Write-a-thon FAQ

The Clarion West Write-a-thon is a summer tradition! Participants set public writing goals on their personal Write-a-thon page, then work toward them. Friends and family can pledge donations in support, like a walk-a-thon, but with writing. The Write-a-thon is Clarion West’s largest annual fundraiser.

Participating writers sign up beginning June 7. They set writing goals, put up excerpts of their work, and use social media to let people know that they’re writing for a good cause. There are all kinds of writing goals—from the manageable “write for five minutes a day” to the ambitious “finish a novel” or “finish six short stories.” Every writer in the Write-a-thon chooses a goal that works for them.

This summer, writers may participate in additional online events, including affinity groups, writing sprints, (recorded) craft talks, and more. See [page] for the full list of perks.

After the Write-a-thon kicks off on June 20, friends and family can visit the Write-a-thon site, choose a writer or writers they would like to support, and use the button on each writer’s page to sponsor them. Every week, writers get a report on who’s donated to them, allowing them to communicate with their supporters. Many writers send their supporters updates on their progress, or show off their completed work at the end of the Write-a-thon, but it’s not required.

The 2021 Clarion West Write-a-thon runs from June 20 to July 31. But no worries if you got here midway through; there’s no last day to sign up as a participant, and you can donate until August 31. 

No! All you need to do is set your goals, and write or read your way to a productive summer.

The Write-a-thon is a fundraiser for Clarion West, but it’s about the writing first. You’ll have a button on your page so your friends and family can find your page and support you, but there is no fundraising requirement.

We know you’re a writer, not a fundraiser, so we try to make fundraising as easy as possible—and perhaps even fun—with tools, tips, and ideas. You can find these, and the links to classes, sprints, and other related events on your Fundraising Dashboard. This dashboard will let you communicate with donors, find all the resources available during this years' Write-a-thon, and create a writing goals page to share more information about what you write and your writing goals. 

All donations support Clarion West and its workshops. Clarion West uses the money to run workshops for emerging writers, including our Six-Week Summer Workshop. We also hold events, offer scholarships, raise awareness, and promote diverse speculative fiction in Seattle and all over the world.

Clarion West is a nonprofit educational organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal EIN 91-1352168).

Of course! We welcome any form of written work for the Write-a-thon. Many choose to work on novels or short stories, but you can also work on screenplays, essays, poems, songs, or any other type of writing.

You can find them using the search feature on the Sponsor a Writer page. If you want to browse, writers are listed in alphabetical order by first name. You may want to confirm with your writer if they are using their name, a nickname, or a pseudonym.

Yes! When you click any of the “Donate” buttons on the Write-a-thon site, and follow the directions in the 'Sponsor Multiple Writers' field to tell us how to divide it up. Alternatively, you can send a check with a note by post to Clarion West, P.O. Box 31264, Seattle, WA 98103-1264.

Yes! Clarion West is a nonprofit educational organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal EIN 91-1352168). Clarion West mails a thank-you letter that can be used as a tax receipt in the US. For donations up to $100, or for donors who do not provide a postal mailing address, we send the thank-you letter via email.

Not every participant is able to offer special promotions, but some do—and you don’t want to miss out! Every year our community comes up with dozens of special challenges & opportunities. Tuckerizations! Postcards from your writer! Matching donations! Writing critiques! Class challenges! If you’ve always wanted to be redshirted in a work of fiction, you’ll want to check the list here.

Of course! You can send checks payable to Clarion West with a note about sponsoring the Write-a-thon and the writers you wish to support:

We’ll take care of everything else!

We won’t tell if you don’t. Donations aren’t tied to words produced, so there’s no consequence to falling short of your goal—we never want the Write-a-thon to be a source of stress! Hopefully you’ll find it productive, but don’t feel bad if you don’t.

No, you don’t. Some people offer their sponsors the opportunity to see excerpts from their writing as a kind of fun accountability exchange. But many just update their profiles as they make progress.

If you do feel comfortable sharing draft versions of your work, this can be a great way to encourage more donations. But if you plan to publish it later, be aware that most genre markets consider a story “previously published” even if it’s only appeared on your personal blog. Sending it through email or requiring a password are good ways to get around that.

Yes! Maybe you’ve thought of a reward to encourage your sponsors, or you’ve sold a story you want to list in your publications; you can now revise your own page to reflect your news. You can also post your word count on your page, if you find that motivating.

You can edit your page, move the widgets around, update your progress, see your donors, and hide sections however you want from your Fundraising Dashboard. Here are two examples of different participant pages: 

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley has a fundraising page. 

Clementine Test has a non-fundraising page. 

Tip: If you’re offering a special reward for sponsors, please send us a note at writeathon@clarionwest.org so we can list it on our Special Offerings page [link].

Check out the Tips, Tricks & Perks information found in your Fundraising Dashboard Resources tab to find examples of writing and fundraising goals, templates, and more. We also have digital badges and fliers you can display on webpages or social media to let people know you’re participating!

You should be able to see this right on your Write-a-thon page. Clarion West will also send out sponsor reports every Friday night. You can see your donor status there, complete with their email in case you want to send out updates or just say thank you. It's easier than ever to email your donors this year, striaght from your Fundraising Dashboard! 

Absolutely! Use the hashtag #writeathon, and feel free to talk about your progress, your process, your goals, your trials, your tribulations, and your joys. Include links to your Clarion West Write-a-thon page. Ask them to sponsor you.

We also have digital badges and banners you can use to let people know you’re participating. You can find these in your Resources tab on your Fundraising Dashbaord. 

You will be sent an invitation to join our Write-a-thon Slack Channel after registration. Please read the Slack channel information and join an interest group from there. If you don’t see a group that interests you, please tell our Slack admin what you’re looking for, or send us a note at helpdesk@clarionwest.org.

Yes! We have several writing sprints planned throughout the Write-a-thon, as well as other events for writers to meet and write with other participants. These are free and you can register any time beginning June 7. You can take a sneak peek here. 

Yes. Each week, we’ll post a new writing prompt from one of the six organizations partnering with us this year. Promps will be posted in the Write-a-thon channel every Saturday at 6pm.