United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

KanMoWriCo Graph--Opt In!

poetT — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:06:40 +0000

Want to compare yourself to others in our region?

Please reply to this post if you want to be included in the following graph.
How about if, in your reply, you list one difficulty you're putting in the way of your main character.

If you click on the graph here, you can see more details about others who have opted in. Click on the graph on that page to see the graph better.

Graph

It takes a while to get added. Be patient!

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poetT / Teri
ML in the black hat

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

*****November Write-ins for KanMoWriCo

poetT — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:08:22 +0000

A write-in gets your writing out–out into the company of other writers. Even if you’re usually the solitary type, you’d be surprised at how motivating it is to work side by side, pounding out those words together, knowing that you’re not alone on the road to 50k. Here’s the lineup:

Sundays, Nov. 1, 8, 22, 29: 6 pm - 10 pm
The Writers Place, 3607 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO
The Writers Place
It's a glorious castle/house building with rooms (yes, plural) to sprawl. Parking on the street but watch the no-parking signs on the sides next to the building, and the fire hydrant. There is a small handcapped-accessible parking area in back. We'll have coffee and tea and a few goodies there, or BYO. not Nov. 15

Wednesdays, Nov. 4, 18: 6 pm - 9 pm [not Nov. 11 or Nov. 25 for holiday closings]
Central Resource Library, 9875 West 87th St., Overland Park, KS
Central Resource Library
Take, oh, 20 paces in through the front door, then turn right or west. The Nancy Pickard Room is behind the purple wall with glassed-in artifact display case. (Alternatively, go to the information desk. Otherwise, you could wander for a long time without finding us.) The library has lots of parking (it's a suburb) and outlets. Beverages with lids are allowed; the library provides water, juice boxes, and snacks/treats.

Wednesday, Nov. 11: 6 pm - 10 pm
Black Dog Coffeehouse, 12815 W 87th Street Pkwy, Lenexa, KS
Black Dog Coffeehouse

Sunday, Nov. 15: 6 pm - 10 pm
Wednesday, Nov. 25: 6 pm - 10 pm
Roasterie, 6223 Brookside Blvd., Kansas City, MO
Roasterie Cafe
Park in the lot behind or on the street in front. Support the business’ tolerance of our 4-hour camp by buying food and drink there.

All write-in details are posted on our KanMoWriCo Events Calendar

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poetT / Teri
ML in the black hat

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

*****Introduce Yourself Here! at KanMoWriCo

poetT — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:06:14 +0000

Welcome to the Kansas-Missouri Writing Collective!

Come on in, novelists and novelists-to-be! Slap on a name tag, and tell us about yourself–why you’re here, if you’ve NaNo’d before, genre, whatever you want to share.

(Also, go to this page to make sure your home region is set for "United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City"
http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/og/home. If there's nothing on that page, you need to go to the My Regions tab to join.)

I’m poetT from Overland Park, KS. This will be my fifth year doing NaNoWriMo, and my fourth as municipal liaison (ML) here. (ML=local volunteer in the KC metro, organizing meetings and write-ins, answering questions, encouraging you--and myself--in the crazy month to come.)

Why do I owe NaNoWrMo my creative life?
Before NaNoWriMo, I hadn’t written much for 15 years. After college, real life set in, and I had no external deadline or goal. I didn’t have anyone to even talk with about writing. Then ::magical play of colored lights:: NaNoWriMo came into my life. Deadline Extraordinaire. Writing community galore, here on the forums and at write-ins. The success of that first year gave me the confidence and the friends to help me keep writing.

And why do I keep coming back to do it again?
It’s that creative fury of the fast first draft, like the rush of a river that sweeps up all kinds of crazy ideas that never would have got into the flow, daring me to ride it out. It spurs my creativity in a way that I don’t always find standing on the bank, throwing in a pebble or two.

How about you?
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poetT / Teri
ML in the black hat

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Supporting Your Support--Donating

poetT — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:33:14 +0000

NaNoWriMo! What a massive endeavor--thousands upon thousands of people all getting the support they need to write their hearts out!

And who will pay for that support?

You and other wrimos.

Here are info and links for donating to NaNoWriMo. The Office of Letters and Light (OLL, the umbrella for NaNoWriMo, ScriptFrenzy, and the Young Writer’s Program) is a 501c(3) non-profit, so donations are tax deductible.

You can Donate online here. If you donate $10 or more, you’ll get a halo on your profile, with other giveaways for larger donations.

Short of cash in these down financial times? You can support the cause even when you're broke, including Goodsearch and Ebay Giving Works, and get sponsored by family or friends.

