http://aldersprig.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] aldersprig.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] crowdfunding2011-02-21 01:26 pm
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Drakeathon Aftermath Report*

Xposted to my lj, my dreamwidth, and the Dreamwidth Crowdfunding community.

* title changed to indicate that no, kitty is still alive and well.


This weekend was my Drakeathon: an 8-hour livewriting marathon over two days to raise funds to help offset the costs of my diabetic kitty's insulin, needles, and vet visits.

For 4 hours on Saturday & 4 on Sunday, I took prompts and wrote from them in a GoogleDoc open to anyone who donated.

I received $155 in donations, got 20 prompts from 16 people, 13 of whom donated.

(in sick kitty terms, this is one bottle of insulin and 100 syringes, or 6 visits to the vet, or 155 days of canned cat food).

Things I learned:
* I like livewriting. I really like it. If I could do all my writing in front of an audience, I think I would.
* GoogleDocs works, but it has its flaws. It's not right there visible to everyone, which I think might draw more interest.
* (Something I knew already, but I'm not sure how to capitalize on best): Interest makes interest. If half of your Twitter Feed or F-list is talking about something, you're more likely to be interested yourself.
* 4 hours at a sitting is too long, and midnight is too late.

Things that surprised me:
* I got less unpaid prompts (5, from 3 people) and more paid prompts (the other 15) than I thought I would. I expected a lot more little 50 or 100 word unpaid prompts and less 600+ word paid requests
* I write slower than I thought I would. I still have 2 unpaid & 4 paid requests to write in the next week, totally 3900 words (I wrote ~7000 words over 8 hours).
* People seem rather interested in what sort of pizza I'll be getting with the $20 incentive level (probably take-out Indian. There's no good delivery in East Nowhere where we live)
* It probably shouldn't have surprised me, but I had quite a few Addergoole prompts (4, plus two in the wings that are "Addergoole /or/ Cali;" Addergoole is my webserial I've been posting for 2+ years) and none for the current fantasy short story setting, Reiassan.


All in all, I had a lot of fun. I'm excited to put together the e-book, as that will be another learning experience, and I will probably do this again at some point.

[identity profile] freyas-fire.livejournal.com 2011-02-22 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
I can't contribute financially, but as a mom of furkids, just wanted to give a heads up that if you can get it, Carecredit will cover vet bills as well as human ones. It's basically a credit card for medical bills, so you do have to pay it back, but it might be good to have on hand if there is absolutely no cash on hand and you are out of insulin for the kitty. http://www.carecredit.com/