> I did enough NaNo meet-ups over the years to know it's absolutely possible.

Yes, this is exactly the sort of thing that people have been saying to derail the conversation, and this is how it became discourse. Alas.

ETA: Sorry, I think I might have phrased my reply in a weird way. I'm not accusing you of creating discourse! Rather, you hit the nail on the head; this is exactly the issue that became an unintentional sticking point for a lot of people in the conversation.