And if you want something tangible for your money and let others know about NaNoWriMo, you can buy shirts, mugs, merit badges, or posters-- items from the store to help fund OLL, too.

Where does the money go? To support NaNoWrimo's youth and adult novel-writing programs and operating expenses. If you want to see exactly how OLL spends money, take a look at the budget page.

It’s payment for an intense and insane creative-writing workshop. Help support the dreams of tens of thousands of writers–including yourself!

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poetT / Teri
ML in the black hat

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

SUNDAY = Double Your Daily Word Count Day

poetT — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:54:41 +0000

It's the end of Week One, and we are getting ready to go into dreaded Week Two. It's time for us to kick in into high gear, so I think tomorrow needs to be Double Your Daily Word Count Day.

What is "Double Your Daily Word Count Day," you ask? It's a day where you write at least double your average daily word count, and thus give yourself a hefty boost to prepare for week two.

It works like this:
-Take your end-of-day word count tonight (Saturday night)
-Divide that number by 7
-The result is your average daily word count. Your goal on Sunday is to write twice that many words.

That may take some doing if you're a wiz-at-word-count. But for those who are behind, we need this push, and more.

Use this thread to post your magic number, the number of words you'll be writing tomorrow. Then, when you finish writing those words, post again to let everyone know that you are victorious.

What do you win? Bragging rights, and that warm fuzzy "Yes! I totally won that challenge" feeling. And if you don't get that feeling, then just keep writing until you triple your daily word count. Or quadruple it.

Meanwhile, write like crazy until tonight.
Let's go, KanMoWriCo!
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poetT / Teri
ML in the black hat

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

10,000th word shout out

poetT — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:08:57 +0000

10K is a big achievement! Celebrate it here by telling us what your 10,000th word is.

(Actually, it's nice to have the whole sentence it's in for context--
especially if it turns out to be one of the lesser stars in the verbal sky, like "a" or "but".)
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poetT / Teri
ML in the black hat

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

What was the last scene you wrote?

Griselda Banks — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:17:35 +0000

So what was the last scene you wrote, and how will it merge into the next scene? Describe it briefly here! If you don't know what to write next, I bet we can probably give you a bunch of wacky ideas!

The last scene I wrote was the wedding between a young woman from my criminal family (though no one knows they're criminals) and the younger prince. Aww, it was so cute! :3 The next scene I'm going to do is the party afterwards, bringing in more of a foreboding, foreshadowy feel. A bit incongruous, but I think it'll work.
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All writing begins life as a first draft, and first drafts are never any good. They're not supposed to be.
- Patricia T. O'Conner

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

favorite music to write by?

catalyst26 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:46:47 +0000

Does anyone else use music while writing? Do you change musical styles according to what you are writing? On a previous project, I used Bach just because the intricacies of the music seemed to keep my inner editor distracted. I've also used Miles Davis and John Coltrane because of the creativity and improvisation in their work. Not sure what this novel's musical style is yet--altho I'm pondering employing dance/techno/trance because it seems to keep me moving and maybe that will translate to my fingers. Anyway, played enough on the forums now. Back to the word count for the day...
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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Barrel of Monkeys (plotstorming + help your friends)

inkwet_image — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:22:02 +0000

Want more ideas to go with the ones you have? Are you trying to make a chain of events longer, or wondering what might be a fun addition to your tale?
See if your friends can hook a few more thoughts to yours. Post a plot point, characterization question, plothole, epic ethical dilemma, anything you’re brainstorming. Other wrimos can make suggestions, offer ideas, give you extra options about what you could do next. If you like any of them, hook them onto the chain of monkeys you’ve already got. :)

Hang out an idea of your own, or hook an idea onto someone else's. There is only one rule:

No critique allowed. Don’t ask for it; don’t give it. Begin by assuming your idea is great. :) If we start doubting ourselves, things can start to fall apart.

And, of course, remember that this is a game for all ages.

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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Rate/Comment on the Synopsis/Excerpt Above You

Bloody Mary Sue — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:24:46 +0000

I've seen threads like this on EVERY SINGLE STINKIN FORUM, so I decided to start on for KanMoWriCo! And since there's no one above me, here's a nice little compliment for Nonexistent Novelist!

Wow, Nonexistent Novelist! Your book is quite possibly the greatest thing I've ever read! I love the plot. It intrigues me already. Your concepts are very original and your characters fully fleshed out. I'd love to see more. That genre needs a little pick-me-up like this.
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Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Someone yell at me...

Lizabeth Rose — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:56:57 +0000

...and get me to just persevere and get caught up! I'm serious! Please be mean... I'm so close to getting on task, but it's getting progressively harder the closer I get...

