Today is the deadline for sending off all my university paperwork, so in between getting all the NaNoWriMists stuff sorted I'm hoping I've done everything! There's a big pile of paper here on my desk and I don't even dare look at it in case I find something I haven't done. I'm sure it's all sorted, though.

I'm having slight difficulty updating the hosting page, because I've changed computers since last year and all my web page editing software is on my old computer. I'm currently trying to transfer all the relevant files across and download any software that won't be copied but it isn't going too well right now! I think I'm going to have to log into my admin account on my laptop and download the programmes, then copy everything across manually and so on. It could be a big job.
 

Well, it seems that making spidey is studying the Advertising Officer was an unexpectedly brilliant move, with eight new members since she took over and almost all of those citing her as the reason they found out about the group.

I've also received some great banners from Josh M. Cregger which I will be plugging in the Fundraising Forum and using in my signature, but right now I have to sleep. I didn't want them to go unnoticed though!

Also it's great to see that some members have been affiliating their reviews. We're currently at #43 on the group reviewing scoreboard, which isn't bad considering it's only been a couple of days. Get reviewing, guys!
 

We already have three administrators taking on some of the roles which is fantastic! Knowing I can count on them to publicise the group and keep track of word counts during NaNoWriMo means I don't have to worry so much about not being totally on top of things, if it comes to that in the next two months.

But at the moment I have lots of time, so I'm dedicating my energy to some warm-up exercises to get everyone going. These will be to do with character and plot development, and also a time test to see how many words we can write in ten minutes. Look out for emails and forum posts soon! (And that reminds me: remember to use "The NaNoWriMists Writing Forum"  to inspire yourself and each other.)
 

Today an email prompted me to create "The NaNoWriMists Admin Application" , which will hopefully allow the group to expand and grow even when I'm not able to run it any more. If you are interested I'd love to hear from you!

I'm a little worried that perhaps no one will apply. Although I can manage to keep up with all the responsibilities, it would be a huge help if I knew someone else was able to take on at least one element. I feel very guilty when I can't do something by the deadline I set myself, or if something gets missed entirely. So I guess I'm waiting with bated breath here!
 

Today I've been updating things and adding things to bring the group up to date and into 2009. If you notice anything that still refers to 2008 (other than, obviously, things in the 2008 folder) then please let me know, I've probably missed them.

"The NaNoWriMists Prize List 2009"  is tentatively open for viewing, although I haven't set any gift point values yet. There's still a lot of fundraising to be done; that's probably next on the agenda. You'll notice, if you took part in a previous year, that there are fewer prizes and no sections, but also that the overall Highest Word Count prize is back. This is to try and cut down on the amount of paperwork I have to do, because at the moment I have no idea how much time I'll have to keep track of that kind of thing.

On that note, I'm considering getting rid of the weekly word count bonuses. I'm hesitant to do so because I think they are a good motivator, but it takes a ridiculously long time to check word counts for everyone. There are currently 125 members, and if I have to check their NaNoWriMo profile five times (and that's assuming I can actually find it and it's been updated!) then it takes a very long time. If you have any ideas about how to make this process more efficient, please let me know!

Update: I've been working on "The NaNoWriMists Fundraising Forum"  and there are now several signature images! If you'd like to make some images for us, just email over a link.
 

Time to get started on this year's group preparations! I'll keep this entry short but I've been updating things to reflect the new year and we've had our very first new member join :)

This year there will be no Casual and Turbo sections for two reasons: firstly, they were very time-consuming and I am going to be much busier this year, and secondly I don't feel that they were very much more helpful than having one big group.

I am kicking around some ideas about word wars, however. Anyone who has used the NaNoWriMo chat room will know how they work. If you have any ideas about how I can make that work for the group, please let me know.

And finally, once again we will need prizes, funding and advertisement. All and any help would be appreciated!

Another update will come soon, with more idea of what will be happening this year. Keep an eye out!