Welcome (back) to the Naperville region that serves the cities and suburbs west of Chicago! 2014 is shaping up to be a special NaNoWriMo for us--we have our first ever Library Crawl planned thanks to Sarah Kovacs of the Carol Stream Library. Thirteen regional libraries are participating (a record for our region!), each offering one or more write-ins. Participants attending these write-ins will pick up crawl cards that can be traded in for raffle tickets for special prizes at the TGIO party in December.
October 2nd, Kaden (silverwolf) and I will offer you one approach (the Stone Soup method) to breaking down the complexities of a novel into manageable components. This will be 7-9 pm at the Aurora Public Library. Please register here for the free workshop (all of our events are free of charge). Bring paper and pen or your laptop to this interactive event.
The other three workshops, all in October and at the Nichols and 95th Street Libraries in Naperville, are: "Genres - Tropes and Cliches," by Frank Dahlman (October 4th, 1-3 pm, Nichols Library); "Fiction Improv," by author Todd Hogan. (October 11th, 1-3 pm, 95th Street Library); and Surviving NaNoWriMo With Your Sanity (Mostly) Intact by Jen Moore (October 18th, 1-3 pm, Nichols Library).
The October 4th preparatory workshop at the Nichols Library will focus on genre and the creative process. Frank Dahlman will lead this workshop and talk about key characteristics and common tropes found in the most commonly read genres, discussing what works, and identifying common clichs to avoid. After this brief discussion, participants will brainstorm a possible plot line in the genre of their choosing. This workshop is designed to fill the well of creativity in preparation for NaNoWriMo. Be sure to bring paper and pen, or laptops.
The October 11th workshop at the 95th Street library will be led by Todd Hogan. Todd will be leading a Fiction Improv, and discussing NaNoWriMo's goal of 50,000 words in 30 days, finding your story, overcoming challenges in telling your story, and miscellaneous ideas to succeed. Participants should bring paper, pen and/or other writing devices and a willingness to explore some personal ideas. There will be time for questions and discussion during the presentation.
The final preparatory workshop will be October 18th at the Nichols library. In this preparatory workshop for NaNoWriMo, Jen Moore will talk about ways to prepare yourself for this epic endeavor. Youll determine your goals, establish your support strategies, and psych yourself up for the challenge ahead. Bring all your last-minute panic - and leave it behind when the sessions over. Also please bring pen and paper or a laptop.
Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at the events. We're planning on distributing a new NaNo hipster PDA at the preparatory workshops--while supplies last!
P.S. I'm one of three volunteer Municipal Liaisons serving this region. My colleagues are Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman). Feel free to ask us questions. :-)
Thursday, October 2nd, 7-9 pm, Aurora Public Library: Kaden and I will lead you through the flexible Stone Soup method for breaking down the complexity of your novel into manageable pieces. You canregister for this event with the Aurora Public Library. Bring something to write on/with for this interactive workshop.
Saturday, October 4th, 1-3 pm, Nichols Library (Naperville): Frank Dahlman will lead this workshop and talk about key characteristics and common tropes found in the most commonly read genres, discussing what works, and identifying common clichs to avoid. After this brief discussion, participants will brainstorm a possible plot line in the genre of their choosing. This workshop is designed to fill the well of creativity in preparation for NaNoWriMo. Be sure to bring paper and pen, or laptops.
I'll have the 2014 edition of our NaNoWriMo hipster PDA available for all workshop participants.
How are your preparations coming for NaNoWriMo? Just three weeks remain until November 1st hits and we can begin writing our novels. Are you ready? We've held two preparatory workshops so far: the Stone Soup Method for NaNoWriMo Success and Genres: Tropes and Clichs. Coming up:
Saturday, October 11th, 1-3 PM, 95th Street Library (Naperville): Todd Hogan will be leading a Fiction Improv, and discussing NaNoWriMo's goal of 50,000 words in 30 days, finding your story, overcoming challenges in telling your story, and miscellaneous ideas to succeed. Participants should bring paper, pen and/or other writing devices and a willingness to explore some personal ideas. There will be time for questions and discussion during the presentation.
Saturday, October 18th, 1-3 PM, Nichols Library (Naperville): Surviving NaNoWriMo With Your Sanity (Mostly) Intact - In this preparatory workshop for NaNoWriMo, Jen Moore will talk about ways to prepare yourself for this epic endeavor. Youll determine your goals, establish your support strategies, and psych yourself up for the challenge ahead. Bring all your last-minute panic - and leave it behind when the sessions over.
NaNoWriMo hipster PDAs and Novel Stones will be given out at these events to help you with your preparations.
Saturday, October 25th is our pot-luck lunch kick-off party. It's a great opportunity to meet your fellow participants (one of the many success factors for NaNoWriMo is the social aspect--if you haven't been hanging out with other writers, you don't know what you've been missing!). Head on over to our regional forum, introduce yourself and RSVP to the kick-off.
WELCOME
For those of you who have just signed up on the nanowrimo.org site, welcome! I am Tim (aka NewMexicoKid), one of three co-Municipal Liaisons (volunteers who coordinate local events and answer your questions), along with Katherine (aka KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman). Feel free to contact any of us if you have any questions or problems.
FORUM RESET
Each year, the posts of the previous years are wiped away (mostly) from each forum, to give us a (mostly) shiny new place to post new posts. This year, this reset is likely to occur early next week. Note that I've already taken a snapshot of our regional forum (formatting is a bit off, but the information is mostly there).
PAST NANO RECORDS
For those of you who have been doing NaNoWriMo for years, you might have noticed that some of your NaNo win history has disappeared. This is not a bug but a feature. You now have to fill in some information for your past novels, defining them for each year you have participated in NaNoWriMo. If you do not remember your past wordcount, some of it may be available at graphing.teiru.net where my old wordcount graphs were kept and where we had regional wordcount graphs that have some of the novel information you are looking for.
How are your preparations coming for NaNoWriMo? We have a little less than half a month until November 1st hits and we can begin writing our novels. Are you ready? We've held three preparatory workshops so far: the Stone Soup Method for NaNoWriMo Success (that Kaden and I gave), Genres: Tropes and Clichs (from Frank) and Fiction Improv (from Todd). One more remains:
Saturday, October 18th, 1-3 PM, Nichols Library (Naperville): Surviving NaNoWriMo With Your Sanity (Mostly) Intact - In this preparatory workshop for NaNoWriMo, Jen Moore will talk about ways to prepare yourself for this epic endeavor. Youll determine your goals, establish your support strategies, and psych yourself up for the challenge ahead. Bring all your last-minute panic - and leave it behind when the sessions over.
NaNoWriMo hipster PDAs and Novel Stones will be given out at the prep workshop to help you with your preparations.
Saturday, October 25th is our pot-luck lunch kick-off party at the Naperville Municipal Center. It's a great opportunity to meet your fellow participants (one of the many success factors for NaNoWriMo is the social aspect--if you haven't been hanging out with other writers, you don't know what you've been missing!). Head on over to our regional forum, introduce yourself and RSVP to the kick-off. By the way--let me know if you haven't been able to attend our prep workshops but will be at the kick-off and I'll be sure to have a hipster PDA and Novel Stone for you. Don't forget to bring your favorite stuffed animal for the group photo (it's a tradition :-) ).
For those of you who have just signed up on the nanowrimo.org site, welcome! I am Tim (aka NewMexicoKid), one of three co-Municipal Liaisons (volunteers who coordinate local events and answer your questions), along with Katherine (aka KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman). Feel free to contact any of us if you have any questions or problems.
Thanks very much to Sarah Kovac (sarahk06), we have our first ever Library Crawl planned for November. Sixteen libraries in fourteen cities are participating by hosting write-ins; you can get a Library Crawl card at each write-in that you will be able to redeem at our TGIO party (Thank Goodness It's Over) in December for raffle tickets for special prizes donated by some of the participating libraries. The collected Library Crawl cards represent different ingredients that fit nicely in our Stone Soup-themed hipster PDAs, giving you a nice memento of this NaNoWriMo, as well as a place to add other planning cards. As always, you can find our event information on our website: naperwrimo.org/events.
ALL DAY WRITE-IN
Katherine (KatherineWriting) is hosting a 9 AM-9 PM write-in Friday, November 14th at rooms BC (lower level) of the Naperville Municipal Center. Folks will likely order pizza for lunch. Sounds like it will be a productive hoot :-). Come post in this thread if you're thinking of joining the fun. Note: you don't have to stay the whole time to participate!
