Welcome!, Welcome LGBT writers of NaNo!

[Athildur]

Hello and welcome to any and all new visitors to these boards!

I wish your stay here is a pleasant one, and hopefully there will be plenty of people to share it with to make for another month's worth of unique writing experiences!

[swiffner]

Hi, I'm Jennifer, a 20 year old lesbian from Alberta Canada.

This is my second year doing NaNoWriMo. Last year I finished with 50,013 words and a story that was horrible beyond words (lack of planning, having found out about NaNo on October 27th).

This year I'm writing a horror/fantasy novel, that follows 6 different characters from the same small town. One of the main characters will be a lesbian, but other than that all of my characters will be straight (unless it changes again).

I'm swiffner on the official forums as well.

[Lugh]

Greetings!

I am Lugh.

lemme see...

I am 28 years old, been somewhere in the middle of the gay-scale since I was um... born? Anyway, I have a 12 year old son and I write. A lot.

I've been doing Nano since it's second time in November. You know back when there were oh say a couple hundred people doing it.... heh glad to see that it's grown so well.

I am a talent scout for an online writing community of gay authors and their readers / fans. Some of our authors are published, some are under contract, some are just doing it for fun.... We are ALWAYS looking for fresh talent.

For the most part I write speculative fiction. I like to cross genre with elves (and dragons) in space and the like. I'm not quite sure what direction my Nano this year will go. I do know two things about it though: there will be cute young men, and there will be sex.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

[Athildur]

Welcome, jennifer and Lugh!

I hope you'll enjoy the boards here.

If you adjust settings to show all topics (not just those that were recently updated) you may be able to find chapters of stories from people of NaNos past, or find other interesting topics that you'd like to add to.
Or, you could just as easily start up new topics! About writing, or about other things, it doesn't matter, I just want this to become a place where you can just sit down and chat about things, and/or discuss, show or ask away about writing ^^. I hope everyone here manages to get to the 50k mark this year! (Including myself, because out of the two times (2004, 2005) I've participated I'm ashamed to say I haven't 'won' even a single time. However, my life's a lot better this year and I'm bursting with energy and a fine idea for a plot that I'm busy developping, so I hope this year will bring some change with it.)

[Adrian]

Hello! This is Adrian. I'm glad to be back this year doing Nano. I took part two years ago, my first Nano (2005, obviously), which I WON (that was nice), and I was also there when this forum was started, and am happy that Athildur has done such a nice job with it and is keeping it going -- way to go, Athi! Thanks for all your effort with this.

Last year I sort of stumbled into Nano then back out again. I wrote one scene of about 1600 words and just ditched the whole thing. So, it was a false start, not a sincere effort. I don't really count it as a failure since it was clear to me I was just joining then because I felt I should, not because it really fit into my schedule or writing plans -- I was working hard at that time on an ongoing draft of my second novel and there really was no time to take on Nano on top of that. I did finish that other draft, about 120,000 words. It took a few months.

I wanted to say a little about my writing background. I struggled for over a decade to complete a novel, working on several different ones during that time. I just couldn't find a way to complete one. I got lost in Act II, unable to "bridge the middle", a common problem for novice writers. Also, I did not fully understand the complete process, how to manage all the various parts of the writing job, how to navigate my way through. I just kept getting lost. I could write about 17,000 to 20,000 words (essentially, Act I, and just getting into Act II), and then I'd lose the story. No matter how much I tried, I could never write more at that point that I liked, so I'd write, delete it, write again, delete that, etc., and eventually just set the story aside. I did this with several wonderful and worthwhile stories and it was really frustrating.

Finally, in the months leading up to November 2005, I figured out a new approach, a new strategy. I decided to give it a try. I remembered that there was this thing called Nano, and I thought I might use that occasion as an opportunity to try out my new process for novel-writing, since Nano emphasizes writing a brand-new story that you've never worked on before. I needed something new to work on, so that I could try out my new process without the risk of falling back into previous patterns that didn't work.

