I set up a fundraising page to help The Office of Letters and Light, “…do the hoo-doo that they do so well…” I am particularly attracted to the Young Writer’s Program and how OLL has made it a point to reach out to educators and young writers. I would really enjoy using the curriculum in my class room as an afterschool extra-curricular option. I am thinking such an effort next year could be a project taken on by an OHS Writers’ Guild. I made a list of friends and relatives who were acquainted with my desire to write and tell stories. I then cut it in half. One list is for this year and the next is for 2012. I figure that way no one is going to feel put upon if I do this whole thing again.

Earlier I made a contribution on my own. I didn’t realize there was a way to set up a fundraising page complete with helps such as template letters and advice. I set my goal at a modest $250.00 and sent out a modified version of the query letter. To tell the truth, there was very little of the query letter left after I basically wrote my own. I made a list of friends and relatives who were acquainted with my desire to write and tell stories or who were involved in either teaching or letters in one fashion or another. I then cut the list in half. One is for this year and the other is for 2012. I figure that way no one is going to feel put upon if I do this whole thing again.

I am happy to say, my meager efforts have born fruit and I am well on my way to my goal: Craig, Jymmy, Renee, Marirose and Randy, you guys are my heroes!

Though I dislike fundraising immensely, I feel I can get behind this non-profit effort as it’s “writing” and writing is paramount to reading and Lord knows, we need more readers who appreciate what it means to write a book, and what it means to write a good book, because there is so much garbage being published out there. Maybe if more folk, both young and old, were to attempt a novel length manuscript, there would be more appreciation for the written word and the work that goes into producing it.

(The latest entries to TSQ are from my journal. I simply haven’t had enough time to post them until now.)

Originally posted in The Salamander’s Quill 1.0 now deleted.