t worry. Just have a seat and get writing.
The character of a write-in will be affected by the ambiance of the venue and the temperament of the hosts. Nearly all of our write-ins are in public places and are suitable for any Wrimo aged 13 or over. However, Monday nights at Austin Java Company tend to be a bit livelier, and may not be suitable for the younger set.

What if there’s no write-in near me?
You can pick a convenient place and time and post your spontaneous write-in on the Austin regional forum page. Please avoid setting up a write-in at the same day, time, and general location as a write-in that’s already on the calendar. If you want to set up a regular write-in, see Create Your Own Write-In (Note: this is a post I'll be a'postin' in early October).

What’s all this about regional affiliation and homing?
During November, it’s fun to compare word counts and see how our region stacks up against all the regions in the world. Austin has been, variously, third, thirteenth, and seventeenth in the world. For these stats to approach reasonable accuracy, we need YOU to affiliate with Austin and set Austin as your Home region.

To affiliate: Click My NaNoWriMo, and then click My Regions (on the left of the screen). On the Regions tab, locate United States::Texas::Austin (page 4), and click Join. Then, click the Join button.
To set Austin as your home: Visit the Home Region tab, select Austin, and then click the Set Home Region button.

What if I have another question?
Contact lazym using the private mail system on this website.

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ML Captain of Capital Ideas
Austin, TX Municipal Liaison 2004-2008
NaNoWriMo Winner 2002-2008

United States :: Texas :: Austin

Austin, You're Invited to Houston's TGIO

sweetmelissa — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 20:38:27 -0800

Hey Austin ~
We did it!!! Whooooooooo Hooooooooo! It's Over! Time to PARTY!!!

We would love it if you could make it to our TGIO on Friday. Then you have all day on Saturday to make it back to Austin for yours.

When? Friday, December 5th, 2008 7:30 - 10:30
Where? Havens Community Center 1827 W. Alabama, Houston, TX 77098
http://www.ststephenshouston.org/HavensCenter.htm

What to Bring:
~ food to share
~ your own drinks - beer & wine ok - no hard liquor
~ a printed excerpt of your story to read to the group (limit 3-5 minutes)
~ a small donation ($1.00 - $2.00 to help w/ costs - overages to be donated to NaNoWriMo)

I would love to have you there!
Congratulations, y'all!
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take care
love & e-hugs ~ M

United States :: Texas :: Austin

Word Count Statistics

lazym — Mon, 3 Nov 2008 04:06:32 -0800

Note: I'll be updating this thread periodically during the month, so check out the thread below. As soon as I have information on individual word counts, I'll post the top x number of those, too - at least until Author Search comes back online.

You can compare our totals with other regions using the Word Count Scoreboard. Remember: You must be affiliated AND HOMED with Austin for your words to be counted in our total.

For the statistically inclined, here are some unoffical numbers, two days into this incredible month:

131 folks in the Austin region have posted word count, with a total of 284,309 words. Out of 364 regions, we are 38th in the world - and remember, New Zealand gets up a lot earlier than we do - so there are regions that are already well into their third day.
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ML Captain of Capital Ideas
Austin, TX Municipal Liaison 2004-2008
NaNoWriMo Winner 2002-2008

United States :: Texas :: Austin

Born To The Purple!

Caeraerie — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 19:29:02 -0800

OK, while the official purple bar is still a few days off, I'm opening the thread for the winners.

And a big shout out to all who are still racing for the finish line! You've got eight days still to go, and much can happen in that time!
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Team Lushguin

United States :: Texas :: Austin

Someone shoot me

Enrique Gomez — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 10:37:13 -0800

If I seriously entertain this idea come next November, you may need to put me down just for humanity's sake...but I suddenly got the idea that next year I might try to write my NaNo novel in LOLcat.

All...fifty....THOUSAND...words.

Linguists everywhere weep in fear.
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United States :: Texas :: Austin

Give us your Victory (or concession) speech!

- K - — Tue, 2 Dec 2008 14:24:58 -0800

Like all great award shows, I think NaNoWriMo needs to have a speech podium up at the front of a large tuxedo-filled auditorium where the names are called, people cry, they give long speeches and get played off by the orchestra before cutting to commercial because someone's dress fell off! It's America's favorite pastime!

So to everyone who participated in NaNoWriMo Austin this year, give us a speech! Thank your friends, family, pets, and neighbors! Curse your day job and nay-sayers for bringing you down! Give yourself a much deserved pat on the back and share some credit where it's due!

Step up to the microphone and let's hear it for our NaNos!

