For years now I’ve been working on my writing and getting my work out into the world. To this end I’ve achieved some success: I’ve had a number of short stories published – about 17 at last count with 2 more being released in the next several months. I’ve been working my way through the ranks of the industry, first being published in the so called ‘vanity’ markets (ie: no payment, just kudos) and then earning my way up to professional rates. A number of my short stories have received great reviews, and one, The Little Red Man in Ticonderoga Press’ Dead Red Heart received an Honorable Mention in Ellen Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year Volume 4. Several of my stories have been considered for production into short film/television shows. These days I’m fortunate to have editors seeking out my work to include in their anthologies. I’ve achieved quite a bit so far, however I have far loftier goals. There’s more I want to do. More I can share with the world. Much more.
Quality writing takes time. It’s a process; it doesn’t just happen, rather it needs to be encouraged, nurtured, and allowed to evolve. Reaching ‘The End’ is in fact only the beginning; like a precious stone it needs to be cut and polished, re-examined and refined. Sometimes, to get the best result, you need to leave it alone for awhile, to return to it with fresh eyes and fresh insight. Anyone can write something and send it out into the world and say, “there. I did a thing,” and hope that people pick it up. I want to produce works that people want to read, that people look forward to, that they cannot wait to get their hands on. That takes time, and effort, and commitment. I have the commitment, and I’m more than willing to put in the effort and the time.
Here’s the thing: like you (most likely) I have bills to pay, a family to support, and a need for things like food, shelter and other necessities of life. This means, like you (most likely), I have to work in order to meet these basic needs. Right now I work two jobs to make the minimum I need to meet my obligations. The problem is: the more I work, the less I write, and the less I write, the less progress I make towards my goals, which in turn means my stories go untold and unshared with the world.
Something needs to change. Giving up writing is not an option. Neither is giving up work; at least not right now. So I’m turning to Patreon in the hope that I can find support from people like YOU who love a good story, who enjoy the darker side of fiction, who believe in supporting the authors they enjoy, so I can devote more time to writing, get more of my work out there, and achieve my unmet goals.
Find out more about how YOU can support me by checking out my Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/raymondgatesauthor