Though NaNoWriMo is a challenge to obtain a certain word count in a limited time frame, to me it was much more than that.
*Cue sappy music*
I won not because my fingers hit so many keys to create a set number of separated letter groups. No, I won because I forged friendships I would’ve otherwise never known. I won because I met wonderful people just as passionate about writing as I am. I won because… well shucks, because I had fun.
Tonight we celebrated.
Tonight’s roll call included Ari, Dan (Ari’s husband), Christy, Kimberly, Sinclair, Rachel, Carla, Cathy, myself, and my plus 1.5 (Chris and Kimi). This was my first time meeting Ari and she is as fun in person as she is on facebook. Kimberly and Cathy I haven’t seen since the kick-off party. Carla I had only met last Friday. Rachel and Sinclair were at the opposite end of the table, so I didn’t get much time to converse with them save for my moment of sitting while waiting for the check.
Observations ran light this evening, as much of my attention was occupied by the nap-deprived two-year-old squirming in the seat next to mine. Though I did catch tidbits of Ari and Dan’s neighbor woes, Christy’s love of garlic, and Sinclair’s debate of whether or not crab is meat and her semi-weekly vegetarianism. I saw Rachel light up at the offer of bruschetta and laughed as Kimberly shared the tale of forcing herself into the cold just to get a bit of writing done. I’m sad to say that I didn’t catch much from Carla and Cathy, but I overheard a conversation between the two where Carla once wrote a children’s story and really enjoyed it.
This is the end of NaNoWriMo. It was fun and the fun is bound to continue as we trudge towards more writing, editing, critiquing, and maybe even publishing. The Treasure Valley Writer’s Guild has been created. The real challenge is about to begin.