As I might have mentioned on here a time or two (or twelve), our family is moving to England this fall. My husband Carl has been accepted into Cambridge’s PhD program, so we are “up roots and away” for three years.
Obviously, the main reason and focus is Carl’s continuing education. But we are a team, always have been, and nothing in our lives is ever all about one or the other of us. My goal while at Cambridge is to enrich and expand my writing, to get at the heart of what sort of stories I tell and why, and to make connections with other artists (literary and otherwise).
Here’s the amazing thing about creating: it doesn’t happen in a bubble. The idea of the solitary genius scribbling away in a lonely garret isn’t really very plausible. Even outside an artistic community to help and encourage, life has to happen for the writing to be any good.
To that end, I have started a Patreon page in order to build a community around my writing, to help me get out there and live fully while we’re in England, and then to share that life with others. The most basic tier–$1/month–will access weekly journal posts. This is something I’ve wanted to do ever since we moved to New England and Carl began seminary, but without an outside readership keeping me accountable, I let other things creep in and get in the way. This way, I am committing to my readers just as they are committing to me.
The higher tiers get you access to other types of writing: flash fiction, short stories, that sort of thing.
Writing is a tricky business, and indie publishing even more so. There are beautiful perks–I often say I don’t have fans, I have friends, because my fanbase is so small each member has become a dear friend. I love that. There are also downsides–without a marketing team behind me, it’s difficult to spread word about my books and pick up new readers, thus things like “paying the bills” can become a treacherous quagmire. That is the nature of the business, and I am not complaining.
This Patreon is a way, I hope, of shrinking some of the difficulties and maximizing the best parts of a writing career. I have a built-in audience, which brings about even more joy in the writing and builds a natural community. I also have to worry less about whether or not the writing will bring enough of a return for me to justify keeping on with it.
If this is something that resonates with you, or even if you just want to keep up with our Cambridge adventure on a more regular basis than will be available through this dear old haphazard blog of mine, go on over to my Patreon account and sign up today! It’s going to be a wonderful journey.
I guarantee there will be lots of tea and scones, and much exploring of hidden paths.