NaNo Kickoff Party

I went to my regional NaNoWriMo kickoff party today. It was at a wonderful coffee shop in Cincinnati called Corner BLOC Cafe. I left much earlier than I needed to and am so glad I did. I would have been very late otherwise- construction made my directions completely useless about 2 miles from the shop. If you know Cincinnati, those 2 miles of detours can put someone in a lot of interesting places.

Thankfully, I took a chance and pulled over to ask for directions from a guy watching a few elementary school age kids playing on the sidewalk. About a mile later, I pulled over and asked a man that looked like he was at least 100 years old. They were both incredibly helpful. So dude with the 3 kids and surprisingly spry dude two streets later: thank you for giving me directions!

The kickoff party was great. The ML's have changed a bit this year, losing one of our ML's due to illness and gaining 2 ML's in the process, but they put on a great party. The group is huge and diverse and hysterical. The best part? We had at least 4 folks at the party that are completely 100% NaNo virgins. Ah, I remember my first NaNo and can say with total honesty that it was one of the best experiences of my life. There are several more NaNo virgins on our region's message boards so hopefully I'll meet more of them over November. Before we left, one of the new ML's had each of us write a plot ninja (its a plot device for something totally unexpected to jump out of nowhere and move your story forward in a new/better/faster paced direction), seal the envelope, and then draw one at random. I hope I don't have to use mine at any point but I really want to know what mine says.

The ML's gave us all new notebooks, stickers, odds and end stationary goodies, and lots of chocolate. So wonderful. I am loving this year's NaNo design- it is a Venn diagram! I haven't done the kind of prep I should have done this year but I'll make it through. My goal this year is to write Immo3 as a start to finish novel. We'll see how that works out. I have my journal set up so I'm ready to do weekly updates like last year.

This is going to be a fun NaNo. I'm ready to start writing already. 12:01am November 1st needs to get here, like now! :)

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3

Essentials for Writers

Writer's Digest posted Erik Larson's top 10 Essentials for a writer. Find it here. The article is a list of things that Erik, author of In the Garden of Beasts, see as must have items for successful writing. This is just his opinion, but I think its pretty good essentials. Read the article then come back here for my own list of writer essentials.

Tuesday Treat: Cappuccino In a Jar

I love coffee. Like really love it. I found a recipe for a good "cappuccino" drink. Depending on which comments you believe, this may or may not meet your requirements for cappuccino, but it has caffeine so its good enough for me. This recipe makes 2 jars of cappuccino mix, one for you and one for a friend! Check the link for some really cute packaging ideas!



Ingredients:
2/3 cup instant coffee grounds
1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer
1 cup powdered chocolate drink mix
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 12 ounce canning jars

Directions:

1. Put the coffee grounds into a food processor to grind into a fine powder. If you do not have a food processor, put it into a plastic zip lock bag and roll with a rolling pin until finely ground.
2. In a large bowl, combine the instant coffee, creamer, chocolate drink mix, sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Stir together until well mixed. Divide the mixture between the two jars.
3. Seal the jar tightly, cover the lid with a square cloth and wrap a rubber band over the cloth to keep it attached securely. Add a tag that reads: Mix 3 tablespoons of powder with 6 fluid ounces of hot water.

Ideas:

• Cover with a holiday/gift themed square of cloth and ribbon to match the occasion.
• Include with homemade bread, a package of biscotti, or whole cinnamon/candy cane sticks wrapped in cellophane to match your included flavoring.
• Blend the ingredients with a whisk or blender before pouring into the jars to really mix it together.
• Use whatever preferred powdered creamer... including flavored creamers like french vanilla.
• Replace cinnamon and nutmeg with pumpkin spice, mint, or other spices for a variety of flavors.
• Add chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, crushed peppermint candies etc. to match the flavor.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS