2009 Write-a-thon Fundraiser

Behind on your word count? Looking for a great excuse to come out to San Francisco? Need a mid-November extravaganza of food, drink, and lots and lots of noveling? We've got an event for you! The third-annual NaNoWriMo Night of Writing Dangerously.

What: Six hours of writing, accompanied by dinner and drinks in a ballroom overlooking the twinkling lights of downtown San Francisco. This will be our classiest and most dangerous write-a-thon yet, so don't miss it! Check out video from last year's event on our blog and more photos in our Flickr pool.

When: Sunday, November 22, 2009, 5 PM - 11 PM.

Where: The Julia Morgan Ballroom, Merchants Exchange Building, 15th floor, San Francisco, California.

Why: Because we want to write with you! And feed you! And because proceeds from the evening make our programs possible, including the classroom-based Young Writers Program, which is growing at a jaw-dropping pace. Last year, our dangerous writers raised $17,000---money we've used for a myriad of awesome improvements to our events. Come show your support this year by helping us reach our $25,000 fundraising goal! The more money you raise, the more tickets you'll get for our prize raffle. Plus, the top fundraisers will walk home with one of our grand prizes.

This year's grand prizes will include:

A Lavender Butterfly Fund Dell Inspiron 15.6'' Glossy Widescreen Laptop with Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor at 3GB Memory, 250 GB Hard Drive and Windows 7 Home Premium, which plays and creates CDs & DVDs and has an Integrated Webcam and Wireless Mini Card!
An AlphaSmart NEO, provided by Renaissance Learning.
An iPod nano, provided by Macworld Software.
A $200 Gift Certificate to ThinkGeek.com along with your very own chainmail headdress.
Two Kindles each with a $50 Kindle Gift Certificate, provided by Storyist.

Theme: Noir. Costumes encouraged, but not required.

The Details

Here's how it works:

Raise $200 in sponsorships from family and/or friends by November 18 to attend. You can do this via your fun, personal Write-a-thon sponsorship page through our partner GiftTool. Head here to set up your free fundraising page!
As soon as you've raised at least $200, send an RSVP with a link to your GiftTool page to Write-a-thon Cruise Director Sarah: sarah_mackey[at]lettersandlight[dot]org.
If you raise $300 or more you can bring a guest! Just RSVP with a "plus one" to Sarah. Keep in mind that the ballroom we've rented can only seat 200 folks, so we have to limit attendance to the first 200 people who RSVP.
Come to the event, which will be held from 5 PM to 11 PM on November 22, 2009. Eat great food. Drink great drinks. Take part in writing challenges and win prizes with the NaNoWriMo staff and fellow participants, or just plug in the headphones and lose yourself in noveling abandon for six delicious hours.

Everyone who comes to the Write-a-thon will receive:

A tote bag filled with books and other treats from our sponsors, including The Constant Art of Being a Writer: The Life, Art and Business of Fiction by N.M Kelby provided by F&W Media, and an Annoy-a-tron provided by ThinkGeek.com.
Storyist's Creative Writing Software.
Your very own Webble! What's a Webble, you ask? It is a super cool "Active Foot Rest." You'll find our Webble underneath your seat at the Write-a-thon.
A copy of Telltale Games, Tales of Monkey Island a swashbuckling adventure filled with pirates, puzzles, humor and general lunacy- a perfect intermission to padding your word count.
Encouragement, inspiration, and writerly mojo courtesy of NaNoWriMo Director Chris Baty and the NaNoWriMo staff.
Dinner provided by A.G. Ferrari.
Drinks.
Buckets of sweets from Cybele May's famous Candy Buffet.
A multitude of snacks.
A chance to get your author photo taken by professional photographer, Ken Goudey. Check out Chris' author photos from last year.
And much more!

