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About Toi

It’s time to bloom! part 2

Thank you for coming back to see what I plan to offer with my Patreon page.

If you recall from my last post, I stated that everything I’ve always done for free will continue to be free and I meant it. What I plan to do with all that free content is start acknowledging people who believe in me and support me.

Whenever I happen to publish another book, I will list the names of my Patreons in the Acknowledgements.

On top of that, I’ll be hosting a monthly Ask me anything Q&A. I’m really hoping to make this a fun exchange where I tell my patrons something about me and, those willing, share a little about themselves too.

All this will be made available to anyone who chooses to become a SUPPORTER of my page for $1 a month.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

Categories
About Toi

It’s time to bloom!

Just a head’s up… I’m going to talk about my Patreon plans for the next week. After that, you’ll never hear about it again unless you want to be part of it. With that said, I’m so excited to share what I’m doing.

So, hope you saw my other post related to this, but if not, check out The Dreaded Newsletter: part 1 and part 2 here. Needless to say, Patreon is not a newsletter and I don’t expect people who’ve been following me for free for years to all of a sudden start paying for my content. Everything I’ve always done for free, I will continue to do for free.

This Patreon page is something new. This project is an opportunity for me to create something for someone else, a chance to create something with someone else, and a chance to help others create something they’ve always wanted to.

My intent is to start with family, friends, and associates to build a community and hopefully grow from there. It is my hope to share my process with a community that’s invested in my success. I want to share my strengths and weaknesses as I strive to entertain. I want to share positive and negative critiques that come along the way and I want to take reader feedback seriously as I strive to create stories that readers want to read.

And while I don’t claim to be a master of anything, I’ve been writing, blogging, publishing, creating video content, and more for over ten years and feel that I have insights to offer someone just starting out. I believe I can help others avoid mistakes I’ve made and teach a few things I’m actually pretty good at. If nothing else I can point someone in the right direction to find all the experts and sources I lean on every day.

This is not something I plan to do for a few months to see if it works out. This is something I plan to pursue moving forward. I’m excited about the possibilities. I’m excited about the possibility to bloom as a creator in a way I never imagined.

Below you’ll find the introduction video that will appear on my Patreon page when it launches on January 1st. I’ll be back tomorrow to tell you, more specifically, about what I’ll be offering to my patrons.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter

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#blacklivesmatter Fun Hops IWSG

It’s Been So Long #WEPFF Challenge featuring Unmasked #amwriting #flashfiction

Well, here I am posting late to a challenge that really isn’t a challenge. This month’s W.E.P. challenge is very laid back. Post if you want anytime you want. No prizes, just fun, and fellowship, and the joy of stories. To say it’s been a rough year seems unnecessary and yet it’s the reason my entries have been very different. Still, I’m happy for the chance to share. I look forward to seeing everyone for a fresh start in 2021.

 

It’s Been So Long

Photo by 4TH FINGERSTUDIOS from Pexels.com

It’s been so long, so long since I’ve worn this mask.
It’s been so long since I’ve heard my own truth- it was simply too taboo.
I’ve worn this mask to survive and to get by, but now…

They say it’s important for me to unmask.
They say it’s important to talk about the brutality and rape that shaped my lineage.
They say it’s important to talk about the miles of struggles and years of pain still seeking equality.

It’s been so long, so long since I’ve worn this mask.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen my own truth- it simply wasn’t safe.
I’ve worn this mask to survive and to get by, but now…

They say it’s safe for me to unmask.
They say it’s safe for me to speak languages that now feel foreign on my own tongue.
They say it’s safe for me to tell stories from the Mother country and remember gods I don’t even worship anymore.

It’s been so long, so long since I’ve worn this mask.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen my own truth- it simply wasn’t acceptable.
I’ve worn this mask to survive and to get by, but now…

They say it’s okay for me to unmask.
They say it’s okay to take off the wig of straight hair and let my thick locs breathe.
They say it’s okay for me to wear bright colors and short skirts despite how dark my skin is and curvy my hips are.

It’s been so long, so long since I’ve worn this mask.
It’s been so long since I’ve seen my own truth- it simply wasn’t desirable.
I’ve worn this mask to survive and to get by, but now…

They say it’s good for me to unmask.
They say it’s good for me to smile and inhale no matter how big my lips are or how much my nostrils flare.
They say it’s good for me to sing soulfully even if they can’t relate to what I’m saying.

It hasn’t been that long, that long since I didn’t have to change or hide everything about myself just to get by.
It hasn’t been that long- my mask feels safe and I’m afraid to be me.
Perhaps the mask is still serving its purpose.

380 words- NCCO- It’s Been So Long 2020 Copyright © Toinette J. Thomas

If you want to see other stories for the December prompt, be sure to click the image above to check out the comments of the W.E.P. December 1st post throughout the month.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter