There was a time where I wanted to focus on releasing more content here at my website. But as a writer — and a fiction writer specifically — with the kind of goals that I have in mind for my business, I’ve come to the realization that I just won’t have the time. So, I will write here at the website whenever I can
That being said, the posts that I will write will focus on what is happening as well as book reviews, film commentary, and those things which are closely related to the genres in which I write.
I have never laid out how I prepare to write a novel seeing I’ve only written two. But the method I’ve used for them is not going to change.
I do quite a bit of prewriting. My character profiles are in-depth I also prepare by having pictures that inspire me in terms of location as well as origin stories and much more. I compare it to the lore in Lord of the Rings with a more sweeping scope since it includes off-world things as well as through time.
I like to think of the RIU as a comic book universe but written in prose.
Recently, I became a member of Patreon. For those of you who are not familiar, Patreon is a service that allows people who want to support creators in their work on a continuing basis. They can pledge a monthly donation in order to support them while in return they receive perks. It’s based on an old model from history where people supported artists so that they were free to create their art.
What I think is interesting is right now I’m listening to Mozart and he actually is a person who had patrons. It’s bringing an old idea into the new era.
I fell in love with this right away and began to do some extensive research on whether or not this was something that I wanted to add to my repertoire. After reading several articles and videos later that took some weeks, I came to the conclusion I needed to have a Patreon page.
Why did I feel that I needed a Patreon page? Let me count the ways.
1. I’m a Universe Creator.
Novels are part of what I do but when you see how I describe myself, I always state I am a storyteller and universe creator. I do than a purpose because that’s really what I do. Novels are the stories set in the universe I create off camera so to speak.
Remember when I said that I do a lot of prewriting before I write a novel? That’s because there are a lot of locations, objects, and characters that need to be explained beforehand as well as the history behind those things. Now, that may seem like a lot of work but that’s what I need to have in front of me before I can actually write the story and when I have those things in front of me, writing the story goes much quicker.
Much of that information is not something readers will initially know, if ever. There is a time of unfolding if I decide that I want to include that information in a novel because it’s pertinent. Much of the information I write in the background is fluff that will never see the light of day in a novel.
Let me give you an example. If you read episode three of The Dark Corner, The Gift, you know there’s a special object that shows up. It becomes front and center in later episodes of the series. It is left in complete mystery. You don’t its origin though you get an idea of what it does. But again, you don’t know why it does that. All of that information I write in the lore. That may come out later on or it may not.
I know it makes some readers curious (at least it would make me curious) so Patreon allows me to offer that material to people who support me and expands the universe for the reader which makes their experience in the RIU more rich and immersive.
2. I Don’t Just Write Novels.
Now you can probably say this for a lot of fiction writers. They write short stories, novelettes, and novellas.
For me, some of these can be offered in e-book format but some of them would just be nice things my readers can have that, again, intensifies is their experience in the RIU.
I’m also a music producer. I’d like to have exclusive music created for stories that RIU supporters can listen to as they read the stories. It’s basically music made specifically for that story. These would be short but interesting additions I can offer to my Patreon supporters.
3. Everything Is Connected.
There are authors who write a lot of books. Stephen King writes a lot of books. He sometimes even writes a series of books. But Pet Cemetery is not related to Cujo which is not related to The Dark Tower. They’re all separate stories in their own separate universes.
This is not the case in the RIU. Everything is connected. Even if it’s just a sentence that connects a short story to a novel or a novelette to a novella, everything is connected in what I call the Tapestry. So you have to be paying attention when you read my stories because there may be clues presented in one story that was never resolved in the original story that’s solved in the other. With the Patron Page, it will allow me to give my readers access to those stories as well as how they connect to one another.
4. It’s My Preferred Direct Connection With Fans
Being a self-published writer, one of the most powerful things this new era of publishing allows us to do is to be directly connected with our fans. If there is a discussion on something in the universe that people want to have, that is possible through the Internet.
Some writers do this through Facebook pages or groups. Some do it through forums on their website. For me, I think it would be a lot better to do this through a Patron page. These are the fans that are really tied into your creative offering. These are the fans that have invested themselves. I want to hear what they have to say and having a place where I can specifically hear from them is convenient and
5. Milestones Promote Goal Conscientiousness
Patreon gives creators the ability to set goal milestones so you can keep the main thing the main thing. One of the things that can happen as a self-publisher is getting distracted by all the many different tools and methods of marketing, writing, planning, and other. Goals cut through that and give a benefit not only to the writer but also to the supporters. When a goal is met, everybody wins.
Those are just a few of the reasons why I’ve decided to have a Patreon page. You can go ahead and take a look at it here:
Easton’s Patreon Page
I still have a lot to learn but I’m willing to put the time and to learn more and grow over time. I’m invested in making this work because I truly believe in the whole idea behind it. As a matter of fact, I’m supporting someone on Patreon. But I can safely say that I’m all in when it comes to the business model and growing it. So hop on over to my page and check it out and give me suggestions. I’m waiting to hear from you.
See you in the Tapestry!