For those who are new to our region, I am Tim (aka NewMexicoKid); with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman), I'm one of the volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons who are here to help coordinate local events and answer your questions. Welcome! Please be sure to visit the regional forum and introduce yourself. A big part of the success factor for NaNo can be participation in the social aspect--join in in the discussion!
New Online IRC-based Chat Room
We've moved from our old Jabber chatroom to a shiny new IRC-based chat room. Please follow the instructions to create your account there; we're planning to have a one hour virtual write-in Thursday, October 23rd, 8 pm to try things out, talk about novel prep and do a few word wars.
RSVP for the Kick-off Party!
We'll be raffling off two of the big Victorian steampunk NaNoWriMo posters (the raffle tickets, like all our events, are free as always!) and some NaperWriMo posters at our fun-filled and helpful pot-luck kick-off lunch party this Saturday, October 25th, 11:45 AM-3 PM, in the Lunch Room of the lower level of the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S.Eagle Street, Naperville. Think of what you can contribute to the pot-luck and RSVP in this thread. Be sure to bring a favorite stuffed animal for the group photo :-)
In our calendar of events (naperwrimo.org/events) are a lot of library-based write-ins. This is because this is the year of our inaugural Library Crawl, brainchild of Sarah Kovac (aka SarahK06). You can pick up an "ingredient card" from each library-based write-in; these can be redeemed at our TGIO party for chances to win one of some very nice prizes that are being donated by some of the participating libraries. For more info, see naperwrimo.org/crawl.
Preparatory workshop notes
Many thanks to Kaden, Frank, Todd and Jen for their terrific contributions to this year's four preparatory workshops. Notes from these workshops are now available, linked from our naperwrimo.org/prep page.
First, we have some sad news to share. My co-ML Katherine lost her mother a couple days ago. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts. Hugs and condolences to Katherine.
Library Crawl
This Saturday, November 1st, sees the first of many regional write-ins, many of which are part of our inaugural Library Crawl. The brainchild of Sarah Kovac (SarahK06), the Library Crawl involves sixteen libraries in fourteen cities, all hosting write-ins. Whenever you attend one of the Library Crawl write-ins, you can pick up an ingredient card (that you can add to your NaNo hipster PDA) that you can later exchange for a raffle ticket for prizes donated by regional libraries. The raffle will be held at our December Thank-Goodness-It's-Over (TGIO) party; you must be present to win. The biggest prize, donated by the Carol Stream Public Library, is a $100 Amazon gift card.
Online Write-Ins (IRC)
Once again we will have online-write-ins; this year we are using an IRC-based chatroom. Easy instructions are posted in our forum. There is an IRC bot (Timmy) that utoxin has provided to time word wars. We will have a brief chat/pre-writing session tonight (Thursday, 8 pm CDT) so folks can try things out.
Weekend Write-Ins
We have three coming up this weekend and a slew of others during the week. See naperwrimo.org/events for more information.
Catherine (Cee-Bee) is hosting a write-in at the upstairs meeting room at the sunny Woodridge Public Library from 9-noon on Saturday, November 1st. Bring your laptops to come work on your novel. I will also be there to provide gnome prizes for word wars and Catherine always has fun, wacky hats for winners to wear while at the write-in.
Join Christine Edison at the meeting room in the Batavia Public Library 9:30 AM-1 PM Saturday, November 1st with your laptop to work on your novel as part of National Novel Writing Month and the NaperWriMo Crawl (see http://naperwrimo.org/crawl). For information, people can call 630-879-1393 or visit www.bataviapubliclibrary.org. The Library will provide some snacks, and it also has a cafe.
Kimberly Gotches will be hosting a write-in at the Geneva Public Library District, James Street, Geneva, IL, Saturday, November 1st from 1-3 pm. Folks should try to pre-register at www.glpd.org.
As always, please be aware that while NaNoWriMo is and always will be a free event, it does have very significant costs. You can do your part to help defray those by donating to NaNoWriMo. Please be generous.
Hello, brave, creative writers of the Naperville region,
Did I say brave? Yes, I did. For all of you are brave for choosing to write your novel; and you are brave for creating a story where none existed before. You are bold like the hungry traveler with the stone who convinced the villagers to share their hoarded ingredients to make a stone soup; I know you have the ability to tease out from your imagination the savory story that drove you to do NaNoWriMo this year.
Today is November 12th. Ideally, if you are following the 1667 words per day plan, you should be at 20004 words today. If you are ahead, congratulations on your progress! If you are behind, never fear--it is possible to make up word count in short order (Brian (cableshaft) has done this a number of times!). Consider coming out to a write-in; get energized by all the other participants who are working on their own novels. Enjoy the word wars. As always, you can find our calendar at naperwrimo.org/events. You can also look for a participant who is just above you in word count (e.g., in our regional word count graph) and challenge them. If you're stuck in your story, post a call for help in our regional forum: nanowrimo.org/regions/usa-illinois-naperville
The All Day Write-In (Friday)
Friday, November 14th, 9 AM-9 PM, rooms BC at the lower level of the Naperville Municpal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street, Naperville, is our first all-day write-in. Katherine (KatherineWriting) is hosting this exciting event. RSVP in this thread. If you like, bring pillows and blankets for a blanket fort. Bring your own food and (optionally) food to share (several folks have already pledged to bring things). Bring laptops and extension cords. There is plenty of space, wi-fi, a microwave oven, and a refrigerator. You don't have to stay the whole time; come any time during the session.
Saturday Write-Ins
There are three write-ins on the calendar for Saturday: College of DuPage (11 am-3 pm), Helen Plum Library (Lombard, 1-4 pm), and Warrenville Library (Warrenville, 1-4 pm).
The Mid-November Meetup Dinner
Most of our November events are write-ins when chatting is mostly pushed aside in favor of writing. But we always try to schedule at least one meet-up where people can talk and socialize. This one is at Houlihan's in Wheaton at 5:15 pm. Please make sure you RSVP to the forum thread so we can ensure we have enough spots reserved.
Sunday Write-Ins
Sunday we have two: a Come Write-In write-in at the Messenger Library in North Aurora and the write-in I host at Nichols Library in Naperville. For my Naperville Public Library write-ins (and Catherine's first Woodridge one plus the only Eola Road Branch of the Aurora Public Library) I've given out as word war prizes most of the simple gnomes and trolls; next we'll go into the fantastical creatures and the fancier gnomes, wizards and wise women.
Donations to NaNoWriMo
Thanks to everyone who has donated to the NaNoWriMo organization so far. Your donations make this event possible by supporting the costs of the nanowrimo.org server and the small, dedicated staff that support the worldwide contest; plus you help countless children who are participating in the Young Writer's Program. If you haven't donated yet, please do consider it strongly. Even a small donation is helpful; and there are ways those who are cash-strapped can give back to nano.
Thanks; and keep on writing!
Tim (aka NewMexicoKid); with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman), serving as your volunteer Municipal Liaisons to coordinate and host local events, answer your questions, and provide you with helpful guidance.
This is an average word count contest; this means that everyone who has a novel defined for this year is in the contest. Even for those of you who are far behind, every word that you write will raise our average up. As you can see, we are currently almost five hundred words per wrimo behind. But if every one of you writes five hundred words beyond what you planned to do, we will definitely see a big boost.
So I encourage you to reconnect with your novels. Reach deep inside and find the creative fire to write some more of your novel. Help the OCGRians learn the wonders of singing Typin' Away Again Near Dear Ol' Naperville. It's a lot of fun to sing :-).
As always, we have a full slate of write-ins defined on our regional calendar.Write-ins can be very helpful in providing some fun focusing time. There are still some write-ins occuring spontaneously at our IRC chat room.
Today is the 20th; if you're on the 1667 words per day curve, you should have 33340 words written by the end of today. No need to panic yet if you aren't there yet, but you should plan out your path out of the pit. Maybe you should consider my 18k challenge, an annual tradition in our region. Everyone who posts on the challenge page (http://nanowrimo.org/forums/usa-illinois-naperville/threads/202251) and then averages 3000 words per day for the six days of 21-26 November (inclusive) will win themselves an owl!
There will also be a 9k challenge to cover 27-30 November, so keep an eye out for that post!
