Please support me & the Clarion Write-a-Thon

The past few years have not been the most productive writing-wise, but there are other things besides writing (name three). Since 2005 ish, I've cared for two ill parents before their deaths, trained the world's worst dog (so much worse than the dog Marley, who at least got a book deal out of it), taught writing classes, struggled with illness, earned a master's degree, did some laundry and scrubbed the soap scum from the shower doors. I planted snap peas (dog ate them) and updated my web page. My hair is mostly growing back. The sun has made an appearance after an incredibly long and wet and gloomy winter. A little over a year since my mom died and I'm returning to creative work.

I am going to participate in the Clarion Write-A-Thon to raise money for beginning writers enrolled in the Clarion Writers Workshop. I hope to find sponsors willing to donate $10.00 or more (or less). The donations are tax deductible. The money goes to The Clarion Foundation and is used to support the program, but when you sponsor me, you give me a moral boost and help me by creating a deadline that I'll meet by writing new stuff.

You can also encourage me to write by posting a kind word here (or there) and I'll try to do the same for you.

The Thon officially begins June 27 and ends August 7, 2010, but since I've known I was going to participate I've finished a couple of drafts of short things that have long been in process, and finished one preliminary draft of a new very short story. I have much revising to do, but finishing things, even drafts, is a big deal. And I've picked up the long-suffering novel ("Clutter") with the goal of finishing that one and moving on to the next. My goals (which could change) are to finish a few of the many starts that have been on my desktop since everything went to shit and then get cracking on a novel started in October that I haven't looked at since.

I used to tell myself that art and writing helped us transcend the difficulties of life. I'm not sure I still believe that but I still think art's important, even if only because we all need occasional breaks from the horrible and mundane.