Anyway, to keep it short, the new process worked well, and I was able to reach 50,000+ words during my first Nano, and then went on to rewrite that and add to it and a few months later actually complete the entire manuscript, about 120,000 words -- my first completed manuscript ever! I was so ecstatic about that.

Since then, I've kept writing, kept working on developing my skills, my understanding of the novel-writing process, how I can do this and make it work and get the results I really want. I'm aiming for publication, obviously, and a career as a writer if I can achieve it. I've put in a lot of hard work, have not given up in spite of the many setbacks, and today I'm doing so much better than ever before. I'm "almost there" at this point. I think I've reached a turning point. I'm on the cusp of a new level in my writing, a point where I have the basics down and can start focusing on finer points. But I have a lot more work to do yet in the coming year to achieve these goals.

I was hoping not to go on too long, but I wanted to share a little of what I've been through, how I've kept at it, and how the hard work has definitely paid off over time.

Right now I'm in the middle of my third novel (the first two are still in progress, including that first novel written during Nano 2005). This third novel is really amazing, a terrific step forward for me. It's been going so well, and is a shorter novel, that I decided to take on Nano this year on top of it. So, my novel for Nano 2007 will be my fourth novel and I'll finish it within November, or at least will reach 50,000 words within November. The story should run around 60,000+ words when finished, so I may need to write a little in December, too, to complete it. I didn't didn't decide to do Nano until November 9th, and started this fourth novel on November 10th. Currently, the word count on it stands at 19,699 words written in less than a week. After I finish it, I'll get back to my third novel and finish that one within December. My goal is to start shopping around my third novel in January, 2008, to agents and publishers, and then maybe this fourth novel also right on the tails of that one, since I like this fourth one, too.

My goals for 2008 will be to complete three to four new novels in the 60,000 to 72,000 word count range. Also, I hope to go back and complete those first two novels, but if nothing else they served as a valuable learning experience.

You can read about my progress, my process, and even read sample chapters of my current novel for Nano (entitled JACK & JILL: THE UNTOLD STORY) by visiting my blogs and web site. A starting point would be my main blog:

http://adriansnovel.blogspot.com

The chapters from my novel for Nano 2007 are available at:

http://adriansfix.blogspot.com

If anyone would like to help me out as a Beta Reader, reading my completed drafts and offering comments on them over the coming year, please let me know. I could really use the constructive feedback from readers who understand the GLBT experience.

I hope to make a few new friends through this, not just for Nano but to stay in touch with year-round. (Let me know if you need a Beta Reader as well!) Also, now that I'm finally signing up here and at the Nano forums, I'll be around to offer support, encouragement, and any helpful advice I can think of.

Best wishes to everyone on their word counts! (And thank for putting up with such a long posting!)

Adrian

[Athildur]

Yah, welcome back Adrian! Thanks for those words of encouragement .

[Athildur]

Welcome to all the *new* NaNo participants this year!

And, of course, a warm welcome for those golden oldies that decided to return here this year.

I'm aware that this seems completely dead, and that's why we need all of you to share your experiences throughout NaNo with us! Ask for help, give it, publish parts of your story for proofreading or proofread the stories of others!

And, of course, since I'm well aware that there are plenty of perfectionists around, after NaNo the fun doesn't have to stop. With less people obsessed with getting to that mythical 50k, people will have more time to do some quality control on each other, to ensure that everyone here can get the best out of their stories .

I'd just like to wish everyone good luck this coming nano, and I really hope to hear more from you guys/gals/whatever your gender may be .

[treanir]

Hi, I'm treanir, known on the NaNo boards as DutchECK (I really wish they'd let us change our usernames!) and in real life as Eric. Since I'm in possession of a very chaotic mind, I apologise in advance for the large number of brackets. This is my fifth year of NaNo. I was victorious the previous years - this year, life (and especially university - I'm an English student) is doing its very best to muck up any writing effort. I haven't even thought of a story yet!

I identify with the G in GLBT. I am completely out and eternally single - my first boyfriend has yet to cross my path (insert awww here). My homosexuality is reflected in my stories in that many of my characters are gay and I suck at having female main characters.