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United States :: Texas :: Austin

<0> Donation information

lazym — Thu, 9 Oct 2008 07:21:57 -0700

It’s NaNoWriMo’s tenth year! From Adelaide to the Yukon Territories, on every continent (except Antarctica) over 100,000 would-be authors are taking up the challenge of 50,000 words in 30 days. On November 30th, tens of thousands of us will realize the life-long dream of writing a novel “someday.”

This event is possible because of the energy and optimism of a tiny staff at the Office of Letters and Light and an army of volunteers. Because the Office is a non-profit, your donations are essential. It takes a lot of money to keep servers humming, websites up and running, the office functioning, and the coffeepot perking. NaNoWriMo is free to everyone, but it has lasted this long because people like you donate to the cause.

There are many ways to give something back to the organization that gives so much to you, and many of them take no money at all. You can:
* Donate directly by credit card, PayPal, or check
* Purchase some fine and stylish merchandise from the store
* If you are monetarily challenged, set GoodSearch as your search engine, and Yahoo will donate a penny for every search
* Set up a sponsorship page at Firstgiving.com and invite your friends and family to donate on your behalf
* Or, see this page for more ideas on donating when you are broke

The Washington Post has estimated that if NaNoWriMo's growth rate remains constant, by the year 2027, every single American will write a novel in November. Why not every person in the world? Please donate today to keep NaNoWriMo alive and strong – and help make it so!

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ML Captain of Capital Ideas
Austin, TX Municipal Liaison 2004-2008
NaNoWriMo Winner 2002-2008

United States :: Texas :: Austin

I still can't I believe I did it

bdette — Mon, 1 Dec 2008 19:12:40 -0800

This is my first Nanowrimo ever and I can't believe I actually finished my novel. I give props to the people that were able to write a lot more than I was able to do. I tried writing more but I couldn't. I feel like I have a writing hangover if that makes any sense.

The best thing from accomplishing such a task is that it made me want to take more writing classes.
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Ah hell why not!
1st time Nanowrimo....

United States :: Texas :: Austin

HEY! Post the last line of your novel!

ballyhoot — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:45:54 -0800

Early in the month, somebody had started a thread for posting the first line of your Nano novel. I thought it might be interested to create a similar thread for the LAST line of your novel. Mine is below....

"A small glow could be seen reflecting off the stairwell’s wall, and then the cellar door slammed, and Paul was plunged in complete darkness, a darkness so complete that it felt like a solid substance pressing against his skin and flowing down his throat into his lungs."

-kp
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United States :: Texas :: Austin

Challenges and Obstacles Down the Home Stretch

ballyhoot — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:43:07 -0800

So, I'm creating another thread for people to post any anecdotes about interesting or amusing or craptastic things that happened as they worked toward the finish line.... Here are mine....

I had to write about 1000 words today, Sunday, to reach the 50,000 mark. I'm pretty proud of these last 1000 words because I wrote them under less than ideal circumstances.

The first 200 words were written a little after noon. I had taken my kids (4 and 6) to the park, along with my notepad, and I wrote on a bench while the kids played, bumped their heads, threw sand at each other, hid behind the bathrooms and gave me a heart attack.... Fun times.

The next 100 words or so were written right after lunch. I had sent the kids to quiet time, which usually buys me about an hour or so. Unfortunately I had to burn most of that time ironing shirts... I know, where are my priorities, right?! Anyway, snuck in a paragraph or so before the kids had had enough of playing upstairs in their rooms.

The next 700 words were written after dinner. I sat on the couch while the kids ate NERDZ around me, constantly pestering me with questions and gleefully ignoring my pleas to leave me alone. "What's that sentence say, Papa?" "What's it about?" "How many words do you have left?" "Do you know what I'm eating? How did you KNOW I was eating NERDZ?" "Why are they called NERDZ?"

So that was about 1000 words, but didn't quite get me to the end of the story. Plus, it was all written on notebook paper. So after putting the kids to bed, I sat at the computer, transcribed my long hand, and then wrote another 200 words or so to finish it off.....

Anyway, I feel very pleased with it all and I'm glad to be done. I don't think I'm gonna do any writing AT ALL for the next month!!! Which might be a problem, since I work as a technical writer. My supervisor and colleagues may be a bit miffed if I refuse to write anything over the next month... :)

-kp
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United States :: Texas :: Austin

Coming from behind? Maybe.

kswope — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:03:14 -0800

3 hours left, and 14,576 words to go. Lordy, how do I do this to myself every year? And why?!
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United States :: Texas :: Austin

What? That's IT??!?!? We're just DONE????

