Regional Challenge from United States:: Illinois::Naperville

That was brilliant, you guys! Thank you, and thanks for the challenge, too!

I should note that Naperville makes videos or mp3 recordings of its songs even when it wins an inter-regional word war; and when we battled Montreal, we even made a special song for them (to honor their effort). But that's just the type of region we are :-)

--Tim

Where did our singing videos go? The ones WE made? lol

Awesome job Naperville folks :D

Thanks for the entertainment!

Cheers,

Xanateria

I loved that guys, thank you!

It was great to see you all there. It's hard to put a face to the Nano's that we meet each year. This year, I can actually say I have an idea of what some of you look like!

Can't wait to challenge you again next year!

We did pretty well.

Wrimotaurs, here is the payment in full of our debt. I hope you enjoy these songs. :-)

Many thanks to Cee-Bee's husband Bart for the guitar accompaniment and to the terrific Naperwrimos for their singing.

--Tim

Now that I am slightly more conscious and maybe a bit rested, I wanted to thank Naperville's WriMos and MLs once again. This was a thrilling and inspiring challenge, and I cannot believe how much our respective regions wrote. 27 thousand and change words per WriMo is an excellent accomplishment, and we should all be proud. As is the percentage of winners, in my most humble of opinions.

I've said it in pep talks and I will say it again here: the key to winning NaNo is not to give up. A challenge like this keeps everyone motivated (I know it worked for me) and I am thrilled that it worked out so well for both regions. Thank you once again for proposing it.

I am also amazed at how well Calgary responded to the challenge. Like most regions, we tend to start strong and then fizzle, but as soon as this challenge came through, our total wordcount jumped and just kept climbing. Of course, me threatening them all with my horrible singing voice may have had something to do with that...

Typing Away Again Near Dear Ol' Naperville (a parody of Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet; this link has the lyrics and also a karafun karaoke midi file). It's actually quite fun to sing.

Typin' is great fun
Writin' the big one
Dreamin' of my book in so many stores
The laundry is piling
My children aren't smiling
When it's all over I'll catch up my chores

Typing away again near dear old Naperville
Searching for my lost chapter of plot
Some people claim that there's a wordcount to blame
But I know
It's Chris Baty's fault

I don't know the reason
I typed here last season
NaNoWriMo Stickers were just on my mind
I'm losing my word war
I don't know what it's for
But our MLs have been much more than kind

Typing away again near dear old Naperville
Searching for my lost chapter of plot
Some people claim that there's a wordcount to blame
Now
Now I know
Well, it could be my fault

More problems with my plot
Now, who can I have shot?
My word count is down and so's my morale
My pencil I'm chew-in'
But there's coffee a brew-in'
With another mug I know I'll hang on

Typing away again near dear old Naperville
Searching for my lost chapter of plot
Some people claim that there's a wordcount to blame
But I know
It's my own darned fault
Yes and some people claim
That there's a wordcount to blame
And I know
It's my own darned fault

Thank you for the challenge, Naperville! We thoroughly enjoyed it! It did inspire us to do just a little bit better! Good luck with your next challenger!

I have an insane competitive streak... But this sort of competition is always fun since everyone wins when they take part!

Thank you for offering us such a challange! It will be good to see you again in 2011...

Just wondering... What was your song? ;)

Just wanted to add my congratulations to both regions. I'm happy we won, of course, but I am even happier that so many writers in my region have told me the competition spurred them to write more than they thought possible. Apparently, we are a much more competitive bunch than I thought. In any case, thank you all of the Naperville participants, for being a big part of our motivation this year. You were a worthy opponent, and kept us worried right up to the end.

And I do hope you enjoy singing our song :D

Cheers,

Xanateria
co-ML for NaNoWriMo Calgary

PS It's not up just me either, but I think a rematch is an excellent idea...

Let me also add my congratulations to the WiMoTars. You folks are awesome, and it has been a pleasure engaged in regional rivalry of encouragement. I never saw it as competition. It was an expansion of Wrimo's I could rely upon for encouragement when I'd rather sleep or do the thousand and one other things I typically do the eleven other months of the year. I couldn't add you all to my buddy list but via the magic of a word war you were there in a roundabout way.