I hope this board becomes more alive soon. It'll be a fun addition to my regular NaNo activities.

[Athildur]

Welcome, treanir/DutchECK/Eric!

Changing user names isn't really much of a fuss for me because I always use this one anyway .

I'd awww for you, but I'm in the same boat so I'd also be awww-ing myself and I don't like to do that (making others do that, however... ).

And yes, I do hope that the boards come alive soon as well. If, for some reason, they do not, perhaps we can exchange e-mail or MSN adresses and stay in touch during NaNo?

[treanir]

> PM

[Adrian]

Hello, All!

It's me, Adrian, checking in. Thanks for the email, Athi, reminding us that the board is here and available for us to chime in! And thanks for putting this site up and maintaining it. That's a terrific thing you're doing for those of us who seek a little GLBT connection associated with our writing.

I wouldn't worry about the lack of response thus far this year. It's early yet as far as Nano goes. I'm sure more writers will begin making an appearance here as November approaches. They always do.

As for me, I haven't decided yet whether or not I'll actually do Nano this year. I'm always writing and editing, year-round, so for me it's not just a Nano thing in November, but a constant way of life.

I recently finished a first draft (95k) that I want to edit this Fall, and I have my Nanovel from last year that is now complete and that I also want to finish editing. I may just stick to editing this year, and then once these two current novels are done I'll feel better about diving into a new novel.

If I do get the Nano-bug and decide to take the plunge in November, I have a new novel to write, one that I planned out in detail over the summer. I call it my "CHASM" novel since there are some chasms in it. I don't want to give away the real title, which I like a lot.

We'll see how it goes. I'll probably just edit this Fall, but that Nano bug is sure contagious....

Whether I participate or not I'll be sure to visit these boards and contribute, and cheer everyone on. I'm also available to provide feedback or help if you need a sounding board or someone to help motivate you. Whatever I can do to help, let me know.

Welcome to the new members, and welcome back to the "old-timers". Good luck everyone on reaching your writing goals, whatever they are!

Adrian

My Webpage

[Athildur]

Welcome back, Adrian!

It's always nice to hear back from old ruts like yourself .

Thank you for the kind words of comfort, and I wish you the best of luck with your NaNo project, whether it be editing previous novels or writing a new one.

[Persephone]

*waves*

Hi, I'm Aeryn - I post at the NaNo forums as Mistress Aeryn. I'm 24, Australian, identify as bi (have been out of the closet to my friends since March '06 - everyone else is still in the dark), and am going into NaNo #6 with three wins under my belt thus far. I'm hoping to rack up win number 4 this year. Considering that this year I have my volunteer work, pitching in at my uncle's shop and looking for a job to deal with along with NaNo (last year it was exams and uni interviews - I'm surprised that I actually won!), it's going to be interesting to see how things work out.

Anyway, yes. I look forward to getting to know all you lovely people as we charge toward the end of November. Best of luck to you all.

*tips hat and bows out*

[Nanesh]

*waves shyly*
Hi! I'm Nanesh (but you may call me Nancy as well ;-)), 20 years old, bi (though currently with way more interest in girls, and still very cosy in my closet, except for a few good friends) and living in the Netherlands. Currently I'm studying Biomedical Sciences at the Utrecht University. I really want to work in a children's hospital someday. I like kids ^^.

This is the third time doing NaNo. I managed to put some gayness in my first... I even created a whole Devine Department of Gayness with a goddess taking care of all gay issues (which was quite fun). I was about to write a lesbian love story this year, but I lost interest and decided to write another story in which is no place for a gay relationship...

Don't know yet if I'm going to be very active at this forum, but I'll try to remember

[Athildur]

Persephone/Aeryn and Nanesh/Nancy, welcome to the boards!

It's great to have new writers on board. I wish you both the best of luck during NaNo, both with writing and every other task you have to complete in that wonderful yet dreaded november month.

I really hope we get to see (read) more of each other this november, and I hope you'll find yourselves at home on these boards. A quiet home, perhaps, but a home nonetheless.