For the last stop of the night, the Northern Tour came to Wilde Roast Cafe, a venue that holds a well-deserved warm spot in my writerly heart. This is the place where I’ve sipped a mocha and carried on chats with my buddies near and far, done write-ins solo and in groups, and generally hung out in a creative way. True to form, relaxation at the end of the day scored me almost as many words as the previous two steps put together, as well as the chance to confab with two NaNoWriMo first-time novelists (hello, Alvina and David!) Here’s the cozy alcove in front of the fire (a real fireplace in the original location at Central & Hennepin, a simulated one at the current location). I’ve written here more than once, and fictional patrons have included Max from The Shape-shifter’s Tale, a dystopian urban fantasy in which the original Wilde Roast location passes under the name of Oscar’s Cafe. Meanwhile, we ate, drank, were merry, and cranked out some serious words. Becca Patterson aka Mreauow crossed the 50K mark. Every NaNo must have its pacesetter, and she is carrying the torch this year. In two weeks, we’ll be doing the Southern (Traditional) Tour, which traces part of the route of the original 28-Hour Writing Tour. No, that’s not a typo. In days of yore (till a few years ago) this tour began on Saturday morning and ended mid-morning on Sunday, generally with staggering word counts and equally staggering circadian hangovers for most participants.