2025 Write-a-thon FAQ

The Write-a-thon is an annual fundraiser for Clarion West. Participants set personal writing goals and then work toward them. Friends and family can pledge donations in support, like a walk-a-thon, but with writing. 

The Write-a-thon supports Clarion West programs year-round, including our online classes and events, free public programs, and writing workshops!

Registration opens May 19. The Write-a-thon starts Saturday, July 12 and ends Saturday, July 26. 

Anyone can join the Write-a-thon! Whether you are a Six-Week Workshop alumni, online class participant, love the Discord community, or brand new to Clarion West — if you’d like to help fundraise for speculative fiction programs for writers in a supportive writing community, the Write-a-thon is for you! 

Clarion West primarily works with writers 18 years and over. We recommend the Write-a-thon, and most of our programs, for adults over 18 unless otherwise stated. 

We have made two big changes this year: 

1. The Flash Fiction Groups are now separated from the Write-a-thon, and will begin June 8 and run for four weeks until July 3; and The Write-a-thon will run for only two weeks this summer, from July 12-July 26 to help participants stay focused and meet their writing goals!
2. The Write-a-thon will run for only two weeks this summer, from July 12-July 26 to help participants stay focused and meet their writing goals! 

Yes! The Clarion West Discord Community will have a weekly prompt and writing session from June 22-August 2, following the Six-Week Workshop. 

Many participants start their own writing sprints and find critique buddies in Discord. Joining the Clarion West Discord is free, sign-up today!

The Flash Fiction Groups are structured small groups for writing and critiquing flash fiction stories. Participation in a flash fiction group offers the perfect opportunity to get a taste of the Clarion West’s six-week workshop from the comfort of your home and without as much of a time commitment. Participants write and submit a new flash fiction story each week, learn a variety of critique methods, exchange critiques with peers, and receive guidance to sharpen your storytelling skills—all in a supportive, small-group setting.

Now fully separated from the Write-a-thon, the Flash Fiction Groups will run for four weeks from June 8 – July 3. Registration is open now through May 19th. 

The Write-a-thon is a fundraiser for Clarion West and a summer tradition! Participants sign up to commit to their writing goals, share the event with their friends and family, and ask for support — like a walk-a-thon, but for writers! The Write-a-thon will run for only two weeks this summer, from July 12-July 26 to help participants stay focused and meet their writing goals! 

The last day to register for the Write-a-thon is Friday, July 11. We want to set you up for success!  If you are looking to get to know the community, make friends, and find critique partners, then earlier is better. 

You can sign up for the Clarion West Discord community at any time.

Please note: 

Flash Fiction Groups, registration closes on May 19th.

Registration begins May 19, 2025

You can click this link to register for your page.

Registration is so simple, you won’t even realize you’re done! You’ll give your name, email, phone number, and fundraising goal and submit!

You can immediately begin setting up your member page or follow the directions in your email when you have time (“How do I build my personalized fundraising page?” below for more information). 

There is no cost to register for the Write-a-thon, however we are asking each participant to have a minimum fundraising goal of $75 or more. 

If everyone in the Write-a-thon raises just $75, we’ll reach our summer fundraising goals — and help support free and low-cost community programs year-round! 

Even if you don’t make your goal, your participation matters. Sharing the campaign with friends, family or on social media also helps us get the word out and raise my money for speculative fiction writers.

We hope you’ll make a donation — of any amount — to support Clarion West, but we’re just glad you’re here! Thanks for writing with us!  

Peer-to-peer fundraising is an effective and fun way to raise money for causes you care about. Raise more for your favorite campaigns by adding photos, a story, and a goal to your personal team member profile. View a sample team member page →

Directions for managing your page can be found here. 

Tell people that you’re participating in the Write-thon and why — we’ll send you a fundraising tool kit with email templates! Invite others to join you either by participating or by donating!

Additional Resources:

• Read the Tips & Tricks Guide
• Watch this video!
• We also have digital badges and profile frames you can display on webpages or social media to let people know you’re participating!

Absolutely! Use the #writeathon hashtag to share your goals and progress, as well as your trials and tribulations, or to get into the nitty-gritty aspects of your writing process.

Tips:

• Include links to your Clarion West Write-a-thon page for potential sponsors.
• Use the digital badges and banners in your social media profile and posts!

All donations support Clarion West and its workshops. Clarion West uses the money to run classes, workshops, panels, and other programs for emerging writers, including our Six-Week Summer Workshop. One of our most pressing needs is to secure permanent housing for our in-person six week 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 literary organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal EIN 91-1352168). 

Yes! Clarion West is a nonprofit educational organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal EIN 91-1352168). Clarion West sends an automatic email receipt for all donations and mails a thank-you letter that can be used as a tax receipt in the U.S.

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 develop screenplays, essays, poems, songs, or any other type of writing. Editing and revision is also welcome!

You can sign up for the Clarion West Discord community at any time using the invitation link: https://discord.gg/NpwxzTBsuC.

You’ll get daily writing prompts, support in the Clarion West Discord server support, and invitations to online writing times, and in-person meetups (in Seattle). 

You may also wish to take a look at: 

• Write-a-thon Tips & Tricks

Daily prompts will drop in our Discord Write-a-thon prompts channel each day. 

Yes! We have several in-person meetups planned this year. [link]

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.

We won’t tell if you don’t. Donations aren’t tied to words produced, so there are no consequences for falling short of your goal. We want the Write-a-thon to be a source of inspiration and productivity, not stress!

No. Only post what you are comfortable sharing. Some writers enjoy sharing excerpts of their work with sponsors as a way to increase accountability and motivation. Sharing drafts of your work can also be a great way to encourage more donations. However, many writers stick to updating their profiles as they progress, and that’s perfectly fine too!

Caution: If you plan to publish your writing later, be aware that most genre markets consider a story “previously published” even if it has only appeared on your personal blog. Sending your work through email or requiring a password to access it are often good ways to get around that.

You can find specific fundraising pages by searching for them here [link]. 

Unfortunately, this is a two-step process. Click on the “Donate” button on the Write-a-thon site and complete the donation form (leave the team member selection blank).

Send a list of the writers you wish to sponsor to with a breakdown of how to split up the donation for each writer. Your sponsor split should add up to your total donation and will tell us how to distribute your donation acknowledgements. Your participants will see the donation add to their total by the end of the week. 

Alternatively, you can send a check with a note by post to Clarion West, P.O. Box 31264, Seattle, WA 98103-1264.

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 to:

Clarion West, P.O. Box 31264, Seattle, WA 98103-1264