$1,121.66!

It's more or less official: we have raised $1,121.66 in the Clarion Write-a-Thon. I say "more or less" because Clarion will continue to accept donations from stragglers, so if you still want to try for $1,200 and 42 extra comics (42, people: the geekiest number in the universe), you may.

The latest Clarion blog post confirms that Clarion has exceeded its goal, bringing in nearly $16,500. Something like $5,700 was raised just this week. For those who are curious: no, I don't currently know whether I'm still in third place. It's entirely possible that someone lower on the list had an extremely good week and left me in the dust. I'll probably eventually get some sort of e-mail on the subject, so we'll see.

Thank you all for your contributions and/or moral support. As you know, I figured back at the beginning that I would have a hard time raising $200, and the possibility of hitting $1,000 seemed pretty remote. You guys proved me really, really wrong. You also put me in the position of needing to produce thirty-five extra comics, a panel involving Casey being mildly diabolical, and a drawing of a steampunk Neil Gaiman. I'm going to have to mark for a bit now, but the extras will eventually appear.

Best of all, I have finally whipped one of my novels into shape. Lemme tell you about me and novel writing. I've been doing it since the age of 17 (technically, I wrote my first "big" work when I was 15 or so, but it was only about 40 pages long. The next one was something like 600 pages in longhand). However, while I can churn out a fantasy epic on my summer vacation, I find writing query letters nigh on impossible and can spend weeks agonising over a one-page synopsis. I sent out a mauscript to one publisher once when I was twenty or so. It was, of course, rejected, which I knew would happen, but I apparently decided that the emotional turmoil involved wasn't worth it, and subsequent manuscripts ended up hidden away forever. I'm also a perfectionist who can always find something wrong with my writing. I tend to like my stories for about three days after I'm finished writing them; then I start ferreting out the flaws. Most of the time, I decide that these flaws are huge and unfixable, and I let the story languish because I know it would be rejected if I sent it out.

This latest story is flawed because, let's face it, what isn't? However, I've persevered and pounded it into shape. And you know what? Even if it isn't good enough to be published--even if it's rejected by everyone and his dog--I'm proud of it. This time, I didn't take the easy way out and give up on it. I rewrote Chapter 1. I picked away at the other chapters until most of the plot holes were plugged and the protagonist's motivations were much clearer. I added stuff and took stuff away and got rid of a lot of unnecessary adverbs and most of the appearances of the word "realised." I wrote the bloody synopsis--twice--and wrestled with the page-numbering weirdnesses of WordPerfect. And I am going to send it out. I am not going to hide it away. So what if I get rejected? Everyone gets rejected. It's better than not trying at all.

End of Rant. I didn't actually mean to write a Rant there. It just happened.

This offer still stands: Clarion doesn't give us donor contact information, but if you would like me to send you a special WoB-themed thank-you card (with Marie on the front and a doodle inside), just e-mail your mailing address to kmaaren(at)gmail(dot)com. I may procrastinate on the thank-you cards because that is just the way I roll, but you will get yours eventually. If you're worried that you'll be the only person asking for a thank-you card, you should know that I've had six requests already. Think of it mostly as an opportunity to get a WoB doodle in the mail.