My Girlfriend’s Hilarious Clarion Write-a-Thon Pledge

by on June 15, 2012 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, Clarion Write-a-Thon, News
Clarion Write a Thon Pledge

I can almost pay for a stamp!

[dc]S[/dc]tephanie, bless her, has deep pockets when it comes to raising money for charity.

She also has a sense of humor which, at times, rivals my own.

Stephanie was the second person to sponsor me for the Clarion Writer-a-Thon. Her pledge? 0.009 cents/hour for my goal of 45 hours of editing my next novel. Her intent was 0.0094 cents, so it would work out to 42 cents total.

Yes, a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference. True love, that.

Stephanie immediately texted me to let me know that her pledge was in no way a reflection of what she thought of my writing. It was a joke. But, the joke was on her, as the amount was rounded down, which made the total amount only 41 cents.

Still, it is 41 cents more than I usually get paid to write/edit my fiction, so I will take what I get. Mom, bless her, was the first to pledge, at 50 cents an hour, which is Brad Richards money¹ compared to Stephanie’s pledge.

Jokes aside, I am looking forward to this challenge, and a final version of my next novel, Riddle of the White Gun. I have been working on a short story with the same main character, over the past week. I plan to submit it to an anthology. Regardless of the short story’s fate, it was a good warm up for the Write-a-Thon.

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¹ Hockey joke. Dude signed a big contract with the New York Rangers last off season.

Daniel J. Hogan would be happy with Dallas Drake money. Follow him on Twitter, @danieljhogan.

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Turtle Power

by on June 13, 2012 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, Humor

[dc]I[/dc] look at turtles some times and think, “It is a good thing they are slow.”

Wee Turtle 2: the Turtleing

Good thing he can’t catch me. I think. Photo by me.

Why? Because, if they could move like a tiger or a cheetah, we would all be in big trouble. Don’t believe me? Look at the Super Mario Bros. video games for evidence. King Koopa and his ilk are always starting something. Heck, one type of Koopa Troopers even comes back from the dead (Dry Bones). Nightmare fuel at its finest.

But, think about it: if an armor plated, leathery beast with snapping jaws (read: turtle) was faster than a human, we would all be doing their laundry. Metaphorically. Literally, we’d all be turtle chow in about thirty seconds. Maybe twenty.

Ever looked at a snapping turtle? Nasty business right there. Hulking beasts with angry, piercing jaws. According to urban legend (which is like an oral Wikipedia), they can bite through a canoe. Yikes.

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I’m Taking Part in the Clarion Write-a-Thon

by on June 11, 2012 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, Clarion Write-a-Thon, News
Writing Advice, 01.30.2012

Writing advice. I need to find these notes again. Photo by me.

[dc]B[/dc]ecause I work better with deadlines, and because I want to get my next novel, Riddle of the White Gun, polished, I signed up for the Clarion Write-a-Thon (I learned about it via this post on Boing Boing). The novel mixes humor, fantasy, steampunk, and spaghetti westerns. Think Fistful of Dollars meets Discworld.

The Write-a-Thon is similar to National Novel Writing Month, but kind of unique in its own way. It helps raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers’ Workshop. Now, I have heard about this workshop, and would have loved to partake, but the cost and time commitments are a bit out of my reach (it is a few weeks long, and is in California).

So, the Write-a-Thon is the next best thing. If I raise at least $20, I can be invited to join a writing group with a mentor. I am happy with my book, but it needs some tweaks here and there. With the Write-a-Thon, you set your own goal: a certain number of words, stories, etc. I set a goal of 45 hours editing, which is little over an hour a day for the span of the Write-a-Thon.

If you would like to pledge, I would be most appreciative. Details are on my Writer’s Page. I will be posting updates on this blog during the process, so keep coming back.

The Write-a-Thon starts June 24th, and goes until August 4th.

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Daniel J. Hogan pledges to accept your pledge. Follow him on Twitter, @danieljhogan.

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Ice Cream

by on June 6, 2012 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, Humor

[dc]J[/dc]une is here and Summer is at last upon us like stripes on an okapi (it’s a thing, trust me).

Summer! 186/365

Blue Moon! Photo by me.

And with Summer comes on of my favorite seasonal treats—no, not beer—ice cream.

Unlike beer, which can be savored year round, ice cream is best enjoyed during our “three months of bad sledding” here in Michigan: June, July, and August. I hear though, if you live in our beautiful Upper Peninsula that number gets cut down to one.  Bummer—guess that’s the trade off for having all those fancy waterfalls.

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