The Wordsmith's Forge

 This is a good article about working on commission.

The crowdfunding community has sparked some discussions of patronage and patrons, the people who put the "fund" in "crowdfunding."  These are some relevant posts:

"On patronage..." by the_vulture
"Let's discuss how creators can attract customers and patrons" by laffingkat
"For those who put the 'funds' into 'crowdfunding':" by minor_architect (on her blog)
"So let's look at the demographics, shall we?" by the_vulture

One point that came up in conversation is that much of the traffic on crowdfunding comes from creators rather than patrons.  But patrons are half of the crowdfunding equation; we need those voices too.  We're actually losing people because sometimes patrons look at the community, don't see any patrons talking, and wander off.  That's not so good.

I knew some of my donors were members of the community, so I looked at the membership list.  There are at least thirty  of you there.  Wow.  It would be really spiffy if more patrons would join in the conversations with comments, or post about what projects you like and why, etc.  For those of you on a tight budget, if you're wondering what you could do for me that doesn't cost cash, this would be on the list.

This announcement crossed my desk today from Bruce Boston:

My poetry collection Surrealities is now available for pre-order from Dark
Regions Press.  Due the first week in August.
 
"In Surrealities,  SFPA Grandmaster Poet Bruce Boston brings together 29
poems surreal and about  surrealism. Along with seven poems appearing here
for the first time, this  volume includes reprints from leading genre and
literary publications such as  Chiaroscuro, Dreams and Nightmares, Paper
Crow, The Pedestal Magazine, and  Strange Horizons. Also includes six original
and striking Rorschach  illustrations Boston has created specially for this
collection."

The steampunk adventure show Aether Dancer has just announced a contest.  There's a character role open:

“Lord Phelps is a bold, spoiled foppish young man aboard the Aether Dancer strictly for adventure. Though this landed Lord of The Central Empire lives in an illusion of wealth, his family has little more than the rundown manor house they live in. His father has arranged an undesirable marriage with a wealthy landowner’s daughter and allowed Phelps one year of carousing and adventure before settling down. Cap’n Mac was paid a tidy sum for bringing Phelps aboard but often regrets it. Phelps adds to the problem by baiting and flirting with the Captain at every turn. Phelps is a well dressed dandy with a devil may care attitude and completely selfish nature.”

Does this role sound like a fit for you, or some talented actor you know?  Read about the contest to learn how to try out for it.  They're using a clever combination of staff selection, fundraising, and audience input to find someone who is talented and appealing to their audience.  I really want to see how that works out.

Yes, they're putting a trouble magnet  on an airship.  They might as well let him on the Hindenberg  with a pocketful of fireworks.  If this were a roleplaying game and I were the game master, I couldn't ask for more.  I'm glad that I get to watch this from the safety of a galaxy far, far away.

This show is fun already.

Watch their IndieGoGo fundraising page for updates.