The discovery of this platform has left me feeling both foolish and enthralled. The experience has been something akin to searching for an object misplaced, giving up and then finding it was there the whole time, hidden under the jacket thrown carelessly over the coffee table.
For years I've pined for a landing pad for the work I do – mostly short-stories(both fiction and non) - all drawn from experiences greedily gathered, casting my net as far and as wide as I have been able into the sea of life. To find a space online, with the possibility of earning even a meagre income by sharing my art independently is a veritable breath of life into a passion that is often thankless – my only reward being that of touching, from time to time, the enlivening ecstasy of creative fire.
It was in casual conversation with an old friend and creative brother-in-arms (a high-school companion turned filmmaker) that Substack first came to my attention. Several days of research followed, all the while scarcely able to believe that such a thing existed and that, as a writer, I seemed to have found a creative home.
What does this mean?
For my longtime mailing list subscribers, it means that stories previously published on my website will now be migrating over to this platform. With the added functionality that supports a more community-based approach to content creation, it means that not only will you be able to read my work here, but leave your feedback on my posts, speak directly with me in the chat and enjoy many of the added features that come with Substack. Candid blogs, video updates, author-narrated recordings of my stories and even potential podcasts are all things you can look forward to.
How do I sign up?
Substack is a subscription based platform that works exactly like subscribing to the email list I have on my website. Subscribing to my Substack will ensure that you won’t miss any of my creations. Substack is free to use but I will be offering paid membership options that unlock exclusive content, perks and most importantly the ability to become a patron that supports my creative endeavours.
Writing is often grueling work and my love of the craft and for creating things that(I hope) bring value to other’s lives, is the fuel that allows me to slave over my stories. If you believe in my work, and want to help me make more, I’d be forever grateful to any of you that are able to consider a monthly paid membership.
Thank you…
I hope you will join me on this creative journey and find value in these stories drawn from a life lived on the edge of things; be moved, inspired or perhaps just thankful to find yourself - unlike me - somewhere safe and cozy in your own world and able, without the accompanying risk, to dip your toes into mine.
For those of you migrating here from my website or YouTube – thank you for your continued support and encouragement. You bring great meaning and focus to my pursuits. To those new friends, curiously stopping by, forgive the lack of personal detail in this introduction. The work following this post should suffice as a way to piece together the sort of life I have lived. May yours be enriched by what I share.
That is my heart's true hope.
Clint Zold