At its heart, The Shattered Glass Project is very simple. I want to write a story. Readers want to read it. Seems pretty straightforward, right?
But it's much more than that.
Just as any relationship--friends, lovers, family--is much more complex than it looks like from the outside, so is the relationship between Creator and Patron. Those who have become Patrons of Shattered Glass may think they're making a simple fiscal transaction - but they have given me more than just their financial support.
They've put their confidence in my ability as a writer; they believe I will give them something worth reading.
They've put their trust in me as a person; they believe I will not run off with their funds and spend them all on a wild weekend in Vegas rather than using them to support the Project's intended goals.
They've put their support behind my vision; they believe that this Project, wacky and weird as it is, can come together to be something special, something they want to be a part of.
And in return, although they may have only bargained for a simple .pdf or printed copy of a short story, I want to give them more than they've ever expected.
Phase One of this has been released over the last week. While waiting for the last of the Personae Patronage questionnaires to be returned, I penned a poem based on some of the thematic elements and imagery I intend to use in Shattered Glass.
I chose a very traditional form for the poem, a Villanelle, and set the words against a backdrop of cracked glass, to reinforce those themes. The poem, From Shattered Glass, was printed on parchment-style paper, with a note at the bottom, explaining that this was written just for the Patrons of Shattered Glass.
Then, for the Artisan and Personae Patrons, I hand-wrote a letter on parchment paper, thanking them specifically for their Patronage, and giving a brief update on the status of the Project (in short? It's doing great!)
The letter and poem were then put into a parchment envelope, and hand addressed.
And each was sealed with a hand-made wax seal. I chose a leaf symbol for the seal, to represent the start of something new - the Project, the experiment and my relationship with my Patrons. Green wax seemed most appropriate, considering that the Shattered Glass Patronage will last throughout the month of Spring.
Virtual Patrons received an emailed Thank You and a electronic copy of "From Shattered Glass", the same villanelle. It's important to me that each and every one of my Patrons understands what a very special part they play in this Project.
After hand-writing, addressing and sealing each of the envelopes, I took them to the post office where they were hand-cancelled and sent off across the world - literally! The Shattered Glass Patrons cover the US, Canada, the UK and Spain, thus far!
All in all, it was a lot of work, but my Patrons are worth it.
Be sure to check out the main
Shattered Glass Project page, for more information about the Shattered Glass Project, exactly what it is and how you can be a part.