Chris Baty posted this on NaNoWriMo on March 9,2007. I know to many it seemed like we, as participants, were more like lunatics, but by participating — and — donating — and — buying t-shirts, we helped make his fund raising a success while getting our own self-pleasure at letting the words just flow unchecked.

But we learned from it as well; we experimented, we thought (more like we racked our brains until we couldn’t any more), we conceptualized, some of us (I, not included) even thought ahead. In the end we discovered some things work well, others need more thought to pull off. Teachers used NaNoWriMo in their classrooms. It was a win-win situation for the writers, the teachers, the students, and the charities (and those sponsoring and working so hard to pull it off for us).

And it was a win for many of the spouses, employers, and children of those participating. Those who had at some point allowed themselves to do something they truly loved got excited for us as they witnessed our self-expression, self-love, dedication, and, yes, our exhaustion. Those that were not supportive lost out two times over, because they missed the joy of seeing a loved one happy by dragging them down and, obviously, had never known their own joy of accomplishment and effort at something they loved. That’s a shame.

And Leon, he definitely shared the joy. . . and all the housework, the shopping, the laundry. . . He is still waiting for his material reward. Maybe I should finish writing my novel.