The risk of including your kids

...and the importance of putting more empathy into the world.

We say we like stories filled with adventure.

But I doubt the characters experiencing the risk and uncertainty are enjoying themselves all too often.

Sometimes creating something feels like an adventure. In my case, you start with an idea, then squirrel away time away from any sort of judgement (until an editor or beta reader gets ahold of it) and eventually you wind up with a book.

Then comes the existential dread of wondering if anyone is going to care about the book that you poured your heart into.

There’s a lot of competition for attention. 4 million new books release every year, so ~11,000 titles are published daily. Not only that, but you’re still competing against every other book previously published, movie, TV show, podcast, app, video game, etc for attention.

And I brought my kid along.

The point of the shared pen name C.W. Task that we write under together is to remind me of when I was her age and writing stories on the computer (username CWTS94C on Prodigy.net) and not caring what anyone thought.

Because writing is supposed to be fun. It can be a safe place to work through your thoughts and ideas and to understand yourself better.

But part of the magic of writing is the empathy that is created when someone reads those stories and connects and feels a little less alone.

And that involves risk on the part of the author(s) to show up at the busy intersection, and hope that someone notices…or cares.

Right now we’re standing there, together.

We’re in the middle of releasing the third book of our series on Kickstarter. It’s not our first rodeo, but right now it’s feeling a bit like an adventure.

There is uncertainty if this project will fund and get the print run we’re hoping for. At the moment we’re not even at the halfway mark and I couldn’t tell you if it will succeed.

If we fail, it’s going to be an opportunity to learn about grit and resilience in the face of disappointment. I’m sure that would serve her in the future.

If we succeed, it will be a celebration of community coming alongside her and more empathy in the world.

The Lost Saint started off as a fun way to connect over a Christmas conversation (the logistics of how Santa could deliver to each house), and it turned into something more… about the hope of reunion and what it looks like to think about others’ needs with empathy.

It’s a story I’m proud that she and I could tell together, and I hope that soon we’ll be able to put in the hands of readers.

If you want to join us, we’d love to have you along for the ride: The Lost Saint & Fictionsmith Family Kickstarter.

All the best,
-Ryan (half of C.W. Task)