Need structure? Want to find camaraderie? Tired of writing in solitude? Join our virtual office space. At TPR someone is always in the cubicle next to you.

Here's how the practice room works:

First of all, EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

At the given date and time (weekly schedule posted below), meet at post 1. It appears 30 minutes in advance of the hour (barring unusual circumstances), giving us a chance to set our goals in the comments. Declare your goal. Work toward furthering your project; word counting, revision, or whatever it needs - you decide.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED! announces our hour. During that time, we write! The rules: no procrastinations. Please feel free to make tea or stand on your head as needed.

When the time is up, Post 3 appears with a chat box and we will get a chance to converse, or you can comment old-style to tell us what you got done! We are dying to know!

Read about a typical first time here. I make the schedule every Sunday. It will remain up in the side bar until I post the next week's schedule (feel free to make requests for particular times in the comments - I take them into serious consideration). All additions will be noted in in the side bar. Come back and check it often. (The schedule times are listed in Eastern Time Zone but the blog posts in Central - Tina's time zone. Our visitors are from all over the map.)

Please email me with questions, comments, or just to introduce yourself! tina dot laurel at gmail dot com

Don't forget to sign the guestbook at the bottom of the page!


Aug 31, 2011

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

Unpluggage goes from 2 pm est until 3 pm est. Meet at post 3 for the chat.

Post 1: Unpluggage begins at 2 pm est

What will you be working on? Let us know in comments.

Post 3: Reconvention!

General silliness and non-stop entertainment from Jon, Heather, Anna, Amaris and myself. We talked of WWJD bracelets, Neil Diamond FTW, characters that make us listen to terrible music, and fanny packs!!!

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

Meet you back at post 3 at 12pm EST for chat!

Post 1: Unpluggage begins at 11 am EST

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Aug 29, 2011

Post 3:Reconvention!

KrysteyBelle, Marisa, Marcy, and Dianne were present. We talked a long time about POV -- first person vs. third person and our personal preferences for each.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

UNPLUG from 2 - 3 est canceled!

Sorry!

Post 1: Unpluggage begins at 2 pm est

What will you be working on? Let us know in comments.

Post 3: Reconvention!

Just me!! And I had a hard time focusing...

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are writing!

If no one checks into post 1 by the end of the hour (12pm EST), I will cancel the reconvention chat.

Post 1: Unpluggage begins at 11 am EST

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Post 3: Reconvene

Amy, Marisa, and myself (Heather). Nanny cams and writing. A good chat to start the day.

Post 1 and 2 Do you wanna unplug now? See you at 9.

So I was lame and got up late, and didn't want to disappoint those of you who usually unplug. So, tell me what you are doing in the comments, and then go write. I'll meet you back here in an hour at 9am est.

And, we're unplugged!

Aug 28, 2011

Schedule for the Week of Sunday, August 28th


Yay!!! I can't wait to see you all! For now the schedule is slim, as it is the first week of school and I don't know what my new schedule will bring. I will keep you posted. Heather, do you still wanna do mornings? I will not start mine until I have a better sense of them. Marisa, other times? Dianne, are you coming Monday? And all, what day should we Hangout? I totally can't wait to write and hear how writing, kiddos and everything has been! See you tomorrow I hope! 

Monday, August 29th
2pm Tina
8pm Dianne??? (I think :))

Tuesday August 30th
11am Tina

Wednesday August 31st
2pm Tina

Thursday September 1st
11am Tina

Friday September 2nd
TBD



Aug 23, 2011

Aug 19, 2011

Post 3: Reconvene

Brandy, Anna, Amy and myself (Heather). We talked about how many projects we have going at a time, what we do with ideas, what computers we use to write, and that Anna and I need to go shopping for something to protect our wrists from the perils of laptops.

Post 2: UNPLUG Until 9am EST

Write on!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 8:00 est

Glad to see you! Hope you brought coffee. Let me know what you are writing in the comments!

Aug 18, 2011

Post 3: Reconvene

Brandy, Jon, Anna and myself. We talked about book release dates, conferences, and long extended TPRs. :)

UNPLUG until 9am EST

Go ahead. You can shut off Twitter. It will still be there when you get back. Now is time to write. Just write. :)

See you at the chat!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 8:00 est

Did you bring coffee? Can I have some? :) What are you going to work on? See you at the chat roll at post #3!