Inter-regional word war vs. OCGR
I admit it was a bit daunting that on the day of our all-day write-in, where a goodly number of folks averaged almost 4000 words each, Ottawa County Grand Rapids, Michigan increased their lead to over 400 words per wrimo. But I have faith in our region; and, sure enough, when I started to write this e-mail, their lead had shrunk to 86. It is (as I write) down to 56! Keep it up, Naperville! Write like the wind! Be the typewriter!
Thank Goodness It's Over Party (TGIO)
It's not too early to RSVP for the TGIO! RSVP'ing is the only way to enter the raffle for the local prizes (our normal raffle for things including the last big poster; this is separate from the special raffle connected to the Library Crawl that will include a $100 Amazon gift card). The TGIO is fun for you, friends and family; you do not need to win to celebrate at the TGIO. Saturday, December 6th, 11:45 am-2:45 pm, Lunch room in the lower level of the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street (everyone bringing something to the potluck is welcome to park in the lower level garage).
Library Crawl Write-Ins
Heading into the weekend, we have several on tap:
Thursday, November 20 6:00pm Wheaton Public Library Write-In
Saturday, November 22 9:00am Woodridge Public Library write-in (Cee-Bee hosting) - gnomes, wise women
Saturday, November 22 1:00pm Warrenville Public Library write-in (Jen hosting)
please consider donating to NaNoWriMo.org to help them continue their great programs (NaNoWriMo and the Young Writer's Program)
if you have questions, need advice or just want to chat, feel free to nanomail Katherine (KatherineWriting), Frank (fdahlman) or me (Tim aka NewMexicoKid); we're your volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons
Congratulations to those who have crossed the 50K words line:
AmaranthMuse, mochomito, Spellguns, KatherineWriting, TRRDEDEAN, Knyghtraven, mongrelvw, SadieRose, iOc of FF, Cee-Bee, P J J Walton, WhimsicalSnowflake, Anobi, Kathy Taffy, YeungJeans, cobasi, jillmarie42, eaglescorch, urbanknight1968, Lady Gao, Write For Fun, tireddadx3, journey, Jane Champagne, ziplizard (this list includes those who are Homed to our region; congratulations also go to those who are visitors and who have passed 50k)
Congratulations to those who have won an owl:
In the 18k challenge, mochomito and ziplizard have met their 18k goals! Several others are likely to meet the challenge--keep up the great work!
Also keep an eye open for the 9K challenge to cover the final three days of NaNo!
Saturday, Nov 29 Write-in
Thanks to GEPL librarian Amy Franco, we have a Glen Ellyn Public Library write-in this Saturday from 1-5 pm in their second floor writing/discussion lounge that has very comfortable lounge chairs. I will be hosting, so we'll have word wars, boxes of doom and my little figurines as word war prizes. Bring your laptop, covered drink and light snacks for an afternoon of writing! Do RSVP in the thread so I have an idea of how many prizes to bring. :-)
Sunday, Nov 30 Write-in
We'll finish up the Library Crawl with a write-in at Nichols Library, 1:30-4:30 pm, Sunday, November 30th. I'll be hosting here and have saved quite a few of my best figurines for this last write-in, including the one and only little dalek, the toothy carnivorous plant, the typing penguin and others.
RSVP for the December 6th TGIO
Whether you cross the 50K line (and validate) or not, do come out to celebrate the month at our pot-luck lunch party at the Naperville Municipal Center (11:45 am-2:45 pm). Be sure to RSVP so you will be eligible for the fabulous door prizes; and bring your Library Crawl cards for the Crawl raffle (includes a $100 Amazon gift card!) and your stuffed animal for the group photo.
Validate!
Once you're over 50K, be sure and validate. You can keep writing--you only have to validate once. If your bar turns purple, you've met the word count goal, and then can continue to update your word count normally. Note, there are some differences in how NaNo counts words and other programs, don't worry about it unless you're super close--then you might want to be sure that your count is as high as theirs before the last minute. Why do you want to validate? Only those with a validated win will be eligible for some of the goodies from sponsors (like the two free book proofs from CreateSpace).
Storybundle contest: 12 free books
Post a reply in this thread and write the most words on Wednesday (27th) and Thursday (28th) this week and you will win the free code from Storybundle to get the 12 book bundle for free. The winner will be notified via nanomail Friday and must then download the bundle by the end of November 30th.
Storybundle is one of the sponsors of National Novel Writing Month and they are making this bundle of nice books available for a very good price for NaNo participants; but they must take advantage of this offer by November 30th.
Join the Journey!
Just a reminder that current and new members for the Journey should answer this brief questionnaire to join the Writing Journey--our region's year-round writing group. Need more information? See this thread
Donate!
If you haven't taken a moment to donate to the National Novel Writing Month organization, please consider it. It is a worthy non-profit that sponsors the November contest and it also organizes and makes resources available to teachers for the Young Writer's Program that inspires so many young writers around the world.
As always, I encourage all of you to make progress on your novels!
Cheers!
Tim (NewMexicoKid); with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman), your volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons
I see many more who are within striking range, so keep on writing!
Don't forget to validate!
CindysNovel623, Chawkrider, Cassie67, tanyahfz--I see you've passed 50k but haven't validated yet. Please be sure to validate so you don't miss out on the NaNoWriMo sponsor gifts.
Validation involves copying and pasting your novel text into the validation box (accessible in the same place where you update your word count). Try not to wait till the last minute, because the server can slow down as lots of people try to validate. You can validate up until midnight tonight. If you are past 50K but ran into some problems validating, contact one of us MLs.
Validation is only used to verify that your manually-updated word count is accurate; the nanowrimo server discards the text once the validation is done.
RSVP for the December 6th TGIO Party
Don't forget to RSVP for the Thank-Goodness-It's-Over (TGIO) pot-luck lunch party that is happening Saturday, December 6th, 11:45 AM-2:45 PM in the Lunch Room in the lower level of the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street, Naperville. You need to attend to exchange your Library Crawl ingredient cards for raffle tickets for prizes like the $100 Amazon gift card (don't forget to bring your ingredient cards); and you need to RSVP to be eligible for the door prizes like the final big poster, special TGIO mini posters, some other gift cards and some of the gnome/troll figurines.
What happens afterwards?
Did you have fun doing NaNoWriMo? Seeking something more to do the rest of the year? If so, I encourage you to join the Writing Journey, our year-round writing group. It is an a la carte writing group with many different programs (which we call Paths). We'll be starting things up January 10th.
The contest continues till midnight tonight, so keep writing!
Congratulations to mochomito and scrapacat for winning both a penguin and a tyrannosaur! Congratulations to callalily05, TogetherAgain, thegrinch, TRRDEDEAN, Anobi, tregina12000, KatherineWriting for winning penguins!
Thank you!
I want to thank my two co-MLs: Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman) for all their help this year in what I know were very difficult circumstances for them. Thank you also to Kaden (silverwolf42), Todd (writertodd07), Frank (fdahlman) and Jen (Jen.E.Moore) for their preparatory workshops in October. I am sure all of you will join me in thanking Sarah Kovac (sarahk06) for creating and organizing our Library Crawl that provided the region with an unprecedented number of library write-in locations. Thanks too to all of our library partners: Aurora (the Main branch and Eola Road branch), Batavia, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Downers Grove, Geneva, Glen Ellyn, Helen Plum Library (Lombard), Indian Prairie (Darien), Naperville (Nichols Library and the 95th Street Library), Messenger Public Library (North Aurora), Warrenville, Wheaton, and Woodridge. I also appreciate all the wrimos who hosted or co-hosted write-ins, especially Katherine (KatherineWriting), Catherine (Cee-Bee), Jez (typesetjez), Kaden (silverwolf42), Frank (fdahlman), Kat (Kat's Meow), and Paige (PBJ63010). And, of course, thanks to all of you for your enthusiasm and kind words.
--Tim (NewMexicoKid), one of your three volunteer co-MLs
Congratulations to all those who participated and wrote their novels--whether you finished your novel or crossed the 50K word line, it is worthwhile to celebrate your participation in NaNoWriMo. If you didn't achieve the result you were aiming for, I would encourage you to try again next year; and for those of you who still have more to add to your story, I encourage you to check out this thread by Katherine.
