I’ve created a Patreon account.
What is Patreon? It is a fantastic new crowd-sourcing option rather akin to Kickstarter or Indie-GoGo. You are able to support art you love for as little or as much as you like. You become a patron of the arts. It’s an exciting way for artists, musicians, writers, and other creators to raise funds for projects.
It is significantly different from Kickstarter in two ways. Firstly, your pledges will be on-going. In my case, you’ll be giving every month. Secondly, there is no one-time end goal product. This is designed to support on-going projects, such as the fiction I’m writing just for this website.
Like Kickstarter, there will be rewards and stretch goals. Thus far, rewards include pdfs of some of my most recent work and a special secret blog site where I’ll post things just for my patrons. Stretch goals thus far include audio recordings of short stories, a Q & A session, and the chance to conspire with other patrons to create a world in which I will be obligated to write a story. You’ll even get some input into the plot and types of characters. I do love a challenge.
Patreon will let you leave tips for the original speculative fiction I’m posting here for you on the website. Most of it is unpublished. Why? Because I’ve decided to try an experiment. I want to provide my short fiction to you for free. Compare this to a busker on the street corner sharing her music. I’m sharing my stories. The jar is to the left, should you choose to throw in a bit of loose change. Pledges start at $1, less than the cost of a cup of coffee. I’ll think of you warmly next time I’m sitting in a coffee shop, sipping coffee, and writing my next short fiction or random act of poetry.
Other ways you can help support me – consider sharing the link to this post or to my Patreon page with your friends on FaceBook, Twitter, and other social media. Shout it out from the rooftops! And keep reading my stories – it keeps the muse happy.