Re. the write-a-thon: we did it: we passed the $1,000 mark. I must say that two of the latest donors attempted to return us to a position in which there was a 6.66 in the total, but since they both did it, they failed.

What you wonderful people have earned yourselves so far is:

1) Thirty-five extra comics, to be posted at my discretion. Because I do have one of those pesky job things, I won't be able to manage them all at once, but I'll spread the extras out over the course of the next year. In the fall, for instance, there will be two weeks of daily comics (i.e., seven extra strips). It's possible that I'll manage a full month, but not particularly probable. All you need to know is that every once in a while, I'll be going, "Hey, guys, guess what? There will be daily comics for the next fortnight. Yay!"

2) A $666.66-inspired Casey panel, which can be found here.

3) A drawing of a steampunk version of Neil Gaiman. I'm not sure when this one will happen, as I'm a teeny bit buried in marking at the moment, but it will eventually turn up, probably when you are least expecting it. This little "reward" exists becauseI seem to take an "in for a penny, in for a pound" approach to fundraising; since I'm committed to this whole write-a-thon thing, I'll raise as much money as I can, damn it all. So on Monday, I asked Neil Gaiman to retweet my request for donations and promised that if I hit $1,000, I would draw a steampunk Neil Gaiman. Why? Because I could. Mr. Gaiman has retweeted Clarion requests before, so I figured...well, why not, after all?

He retweeted my request. Over 2,400 people visited the donation page. I figure only a few of them donated, but along with the other recent donations from my friends, WoB readers, and probably some Clarion people, it's been enough to push us up from around $700 to over $1,000.

Some of Mr. Gaiman's Twitter followers also found the West of Bathurst link on the donation page, and they have spent the past four days reading through the archives. Welcome, Mr. Gaiman's Twitter followers. I hope your eyes aren't bleeding by this point. There are quite a few comics in the archives.

The write-a-thon ends on Saturday. If you haven't yet donated, please consider doing so. This is your last chance to be nagged and bullied into donating, people. Don't miss out on the opportunity. Also: $1,000! Dude!

I have progressed in my proofreading, mostly by virtue of reading a chapter every time I need a break from the cursed marking. I've got through fourteen chapters (out of twenty-six). I hope to finish the rest by the time the write-a-thon officially ends on Saturday night.