Nanowrimo - Day 19

I went to Ludlow Writers tonight and it was brilliant but it's not what you'd call a normal writers group. We're a few people, six of us who somewhere along the line found each other through our love of writing who have become the best of friends. There have been meetings where we haven't really done anything about writing but have helped supported each other through all sorts of things, personal, professional and at times illness too.

Tonight we talked and we laughed but we did actually manage to produce some work. Ann who is a lovely lady and someone who I'm love dearly but she's also a remarkable woman. At the age of 72, after leaving school at 14, she got her BA (Hons) she's so clever but I don't think she realises it. She wrote such a moving piece based on the Beatles' Song - Eleanor Rigby. It was so moving when she spoke about loneliness but she did it such a way that you understood the character's loneliness without tear jerking sympathy. It really was a clever, wonderful piece of writing.

Helen who is priceless, she has a smile that lights up her whole face wrote a letter from her Mum explaining why she hadn't done her homework. Witty, funny, bloody hilarious actually but so cleverly done.

You know sometimes in life you step back, you don't always realise you're doing it until something slaps you in the face. Tonight as I looked around the group, and yes we all missed Simon because he's such an integral part of it too, but I saw these people almost as if for the first time and I saw their talent, their love of what they do, their love of sharing and their gift so freely given of friendship. We take so much for granted and I'm just as guilty of that as the next man but as I said tonight was realising how much I appreciate these people in my life. And I'm so glad that Simon introduced me to them and gave me the chance of knowing and appreciating them.

Yes it's a Poppy of some sort. I'm not a gardener but although November is the month of Rememberance, I haven't put it here for that. We all know what they look like but have we ever taken the time to study and appreciate their beauty. Have we ever taken time to step back and realise exactly what and who is important in our lives?

I didn't realise until tonight that Helen is avidly following mine and Julie's progress on Nanowrimo and she's backing the two of us all the way. Thanks Helen I know Julie appreciates your support as much as I do. But also Nanowrimo itself. It is mad and yes I've done it before but I don't think I've ever enjoyed it and learned so much from it. I've rediscovered the joy of setting time aside and writing. I've rediscovered that the more the write, the more I want to write and also as in the past I've let problems overtake me so much that they've stopped me from writing.

This past week two major problems have come to the surface and it would have been so easy just to give up on Nanowrimo and spend my time worrying. But that hasn't happened and if it had no doubt people would totally understand but that's not what I want. I'm dealing with the problems in the time that isn't my writing time and when it is my writing time, they're pushed to the back of my mind, put in the drawer to be dealt with later. It's very liberating and it's amazing.

So to the guys who ten years ago started this crazy thing in the States with just ten people - thank you.

Right enough of all of this I'm off to Tumbles Forge and am so happy to be doing so.

Have fun