=(
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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Shout-out: So far behind that it’s awesome.

inkwet_image — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:09:17 +0000

Every year. Every. Single. Year. I’m behind by day 5. But guess what? I catch up. You can too.

If you are behind right now, if you are watching the 10k shoutout grow with growing feelings of jealousy, if you are wondering what to do next, here it is:
KEEP WRITING!

Drag 1667 words out of the ether tonight, tomorrow, and then... It will be The Weekend.

Then, then we can certainly catch up. Hide in a library, leave your children on a neighbor’s doorstep, lock yourself in the bathroom, come sit in a bookstore with me, do whatever you have to do to catch those few hours that you need to embellish your wordcount.

Who else wants to declare their intentions of never giving up, never surrendering? (If you don’t feel like bragging, You're Not Alone.) We may have fallen behind, but we will not be left behind.

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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

do you have a mascot?

catalyst26 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:42:49 +0000

I acquired a mascot while working on another writing project. Her name is Rosie and she is a stuffed (don't tell her this, she's convinced she's alive) large (but not life-sized;), blue rhinoceros. She seems to be basically good-natured; however, when she gets behind you on a project she has certain (ahem) motivating qualities....
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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Spy vs. Spy--Challenge Other Agents Here***

mike oleary — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:56:48 +0000

Good morning, Wrimo writer 77, the thread that you are looking at is a challenge thread. Not for oh_the_wit to make into holiday gifts, more likely for poetT to fashion into some sort of garrote to assist her when she sneaks up on your wordcount and surpasses you in the wee hours when she is powerful and you are merely unconscious and drooling.

As an operative, you should attempt to write your challenges to your friends, loved ones, and strangers in spy speak, Mission Improbable genre clichés, and cold war russian overcoats. If you fail to complete this portion of the message, you will be ridiculed. Severe embarrassment may ensue. I'm sorry. If you can't follow directions, how are you going to achieve your objective?

Government research has shown that operatives who challenge someone else, or gasp, gang up on someone, will feel competitive rushes of words that just flow onto the page and boost you to ever widening gaps to your inferiors.* If your enemy is 500 words ahead of you, you might forgo that second spy sandwich and just opt for an apple. Operatives need plenty of fiber.

Should you or any of your so-called team be killed or captured in your attempt to surpass other operatives, we will disavow any knowledge of your actions, even your very existence. This message will self-fall to the second page in several days, if you don't use it. Good luck, Wrimos.

* of course no one is inferior. some messages just get carried away.
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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Twitter?

EmmersonBlair — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:29:43 +0000

Is anyone on Twitter? I use my account as a creative writing exercise. You can follow me at HollyES.

If you're on Twitter, let me know! I would love to follow you! (Not in a cyber-stalker way. In a congenial, NaNoWriMo, hopped up on caffiene and overconfidence that I will finish 50K kind of way.)

Holly (EmmersonBlair)
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"If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive." ~Audre Lorde

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Shout Out -- Torturing characters!

Bloody Mary Sue — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:07:18 +0000

Hey y'all! Who out there has or is putting their characters into turmoil for the sake of plot and wordcount? I know I am. After the scare of almost having to kill a girl that reminded him of his little sister, I get to make Victor go insane in a lobby and have a cute little flashback about his human childhood, which makes him crazier. Woo-hoo!
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Shall we their fond pageant see?
Lord, what fools these mortals be!

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

And the 20,000th word now!

poetoffire — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:28:59 +0000

Okay, here's a separate shout-out for the 20,000ers. What was the word or sentence?

My word was "the". "If I had another dream about the grim reaper, it would be less nightmare and more fantasy" was the sentence. A lot less pretty and sweet and romantic in context. MC is not being morally straight right now.

Anyone else hit their 20,000 mark?

...anyone?
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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

what does your signon mean?

mike oleary — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:00:05 +0000

so, mine is pretty cryptic and I'll explain it for those of you not familiar with the writings of Calvino - mine is mike oleary. You see, it is one of the better ways to hide - right out in the open. like lions in the grass. the zebra say, is that a lion over there? nah, that's just some grass with a tail, run! run! my name is the same as my signon - well, other than an Irish apostrophe that lots of computer systems, despite nearly superhuman connectivity and programming of neural imagery and vastly enhanced storage, cannot handle.

what about the rest of you? If it isn't some sort of state secret or in-joke that your average lurker (I can see you in the shadows you know, the stats page for the insiders is interesting to say the least) can't know - go ahead and spill it. Maybe we'd know a little more about you if we knew what your screen name means.