Da Shlom — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:59:57 -0800

I can't believe I've spent a month playing with all these great people, and now it's over except for some little, scrawny party?

C'mon, penguins? Where's the whole 'play with the egg 'til it hatches' routine? The grim march across the polar tundra to find fish and regurgitate it to the partners and young?

Sigh.

I guess I knew it would come to this.

So, if I don't see you crew for another $##@$@#$ year, see ya!

And for those of you that have touched me, thanks. Thanks for the ideas, the words, and all the good stuff. Anne, I still need to interview you. Sylverre, coffee? LazyM, well... we'll have woids! (Oh, wait, didn't we just have like a whole bunch of those?)

Next year I promise a better NaNoBruMo, a wilder set of Vino 100 write-ins, and a chicken in every pot. (Or was that some pot for every chicken?)

Anyway, thanks to you that I won't see for a year, and I look forward to seeing the rest of the lot of you. A lot, if possible.

DaShlom
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---
It's not me... it's my novel!
My NaNo blog for the year: http://nnwm08.blogspot.com/

United States :: Texas :: Austin

What was your plot ninja?

ballyhoot — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:51:44 -0800

First off, sorry for all the new threads. Here I am, reading all the threads and almost never posting. Then I reach the purple and I have the presumption and gall to keep bugging everybody with new threads about this and that.... Oh well.

THIS thread is for those who attended the kickoff event last month (late October), when we created "plot ninjas" and stuck them in envelopes and traded them with other participants. I thought it might be cool to hear about (1) what was the plot ninja that you had created; (2) what was the plot ninja that you had received; and/or (3) did you use it????

For my part....uh...well...this is a bit embarassing, but I don't have my plot ninja with me right now. But I didn't want to wait and create this thread till I DID have the envelope, because I might forget to post the thread entirely). Anyway, it's still in its envelope and I did NOT use it. But I will post its contents once I get ahold of it. If I remember right, the plot ninja that I had created and gave to somebody else was something like "one of your main secondary characters suddenly and inexplicably loses an arm."

All for now!! Good luck to the rest of you still working toward the purple. Still two hours to go!!!

-kp
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United States :: Texas :: Austin

Shameless Padding

ballyhoot — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:34:30 -0800

Just creating a thread for anyone who wants to post examples of what they did to push their numbers up for others' amusement and illumination (ooh, good idea. I'll do that NEXT year!):

For my part, I admit I didn't fully get into the spirit of things. I still tended to edit myself too much, and often tried to tighten my prose as I went--an impulse that I had to repeatedly quash like an unwanted bug. Anyway, here are a few of the things I did to make up for that....

(1) I created unncessary chapter titles, which probably bumped me my word count about 200 words.

(2) I went through the MS on Saturday and turned all my "gonna" and "wanna" into "going to" and "want to", which made the dialogue less authentic but bumped my total by another 100 or so words.

(3) At the same time, I also went through the MS and found all my contractions and spelled them out instead. Again, this "awkwardized" some of the dialogue, and even some of the exposition, but it was a huge boost to my word count. :)

(4) I couldn't remember a partcuilar character's name, and instead of going back to find it, I kept calling him "Hayden's cousin", which probably bumped my word count another 100 or 200 words.

(5) The only way I could truly say that "I finished the novel" is that I had to turn it into a trilogy, and this is the first part of the trilogy. However, I DID realize that pretty early in the process, so it wasn't like I invented the excuse at the last minute. No, really. :)

Oh, that last one's not really a word padding, but I didn't feel like creating a separate thread... :)

kp
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United States :: Texas :: Austin

This is all the damage I can do.

Caeraerie — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 14:54:10 -0800

My friends, I have now done everything I can do to make my dream a reality. As of today, the NaNoWriMo wordcounter will no longer show my actual volume of words.

Thus, I am posting for all to see this final proof that I accomplished what I set out to do...

Thank you all for your thoughts, your encouragement and your applause. I am taking the next two weeks off of writing, editing will begin Dec 15.

And a super-loud round of applause for all our writers. You make this dream happen!

Caeraerie
1,002,372 words
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Team Lushguin

United States :: Texas :: Austin

Use WRITE OR DIE at your own peril. It eats words. (see kswope's post in this thread)

Breca_Halley — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:23:30 -0800

Today I was perusing blogs, as I often do when I should be writing, and I came across this: http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html. It is a web application called Write or Die. It operates under the idea that people tend to ignore their writing because the end result (getting published, finishing a novel, gaining satisfaction, whatever) is an intangible goal. By not writing, you disappoint only yourself.

