Ode to a Tip Jar

Ode to a Tip Jar 

A ringing noise upon my ear 
tells me that an email's here, 
so, I look to see, and sure enough-
 a WordPress logo, bold and tough!
Oh, perhaps has someone read my tome? 
I wonder aloud as I start to roam 
my way around the website’s format, 
hoping to find a like or comment.  
But look!  Oh no!  It bears bad news!  
No, not a troll with too tight shoes, 
no, not a bot trying to sell me a cruise; 
it’s the company telling me it’s time for my dues! 
But woe is me, I’m out of work, 
and what little is coming is already marked, 
so, what is a writer-girl to do 
when her tip jar is empty 
and her wallet is, too? 
Shill yourself, honey, sell them a book!  
Better yet, a Patreon subscription-those are off the hook! 
Or if they really love you, the tip jar they will find… 
to the very right of the blog page, no waiting in line. 
See, usually it doesn’t matter, I get by on what I get, 
but I lose quite a chunk if certain needs are not met, 
like the webhosting bill that comes due every July 
and makes me suddenly want to vomit and cry.  
So here I am asking a favor of you, 
my dearest readers, I hope you come through, 
and offer to me maybe a buck or two, 
so I can keep this site running for me and for you. 
Ok, now that my rhyme is done, 
I’m off to pen some delirium, 
because I just got a new notification 
and it has brought me great exasperation. 
So hopefully you find some happy in your day, 
because mine is slowly ebbing away, 
and I urge you please to consider a donation, 
so I can keep on writing these quotations.

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The Finish Line

Right now, I am neglecting my WIP.

I mean, I’m working on other things.  There’s the blog, and then I’m prepping a microchap to send out tomorrow morning.  But I’m not giving her the attention she deserves, and she’s angry about it.  I projected to be done by tonight, and that will only happen if I spend the next six hours locked in this office without internet access.  So, y’know…that’s not happening. 

I’m only a few scenes and an epilogue away, though.  I plan to write a scene today when I finish what needs to be done, and hopefully if I can find the time, I will be done with the first draft by the end of the week.  That would be ideal. Then I can spend the rest of the month of February editing, as planned.

I considered hiring a professional editor, but it is way out of my price range at the moment.  Mark wants to stary a GoFundMe for writing costs, which is a great idea in theory but probably not in practice.  I don’t even know if you can make those for career advancement purposes, and honestly, I have enough trouble selling books and Patreon subscriptions, and that’s cash for a product, so what makes me think people are just going to GIVE me money?

I’m just out here trying to get my Patreon’s sold, really.  That’s the best revenue for me right now, aside from folks using the tip jar…it’s over there on the side of the page, and is as close to a GoFundMe as I’m going to get.  If you really do just want to GIVE me money, that’s how to do it.  Otherwise, buy a product.  Pick up my poetry on Amazon, or check out my Patreon, where for 5$ a month you get something new every week.  All the proceeds from all these things go towards writing expenses…and coffee.  Which I suppose, is a writing expense in its own right. 

Anyway…professional editing set aside until some real cash flow comes, I will be doing it on my own, and then sending it to a few trusted sources for their notes.  Then another edit, a polish, and its off!

It’s a huge task.  I mean, I think of the microchap, which didn’t take me very long to put together at all.  I knew I had a bunch of poems centering one topic, so I organized them and got it ready for submission.  It took maybe two hours total.  My WIP, however, has been going since November 1^st.  Much, much longer, if we are talking “spark” to finish…in that case it’s been over a decade.  And here I am, on the last leg of the race, attempting to limp my way across the finish line by Friday.

Wish me luck.