Aug 17, 2011

Post 3: Reconvene

Anna, Brandy, Jon and myself (Heather). We discussed WriteOnCon, writing, what we wish we knew about agents, how long writing projects can take--4 months to 4 years seem to be the time frame, LOL, and hoped for a productive writing day.

Post 2: Unplug Until 9am EST

Yay! Here we go! One hour of uninterrupted writing. See you at 9am est at the post #3 chat!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 8:00 est

Barely made it today! With WriteOnCon, I almost forgot! What will you be working on? See you at the chat!

Aug 15, 2011

Post 3:Reconvention!

Just KrysteyBelle and me here tonight. We chatted about Write On Con.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Post 3: Reconvene

Welcome! I'm so glad you stopped by. If this is your first time, you might need to take a moment to sign in to chatroll. Don't worry, we'll still be here when you get back. Now, tell us, how did your hour of writing go?







Post 2: Unplug Until 3pm est

Let's get writing! See you at 3 in the chat room!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 2pm est

Glad you're here. Let me know what you are writing, and then unplug from 2-3pm est. Come back at 3 for the chat roll to talk writing (and opossums, if you like!).

Post 3: Reconvene

Brandy, Jon, Anna, Marisa and KB stopped by. Blog posts were written, we worked forward on writing projects, an Opossum was stuck in a vent, we chatted about Write On Con, and decided to add another impromptu TPR at 2pm EST today!! Let's all have a productive day!

Post 2: Unplug Until 9am EST

Go write! See you on the other side (or at the chat room at post #3)!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 8:00 est

Good morning! Are you ready to write? Let me know what you are working on, and then I'll see you at the chat at post #3!

Aug 12, 2011

Post 3: Reconvene

Anna, Jon, KB, and myself. Honestly, I don't remember what we talked about :).

Post 2: Unplug Until 1pm est

You know what to do! See you at the chat. Hope you get lots of writing done!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 12:00pm est

Yes, yes we did it again. Another Impromptu TPR, just to keep you on your toes. Thanks for coming by, now get writing!! And tell me your plans in the comments.

Post 3: Reconvene

Anna, Jon, and myself. Short and sweet. Writing got done, blog posts got posted, and friends supported each another. We planned another TPR for Noon.

Post 2: Unplug Until 9am EST

Onward and Upward! See you at the chat!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 8:00 est

Good morning! Glad you're here and writing. Let me know what you think you'll be working on!

Aug 11, 2011

Post 3: Reconvene

Wow, we maxed out the chat! A rolling chat with Lynn, Jon, KB, Anna, Elana, Marisa, Dianne, Sarah (Dooley), and me Heather. A full house! We talked about the end of summer (already!). Lots of teachers in the house. :) We cringed at Elana's full schedule, (although we are all looking forward to WriteOnCon) and she chatted about panic writing. General hugs and encouragement was passed to all. Thanks, everyone for stopping by--I loved hanging out with you all! And thanks to Lynn who suggested an afternoon TPR for the west coasters!!

Post 2: Unplug Until 3pm est

Let's get busy! I'll see you at the chat at 3pm!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 2:00pm est

Welcome! Please let me know what you are working on for the hour! I'm so glad you're here.

Post 3: Reconvene

Anna and myself (Heather). We talked about arc tours and writing, and schedules for the fall. So good to get up and write! Amy seemed to pop in, but maybe it was a technical glitch?

Post 2: Unplug Until 9am EST

No rules, just write. See you for a chatroll at 9am!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 8:00 est

It's great to see you! Tell me in the comments what you'll work on for the hour.

Aug 10, 2011

Post 3: Reconvene

Fabulous chat with Ansha, Kris, Jon, Anna, and me (Heather). We talked projects (which all sound fascinating), collaborations, possible sequels, the torture of waiting on submissions and how fast and furious the blogosphere moves and changes. In fact, the chat was pretty fast and furious. And a bit of a love fest. As it should be. :)

Thanks everyone, for stopping by!