So Write or Die gives you a tangible goal. When you use it, you sit down to write, and if you don't keep writing, Write or Die will give you a "consequence" depending on what mode you set it for. There are three modes:

Gentle Mode- a reminder will pop up, telling you to keep writing.
Normal Mode- an annoying sound will play over and over until you start writing again
Kamikaze Mode- If you stop writing for too long, your words will slowly be deleted.

NaNoWriMo participants, take note that Kamikaze mode should be used verrrrrry sparingly. ;)

So, is anyone brave enough to try Write or Die? Or has anyone here already tried it? I'll be giving it a go as soon as I'm out of class for the day....

Note: I think the fourth mode listed, Electric Shock mode, is a joke, but you can always fool yourself into thinking you'll get an electric shock if you quit writing. ;)
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Austin, TX Co-ML
You can call me Becs, Brex, Chewbecca, or just, yanno, Rebecca. :)
Cats, Writing, & Mayhem | YT Channel

United States :: Texas :: Austin

<0> IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS FOR WINNERS

lazym — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 08:13:03 -0800

Hooray for all our winners! (I haven't done our latest count yet, but we've got to have over 100 winners with most of the day left to go.) if you've reached 50K, here are some things you need to know:

Don't forget to validate! It's the only way to get your purple bar, winner's certificate, and access to the winner's icons to flaunt all over the internet. Just click My NaNoWriMo and click the validation link on the left side of the screen, right under your profile picture. Then follow the simple instructions.
A few people are reporting problems pasting their entire novel in the validator window. If you have this problem, try using a different browser or updating your browser software.
If you have reached 50K and have not validated, DO IT NOW. There are likely to be rolling slowdowns as midnight moves across the earth, and you may have problems validating in time. You can continue to work on your novel and update your word count all the way to midnight, even if you've already validated.
Another reason to validate early - it appears that the word count feature in Google Docs disagrees markedly with the validator in some cases. You may find you need to add more words to your novel, and you'll need time to do it.
If you are going to be validating late, make sure your User settings (My NaNoWriMo - User Settings - Locale Settings -) have the correct time zone. The drop down should match the current local time. If not, choose the correct time. In Austin, we are -0600.And don't forget to click the Submit button near the bottom of the screen.
If you are planning on donating or buying merchandise as a reward, consider rewarding yourself ahead of time. There was a noticeable site slowdown yesterday as many many people tried to donate and purchase t-shirts, mugs, and the like. HQ believes they have the problem licked, but why take a chance?

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ML Captain of Capital Ideas
Austin, TX Municipal Liaison 2004-2008
NaNoWriMo Winner 2002-2008

United States :: Texas :: Austin

Wordcount Warzone--THANKSGIVING CHALLENGES!

kswope — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:22:38 -0700

Hello, fellow Penguins! Welcome to the Wordcount Warzone. I'll be your Wordcount Warlord for this year. Do we all know how this works? Well, how about an explanation for our new folks?

Many Penguins thrive under pressure, and for several of them, the more pressure the better. For some, the best way to goad themselves into reaching 50k is personal and intra-regional challenges. The Warzone is where we'll keep track of those challenges.

First, how it works. Penguin Joe is struggling to meet his word count goal for the day, and decides that he needs a little motivation. Penguin Joe decides that the best possible motivation is a challenge. So, Penguin Joe hops online and enters the Wordcount Warzone. There, Penguin Joe posts a challenge, with the rules for the challenge and the default. Once the post is made, it's out there for everyone to see and suddenly, Penguin Joe feels the pressure, and motivation smacks him upside the head. Penguin Joe makes his word count goal for the day!

Challenges can be just about anything word count-related you can think of. You can arrange them ahead of time with specific people, or post here to ask for someone to participate. You can even challenge yourself. Each post should contain the details of the challenge, and the "default". The challenge default can be just about anything from the loser buying the winner a coffee, to the loser donating a specified amount to the Office of Letters & Light--or, for that matter, any other charity. There are a couple of examples at the end of this post.

Post your challenges here, and I'll keep track of them all. At the end of the month, I'll post a report on the challenges both here and at the TGIO party. Challenges that include a cash default donated to the Office of Letters & Light can be paid either by sending it in yourself, or by dropping the money into one of the donation jars that will be present at write-ins and events, and all defaults are, of course, on an honor-system basis. The Warlord's report is not a collection attempt. It's simply intended as a reminder for those of us (like me) who sometimes have trouble remembering how much we owe by the end of the month--whether it be in dollars, or in cups of coffee.

