My First Write-in

Currently reading: The Final Trade by Joe Hart

I'm doing NaNoWriMo again this year (while also getting the publishing ball rolling and looking for an audience via social media stuff, my life is too busy!) and attended my first write-in this past Thursday. I've made connections with other writers through the internet and through friends, but have not yet met another self-proclaimed writer in person. Naturally, I was excited to meet a bunch of like-minded people.

Even though I consider myself an extrovert, I was apprehensive as I looked for the group of writers in the small restaurant. What if they were all serious writers and I was the only one who was new to the craft? Would they be snooty literary people who only discussed interpretations of Frost's The Road Not Taken? Would anyone even be there?

Thankfully my anxiety was misplaced. I walked up to a large table filled with people typing on laptops. I introduced myself to everyone, then took a seat and pulled out my own little laptop. Although everyone was there to primarily write, we did take a few moments to relax and chat. What I found were people like me. They all enjoyed writing but also liked talking about movies, sports, and video games.

I was so glad I went. I promised I'd go to the next one, and already have all of the group's write-ins on my calendar. Another big benefit was that I could write without getting interrupted by the kids. I might just become one of those writers who does all their writing at a coffee shop.

I came home to find my daughter a sticky mess. Apparently, she had jello with her dinner and a lot of it ended up on her hands and clothes. I don't blame her for being a messy eater. She's only two. What I did find upsetting was that she had gotten to one of my books and smeared jello all over the cover. Since it was a paperback with a matte finish cover, I figured it was permanently disfigured. Fingerprints never come off of those things, right?

Still, I'm pretty fond of this particular book, so I thought it was worth a try to attempt to clean it. I found this website which suggested using hand sanitizer. Figuring I had nothing to lose (I could purchase another copy if I destroyed it), I put a small blob on one of the corners of the back cover. Worried it would soak in, I quickly wiped it off with a clean towel. That little corner looked like new; I couldn't believe it. I proceeded to slather hand sanitizer over the entire cover and wipe the whole book clean. Now it looks like new. I'm so glad I tried it.