And everyone will have a chance to take home a basket of awesome prizes. You automatically get four raffle tickets upon entering, and will receive an additional ticket for every $50 raised above your initial $200. And yes, you are welcome to share your raffle tickets with your guest, if you end up bringing one. So far we are giving away all of the following:

Family four-pack of passes to the Children's Discovery Museum.
Two guest passes to SFMOMA.
One voucher for an art class at Root Division.
Four passes to the de Young or Legion of Honor.
Two tickets to see a play at Shotgun Players in Berkeley.
One-pound bags of deliciously strong Atlas Coffee.
One pair of pajamas from The Cat's Pajamas.
$20 gift certificate to Recycle Bookstore in San Jose.
Books on reading children's literature, a children's book on reading, and a Scholastic tote from Hicklebee's Children's Bookstore.
Gift certificate for one free massage at the National Holistic Institute.
A four-person tour of Cowgirl Creamery in San Francisco.
A super-pack of books on writing from Chronicle Books including You Know You're a Writer When by Adair Lara, The Writer's Toolbox: Creative Games and Exercises for Inspiring the 'Write' Side of Your Brain by Jamie Cat Callan, and Listography Journal: Your Life in Lists by Lisa Nola
Two tickets to a show of your choice at the illustrious rock venue The Rickshop Stop in San Francisco.
Two tickets to the San Francisco International Beer Festival where you can sample over 300 incredible beers from some of the best craft brewers in the world!
One PIER 39 Fun Pack certificate.
One beautiful hand screened T-shirt from Culture Consumer.
One Limited Edition Commemorative Frank Gore Laser Autographed Football from the San Francisco 49ers.
One day use for two guests voucher with a two nights for the price of one gift certificate at Vichy Springs Resort.
Four admission tickets to the California Academy of Sciences.
One family pass to the Oakland Zoo.
A Gift Certificate up to $140, which may be used towards Camping or Day Visits to the Harbin Hot Springs.
Four Grand Lake Theater movie passes.
Two museum passes to the Rosicrucian Eygptian Museum & Planetarium.
Two vouchers to an adult seminar at 826 Valencia.

Write-a-thon FAQ

What time is the event?: The event will begin at 5 PM and end at 11 PM.
When will dinner be served?: Casual buffet-style food will be served at 7 PM.
What is the venue's address?: The Julia Morgan Ballroom is located on the 15th floor of the Merchants Exchange Building, 465 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94104.
Where can I get directions to the event and where can I park once I'm there?: You can type in your address here to get directions. The Merchants Exchange Building does not offer parking, but there is plenty of free street parking and multiple pay lots nearby. Since the event is on a Sunday, you can park at any meter without paying!
Is there a way to get there using public transportation?: Yes! The Merchants Exchange Building is only a few short blocks from the Montgomery Bart and Muni station.
I would like to carpool. How can I let people know and organize a carpooling schedule with them?: If there isn't one already, create a post in your regional forum about it to coordinate carpool schedules with other local Wrimos.
Does the event have an age restriction?: No, the Write-a-thon is open to all ages, though you must be at least 13 years or older to fundraise and will need to show ID to drink alcohol.
I've raised my $200, how do I RSVP?: Contact sarah_mackey[at]lettersandlight[dot]org with a link to your GiftTool page and let her know you'd like a spot.
I've already donated $200 directly to NaNoWriMo this year. Do I need to raise an additional $200 through GiftTool in order to attend the Write-a-thon?: Yes. If you make a donation to NaNoWriMo through our Donation Station, you will receive a different set of awesome thank-you gifts. Write-a-thon tickets are only available by fundraising through GiftTool.
Will I get the donor goodies, including my halo, offered through the Donation Station in addition to a ticket to the Write-a-thon?: The Write-a-thon comes with its own set of special goodies (see above), and you will receive those instead of the NaNoWriMo thank-you gifts you would normally receive for a donation at that level. You will get a halo, however, which will come in December.
How many tickets do we get for the prize drawings?: You automatically get 4 tickets upon entering, and will receive an additional ticket for every $50 raised above your initial $200.
If I leave early, and my name gets drawn for a prize in the raffle, will I still get my prize?: Yes.
Will people be talking loudly at the event?: Possibly, and there will be upbeat music as well, played at a low volume. Bring headphones or earplugs to help concentrate on writing dangerously.

The Details

Write-a-thon FAQ

2009 Write-a-thon Sponsors

Recycle Bookstore

Ken Goudey

Grand Lake Theater

Jennifer Redelle Carey