Day One: Nano 2012

October 31, 2012 began with me driving my husband to work because I would later return at three to take my boys trick or treating in a safe environment.  After a couple of hours of collecting candy we returned home.  I took a nap in order prepare myself for a midnight beginning to Nanowrimo.

20 plus people arrived between 8:30 to 12:00 for food, games, visiting.  A couple were creepy and I must admit that I was glad to see them leave early.  Fifteen minutes before the final count down 12 people sat down with their choice of caffeine, candy, snacks.  I would love to thank the woman who brought chili with all the fixings to make frito pie.

Everyone is counting down the minutes.  As it gets closer to the midnight countdown we begin teasing to see whose clock will make it to midnight faster.  I win, but a fellow Nanoer is just a second behind me.  Our countdown: 10, 10, 9, 9, 8, 8 ... 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, begin.

12 people begin writing furiously.  No one speaks for the first hour and our number call out begins around 1.  Number of words written range from 500 to 2,000.  I am sitting around 1,000 myself.  I get up, grab some water, I can feel my blood thickening.  I have diabetes and I have had far too much coke and candy.  I use the bathroom and grab some more chili.  Some people cut out early, jobs, children, tired, etc.  Those of us willing to tough it out continue until two.  We call it a night.  Get what little sleep we can, live our lives until the next evening.

6pm we gather again at Starbucks.  Some people cannot make it, but we get several new faces, once again our count of people is around 12 people.  This time we are pushing three hours.  We make jokes, help each other with character name creation, laugh, eat candy and write.  Somewhere near the end there is a distracting conversation about Star Wars and the fact that Disney has bought out Lucas Films.  Usually, we would call people back to focus, but it is almost over, and people are winding down.  Number call outs begin again this time ranging between 2,000 and 5,000.  The goal for day one is 1,667, the same goal each day, for 30 days in order to hit our 50,000 goal.  Everyone has reached this goal.

I end at 3,815.  Go home and sleep, only to prepare for another day of writing.

LadyKaitlyn