Congratulations to all those who won within the Naperville region: mochomito, AmaranthMuse, Spellguns, dragonsaege, KatherineWriting, TRRDEDEAN, Isabella Leigh, Knyghtraven, mongrelvw, KellyKobayashi, WhimsicalSnowflake, rupert, Anobi, sailorcat42, Cee-Bee, WillowSanders, CrankyBolt, Larkk, tregina12000, SadieRose, scrapacat, CindysNovel623, fredandginger35, cobasi, PBJ63010, JediEmma, iOc of FF, fdahlman, hross99, tgirl16, NewMexicoKid, TeenWriter, arkhaminmate7, barb_valentin, tireddadx3, BDM, P J J Walton, dragon_charmer, fishmama, davidkent1, sorakazeno, Chawkrider, Judy Blue Eyes, urbanknight1968, harufan9, tomster, Grachael, barblipkin, stephsco, AnnaVanEast, ajkimbers, rebel_cheese, EliRaiens, jtotheb, thebloodluna, WeAreNeverBroken, Kathy Taffy, TypesetJez, writertodd07, Tink 5050, DanielleML, Ron Stelle, AKayR08, Goddess_Astra, kirstgrafx, Phoenix Autumn, L. Evans, Jhopkins149, Anastasia007, deanshake, eleanor.roth, YeungJeans, KayTi, jen.e.moore, maximstrife, Tree @ Home, jillmarie42, eaglescorch, Luke1133, rubyliveshere, kjplonz42, prissyhalliwell, bookw0rmg1rl, RLShepherd, Gina Fugate, Cassie67, thegrinch, nowhereliz, Jenniferrschulz, Mieza, MelShakespeare, Lady Gao, skeptic_chef, winter_rose, Sigird, Bprax, alliethecat, Syzygophile, Write For Fun, cableshaft, Whitey, robinkuss, clark21412, MYCATSEGA, horatio, Icefeather, Sherrie Henry, eyewrite, writerbeeme, jschalk, DianaArtemis, DJRM, adavaughan, Silira, Spurfy Sora, ShippingVesely, callalily05, IAmChristinaG, Avatarra, dunhamrc, Almost Athena, elizasoyars, BetsyD, swimyfishy44, DJ T-Face, Pen vs. Sword, elle_writing, journey, Jane Champagne, Amy Warden, youcrazything, SMattimiro, Manthicus, Big Cardboard Square, Deana Becker, SarahMaryCath, ziplizard, Tokaara, kimstang, Speaker Of The Dead, QueenCircles, WendyByrne, jwilloughby, Catherine.Johns, Eternal Light, VantheNiceGuy, funkzombie, weirdghostboo, AkitoAnemone, confuzzledbrony, Diamy96, ShiningStarsInHisEyes, goose812, Susan Coates, and Jessielouwho.
RSVP for the TGIO
Saturday, December 6th, 11:45 AM-2:45 PM is our pot-luck lunch Thank Goodness It's Over (TGIO) party. So far we have we have 45 people attending with another 4 possible.Only those who RSVP will be eligible for door prizes and will have certificates presented to them. Those attending should remember to bring:
the dish/drink/contribution you've signed up to bring;
your Library Crawl ingredient cards to be entered into the raffle; write your name on the back of each one (we'll be using them directly in the raffle; and you can retrieve them from the cauldron afterwards if you want them as keepsakes)
and if there are musicians among you, consider bringing your instrument to help us with our regional song.
Take our survey
Help us improve for next year and take our short survey. It's anonymous and your feedback will be helpful in guiding what we focus on next year.
Consider joining the Journey
TheWriting Journey is our year-round writing group that kicks off in January. It has no membership fees but, working together, we offer many Paths for folks to follow: monthly general meetings and workshops, an accountability path, short story anthologies, an editing path, a poetry path, various social paths (lunches, dinners, picnics, game nights, musicals and movies), enrichment activities (Shakespeare Reader's Theatre, the archery path), writing retreats, our blog, etc. Everyone is encouraged to propose/lead/coordinate new Paths; people can pick and choose which Paths they participate in.
Help us improve our local offerings for next year by taking our short survey: naperwrimo.org/survey2014
The Writing Journey
Our year-round writing group kicks off January 10th. We've already begun lining up topics and volunteers for the monthly workshops, beginning with Katherine Lato's Editing Path for January 10th, which is a great way for folks to get started and fired up to edit their novels in February. Thus far we have forty four returning and new members.
The Journey is more than monthly workshops: its members organize different activities like the Shakespeare Reader's Theatre, the annual Writer's Voice workshop, Todd Hogan's Accountability Path, the fun Archery Path, writing outings to Morton Arboretum, short story anthologies, etc. It's not too late to join in the fun: just fill out this form to get connected. It's free! journey.naperwrimo.org/survey2015
TGIO
We had a wonderful TGIO celebration with about 55 people attending. Thanks to everyone for making the party so delicious and fun; and special thanks to Ky (Scrapacat), Steve (Whitey), Dave (TRRDEDEAN), Carol (CJGEV), Ada (AdaVaughan) and Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Barry (FinbarrMcG) for their contributions to the door prizes. Thanks also to Sarah Kovac for creating and coordinating our Library Crawl. Pictures and video are up on our naperwrimo.org blog.
Donate to NaNoWriMo
It's not too late to give a little to the organization that gave us all so much in this wonderful November experience. Please consider donating to NaNoWriMo.
Thanks for your participation and support!
The forums will remain open year-round; check back from time to time as we will post some things there from the various Journey activities (like the annual Writer's Voice workshop, the fun Shakespeare Reader's Theatre opportunities, etc).
--Tim (aka NewMexicoKid); with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman), your volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons for this wonderful region of USA::Illinois::Naperville
Summer is a wonderful opportunity to begin thinking and planning for your next NaNoWriMo novel. Take the opportunity to jot down some notes, dream some dreams and begin building excitement for November.
Summer is also an opportunity to help NaNoWriMo itself prepare for the fall. NaNoWriMo recently launched their Everyday Inspiration drive. Its dedicated to our shared creative community, including our region of Illinois::Naperville.
Will you consider donating to support NaNo? Theyre hoping to raise $30,000 by July 17th, and your support would be very much appreciated.
And, all donors receive printed pep talks (from Neil Gaiman, John Green, Marissa Meyer, Lemony Snicket, and Mitali Perkins), a pocket notebook, pen, and button.
You can also help publicize this drive and tune in for #NaNoInspired Day on July 16.
Thanks in advance for your help.
In other news, we're pleased to report that last year's popular library crawl (with prizes raffled to those who attended library write-ins) will be returning this year. We're planning a slate of four preparatory workshops in October; like all our events, these will be free for everyone. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see a workshop on, let us know. In fact, if you would like to volunteer to help organize one of the workshops, please contact me soon.
Thanks for all you do!
--Tim (aka NewMexicoKid, co-ML for Illinois::Naperville)
Welcome (back) to the Naperville region that serves the cities and suburbs west of Chicago! 2014 is shaping up to be a special NaNoWriMo for us--we have our first ever Library Crawl planned thanks to Sarah Kovacs of the Carol Stream Library. Thirteen regional libraries are participating (a record for our region!), each offering one or more write-ins. Participants attending these write-ins will pick up crawl cards that can be traded in for raffle tickets for special prizes at the TGIO party in December.
We're also excited about the four preparatory workshops planned for October, events designed to give you the best possible chance of NaNoWriMo success in November. As always, you can find out the event details on our calendar posted in our forum or at our events page: naperwrimo.org/events.
October 2nd, Kaden (silverwolf) and I will offer you one approach (the Stone Soup method) to breaking down the complexities of a novel into manageable components. This will be 7-9 pm at the Aurora Public Library. Please register here for the free workshop (all of our events are free of charge). Bring paper and pen or your laptop to this interactive event.
The other three workshops, all in October and at the Nichols and 95th Street Libraries in Naperville, are: "Genres - Tropes and Cliches," by Frank Dahlman (October 4th, 1-3 pm, Nichols Library); "Fiction Improv," by author Todd Hogan. (October 11th, 1-3 pm, 95th Street Library); and Surviving NaNoWriMo With Your Sanity (Mostly) Intact by Jen Moore (October 18th, 1-3 pm, Nichols Library).
The October 4th preparatory workshop at the Nichols Library will focus on genre and the creative process. Frank Dahlman will lead this workshop and talk about key characteristics and common tropes found in the most commonly read genres, discussing what works, and identifying common clichs to avoid. After this brief discussion, participants will brainstorm a possible plot line in the genre of their choosing. This workshop is designed to fill the well of creativity in preparation for NaNoWriMo. Be sure to bring paper and pen, or laptops.
