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| Shame face: These ones happen to be all male, and all politicians, but that’s not intentional. I was making this face yesterday, too. |
One day I started to try but realized I didn’t have my wallet on me (to complete the $10 registration). Upstairs in coat pocket. Too far.
Another day, I had my wallet, tried to donate to someone else, and had a computer glitch. Meant to try again later. Didn’t.
I kept thinking how I hate to ask people for money, especially since I did some fundraising for a novel project just last summer, and I worried I’d tapped people’s patience and budgets already.
I wasn’t sure if I could make the April 12 event in person, and though I knew I could participate remotely or asynchronously in any case (it’s allowed!), I was still dithering about scheduling issues. Basically, my schedule is so overloaded this month it’s hard to look ahead. So I told myself.
I wrote to friends to ask them to join my team and they didn’t write back.
When they did write back, they said they were busy.
I got irritated with friends. And then regretted the irritation. I really need my writer friends! I’d be lost without them!
When I wrote back to remind them they could participate remotely, at a different time if necessary, I figured I should wait for their next reply.
My carpal tunnel was flaring up. Wrist-elbow-shoulder. Not from doing creative writing, of course–don’t I wish! (Cue the violins). From doing all the other stuff we do every day.
I had so many computer to-dos I couldn’t bare adding a single thing more. Oh, except checking Facebook. And my Amazon sales rank one more time, though I don’t have a new book out. And updating my Netflix queue. I did find time for that. See what great priorities I have?
What happened when I decided to sign up for the 49 Writers Write-a-thon.
I came up with a goal for the writing time, and immediately felt more charged up about my month-long plan to reboot work on my novel.
I got even more excited about my May plans for research, following the write-a-thon.
I looked at all the other people participating, and got an overwhelming surge of gratitude and warm fuzzies for all we’ve managed to do in Alaska. I saw names I recognized. Names I don’t recognize. Literary community leaders. People I really admire. Good people doing—and writing—good things. I fell in love with 49 Writers all over again.
Within 30 minutes of signing up and posting to Facebook, someone I know only a little bit donated. Someone who doesn’t even live in Alaska and has never heard of 49 Writers. Which just goes to show that friends and acquaintances don’t mind when we ask. I hope this person had a surge of happiness and literary productivity because of the good thing she did.
I stopped worrying for a moment about my own personal writing, publishing, and miscellaneous personal daily anxieties.
I crossed an item off my to-do list, and went on with what promises to be a very good day.
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| Relief face |
To sign up for the Write-a-thon or to support anyone else participating go to:
http://www.firstgiving.com/49alaskawritingcenter/2013writeathon/fundraisers
Want to be part of my TEAM REMOTE & RELAXED? You’ll get a chance to pick a team (optional) in the middle of the registration process. We’re open to joiners!
To support me go to:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/andromeda/2013writeathon