I thought about making this post from Hive account@thewritersblock account, since it’s relevant to our Fundition updates and might even get more views. But I didn’t, because I’m speaking for myself here, not for @GMuxx or other members of The Writers’ Block. I have so many thoughts about the things happening lately that my head spins.

I come from fairly humble beginnings. I never had a real “leg up” when it came to establishing education or career. I didn’t know the “right” people, and my family was blue collar, Southern American. I wasn’t exposed to culture, never traveled more than one or two states from my home until I was nearly grown. I didn’t read the classics, didn’t take piano. In my world, in those years, graduating from high school and going straight to work meant success just as much as being accepted into an Ivy League school. That’s just how things were.

Despite not being schooled in the background of classical anything, I had a love for the creative arts that time and hardship never destroyed. So when, as an adult, I began writing in earnest and ultimately published novels people seemed to want to read, it was a turning point for me. I did pursue some college education and thrived in that environment. At the same time, I was perfectly at home in ragged jeans and tee-shirts stained with mud and other animal by-products as I worked with horses, and then dogs once my heath declined to a point my poor reflexes made horsemanship unsafe. I never quite figured out which me was the “real” me, until I finally realized both of them are.

Last year I took on co-administration of The Writers’ Block alongside GMuxx, and soon after became CEO of Steemhouse Publishing. Serving in an executive function was never high on my list of priorities at any point in my life until I found myself here on Steem, doing these things. It should not be a surprise to anyone when I say I often feel out of my depth. Quite frequently, I am. But I can’t let that discourage or intimidate me. The vision we have as a team within TWB is far too precious to let die just because I’m afraid to step forward into new territory.

That being said, I’ve always hoped for a team of dreamers with enough real-world skill to come together and make the vision come to life. My determination alone won’t make our triangle of publishing innovation work. Last night, several of our workshop participants left the topic of our discussion and began brainstorming ideas about how to take Wordrow, Steemhouse, and TWB to the next level. Because of my reputation of being heavy-handed on the reins, I’m sure it took some courage for these folks to speak up. It’s courage I appreciate and admire, and courage that I want leading this business venture into the next generation of publishing and literary media.

I don’t want to run this business by myself. I don’t need to micromanage. But as past experience has shown, management teams left untended too long seem to get ideas of their own about undermining the leadership. It’s a balance, one GMuxx and I have yet to find. However, the brilliant minds coming onto our radar at TWB are just as precious as the vision I mentioned earlier. They are the future of this project, and I want to see what they make of it.

“Re-branding.” “Long-term viability.” “First-mover advantage.” “Coherent editorial line.” These are terms finding their way into my conversations lately, spoken by people who clearly “get” the vision GMuxx and I have fought so hard to keep alive. These are individuals we want on TWB team. What can we offer? What does any startup offer? Stake in final product. We don’t want employees. We want partners. We want people willing to invest time and talent with the end goal of real financial security for everyone involved.

I won’t mention names in this post, but last night’s impromptu meeting was exactly what I needed to remind me why we’re doing all of this even when Steem is below forty cents. That doesn’t matter. Not to our long-term plans. But it also underscored the fact that we’ll never succeed without the input of these brilliant minds, not that I would even want to take this journey without them.

To sum up the whole point of this post, let me just say to all the folks who are considering taking a role in this game-changing initiative—please know your input is infinitely valuable and deeply appreciated. The future is ours. We just have reach high enough to grab it.

How to Join TWB