The October 11th workshop at the 95th Street library will be led by Todd Hogan. Todd will be leading a Fiction Improv, and discussing NaNoWriMo's goal of 50,000 words in 30 days, finding your story, overcoming challenges in telling your story, and miscellaneous ideas to succeed. Participants should bring paper, pen and/or other writing devices and a willingness to explore some personal ideas. There will be time for questions and discussion during the presentation.
The final preparatory workshop will be October 18th at the Nichols library. In this preparatory workshop for NaNoWriMo, Jen Moore will talk about ways to prepare yourself for this epic endeavor. Youll determine your goals, establish your support strategies, and psych yourself up for the challenge ahead. Bring all your last-minute panic - and leave it behind when the sessions over. Also please bring pen and paper or a laptop.
Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at the events. We're planning on distributing a new NaNo hipster PDA at the preparatory workshops--while supplies last!
--Tim (aka NewMexicoKid)
P.S. I'm one of three volunteer Municipal Liaisons serving this region. My colleagues are Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman). Feel free to ask us questions. :-)
Just a quick reminder to folks about two of our four October preparatory workshops. As always, all of our events are free of charge.
Thursday, October 2nd, 7-9 pm, Aurora Public Library: Kaden and I will lead you through the flexible Stone Soup method for breaking down the complexity of your novel into manageable pieces. You can register for this event with the Aurora Public Library. Bring something to write on/with for this interactive workshop.
Saturday, October 4th, 1-3 pm, Nichols Library (Naperville): Frank Dahlman will lead this workshop and talk about key characteristics and common tropes found in the most commonly read genres, discussing what works, and identifying common clichs to avoid. After this brief discussion, participants will brainstorm a possible plot line in the genre of their choosing. This workshop is designed to fill the well of creativity in preparation for NaNoWriMo. Be sure to bring paper and pen, or laptops.
I'll have the 2014 edition of our NaNoWriMo hipster PDA available for all workshop participants.
Don't forget to stop by our regional Naperville forum and introduce yourself! It is also not too early to RSVP for our pot-luck kick-off party October 25th.
Cheers!
--Tim (aka NewMexicoKid), one of three volunteer Municipal Liaisons along with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman)
How are your preparations coming for NaNoWriMo? Just three weeks remain until November 1st hits and we can begin writing our novels. Are you ready? We've held two preparatory workshops so far: the Stone Soup Method for NaNoWriMo Success and Genres: Tropes and Clichs. Coming up:
NaNoWriMo hipster PDAs and Novel Stones will be given out at these events to help you with your preparations.
Saturday, October 25th is our pot-luck lunch kick-off party. It's a great opportunity to meet your fellow participants (one of the many success factors for NaNoWriMo is the social aspect--if you haven't been hanging out with other writers, you don't know what you've been missing!). Head on over to our regional forum, introduce yourself and RSVP to the kick-off.
WELCOME
For those of you who have just signed up on the nanowrimo.org site, welcome! I am Tim (aka NewMexicoKid), one of three co-Municipal Liaisons (volunteers who coordinate local events and answer your questions), along with Katherine (aka KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman). Feel free to contact any of us if you have any questions or problems.
FORUM RESET
Each year, the posts of the previous years are wiped away (mostly) from each forum, to give us a (mostly) shiny new place to post new posts. This year, this reset is likely to occur early next week. Note that I've already taken a snapshot of our regional forum (formatting is a bit off, but the information is mostly there).
PAST NANO RECORDS
For those of you who have been doing NaNoWriMo for years, you might have noticed that some of your NaNo win history has disappeared. This is not a bug but a feature. You now have to fill in some information for your past novels, defining them for each year you have participated in NaNoWriMo. If you do not remember your past wordcount, some of it may be available at graphing.teiru.net where my old wordcount graphs were kept and where we had regional wordcount graphs that have some of the novel information you are looking for.
How are your preparations coming for NaNoWriMo? We have a little less than half a month until November 1st hits and we can begin writing our novels. Are you ready? We've held three preparatory workshops so far: the Stone Soup Method for NaNoWriMo Success (that Kaden and I gave), Genres: Tropes and Clichs (from Frank) and Fiction Improv (from Todd). One more remains:
Some of the members of the Writing Journey are meeting at 11 am at the Green Basil Vietnamese Restaurant (Naperville) for lunch before the prep workshop. Let me know if you'd like to join us.
NaNoWriMo hipster PDAs and Novel Stones will be given out at the prep workshop to help you with your preparations.
Saturday, October 25th is our pot-luck lunch kick-off party at the Naperville Municipal Center. It's a great opportunity to meet your fellow participants (one of the many success factors for NaNoWriMo is the social aspect--if you haven't been hanging out with other writers, you don't know what you've been missing!). Head on over to our regional forum, introduce yourself and RSVP to the kick-off. By the way--let me know if you haven't been able to attend our prep workshops but will be at the kick-off and I'll be sure to have a hipster PDA and Novel Stone for you. Don't forget to bring your favorite stuffed animal for the group photo (it's a tradition :-) ).
If you can't make it Saturday, consider RSVP'ing to Katherine's alternative Sunday kick-off dinner at Montri Thai October 26th.
WELCOME
For those of you who have just signed up on the nanowrimo.org site, welcome! I am Tim (aka NewMexicoKid), one of three co-Municipal Liaisons (volunteers who coordinate local events and answer your questions), along with Katherine (aka KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman). Feel free to contact any of us if you have any questions or problems.
Please stop by our introduction thread to say hello and introduce yourself!
LIBRARY CRAWL
Thanks very much to Sarah Kovac (sarahk06), we have our first ever Library Crawl planned for November. Sixteen libraries in fourteen cities are participating by hosting write-ins; you can get a Library Crawl card at each write-in that you will be able to redeem at our TGIO party (Thank Goodness It's Over) in December for raffle tickets for special prizes donated by some of the participating libraries. The collected Library Crawl cards represent different ingredients that fit nicely in our Stone Soup-themed hipster PDAs, giving you a nice memento of this NaNoWriMo, as well as a place to add other planning cards. As always, you can find our event information on our website: naperwrimo.org/events.
ALL DAY WRITE-IN
Katherine (KatherineWriting) is hosting a 9 AM-9 PM write-in Friday, November 14th at rooms BC (lower level) of the Naperville Municipal Center. Folks will likely order pizza for lunch. Sounds like it will be a productive hoot :-). Come post in this thread if you're thinking of joining the fun. Note: you don't have to stay the whole time to participate!
Hello, everyone!
For those who are new to our region, I am Tim (aka NewMexicoKid); with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman), I'm one of the volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons who are here to help coordinate local events and answer your questions. Welcome! Please be sure to visit the regional forum and introduce yourself. A big part of the success factor for NaNo can be participation in the social aspect--join in in the discussion!
New Online IRC-based Chat Room
We've moved from our old Jabber chatroom to a shiny new IRC-based chat room. Please follow the instructions to create your account there; we're planning to have a one hour virtual write-in Thursday, October 23rd, 8 pm to try things out, talk about novel prep and do a few word wars.
RSVP for the Kick-off Party!
We'll be raffling off two of the big Victorian steampunk NaNoWriMo posters (the raffle tickets, like all our events, are free as always!) and some NaperWriMo posters at our fun-filled and helpful pot-luck kick-off lunch party this Saturday, October 25th, 11:45 AM-3 PM, in the Lunch Room of the lower level of the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S.Eagle Street, Naperville. Think of what you can contribute to the pot-luck and RSVP in this thread. Be sure to bring a favorite stuffed animal for the group photo :-)
Can't make the Saturday kick-off? Consider this Sunday, October 26th alternative kick-off at Montri Thai.
Library Crawl
In our calendar of events (naperwrimo.org/events) are a lot of library-based write-ins. This is because this is the year of our inaugural Library Crawl, brainchild of Sarah Kovac (aka SarahK06). You can pick up an "ingredient card" from each library-based write-in; these can be redeemed at our TGIO party for chances to win one of some very nice prizes that are being donated by some of the participating libraries. For more info, see naperwrimo.org/crawl.
Preparatory workshop notes
Many thanks to Kaden, Frank, Todd and Jen for their terrific contributions to this year's four preparatory workshops. Notes from these workshops are now available, linked from our naperwrimo.org/prep page.
Hello!
I'm Tim (aka NewMexicoKid); Katherine (KatherineWriting), Frank (fdahlman) and I are volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons for this wonderful region of USA :: Illinois :: Naperville. We're here to coordinate and arrange local events like our October preparatory workshops and our upcoming write-ins (as always, you can find event details and logistics through naperwrimo.org/events).