As Tim said, you're the first region to knock us out of the winners circle ever - and that is a badge of distinction you should all be very proud of. In an odd way I feel honored to have lost to a group that has a cool nickname like WiMoTaurs.

Tomster
p.s. It's not my place to say, but I'm already thinking rematch in 2011.

To the WriMoTaurs (WMTs):
On behalf of Illinois::Naperville, I congratulate you on your victory this November. You've done something that Toronto (2005), Montreal (2006), Ottawa (2007), France (2008), Birmingham-West Midlands (2009) and Belgium/Holland (2009) were unable to do--defeat us in an inter-regional word war. It may even be a feat that no one will ever replicate ;-). So enjoy your hard fought victory.

You did it by writing many words and completing many novels. We will, accordingly, sing your song (which I note is based on a classic American folk song) at our TGIO and post the recording here for you.

To the Naperville WriMos (hm... maybe we need to come up with a nickname?):
I am very proud of you. I saw many who completed their novels who were far behind; and you can see the steep slope of our final push that came so very close.

As Katherine said, the purpose of this word war was, like so much that is done in November, only to provide motivation to members of both regions to write. I hope that both regions accomplished more with their novels because of the word war. Now comes the finishing and the editing.

Note: the stats do not include the final few who joined each region late yesterday.

Naperville stats

• Total wordcount: 12252650
• Average wordcount: 27658.35
• Wordcount standard deviation: 1061.53
• % Active (non-zero wordcount): 99.8% (443/444) - (compared with 36.1% internationally)
• % Winners (wordcount>50k): 36.7% (163/444)
• % Winners of Active (wordcount>50k): 36.8% (163/443) (compared with 30.38% internationally)
• % 40k+ (wordcount>40k): 37.4% (166/444)
• % Returning: 27.3% (121/444)
• % Returning Who Won: 16.4% (73/444)
• % Returning Who Won of Active Returners: 60.3% (73/121)
• % of Winners who were Returners: 44.8% (73/163)

Calgary stats

• Total wordcount: 13095293
• Average wordcount: 27862.33
• Wordcount standard deviation: 1343.51
• % Active (non-zero wordcount): 100.0% (470/470) - (compared with 36.1% internationally)
• % Winners (wordcount>50k): 38.1% (179/470)
• % Winners of Active (wordcount>50k): 38.1% (179/470) (compared with 30.38% internationally)
• % 40k+ (wordcount>40k): 40.2% (189/470)
• % Returning: 22.1% (104/470)
• % Returning Who Won: 14.3% (67/470)
• % Returning Who Won of Active Returners: 64.4% (67/104)
• % of Winners who were Returners: 37.4% (67/179)

Hmmm! Do I see a final total before me? One that mayhap says Calgary has won the challenge?

Ho! I do!

Congrats to Calgary - the Wrimotaurs have made their region proud.

Naperville - thanks for the challenge and for providing us with such a worthy opponent. It was a most thrilling challenge (dare I say nail-biting?) and we appreciate that you proposed it.

I hope everyone had fun with their 2010 NaNo! Now I must go help some of my Wrimotaurs cross that fabled line over the next two hours.

Good luck in 2011 everyone!

Sorry I was late to the party. I had networking issues. But I did get my posting done tonight so 90K is added, a little late but there now.

Please remember that the point of a challenge is to encourage people to reach 50K in November.

Please do not set your word count to 0 to 'help' our region. Be proud of every word that you wrote. Your number stays on the site until it is reset next October. If you didn't make 50K, be thrilled with what you did write and if you wish it was more, then gather ideas and plans for how to do more next year.

I wish we could track the improvement from year to year--the percentage who achieve 50K this year compared to last--although I will state that being on the scangraph improves your odds. Remember that for next year.

And, remember, you have until midnight. Never say never!

As of yesterday's stats, Calgary is still on top.

Fiendish! But I'm back from the mirror now, so beware. Also, other Naperwrimos, yet unnamed, are inspired and vow to uphold the honor of our region!

Add the St. Crispin, er, Thanksgiving speech to my word count? Hmmm... not as is. But let me think about how I can fit a Shakespearean speech into my novel. There just might be a way...

Hi, everyone. I would like to ask one question: Who is winning?

:D I covet your username.

