I have made the decision to delay my next Kickstarter project, a 1920s Cthulhu Dark scenario titled “Sun Spots,” until the June-July time-frame. This decision originally came from not being able to get the two artists that I want to work with until then. But then real life got in the way of any more planning and it has turned out to be a good decision overall.
Because here’s the thing — while the scenario I plan to publish is written, the planning required for a KS project is quite the task and I’m just not ready for it. I created my project plan for the overall project, and most of the work is up front with PR, marketing and all the other stuff that goes into making the crowd part of crowd-funding successful. Even with one successful project under my belt, there are still a lot of doors to ring to raise awareness and all that just takes time.
My biggest struggle as a writer is not content — I have dozens of stories, blog posts, novels and screenplays in my head that I could work on every day if given the opportunity. But my life with my family, job and friends is quite busy and I find it hard to carve out the time necessary to make it all work. I feel like I am trying hard, which just means that I’m not doing if you listen to Yoda.
This is the backside of the 21st century writer’s ability to do it all himself. Yes, the barrier to entry has fallen away, but there is so much more work to do, all in the name of progressing one’s career. It’s no longer enough to just type at one’s masterpiece, then send it off to your editor and wipe your hands to go work on the next project. The flexibility of the modern writer cuts both ways, certainly.
But we go and climb back on the horse and hit it again, like some sort of Don Quixote charging at the windmills of literary self-sufficiency. So, yeah, the Kickstarter’s delayed.
Regardless, the projects need to be written, if only to keep me sane, so look for more writing as the year progresses. Onward!