Click HERE for the Audio Edition!
Greetings everyone! How are those New Year’s resolutions or goals coming along? Yeah, it’s been hit-or-miss with me too. Feels like I am sleeping way too much, which kind of wreaks my morning schedule.
Still, I did manage to finish the first original short story I’ve written in a while: “Handsome and the Hag,” a gender-swapped retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Eventually, I hope to rewrite it and expand into a more detailed short story, but I wanted to have a more traditional fairy-tale feel for the version posted on The Fellowship of the King. Also, I’m almost, almost done the initial draft of All’s Fair; my goal is to have it ready for beta readers by the end of January. Hooray! Aside from that, none of my other writing goals have really gotten underway, especially with the Audio Editions. Gods, I am so behind…
But there is something I wanted to bring up. It’s been kicking around in the back of my mind for a while, so I wanted to share my thoughts on it:
I spend a lot of time on the internet. Not exactly earth-shattering news, I know, but bear with me. I spend time on DeviantART, read webcomics, and watch numerous entertainment and informational channels on Youtube. There is a lot of quality content being offered for the unbeatable price of “free.” As a writer, I am painfully aware of how much time creative endeavors require. It took me a month to write “Handsome and the Hag,” and that isn’t even a fully fleshed-out story! It takes me at least an hour, usually two or three to record, edit, and upload an Audio Edition, and that’s with just a voice over a static background! So my hat goes off to people who not only create amazing art, but who do so regularly with minimal loss of quality.
But I’ve been feeling like I should do more than just doff my cap in recognition. In many ways, the internet has spoiled us. The world is at our fingertips. Anything and everything we could want to read, watch, view, listen to, or otherwise appreciate can be found here. It’s a little mind-boggling when you think about it. And so much of it is offered free of charge, simply because someone wanted to make something and share it with others. That fact alone is amazing. Unfortunately, I’ve read comments or heard people complain about an artist taking too long to post the next section of their webcomic or a Youtube channel to upload a new video.
Granted, I get as excited and impatient as the next person, but I always remind myself: this person doesn’t have to do this! They don’t have to give away their work for free. Yes, it helps with exposure, but that is very little reward for a huge investment of time and energy. Get too demanding and they might burn out or decide to stop making their art, or at least to stop putting it up for free. I know a lot of us kind of laugh off the piracy warnings on DVDs or CDs, but it does have an impact. Artists usually don’t get much for their work to begin with and they really deserve more than just likes or virtual hugs or llama badges.
So I’m going to try to show my appreciation and support for various artists who have enriched my life in a more tangible fashion. What I plan to do is to donate to at least one artist or artistic group a month. I feel that I should give back to those who have given me so much entertainment, enlightenment, and enjoyment through their work. It won’t be much; I’m not exactly living high on the hog myself. But at least it will be something. At least it’s a start.
The Cat's Cradle : On Hiatus! 