My website will be offline by November 15th. While I do some reorganizing, I need your help. And you might be thinking–Me? V can’t really mean that, I’m sure there’s someone else. But no, I mean YOU. If you’re reading this, I’m talking to you.
I’ve shared before how I’ve struggled with putting myself and my writing out there. It has been a lot of hard work with questionable results. Despite some great lessons I’ve learned about what I don’t want to do, I’m still trying to figure out the answer(s) to very basic question:
If writing is how I best share myself with the world, how do I do that in a way that honors my voice and person as a Black, Queer, disabled storyteller?
How do I share my stories and characters? How do I talk about the histories and cultures in the worlds I write? I have written so much fiction over the years, outside of the stories and mini-series on this site. I don’t know if it will ever turn into the series of novels I once dreamed it to be. My capacity may not allow for that–but that doesn’t mean all that writing is wasted. I still believe in those narratives, in the characters and the magic of those worlds. I want to share it.
Deep down, I believe that it’s worth sharing…even if I don’t know how.
That’s kind of the whole reason I started this website in the first place: because I believed my writing was worth sharing, no matter how imperfect it might be or what direction(s) my creativity would take. It was worth sharing my journey of it, and not just the pages between the pages of a glossy cover. I’m grateful to have shared stories, experiences, and art on this site. As I move forward, I want to know which ways my audience wants to support me.
Support goes SO MUCH FURTHER than dollars and donations. Those can help with art supplies, but it’s not the reason I share my work. A huge problem I had with Patreon was that I didn’t like gate-keeping my stories and art behind a pay wall. I also felt like I didn’t have as much flexibility with my creativity. It felt like I had to stick to one project, one set of characters, when in reality I’m all over the place with my writing. Why couldn’t I share it all?
I have a few ideas in the works for 2024, but I need your help with some of the details. This site will still have short stories and poems. You can still catch glimpses of my art and writing life on Instagram. But so much of my joy comes from writing with characters I haven’t even begun to share outside of the various drafts of their respective manuscripts. Those characters are ones I have lived and worked with and loved for years now. If I never have the capacity to give them their full-length features, I still need to share their stories. They’re kind of adamant about that part, actually.
I will share my writing no matter what–that’s been the same since the beginning. Along the way, I’ve learned that I’m hungry for interaction. I want to have conversations. I want to hear others’ takes, their insights, their interpretations and opinions. I haven’t found a way of hosting or having that kind of engagement, but in the few instances when I’ve been able to have those conversations about characters and context, it feels like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.
How can we have those conversations? That’s what I need your help figuring out! Some of can you add to the conversation by sharing links to my posts and giving your take on my writing. Others feel more comfortable commenting on my posts directly, whether on this site or on my social media pages. And another way is to share a link or post with a friend or in a group–creating opportunities for more perspectives and voices to be shared! So how will you help?
I can put my heart and soul into this–and it might stay right here, sitting on website or hard drive until I die. Sometimes, I wonder if anyone will come along afterwards and try to put together all these stories and pieces in a coherent way. I’ve looked for guidance and opportunities. I’ve put myself out there. And I’m not willing to ignore my access needs and identity for the sake of publishing a story.
Help me connect–to you, to myself, to the world around me–by becoming part of an imaginative conversation.
It’s what I’m here for.
Click here and let me know how you’ll share your perspective!
V. H. King's Ink 