Touche' upon your smack-talk! ;)

CeeBee! Love it! :D (Is it legal to add that to your word count? >->)

Off-Hand, completely avoiding the smack talk...

I love that Shakespear post of awesomeness! CeeBee You deserve incredible Kudos for writing that bit of Brilliance!

For the smack-talk bit --

Now, if my plan has worked correctly, CeeBee will stare in the mirror self-satisfied like a cat and forget to update any additional words before nano's end. Mwahahahahahaha!

They don't say 'eh?' in that part of the country. ;) Heehee.

The token Napervillian Canadian.

Scene. A write-in, somewhere in Naperville. Enter Naperwrimos aplenty. Alarums and excursions.

Naperwrimo 1. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those pens at home
That write no words to-day!

Naperwrimo 2. What's he that wishes so?
My Comrade, Tim? No, my fair friend;
If we are marked to fail, we are enough
To do our region loss; and if to live,
The fewer pens, the greater share of honor.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one pen more.

By Jove, I am not covetous for bling,
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honor,
I am the most offending soul alive.
This week we held the feast of Thanksgiving.
They that write this week, with word count high,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Thanksgiving.
He that shall write this day, and see old age,
Will yearly in November feast his neighbors,
And say 'This month be NaNoWriMo.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had Thanksgiving day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What words we wrote that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
New Mexico Kid, and KatherineWriting,
CeeBee and TRRDEDEAN, Piratess and Amaranth Muse -
Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Thanksgiving Day shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-

We few, we happy few, we band of authors;
For he to-day that types his words with me
Shall be an author; may he thus be named,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And other folk in DuPage, watching TV,
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here;
And hold their muses cheap whiles any speaks,
That wrote with us upon Thanksgiving week.

With abject apologies to William Shakespeare.

Since I heard you were requesting it, and because I know you'll need to practice up for the event of our inevitable victory, here is our official Regional Anthem:

Home on the Page (sung to the tune of Home on the Range)

Oh, give me a home where the Wrimotaurs roam
And the verbs and the adjectives play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And Tim boosts our wordcount each day

Home, home on the page
Where the verbs and the adjectives play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And Tim boosts our wordcount each day

How often at night as I sit and I write
In the light of my computer screen
Have I've sat there in awe of the story I saw
Pouring out of my mind scene by scene

Home, home on the page
Where the verbs and the adjectives play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And Tim boosts our wordcount each day

In a world of our own where our characters vie
For some glory amid all their strife
No I would not exchange my home on the page
For all the distractions of life

Home, home on the page
Where the verbs and the adjectives play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And Tim boosts our wordcount each day

Oh how grand to spend hours in this strange land of ours
Envisionning worlds yet unseen
And I love to know where the Wrimotaurs go
To tap out a word warring scene

Home, home on the page
Where the verbs and the adjectives play
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And Tim boosts our wordcount each day

ahem. Your forum post had more words than mine.
I thought for sure you'd say that you actually say, "bring it on, eh?"

Hmm... last time I checked, less was more when it comes to wordage on forums during challenges.

That's why we'll win... we know where all the EXTRA words are SUPPOSED to go. But hey, you go right ahead and put all the words in the forums you want and I'll put mine towards my word count, deal? *WINK*

I'd be more likely to say, "Bring it on." That's more words.
That's why we'll win.

Just found out about the challenge, being my first NaNo year and all, and I have just two words to say to you....

BRING IT!

There's nothing a Calgary Wrimotaur writer loves more than a challenge!

And those of us in school have the day before off as well. Plus the whole weekend. Buwahahaha. ;D

Mwahaha! It would appear that my cunning ploy was successful. *purses fingers* Excellent...

Now, to try and take over the world!

(yes, the legal action bit was a joke. I would still love to see Naperville donate $2,000 though.)

Hello, Naiya,

While we shall certainly try to promote regional donations (and I should note that with your region size of 507 wrimos having donated $775 and with our region size of 483 having donated $1050, we're doing a bit better in the donation derby relative to your region), I think that the nature of the e-mail that Katherine forwarded (to wit, an e-mail sent to a public list) invokes an implied freedom of use. See:

But this is the lighthearted inter-regional banter thread! :-) We're all friendly rivals here, right? And there is an unwritten rule within the ML community that promotes the sharing of all NaNo-related ideas and resources (granted, with appropriate acknowledgement) for the purposes of promoting our common good--the sucess of wrimos everywhere...

stirring music begins to play in the background, containing elements of Oh, Canada and various American folk tunes

Indeed, it is in the hallowed days of November each year that we...

screeching sounds

Oh, drat, now I've undone Katherine's little ploy and spent time and word count on the forum when I could have been working on my novel. Curses!

