Write-a-Thon Update

8pm
Well, the November Write-a-Thon is winding down – only one more hour to go.  There was such fabulous energy in the studio today.  We had over thirty writers drop by, many of them working to meet their NaNoWriMo word counts (November’s almost over, after all – hope everyone’s word count is well underway).  The clack of keyboards is getting quieter, we’re out of cookies, and the fruits and vegetable crudities are gone, too.  But the words, the energy, the sense of possibility is still wafting through the air.

Be sure to keep an eye out for the next Write-a-Thon date, and enjoy your turkey (or soy turkey) this Thanksgiving!

3pm
It’s been a great day and the studio is packed. I’ve never seen this many people be so quiet that all you hear are the clicking of keyboard letters. Which turn into words. Which turn into paragraphs and then pages and then....you get the picture.

We’ve taken two breaks today to visit next door with the Serendipity folks and hear some first person narratives read aloud. What added to the whole wonderful affect was the use of music to augment the stories, in just the right places.

Then we all talked about how to get involved in their reading series (they run three of them PLUS a fantastic storytelling festival!) and that the closest deadline is December 1. It was a lot to remember so you should definitely take a look at the website: 2ndstory.serendipitytheatre.org

10:30am
Write-a-thons always feel like Christmas to me. Well, sort of. I mean I’m Jewish so Christmas used to mean chinese food and a movie. But I can imagine waking up, sure that this year Santa was going to be extra specially nice, making that last little box in the corner the perfect gift. The day seems just so full of possibility.

And that’s what these marathon writing sessions feel like. So much Possibility. 12 hours to think of me and my words. Plus, all the caffeine I can stand, chocolate hidden in plain sight, and great energy coming off all the other writers here filled with their own possibilities.

I got here about 8:30am this morning to finish set up and had the first first pot of coffee made, donut holes out on the table staring back at me and some nice quiet classical music streaming. Christina was the first to arrive at 9:10am and it’s been a steady trickle since then. But there’s still plenty of room.

So come on over! At about noon we’re going to go next door to Serendipity Theatre to take a break and listen to one of their short readings. They’ll be doing another performance later in the day.

(First Pic of the Day above feature Katie on the Futon, Jessica at the Lounge Desk and Christina in the back.)