My children turned me into the writer I always wanted to be.
When I was childless, I was pretty damn lazy. That first kid, a daughter, lit a fire under me. I had to show my girl how to live your dreams.
So I started a mommy blog. Eight years later, I have a second daughter (still an infant), my own freelance writing business with a small stable of clients, a completed kids’ novel, a literary agent and a second book underway.
Hot damn!
But it turns out, I have very little will leftover after the paying the bills with words to stay in touch with my mommy blogging roots. Which sucks, because I think my blog has been the place I’ve done some of my best work.
I’ve sold parenting pieces to big sites (Scary Mommy, Mamalode, etc) but I have a few problems with doing that. Most of them want your copyrights. And most of them want pieces that have a very specific tone.
And I have a specific tone of my own. I’m not loving selling pieces of my innermost mind told in a tone that’s not entirely mine. And for a pittance.
So I’m trying an experiment based on the principle that money creates a deeper engagement and accountability.
As a professional writer, I bust my ass to please my clients.
As a reader, I engage more deeply with content I’ve paid to read. I’m not saying that’s right or wrong, it just is.
Things with dollars attached tend to get more care and attention from makers and consumers.
So I’m putting aside my midwestern humility and asking you this question:
If something I’ve written at Mommy’s Pen has spoken to you, would you be willing to pay a buck or two to read another thing like it?
The most I’ll blog is twice per month. And that’s my stretch goal. Once every month or two is far more likely. Either way, I promise not to run you into the poor house by suddenly becoming a hugely prolific blogger. And I promise not to just spit out some trash so I can hear a cash register sound in my head. I’ll work hard to post something worth reading. Right now, I’m itching to write about Nora’s developmental phase: the nine-year-change. This is a Waldorf concept that I wish more parents knew about. It’s a big deal.
I’m hoping you’ll throw in a buck. I’ve got some public radio type ways to thank you if you do.
Here’s where you go to pledge.
But even if you don’t support me, I’m hoping you’ll look through http://Patreon.com and find an artist whose work makes you shout, “Yes!” and support them instead.
Patreon is a fantastic tool helping artists make the art we humans so desperately need. And you get to play the role of patron of the arts! Go ahead, dress up like Lorenzo de’ Medici if you want. I won’t tell.
My humble thanks for your consideration.
Sue