Hello lovely folks,

Here’s a “please sponsor me” request with a difference.  Some people run marathons.  Some people shave off all their hair.

Not me.

As some of you know, I’m taking part in the National Novel Writing Month this month.  It’s a challenge that some of my friends and I take up every year (ok, this year and last year, so far) to write a 50,000 word novel in a month.  Yep, 50k words – that’s about 1670 words per day, every day, for 30 days.  It’s day 4 now, and I’m on track to finish off my 6668th word this evening.

“But what’s it in aid of?” you ask.  Well, normally, nothing.  Normally it’s just a challenge we set ourselves.  But this year, I’d like to do it in aid of the charity I work for – Columba 1400.  The credit crunch has hit the whole non-profit sector pretty hard – many trusts and foundations which award funding are reliant on income streams from shares, and those income streams are looking pretty dry right now.

So, I’d like to help out in any way I can – by getting my friends and family involved.

Columba 1400 is a Scottish charity which works with young people from tough backgrounds – many of them have been in state care for much of their lives, or they could be carers for parents who have problems of their own..  It’s my organisation’s belief that these young people can achieve so much more than society traditionally leads them to believe, and it’s our mission to try to help them realise and understand that potential.

One of the phrases we use to describe our attitude is a quote from John Buchan: “Our task is not to put the greatness back into humanity, but ot elicit it – for the greatness is there already.”

Sponsoring me is easy – just whip out your credit card, visit www.justgiving.com/nanowrimo and pledge a wee bit of encouragement – not just for me to finish my novel, but for this organisation that I work for, which sees such amazing potential in each young person who crosses our threshold.

And if you want to read the finished story when it’s done (the main character is a giant spider – who’s interested?) then just email me and I’ll send it on through to you.

From NaNo 08 images

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