Sad News
First, we have some sad news to share. My co-ML Katherine lost her mother a couple days ago. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts. Hugs and condolences to Katherine.
Library Crawl
This Saturday, November 1st, sees the first of many regional write-ins, many of which are part of our inaugural Library Crawl. The brainchild of Sarah Kovac (SarahK06), the Library Crawl involves sixteen libraries in fourteen cities, all hosting write-ins. Whenever you attend one of the Library Crawl write-ins, you can pick up an ingredient card (that you can add to your NaNo hipster PDA) that you can later exchange for a raffle ticket for prizes donated by regional libraries. The raffle will be held at our December Thank-Goodness-It's-Over (TGIO) party; you must be present to win. The biggest prize, donated by the Carol Stream Public Library, is a $100 Amazon gift card.
Online Write-Ins (IRC)
Once again we will have online-write-ins; this year we are using an IRC-based chatroom. Easy instructions are posted in our forum. There is an IRC bot (Timmy) that utoxin has provided to time word wars. We will have a brief chat/pre-writing session tonight (Thursday, 8 pm CDT) so folks can try things out.
Weekend Write-Ins
We have three coming up this weekend and a slew of others during the week. See naperwrimo.org/events for more information.
Not yet ready?
Check out this thread for some focus questions.
Donations
As always, please be aware that while NaNoWriMo is and always will be a free event, it does have very significant costs. You can do your part to help defray those by donating to NaNoWriMo. Please be generous.
Hello, brave, creative writers of the Naperville region,
Did I say brave? Yes, I did. For all of you are brave for choosing to write your novel; and you are brave for creating a story where none existed before. You are bold like the hungry traveler with the stone who convinced the villagers to share their hoarded ingredients to make a stone soup; I know you have the ability to tease out from your imagination the savory story that drove you to do NaNoWriMo this year.
Today is November 12th. Ideally, if you are following the 1667 words per day plan, you should be at 20004 words today. If you are ahead, congratulations on your progress! If you are behind, never fear--it is possible to make up word count in short order (Brian (cableshaft) has done this a number of times!). Consider coming out to a write-in; get energized by all the other participants who are working on their own novels. Enjoy the word wars. As always, you can find our calendar at naperwrimo.org/events. You can also look for a participant who is just above you in word count (e.g., in our regional word count graph) and challenge them. If you're stuck in your story, post a call for help in our regional forum: nanowrimo.org/regions/usa-illinois-naperville
The All Day Write-In (Friday)
Friday, November 14th, 9 AM-9 PM, rooms BC at the lower level of the Naperville Municpal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street, Naperville, is our first all-day write-in. Katherine (KatherineWriting) is hosting this exciting event. RSVP in this thread. If you like, bring pillows and blankets for a blanket fort. Bring your own food and (optionally) food to share (several folks have already pledged to bring things). Bring laptops and extension cords. There is plenty of space, wi-fi, a microwave oven, and a refrigerator. You don't have to stay the whole time; come any time during the session.
Saturday Write-Ins
There are three write-ins on the calendar for Saturday: College of DuPage (11 am-3 pm), Helen Plum Library (Lombard, 1-4 pm), and Warrenville Library (Warrenville, 1-4 pm).
The Mid-November Meetup Dinner
Most of our November events are write-ins when chatting is mostly pushed aside in favor of writing. But we always try to schedule at least one meet-up where people can talk and socialize. This one is at Houlihan's in Wheaton at 5:15 pm. Please make sure you RSVP to the forum thread so we can ensure we have enough spots reserved.
Sunday Write-Ins
Sunday we have two: a Come Write-In write-in at the Messenger Library in North Aurora and the write-in I host at Nichols Library in Naperville. For my Naperville Public Library write-ins (and Catherine's first Woodridge one plus the only Eola Road Branch of the Aurora Public Library) I've given out as word war prizes most of the simple gnomes and trolls; next we'll go into the fantastical creatures and the fancier gnomes, wizards and wise women.
Donations to NaNoWriMo
Thanks to everyone who has donated to the NaNoWriMo organization so far. Your donations make this event possible by supporting the costs of the nanowrimo.org server and the small, dedicated staff that support the worldwide contest; plus you help countless children who are participating in the Young Writer's Program. If you haven't donated yet, please do consider it strongly. Even a small donation is helpful; and there are ways those who are cash-strapped can give back to nano.
Thanks; and keep on writing!
Tim (aka NewMexicoKid); with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman), serving as your volunteer Municipal Liaisons to coordinate and host local events, answer your questions, and provide you with helpful guidance.
Many thanks to Barry (FinbarrMcG) whoso neatly threw down the gauntlet in challenging our neighbor to the north Ottawa County Grand Rapids, Michigan (aka OCGR). Very humorous and well worth the read! Yes, we've challenged OCGR to an inter-regional word war, a contest with repercussions; just as we have done in the past, in this contest the losing region must record themselves singing the winning region's regional song.
This is an average word count contest; this means that everyone who has a novel defined for this year is in the contest. Even for those of you who are far behind, every word that you write will raise our average up. As you can see, we are currently almost five hundred words per wrimo behind. But if every one of you writes five hundred words beyond what you planned to do, we will definitely see a big boost.
So I encourage you to reconnect with your novels. Reach deep inside and find the creative fire to write some more of your novel. Help the OCGRians learn the wonders of singing Typin' Away Again Near Dear Ol' Naperville. It's a lot of fun to sing :-).
Need a plot twist? Come visit our regional forum where I've posted a list of plot twists.
As always, we have a full slate of write-ins defined on our regional calendar.Write-ins can be very helpful in providing some fun focusing time. There are still some write-ins occuring spontaneously at our IRC chat room.
For those of you not yet on our regional word count graph, be sure to visit this thread and add your synopsis.
Cheers and happy writing,
Tim (aka NewMexicoKid); one of your volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons along with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman)
Hello, everyone!
Today is the 20th; if you're on the 1667 words per day curve, you should have 33340 words written by the end of today. No need to panic yet if you aren't there yet, but you should plan out your path out of the pit. Maybe you should consider my 18k challenge, an annual tradition in our region. Everyone who posts on the challenge page (http://nanowrimo.org/forums/usa-illinois-naperville/threads/202251) and then averages 3000 words per day for the six days of 21-26 November (inclusive) will win themselves an owl!
There will also be a 9k challenge to cover 27-30 November, so keep an eye out for that post!
Inter-regional word war vs. OCGR
I admit it was a bit daunting that on the day of our all-day write-in, where a goodly number of folks averaged almost 4000 words each, Ottawa County Grand Rapids, Michigan increased their lead to over 400 words per wrimo. But I have faith in our region; and, sure enough, when I started to write this e-mail, their lead had shrunk to 86. It is (as I write) down to 56! Keep it up, Naperville! Write like the wind! Be the typewriter!
Thank Goodness It's Over Party (TGIO)
It's not too early to RSVP for the TGIO! RSVP'ing is the only way to enter the raffle for the local prizes (our normal raffle for things including the last big poster; this is separate from the special raffle connected to the Library Crawl that will include a $100 Amazon gift card). The TGIO is fun for you, friends and family; you do not need to win to celebrate at the TGIO. Saturday, December 6th, 11:45 am-2:45 pm, Lunch room in the lower level of the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street (everyone bringing something to the potluck is welcome to park in the lower level garage).
Library Crawl Write-Ins
Heading into the weekend, we have several on tap:
As Mary, Jez, Brian and others wrote: write-ins are a great motivational/focusing tool for increasing your wordcount. Plus they are fun!
Need more specific advice? See Katherine's great advice on how to plan ahead a little; and, as always, feel free to post in our regional forum. http://nanowrimo.org/regions/usa-illinois-naperville
Consider joining our year-round writing group (it's free)
The Writing Journey is open for new members. Activities and planning begin in January 2015. http://writingjourney.org
And, as always:
--Tim
Congratulations to those who have crossed the 50K words line:
AmaranthMuse, mochomito, Spellguns, KatherineWriting, TRRDEDEAN, Knyghtraven, mongrelvw, SadieRose, iOc of FF, Cee-Bee, P J J Walton, WhimsicalSnowflake, Anobi, Kathy Taffy, YeungJeans, cobasi, jillmarie42, eaglescorch, urbanknight1968, Lady Gao, Write For Fun, tireddadx3, journey, Jane Champagne, ziplizard (this list includes those who are Homed to our region; congratulations also go to those who are visitors and who have passed 50k)
Congratulations to those who have won an owl:
In the 18k challenge, mochomito and ziplizard have met their 18k goals! Several others are likely to meet the challenge--keep up the great work!
