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My drug of choice is writing––writing, art, reading, inspiration, books, creativity, process, craft, blogging, grammar, linguistics, and did I mention writing?

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Monetary Support 2015

The IMF finds my lack of funds....disturbing.
[Nothing here in the brackets will be going on to the "Help Us Out" tab, but it's time to update our 2015 Monetary Support condition thingie*.  

As usual, I'm going to be shass awkward (that's a combination of shit and ass....used as an adjective) talking about money. It always feels greedy to me to even bring the subject up. You've all worked so hard for your money, and my imposter syndrome lobe flares up for posts like these.
I really really want to write everyone who donates a personal thank you that isn't a form letter, but if I did that, I would spend all my time writing thank you notes and none of it writing the blog.
Because of this, I've "red shifted" the donation amounts again–a testament to your generosity. Also a testament to how donors have broken down here at W.A.W. I don't get a LOT of small donations. I mostly get huge donations that leave me gasping for air and clutching my pearls.


See.

Finally, I have a request. Pretty much every donor I talk to has no interest in suggesting what kind of posts they'd like to see next or what sort of posts they might like to see more of. The best I've gotten in two years is to do more link heavy take-downs of social issues like my Shirtstorm article. (And believe me, I will.) I don't have a big box of W.A.W. keychains or T-shirts, so I'm not sure what to do to thank people who have really reached deep into their pockets for Writing About Writing. If you have any suggestions for the things YOU might find thoughtful gestures from a grateful writer with March Hare's schedule, drop me a comment or an e-mail.

*There's still time (about 24 hours) to get in under the wire and be a part of 2014s donor cycle. ]


Though Writing About Writing is a blog with ads, most of the revenue we make here actually comes from the generous donations of our readers. (The passive ads make up only about 10-20%.) And while we love all the other ways in which fans show their support--by liking and sharing articles, with engaging and robust comments, by becoming members of or following the blog--monetary support allows us to spend more time writing around our day jobs.

I can't ever fully thank you or express how much a few dollars means. Right now, my efforts average out to somewhere between two and three dollars an hour on a really good day, so even the smallest donations are like mana from heaven. However, as insufficient as any such gesture is, and however "gauche" a rewards tier might seem, I still want to try to let everyone know in some feeble way how much you mean to me.

A few of you have "opted out" of this, assuring me that I don't need to send you a thank you note each time you donate. Though it is difficult, I will try. For the rest of you though, some small gesture seems the least I can do.


$1.99 or less - While I will never turn down any donation here (because I'm a wanton whore), I will just let you know that Paypal will be taking 30 cents per transaction, so denominations this low lose 15%+ of their value. I will make significantly less if you donated a dollar a month than if you just saved up and donated ten dollars a year.

Up to $50.00- All donors at this level will be sent a quick note of thanks to confirm receipt of their generous patronage, and will be included in a post at the end of each year thanking each donor for their support*. I will use only your first name as it shows up on your Paypal receipt. If you would like your full name to appear, or would prefer to be completely anonymous, please either mention so on your Paypal "note" or send me an email at chris.brecheen@gmail.com and let me know which donation to alter.

$50.01-$100.00-  All of the above.  In addition, I will include with the small note of thanks a few details about what's going on in my world, and what is coming up for the blog.

$100.01-$200.00-  All of the above. In addition, I will pick your brain about any updates you might like to see coming up in the future, and I will try to expedite that article in my mental queue. (Obviously this is more of a preference favoring than actual creative control, and I can't make any guarantees about time tables, but I will sure try.)

$200.01+- All of the above. In addition I will ask you about anything you generally would like to see more of and try to work that in more frequently.  (Again, I can't make creative or time-table guarantees, but I am likely to at least give it a try for a while.)


The Great Patron Muses-  There are a few great patron muses (but always room for one more). They have given more to Writing About Writing than I can possibly thank. Large monthly donations, unbelievable one-time donations, doing something totally amazeballs like show up to a convention wearing homemade Writing About Writing t-shirts, liking and sharing just about everything I post on social media, or generally just being beyond reasonable in their support of Writing About Writing. In addition to everything above, I have promised the Patron Muses that should I write a zombie apocalypse story (and there's definitely one rattling around in my brain) there will be characters based on them who might just make it to the helipad.


*While I would honestly and sincerely love to get back to every single donor with a personal message, there are just so many small donors, that trying to keep up with them has taken entire days of my writing time and left me with much less time to write.  Please know that I sincerely appreciate every one of you; however, I hope that you'll understand if my "thanks" in these cases is continuing to devote almost all my spare time to bringing you more Writing About Writing content.

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