Example 1:
Becky posts: I feel like a challenge! Who wants to join me? Let's see who can write the most words between midnight Friday night and noon on Sunday! If I lose, I'll donate $10 to NaNo.
James replies: I'll join you! If I lose, I'll donate $5 to NaNo!

At midnight Friday night, Becky and James post their current word counts. At noon on Sunday, they do the same, along with the total number of words each of them wrote. The one with the fewest words written makes a donation.

Example 2:
Jill posts: I'm getting behind, and I need a challenge! I'm going to reach 16,000 words by 8pm on Sunday. If I don't, I'll donate $10 to NaNo.
Mark replies: If you make it, I'll donate $10 to NaNo!
Andy replies: If you make it, I'll donate $5 to NaNo!
Jessica replies: If you make it, I'll buy you a coffee at the next write-in!

At 8pm on Sunday, Jill posts her current word count. If she made it to 16,000, NaNo gets $15 and she gets a cup of coffee. If she didn't make it, NaNo gets $10 and she gets no free coffee.

Any questions? Just ask your friendly neighborhood Warlord!

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United States :: Texas :: Austin

Vino 100 Write-In 11/29

Da Shlom — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:29:08 -0800

Just a quick thanks and penguin-y handshake to the folks that showed up. Be they in Turkey hangover, newly pregnant, excited to make or break their 50K (we had one of those -- HUZZAH!) -- over 7,000 words were written, despite the pie (pie party leftovers) and wine consumed. (And the odd date during the write-in).

Thanks to all, and again, all hail the mighty ML life forms who have created such a fetid and fertile writing environment!

DaShlom
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It's not me... it's my novel!
My NaNo blog for the year: http://nnwm08.blogspot.com/

United States :: Texas :: Austin

I just won! For the third year in a row! ^_^

CreativeFlux — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 10:42:53 -0800

Yay! I crossed the finish line a day early this year, and for the third time in a row. Can't let this winning streak go unbroken, now. Confetti and fireworks and champagne for everyone! :)

Oh, and we're over 10 milion words now! ^_^

Congrats to all the winners, and to those of you still coming up the hill, keep writing! We're all here waiting for you at the top!

Cheers!
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United States :: Texas :: Austin

Events: Just the one left!

lazym — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:27:29 -0700

We wrote a whole lotta words!
Now come celebrate

** SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6TH **

The Fifth Annual Fabulous Fantastical Whoop-de-doop Thank God It's Over and We're Still Standing, Bloody But Unbowed, Austin NaNoWriMo Party and Laugh-A-Thon
When: Saturday, Dec 6th, 7-10 pm or later
Where: Austin Visual Arts Association, 3705 Home Lane, Austin 78705
Come celebrate our mad adventure! You don't need to be a winner to attend - just a participant who has written at least 500 words, plus guest(s) (13 years of age or over). Shy persons are especially encouraged to attend. Here are the details!
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ML Captain of Capital Ideas
Austin, TX Municipal Liaison 2004-2008
NaNoWriMo Winner 2002-2008

United States :: Texas :: Austin

Pictures from NaNo Events

helenathemuse — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:54:58 -0800

Pictures from Caf Caf, Gen Joe, Rocky Write In, Margarita Write In

Get 'em now at

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=40979&l=77c7f&id=815359692

edit: and more events below!
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Deanna
www.deannaroy.com

United States :: Texas :: Austin

HOV Lane (Carpooling)

kswope — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:02:33 -0700

Each year, we have a thread where folks can post when they need a ride, and those who are willing to give rides can let everyone know they're available. As usual, there are very few rules.

Drivers: Please post not only the name of the event(s) you are offering a ride to, but also how many seats you have available and what part of the city or it's surroundings you are willing to pick people up from. Also, please let us know if you won't be able to provide a ride back home from the event(s) you are offering rides to! Or, if you can't take people to an event, but you can take them home afterward, please post.

Riders: When you're looking for a ride to (an) event(s), please post not only where it is you're looking to go, but where you would need to come from. DO NOT post your actual address--just give us an idea of where in the city or its surrounding areas you are. Things such as "South", "North", "UT area", "near Oltorf and IH35" are perfect. If you have special circumstances--like you need to be picked up at work but dropped off at home afterward, or if you only need a ride one way for any reason, please post that as well.

Please, no one post your actual street address or phone numbers here. We can not guarantee that the only people able who will have access to that information are kind, gentle souls who want nothing more from life than to please you. Address and phone number information can be exchanged using nanomail (private messaging) here on the site, or by email.
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