Also keep an eye open for the 9K challenge to cover the final three days of NaNo!
Saturday, Nov 29 Write-in
Thanks to GEPL librarian Amy Franco, we have a Glen Ellyn Public Library write-in this Saturday from 1-5 pm in their second floor writing/discussion lounge that has very comfortable lounge chairs. I will be hosting, so we'll have word wars, boxes of doom and my little figurines as word war prizes. Bring your laptop, covered drink and light snacks for an afternoon of writing! Do RSVP in the thread so I have an idea of how many prizes to bring. :-)
Sunday, Nov 30 Write-in
We'll finish up the Library Crawl with a write-in at Nichols Library, 1:30-4:30 pm, Sunday, November 30th. I'll be hosting here and have saved quite a few of my best figurines for this last write-in, including the one and only little dalek, the toothy carnivorous plant, the typing penguin and others.
RSVP for the December 6th TGIO
Whether you cross the 50K line (and validate) or not, do come out to celebrate the month at our pot-luck lunch party at the Naperville Municipal Center (11:45 am-2:45 pm). Be sure to RSVP so you will be eligible for the fabulous door prizes; and bring your Library Crawl cards for the Crawl raffle (includes a $100 Amazon gift card!) and your stuffed animal for the group photo.
Validate!
Once you're over 50K, be sure and validate. You can keep writing--you only have to validate once. If your bar turns purple, you've met the word count goal, and then can continue to update your word count normally. Note, there are some differences in how NaNo counts words and other programs, don't worry about it unless you're super close--then you might want to be sure that your count is as high as theirs before the last minute. Why do you want to validate? Only those with a validated win will be eligible for some of the goodies from sponsors (like the two free book proofs from CreateSpace).
Storybundle contest: 12 free books
Post a reply in this thread and write the most words on Wednesday (27th) and Thursday (28th) this week and you will win the free code from Storybundle to get the 12 book bundle for free. The winner will be notified via nanomail Friday and must then download the bundle by the end of November 30th.
Storybundle is one of the sponsors of National Novel Writing Month and they are making this bundle of nice books available for a very good price for NaNo participants; but they must take advantage of this offer by November 30th.
Join the Journey!
Just a reminder that current and new members for the Journey should answer this brief questionnaire to join the Writing Journey--our region's year-round writing group. Need more information? See this thread
Donate!
If you haven't taken a moment to donate to the National Novel Writing Month organization, please consider it. It is a worthy non-profit that sponsors the November contest and it also organizes and makes resources available to teachers for the Young Writer's Program that inspires so many young writers around the world.
As always, I encourage all of you to make progress on your novels!
Cheers!
Tim (NewMexicoKid); with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman), your volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons
P.S. Keep up the good work in our inter-regional word war against OCGR! We now lead by 813, but leads can change very rapidly!
Only three hours or so remain for the 2014 NaNoWriMo. For those of you still trying to finish your novels, keep it up! I know you have it in you!
Congratulations to all those who have crossed 50K:
mochomito, AmaranthMuse, Spellguns, Blissercise, KatherineWriting, TRRDEDEAN, Isabella Leigh, Knyghtraven, Niassa, b-writer, Contemplative Cat, mongrelvw, KellyKobayashi, rupert, WhimsicalSnowflake, Anobi, writergirlmel, Cee-Bee, WillowSanders, punahougirl84, CrankyBolt, waking521, tregina12000, CairennRhys, Larkk, SadieRose, scrapacat, CindysNovel623, fredandginger35, cobasi, JediEmma, Serenity4Night, isabelle_lila, iOc of FF, PBJ63010, fdahlman, tgirl16, TeenWriter, CoffeeChick, NewMexicoKid, Cathe404, arkhaminmate7, barb_valentin, aprilkitty, tireddadx3, BDM, Spuffy09, Odakota-Rose, MonteCristosDancer, P J J Walton, dragon_charmer, fishmama, davidkent1, Chawkrider, lilmisswriter17, urbanknight1968, sorakazeno, tomster, Grachael, barblipkin, AnnaVanEast, ajkimbers, InspectorStevi, Judy Blue Eyes, jtotheb, thebloodluna, Kathy Taffy, TypesetJez, writertodd07, Tink 5050, DanielleML, Lofweir, Ron Stelle, AKayR08, Goddess_Astra, kirstgrafx, mkamm, L. Evans, Jhopkins149, Anastasia007, deanshake, YeungJeans, KayTi, Phoenix Autumn, Nekonezumi, jen.e.moore, ehut24, slrphebos, Tree @ Home, jillmarie42, eaglescorch, sweetsam86, Luke1133, bookw0rmg1rl, JC_Benes, RLShepherd, Jenniferrschulz, Mieza, Lady Gao, winter_rose, Nealism, leafeater, Bprax, debbyjensen, Write For Fun, Whitey, robinkuss, MYCATSEGA, horatio, Icefeather, Sherrie Henry, eyewrite, jschalk, DianaArtemis, DJRM, adavaughan, knightoftomorrow, Silira, ShippingVesely, callalily05, IAmChristinaG, Gina Fugate, Avatarra, dunhamrc, elizasoyars, BetsyD, astrid70, swimyfishy44, DJ T-Face, Pen vs. Sword, elle_writing, journey, ntrusner, Denisetoo, Amy Warden, Jane Champagne, youcrazything, Manthicus, Big Cardboard Square, Deana Becker, SarahMaryCath, ziplizard, kimstang, Speaker Of The Dead, WendyByrne, Cassie67, Creslix, Catherine.Johns, Eternal Light, VantheNiceGuy, chasethewind, funkzombie, weirdghostboo, AkitoAnemone, confuzzledbrony, Alex_Yorko, MacaroniCheese, ShiningStarsInHisEyes, goose812, Susan Coates, Jessielouwho, tanyahfz (as of 8:10 PM CST, 2014-11-30)
I see many more who are within striking range, so keep on writing!
Don't forget to validate!
CindysNovel623, Chawkrider, Cassie67, tanyahfz--I see you've passed 50k but haven't validated yet. Please be sure to validate so you don't miss out on the NaNoWriMo sponsor gifts.
Validation involves copying and pasting your novel text into the validation box (accessible in the same place where you update your word count). Try not to wait till the last minute, because the server can slow down as lots of people try to validate. You can validate up until midnight tonight. If you are past 50K but ran into some problems validating, contact one of us MLs.
Validation is only used to verify that your manually-updated word count is accurate; the nanowrimo server discards the text once the validation is done.
RSVP for the December 6th TGIO Party
Don't forget to RSVP for the Thank-Goodness-It's-Over (TGIO) pot-luck lunch party that is happening Saturday, December 6th, 11:45 AM-2:45 PM in the Lunch Room in the lower level of the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street, Naperville. You need to attend to exchange your Library Crawl ingredient cards for raffle tickets for prizes like the $100 Amazon gift card (don't forget to bring your ingredient cards); and you need to RSVP to be eligible for the door prizes like the final big poster, special TGIO mini posters, some other gift cards and some of the gnome/troll figurines.
What happens afterwards?
Did you have fun doing NaNoWriMo? Seeking something more to do the rest of the year? If so, I encourage you to join the Writing Journey, our year-round writing group. It is an a la carte writing group with many different programs (which we call Paths). We'll be starting things up January 10th.
Donating
As you finish this year's NaNoWriMo, please consider supporting National Novel Writing Month and the Young Writer's Program with your donations. NaNoWriMo is a non-profit organization with a very worthwhile mission. It largely relies on the donations from its participants.
9K challenge update
The contest continues till midnight tonight, so keep writing!
Congratulations to mochomito and scrapacat for winning both a penguin and a tyrannosaur! Congratulations to callalily05, TogetherAgain, thegrinch, TRRDEDEAN, Anobi, tregina12000, KatherineWriting for winning penguins!
Thank you!
