I went to my very first NaNoWriMo Write-in last night. I’ve done NaNoWriMo for years, but have never been to a Write-in. To be honest, Write-ins are pretty far out of my comfort zone. I mean, for an introverted writer to commit to putting on pants, leaving the house, and meeting people she has never met before is kind of a feat. But I did it. Here are 5 things I learned:

1. Writers are nerdy. Awesome, but very, very nerdy. I mean, I knew I was nerdy, but I didn’t really know it was an across-the-board thing.

2. Writers love candy. My theory is that the reason NaNoWriMo is in November is because there is a surplus of leftover Halloween candy to be gotten rid of.

3. Putting the phrase, “The penis mightier,” in your novel will probably make you giggle, and if you do it at a Write-in, people will notice that you are giggling. And if people notice that you are giggling, you will have to tell them why. This involves saying the word “penis” to a group of many people you don’t know. Be warned.

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People, taking Day 1 of NaNoWriMo off from work to stay home and write write write is perhaps one of the best ideas I have ever had. Day 1 is where you get all the momentum, and it sure helps to have some extra wordcount in the kitty when you get to the blockage that inevitably occurs in week 2, and when you find yourself volunteering for Thanksgiving cooking, baby shower throwing, Christmas shopping, and many other fun but time-consuming November events.

Currently, my wordcount sits at the Day 1 mark, around 1,670 words, but I’m hoping to break 5,000 by the time I hit the sack tonight. Tonight’s write-in should help, although I’m not positive it will, since I’ve never actually been to a write-in in all my years of NaNo-ing. It may be so distracting that I get nothing done. We shall see.

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