No, I Will Not Work for Free

Let me clear something up from yesterday's post: I have no desire to be a starving artist. I believe in paying a "content creator" or writer or illustrator or (fill in the blank here) for their work. I believe being paid is a sign of work well done.

But I also believe pay comes in many forms: a good review, a prestigious (if not well-paying) publication credit, the respect of colleagues. This example from Norman Partridge. (How bad ass would it be to get a letter like that?) Money is nice, too. Feel free to send some.

This is the point I was trying to make: I'm not in a place where I want to yield too much creative control for money. If a story I write doesn't sell, so be it. It goes in the "junk" folder. The junk folder is not in danger of starvation. What about "some day maybe" when an agent/publisher tells me to change a key element in a novel so I can get the book on the shelves of Wal-Mart? That would be a nice problem to have, but I'm not in a place to make that decision (nor do I foresee myself there any time soon). What is "too much"? Each artist/writer/what-have-you must make his/her own decision about how far they're willing to go. I won't pretend to make the choice for anyone else.

I can only make my own decisions. For example:

1. I will keep writing.
2. I will support markets which publish short fiction I respect/enjoy. Any writer who loves short fiction is obligated, in my opinion, to do so. Realms of Fantasy collapsed again, folks. Don't let this happen to your favorite pub. When every paying, well-respected venue for short fiction goes the way of RoF, what kind of "pay the author" conversation will we be having?
3. I'm going to offer any book with my name on it (as primary author or editor) to libraries in the U.S. for free because a good library has always been an author's friend. I plan on hitting some librarian hangouts online and sending a few postcards. (or, if a librarian happens to read this...drop me a line aaron.polson (at) gmail.com).
   

Go forth an be awesome, dear readers.

Five Things for Friday

Okay, so here are five bits and pieces I've enjoyed 'round the next this week for your weekend reading pleasure:

1. Jeremy D. Brooks ballsy manifesto and cover art for his novel, Amity. Check it out. (ready to download at Smashwords...other formats pending) Okay, so that was more than one thing. Sue me.

2. Not that I like the problem, but Robert Swartwood gives thoughtful insight to the Problem of Prolificity. Some sad truths in there, folks. Mr. Swartwood's perspective is always welcome.

3. All 70+ episodes of Axe Cop at www.axecop.com. Oh, YES.

4. Norman Partridge's thoughtful and revealing essay about the publication of his first novel, "The Care and Feeding of First Novels".

5. And finally, something to chew on: "Facebook users 'are insecure, narcissistic and have low self-esteem". Solid research? Maybe not. Thought provoking? Sure.

Have a great weekend, world.

Book Recomendation: Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge

Norman Partridge's Dark Harvest is one of those books that, as a fledgling writer, I wish I had penned.

The prose is lean, mean, and to the point. You strap yourself into this book, and it doesn't let up for the next 176 pages. Best described as dark fantasy rather than horror (I never had a sense of dread while reading), the book is witty, intelligent, adrenaline pumping. Publisher's Weekly called it "contemporary American writing at its finest".

So I give it 4/5 stars.

What?

Only 4/5, you say? What happened?

Yeah. I wish I would have written this book. I would love to write prose like this. Dark Harvest is a great read. In my humble opinion, however, 5/5 is reserved for classics. Books that really plumb the unknown depths. Books that I want to read again because I know there is more I haven't quite understood. Books that speak to something much bigger than the paper they are printed on...something eternal in the human condition. Books that make a reader say, "wow, that was sooooo much better than the movie". Dark Harvest read like a movie.

Dark Harvest was a great ride, but one that was over too quickly (or took too long depending on your point of view--frankly, it read like an inflated short story). Once the book is done, the reader is done. It didn't pierce that primal place in my brain that say, Some of Your Blood did recently or Till We Have Faces did for me ten years ago. I'll definitely pass this along to some of my students, but I doubt I'll read it again.

A 4/5 from this curmudgeon is a very fine rating. Fans of dark fantasy/light horror should read this book without hesitation.