I want to thank my two co-MLs: Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman) for all their help this year in what I know were very difficult circumstances for them. Thank you also to Kaden (silverwolf42), Todd (writertodd07), Frank (fdahlman) and Jen (Jen.E.Moore) for their preparatory workshops in October. I am sure all of you will join me in thanking Sarah Kovac (sarahk06) for creating and organizing our Library Crawl that provided the region with an unprecedented number of library write-in locations. Thanks too to all of our library partners: Aurora (the Main branch and Eola Road branch), Batavia, Bloomingdale, Carol Stream, Downers Grove, Geneva, Glen Ellyn, Helen Plum Library (Lombard), Indian Prairie (Darien), Naperville (Nichols Library and the 95th Street Library), Messenger Public Library (North Aurora), Warrenville, Wheaton, and Woodridge. I also appreciate all the wrimos who hosted or co-hosted write-ins, especially Katherine (KatherineWriting), Catherine (Cee-Bee), Jez (typesetjez), Kaden (silverwolf42), Frank (fdahlman), Kat (Kat's Meow), and Paige (PBJ63010). And, of course, thanks to all of you for your enthusiasm and kind words.
--Tim (NewMexicoKid), one of your three volunteer co-MLs
Congratulations to all those who participated and wrote their novels--whether you finished your novel or crossed the 50K word line, it is worthwhile to celebrate your participation in NaNoWriMo. If you didn't achieve the result you were aiming for, I would encourage you to try again next year; and for those of you who still have more to add to your story, I encourage you to check out this thread by Katherine.
In our region ofUSA::Illinois::Naperville we had 153 who achieved 50k+ words in November out of 544 participants for 28%. You can compare and contrast that with the 66% win rate for the 93 participants of our NaNo Faces graph. So next year folks may want to keep an eye out for the NaNo Faces graph thread so they can join in the fun.
Naperville-homed winners
Congratulations to all those who won within the Naperville region: mochomito, AmaranthMuse, Spellguns, dragonsaege, KatherineWriting, TRRDEDEAN, Isabella Leigh, Knyghtraven, mongrelvw, KellyKobayashi, WhimsicalSnowflake, rupert, Anobi, sailorcat42, Cee-Bee, WillowSanders, CrankyBolt, Larkk, tregina12000, SadieRose, scrapacat, CindysNovel623, fredandginger35, cobasi, PBJ63010, JediEmma, iOc of FF, fdahlman, hross99, tgirl16, NewMexicoKid, TeenWriter, arkhaminmate7, barb_valentin, tireddadx3, BDM, P J J Walton, dragon_charmer, fishmama, davidkent1, sorakazeno, Chawkrider, Judy Blue Eyes, urbanknight1968, harufan9, tomster, Grachael, barblipkin, stephsco, AnnaVanEast, ajkimbers, rebel_cheese, EliRaiens, jtotheb, thebloodluna, WeAreNeverBroken, Kathy Taffy, TypesetJez, writertodd07, Tink 5050, DanielleML, Ron Stelle, AKayR08, Goddess_Astra, kirstgrafx, Phoenix Autumn, L. Evans, Jhopkins149, Anastasia007, deanshake, eleanor.roth, YeungJeans, KayTi, jen.e.moore, maximstrife, Tree @ Home, jillmarie42, eaglescorch, Luke1133, rubyliveshere, kjplonz42, prissyhalliwell, bookw0rmg1rl, RLShepherd, Gina Fugate, Cassie67, thegrinch, nowhereliz, Jenniferrschulz, Mieza, MelShakespeare, Lady Gao, skeptic_chef, winter_rose, Sigird, Bprax, alliethecat, Syzygophile, Write For Fun, cableshaft, Whitey, robinkuss, clark21412, MYCATSEGA, horatio, Icefeather, Sherrie Henry, eyewrite, writerbeeme, jschalk, DianaArtemis, DJRM, adavaughan, Silira, Spurfy Sora, ShippingVesely, callalily05, IAmChristinaG, Avatarra, dunhamrc, Almost Athena, elizasoyars, BetsyD, swimyfishy44, DJ T-Face, Pen vs. Sword, elle_writing, journey, Jane Champagne, Amy Warden, youcrazything, SMattimiro, Manthicus, Big Cardboard Square, Deana Becker, SarahMaryCath, ziplizard, Tokaara, kimstang, Speaker Of The Dead, QueenCircles, WendyByrne, jwilloughby, Catherine.Johns, Eternal Light, VantheNiceGuy, funkzombie, weirdghostboo, AkitoAnemone, confuzzledbrony, Diamy96, ShiningStarsInHisEyes, goose812, Susan Coates, and Jessielouwho.
RSVP for the TGIO
Saturday, December 6th, 11:45 AM-2:45 PM is our pot-luck lunch Thank Goodness It's Over (TGIO) party. So far we have we have 45 people attending with another 4 possible.Only those who RSVP will be eligible for door prizes and will have certificates presented to them. Those attending should remember to bring:
Take our survey
Help us improve for next year and take our short survey. It's anonymous and your feedback will be helpful in guiding what we focus on next year.
Consider joining the Journey
TheWriting Journey is our year-round writing group that kicks off in January. It has no membership fees but, working together, we offer many Paths for folks to follow: monthly general meetings and workshops, an accountability path, short story anthologies, an editing path, a poetry path, various social paths (lunches, dinners, picnics, game nights, musicals and movies), enrichment activities (Shakespeare Reader's Theatre, the archery path), writing retreats, our blog, etc. Everyone is encouraged to propose/lead/coordinate new Paths; people can pick and choose which Paths they participate in.
Donating
Please consider supporting National Novel Writing Month and the Young Writer's Program with your donations. NaNoWriMo is a non-profit organization with a very worthwhile mission. It largely relies on the donations from its participants. Thanks to everyone who has given. I know that times are still tough and some aren't in a position to donate, but I encourage those who are to be generous.
Thanks,
--Tim (aka NewMexicoKid); with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman), your volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons
End of year Survey
Help us improve our local offerings for next year by taking our short survey: naperwrimo.org/survey2014
The Writing Journey
Our year-round writing group kicks off January 10th. We've already begun lining up topics and volunteers for the monthly workshops, beginning with Katherine Lato's Editing Path for January 10th, which is a great way for folks to get started and fired up to edit their novels in February. Thus far we have forty four returning and new members.
The Journey is more than monthly workshops: its members organize different activities like the Shakespeare Reader's Theatre, the annual Writer's Voice workshop, Todd Hogan's Accountability Path, the fun Archery Path, writing outings to Morton Arboretum, short story anthologies, etc. It's not too late to join in the fun: just fill out this form to get connected. It's free! journey.naperwrimo.org/survey2015
TGIO
We had a wonderful TGIO celebration with about 55 people attending. Thanks to everyone for making the party so delicious and fun; and special thanks to Ky (Scrapacat), Steve (Whitey), Dave (TRRDEDEAN), Carol (CJGEV), Ada (AdaVaughan) and Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Barry (FinbarrMcG) for their contributions to the door prizes. Thanks also to Sarah Kovac for creating and coordinating our Library Crawl. Pictures and video are up on our naperwrimo.org blog.
Donate to NaNoWriMo
It's not too late to give a little to the organization that gave us all so much in this wonderful November experience. Please consider donating to NaNoWriMo.
Thanks for your participation and support!
The forums will remain open year-round; check back from time to time as we will post some things there from the various Journey activities (like the annual Writer's Voice workshop, the fun Shakespeare Reader's Theatre opportunities, etc).
--Tim (aka NewMexicoKid); with Katherine (KatherineWriting) and Frank (fdahlman), your volunteer co-Municipal Liaisons for this wonderful region of USA::Illinois::Naperville
Summer is a wonderful opportunity to begin thinking and planning for your next NaNoWriMo novel. Take the opportunity to jot down some notes, dream some dreams and begin building excitement for November.
Summer is also an opportunity to help NaNoWriMo itself prepare for the fall. NaNoWriMo recently launched their Everyday Inspiration drive. Its dedicated to our shared creative community, including our region of Illinois::Naperville.
Will you consider donating to support NaNo? Theyre hoping to raise $30,000 by July 17th, and your support would be very much appreciated.
And, all donors receive printed pep talks (from Neil Gaiman, John Green, Marissa Meyer, Lemony Snicket, and Mitali Perkins), a pocket notebook, pen, and button.
You can also help publicize this drive and tune in for #NaNoInspired Day on July 16.
Thanks in advance for your help.
In other news, we're pleased to report that last year's popular library crawl (with prizes raffled to those who attended library write-ins) will be returning this year. We're planning a slate of four preparatory workshops in October; like all our events, these will be free for everyone. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see a workshop on, let us know. In fact, if you would like to volunteer to help organize one of the workshops, please contact me soon.
Thanks for all you do!
--Tim (aka NewMexicoKid, co-ML for Illinois::Naperville)