What is a Municipal Liaison?

Municipal Liaisons, or MLs, are the senior leadership of the region. They’re official NaNoWriMo volunteers that coordinate events on the local level and work with the site staff and HQ. They’re responsible for planning the major events that take place throughout the month, as well as individual write-ins, and reaching out to local libraries to facilitate Come Write In spaces. They’re all experts in NaNoWriMo, and are excellent sources of information and encouragement! Currently, our MLs are Owen (theboysgonehome), Raine (rainechan), and Eric (EBuff75).

What is a Minion?

As you can see above, the duties of a Municipal Liaison are quite bountiful, and would be overwhelming, were it not for the dedicated efforts of the Minions. The Minions are unofficial volunteers who help out with any number of the ML duties, including but not limited to hosting write-ins, helping to run regional events, managing social media, and helping to answer any participant questions! For 2019, the Minions are Conor (BlaiddEmrys), Erika (Majestic Potoo), Michelle (Rhys), Laura (Modern Ruin), Erin (Analogwatch) and Lizzy (Lizthemcwiz)

What is a Write-in?

Write-ins are community driven events that bring people together to share in the writing experience. This is the place for us to cheer each other on, help get our novels unstuck, complain about the rest of life trying to get in your way, and write a huge number of words. They work because we all want each other to succeed. Many writers identify Write-ins as a key component to their success and winning NaNo. All write-ins are different, but they’re usually two to four hour long writing groups in local businesses or libraries. There will usually be word wars, some games, and a lot of fun. Going to a write-in is really something you have to experience for yourself if you’re able to. Write-ins are informal, and there’s never a fee to join. All you need is a computer or pen and paper to write. Funds to purchase food or drink or to donate are suggested, but if even a small purchase is just out of the question, as long as other people in the group are spending money, everything should work out.

An [M] in the subject line indicates that there will be at least one ML or Minion in attendance at the event. The only real difference is that if there’s a regional volunteer at the write-in, there may be prizes for word wars or someone to stamp your punch card.

What is a punch card?

Punch Cards are available from any ML or Minion, and you can get a stamp for any of a number of activities. You can get stamps for attending events, donating to our fundraising goals, or hitting writing milestones! Feel free to see an ML or a Minion for more information!

How do I plan a Write-In?

If you’d like to see a write-in in an area where there currently is not one, please follow these steps:

Gather interest. Make a post to the general Detroit forum to determine interest in your area. Including words like “planning” and your general location in the subject line helps keep your thread from getting lost. Determine the day and time most convenient for interested parties. Discuss possible venues. Good venues have plenty of seating, access to outlets, and a friendly atmosphere.

Visit/call potential venues. Make sure to get their a-ok on the venture. Some information you’ll want to gather includes:
Day, time, and location of the write-in. Get the address!
Any age limit that may apply (generally only a concern for bars).
Parking information. Is there an attached lot? Street parking? Is it metered or free? More people will feel comfortable attending your write-in if they know this information.

The username and contact info for a NaNoWriMotown writer who is willing to serve as the host/point of contact for this event (basically, willing to commit to being there every week and answering questions about it).

Any other information you think would be helpful. This includes driving instructions, if the spot is hard to find.

Get the info to an ML. Use your gathered info to fill out this form. The ML will write up the announcement and add it to the calendar and website. That’s it! Get an early start on this process to ensure a stress-free time.