Well, it’s Clarion West Write-a-thon time again. Â Clarion West is one of the best intensive workshops available for aspiring speculative fiction writers. Â The money they raise goes to help with expenses (which are legion) and with scholarships.
I hope to have a lot of people sponsor me, even at the price of giving up a latte one morning. Â I like interacting with readers and supporters during the write-a-thon. Â I write up a weekly progress report that only my sponsors get (some other parts are public, and this year I’ll post those on my Facebook author page, as a way to stop neglecting it.
This year will be particularly difficult as I have not one but two important dates right close to each other, and right around Clarion season.
- My first draft of the second book in my duology that’s coming out through Pyr is due August 21st. Â That’s the deadline to get it to my first readers for the Wellspring worskhop, which is kind of a published-writer version of Clarion. I’m going to just make it if I keep my Clarion goals of 1,000 words minimum a day, and blow past that by a bit each day. Â Even a tiny bit.
- Since I hate making things easy on myself, I’m also in the middle of training for and doing the Seattle to Portland Bicycle ride event, which happens during Clarion – on July 14th. Â That’s 202 miles in 2 days. Â That kind of physical goal does affect writing – positively and negatively. On the good side, exercising the old brain keeps it running rather well. Â Lot’s of plot issues get worked out at mile 30. Â On the other hand, training for this is 2-10 hours a day on the days I train (and I should be doing more!). Â That’s NOT keyboard time or family time or day-job time.
To up the ante one more time, my stretch goal for the write-a-thon is to write a lyric a week (these go with the novel, really). Â Lyrics are hard, but fun. I’ll share those with the people who sponsor me if I get them done – they will be subordinate to the two goals above, work, and family.
So….please consider sponsoring me and maybe a few other writers (there are over 200 of us!). Â Spread whatever you want to give around – it’s more fun to sponsor three writers at $10.00 each than to give one $30.00. Â Really. Â That way you get tales from three people. Â The main write-a-thon page works, or here’s mine.
Thanks in advance!
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