UNPLUG until 11:15 EST

Work on whatever you like during this time, there are no rules except for what you set for yourself. Just come back at 11:15 so we can talk everything writing related!

Post 1: Unplug will begin @ 10:15 EST

Impromptu unplugging session! YAY for more writing. We'll start at 10:15 est, write for an hour, then come back at 11:15 and chat. Everyone welcome.

Post 3: Reconvene

Jon, Amy and myself (Heather). We talked about kindles and nooks and busy days!

UNPLUG until 9am EST

See you then!!

Post 1: Unpluggage begins @ 8:00 pm EST

Join us! I'm glad you're here. Let me know in the comment section what you'll be working on!

Aug 9, 2011

Hangout Over: 4:25 EST

Thanks to Brandy, Heather, Amy, Dianne, Krystey, Marisa! We had 4 writing sessions of 25 minutes each, people checking in and out as needed. It was nice to stop and ask questions. And it was nice to hear the productivity of others. Not as many problems today I thought. I thank you all for working with me! I look forward to writing together again in September! Thanks for holding down the fort until then. :)

Hangout will begin at 2 pm EST

I will open the hangout to my TPR circle. Look for the announcement in your stream. This time we will try the Pomodoro timer for our hangout. We will chat the first 5 minutes and follow with 25 minutes of writing. At the 2:30 mark chat again. Follow with another 25 minutes of writing to repeat from there. I will try to post writing and chatting times right on the hangout so that if you need to join late. We will wave at joiners and wait to catch up till it is time to chat.

Here were some of the problems from our last Hangout on Google+: It was hard for some of our computers to run Word and hangout too. There was lots of background noise. People seem to need a new invite, if they got kicked off. Please email me or IM me in Gchat with problems and I will do what I can to help figure it out.

Expect frustrations; like everything else, our hangouts are practice!

Also, Hangouts only accommodate 10 people, last time that wasn't a problem but we tested the limit. Please make sure you rsvp on the schedule post, so I know how many to expect. If you haven't RSVPed yet, hurry(either email or comment on the schedule post)  there's still time!

See you in a few minutes!

Post 3: Reconvention!

Maria, Amy, Heather and I. Writeoncon and inspiration and being stuck.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

Unpluggage runs from 8 am est until 9. Meet at post 3 for the chat.

Post 1: Unpluggage begins at 8 am est

Let me know you are here with me. Leave a comment.

Aug 8, 2011

Post 3:Reconvention!

KrysteyBelle, Maria, and I were present. We talked about our writing, 9/11 memories, and various other topics.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Post 3: Reconvention!

Amy, Maria, Marisa and myself. Good morning chat about my revision blindness. :)

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

Unpluggage runs from 8 am est until 9. Meet at post 3 for the chat.

Post 1: Unpluggage begins at 8 am est

Let me know you're here with me. Leave a comment.

Aug 7, 2011

Schedule for the Week of Sunday, August 7th


I will be around for the first part of the week and then I am taking some time off. These will be the times:

Monday, August 8th
8 am EST
Dianne 8pm

Tuesday, August 9th
8 am EST
Can we have a Google+ hangout this day? RSVP in comments of the schedule post if you can make a 2 pm EST hangout? If there aren't any RSVPs by Monday eve, I shall cancel.

Monday, August 15th
8pm Dianne

Monday, August 22nd
8pm Dianne

Sunday August 28th I return with a new schedule - YAY!

Marisa, Dianne, Heather add times here or in the side bar as you wish! 


Aug 3, 2011

Hangout beginning at 2 pm EST

Our TPR writing hangout happened at 2 pm EST in Google+.

Here was the format: I opened the hangout to my TPR circle. Everyone should have been able to see it in their stream. We were to chat the first 15 minutes and at 2:15 EST begin writing and take 45 minutes. At the 3:00 mark chat again. And repeat from there. I tried to post writing and chatting times right on the hangout so that if you needed to join late you knew what was going on. We would wave at joiners and wait to catch up when it was time to chat.