--Tim

P.S. I am amazed by Calgary's word count resilience... but we have eight days yet.

I am pleased to hear that you enjoy and appreciate my pep talks! Unfortunately, as they are my copyright, I am afraid to have to inform you that you owe me royalties for their use.

The cost will be a total donation to OLL of $2000 from your region. I'll need to see screen caps by midnight Nov 30, or I may be forced to take legal action...

You forget that most of our bosses give us the day after Thanksgivings JUST so we have time to not only catch up in our word count, but to surpass those silly Canadians.

Silly Canadian MLs who spend their words during November writing most excellent pep talks that clever American ML steals, thus providing more time and more words for the battle.

Ah, silly American's thinking they can beat us in the month of November. You see, this week you will all become bloated and incoherent from your overindulgent Thanksgiving feasts. Ours were over a month ago and we have merely been using that stored up feasting as fuel to keep our fires stoked so we can continue to write and write and write while you sleep off your Turkey comas. I do hope you'll awake before December so you can see that we kicked your big ol' turkey filled butts!!!

Yes, we've seen that with Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa in past inter-regional word wars... ;-) ;-)

Well, I do congratulate you on your marginal lead. It's quite an accomplishment.
Hopefully, Naperville will rebound and retake the lead soon!

Otherwise, in anticipation of your victory, maybe you and several of your regional members should take some time to write your regional song... Do note that our TGIO party is December 4th, so you really should start on this important task now... ;-)

--Tim

I thought it was a cultural myth that Canadians were oh-so-polite, but it looks like Canadians don't even know how to do smack talk, eh?

What's the fun in that, eh?

Oh, wait, I just figured out your secret weapon--ending every sentence in eh.

We can do that too, heck, most of us have practice since we pretend to be Canadians when we travel abroad since *everyone* loves Canadians, eh?

Anyone in the Naperville region who needs a subplot--bring in a char who ends every sentence with 'eh' and turn their secret weapon against them.

And, really, Calgary, you probably want to vary your ending sentence structure more. By the way, your internal editor is back from visiting your cousin in the big city and wants to look over your last ten thousand words--it should only take the entire weekend. So, go have a nice cup of cocoa and watch the stars and let her do her job, slowly.

Have you looked at the statistics lately?

We are in the lead. It may be marginally, but.. nonetheless.... Canadians do it better.

Psssh. Calgary cannot stand against the region that beat an entire *country*. Granted, it was France, and they probably surrendered before it even began...-brick'd-

Even if you *do* call yourselves Wrimotaurs which I must admit is fairly epic, we will triumph, as usual~

All taunting aside...good luck! 8D You'll need it.

Great! Thanks!

I think I know what it is. It's snow, isn't it?

*imagines all the Calgarians huddled over their typewriters and laptops, desperately typing to keep warm...*

Be sure to start them thinking about writing a regional song, just so you can be prepared. Yes, that's the ticket. ;-)

Actually, I've heard that before... you have quite the regional reputation! I'm looking forward to the challenge!

Thanks and cheers!
--Tim

btw, those two ^ are our secret weapons BOO YAH!

wait we are supposed to talk smack yes?

Good morning Naperville folks,

On behalf of all of the fabulous Calgary Wrimotaurs, I just have to say very well, we accept :D

And I also need to add, you may have beaten some fairly epic regions in the past, but never one that had the awesome secret weapon that we have here in Calgary. I would tell you what that is, but then I think I'd have to kill you. And that just isn't good NaNo etiquette.

In any case, I am off to start urging my more creative compatriots to compose an anthem, and give stirringly encouraging speeches about how we won't be mopped up.

Cheers,

Xanateria on behalf of [Canada: Alberta: Calgary] and her co-MLs: Huushiita and Naiya

PS Not only do we speak English...we write copious amounts of it, too.