Scorpionicus Clariano?

inkwet_image? - if she ever dries, she'll change colors.

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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

I went to _ write-in and ___

poetT — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:23:54 +0000

I went to the Nov. 1 write-in at the Writers Place and

-we had the largest write-in turnout: 30! people, all heading into the surf of their novels
-I watched lots of people get some good word counts under their belts--a good thing to do, before the work week hit
-(and then there was me; so it goes)
-watched someone not eat lard
-ate the bottom off of a Rice Krispie treat
-wondered what in the world this mummified monkey is going to do once the rats wake it up

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poetT / Teri
ML in the black hat

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

How Do You Make Them Understand?

Griselda Banks — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:28:24 +0000

So...nearly all the family and friends I've told about NaNo have been pretty supportive and understanding...but my dad just doesn't get what the point is. I've tried to explain to him why I want to do this, but he doesn't seem to get it. Does anyone else have someone who doesn't understand, that you really want to understand? How do you explain to them why NaNo's worthwhile?
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All writing begins life as a first draft, and first drafts are never any good. They're not supposed to be.
- Patricia T. O'Conner

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

I double dog dare you

mike oleary — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:48:01 +0000

So this happens most years. Sometimes here, sometimes elsewhere, but I'm all for the NIMBY when it is coal-fired power plants, but if someone is going to dare me - well, dare me here.

The idea is to leave some things that you've always wanted to see in a book - say Harry Potter being a prat (well, something that you haven't seen maybe) - say an alien playing a game of Twister while singing the national anthem of Canada. Then someone else takes that dare and puts it into their novel.
Some people even take that dare and put it into their novel every year.
More than one person can take the dare.
If you want to take one or more, post that you're taking them.
Fire up those imaginations - a week and a few hours to go!

What sort of dares can you come up with? Doesn't matter how crazy - someone will find a way to warp their story to include a Shovel of Doom, or whatever you can come up with.

Go ahead.
Impress me.

I dare someone to put something like these in their novel:
- a loss of cabin pressure and a convoluted solution to the problem involving chewing gum
- imagining one's own head out of existence - only to somehow recover and live on
- a ring that protects one from bad thoughts that goes horribly sideways
- a talking dog that refuses to talk for a really good reason
- a digital camera that takes pictures of what the taker really wants reality to be like
- an invention that logically and scientifically controls the weather for a localized area that does not involve magic or divine intervention
- moldy cheese that hides the secret

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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

So, how did you start?

teamevil — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:36:58 +0000

Hey all,

All the emphasis seems to be on the first day word count extravaganza, and there looks like a who bunch of people pounded out an insane amount of words to begin with, but the question here is pretty simple. Starting itself always seems to be the hardest thing from my perspective, so the question is, what was you're first sentence, the one that started ye ole ball a rolling. Mine was pretty simple in and off itself.

Someone was going to die.

Well, good luck
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United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Favourite character?

Lady Nai — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:57:07 +0000

(yes, for some reason, I've picked up the British spelling of favourite. Doesn't it look so much nicer?)

Does anyone have a for-certain favourite character of your own (this NaNo or not) that you blamelessly adore above all the rest?

Yes, I do.

And he's dead! *wails*

Robin: I'm right here, you goof.

Me: *smothers*

---

Sorry if that was incoherent. I spent all last year with him (and Marian and Much) and now he's dead before this one even starts! Aaaaah!

I'm consoling myself with flashbacks.

Robin: Yes. LOTS of flashbacks.

Me: Be quiet.
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Using NaNo to complete my second book in this imagined series...
In Search of Truth: The Sherwood Chronicles
1. Stained
2. Forest of Lies (written!)
3. Unbroken
4. The Bow (NaNo)
and hopefully more...

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

NaNo ID clothing/sign on Nov. 30

aramel2 — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:52:50 +0000

I think that everyone should wear some distinguishing artice of clothing - maybe a bright yellow t shirt, or a special hat, or some kind of bracelet, on the last day of November to show that you're a Nanoer. THen we can finally find out who we know who's a closet Nanoer.
Who's with me? ANd what should we wear?
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Story of My Life: a book about life, love, and failing high school

United States :: Missouri :: Kansas City

Who has their faces in the dirt? (Commiserate here)

poetT — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:06:07 +0000

Yeah, yeah, some people are zooming ahead at the speed of sound or light.
But some are plugging along, fighting the friction of the road under our noveling wheels.

It'll be okay. Come in here and complain. Get it off your chest.

And then take that sense of misery and give it in some form to a character,
and get back to writing your novel.
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poetT / Teri
ML in the black hat