Here is what we found:

The Google+ Hangout was a complete success (with some problems as I will relate below). We met at our news stream, I sent the hangout invite to my TPR circle and people started dropping in. Lynn (first time in TPR), Heather, Dianne, Maria, Jon, Krystey, Amy, myself with Marisa popping in and out because of a dentist appointment. Nine people showed. This number of participants would have taken down Chatroll. One thing that should be noted is I think Hangouts on Google+ only accommodate 10 people.

It was hard for our computers on google+ too. But super fun none-the-less.

I lost my browser window and the dang Hangout wouldn't let me back in because it kept saying I was already hooked up. Other people got kicked off because we found that Hangouts (especially with so many people) use a lot of battery and computer power. And people needed an invite to join back up. There was lots of background noise, but it is easy to mute your own mike when you know you are the problem.

 Heather discovered it is possible to mute someone else's. Totally slick feature! At the top of the screen an announcement is made when someone's mic is muted. Noting who they were muted by. But it is easy enough to unmute yourself as needed. It was also discovered that Word was really slow for writing when the Hangout was up. The Hangout taxed my connection and I was thrown off several times but I had received plenty of invitations from my first browser window snafu, so it was easy for me to get back on. (In the future people should email and/or IM me through Gchat and I will pay attention and hook them back up.

Since the thing is still in beta it will be interesting to see where the Google+ team takes it. And since it is essentially in beta at TPR it will be interesting to see where the TPR team takes it. I will be gone the next few weeks, but Heather has committed to trying at least one other Hangout again I am gone. I would like to have Google+ Hangouts once a week starting in September when I return. And I'm committed to trying other things as well. Maybe the format here needs to be changed up to bring in new energy to the whole unplugging phenomena. Read Amy's post about the Google+ Hangout here. I like her idea of writing and chatting Pomodoro style. Keeping the writing sessions to 25 minutes and the chats shorter and more frequent in between. That will be the next write-in format.

Thanks all who came - it was lovely to see your faces. Anyone else want to join next time? Email or comment below and I will help you get set up with Google+.

Hangouts are reason enough to fuss with the new social media venture.

Post 3: Reconvention!

Don't remember who was here :/.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

Unpluggage runs from 8 until 9 am est. Meet at post 3 for the chat.

Post 1: Unpluggage begins at 8 am eastern.

Let me know you will write with me. Leave a comment.

Aug 2, 2011

Post 3:Reconvention!

KrysteyBelle and I were present. We discussed our past, current, and future projects.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

We are unplugged! We'll meet back at 9 pm EST in post 3 for a reconvention chat. If no one is there, the chat will be canceled.

Post 1: Unpluggage Begins 8 pm eastern

What will you be working on? Tell us in the comments!

Post 3: Reconvention!

Big Chat - Jon, Kelly, Heather, Marisa and Amaris.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

EXTENDED unplug lasts from 3 pm est until 4:15pm est. Meet at post 3 for the chat.

Post 1: Special EXTENDED Unpluggage begins at 3 pm est

What will you be working on? Let us know in comments.

Post 3: Reconvention!

Amy, Marisa, Brandy and myself. I was the only one to write, but we all needed coffee.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

Unpluggage runs from 8 until 9 am est. Meet at post 3 for the chat.

Post 1: Unpluggage begins at 8 am eastern.

Let me know you will write with me. Leave a comment.

Aug 1, 2011

Unplug Session Moved to Tuesday

Sorry, everyone! A last minute conflict came up today, and I'll be holding a session on Tuesday night, instead. Please feel free to write without me, and tomorrow I'll bemoan how much more productive you were than I was!

Post 3: Reconvention!

I met Amaris! Yay. and There was also Brandy, Marisa, and myself at chat. Very fun one!

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

EXTENDED unpluggage runs from 3 until 4:15 est. Meet at post 3 for the chat.

Post 1: EXTENDED Unpluggage begins at 3 pm eastern.

What will you be working on? Let us know in comments.

Post 3: Reconvention!

Amy, Maria and I. We discussed morning versus evening writing and TPR times, the upcoming hangout and what have you.

Post 2: WE ARE UNPLUGGED!

Unpluggage runs from 8 until 9 am est. Meet at post 3 for the chat.

Post 1: Unpluggage begins at 8 am eastern.

Let me know you will write with me. Leave a comment.