The Problem with Free

This is not a post ranting about all the free Kindle books, I promise. There are more than enough of those out there. Besides, I have no idea what I feel about them.

Instead, this is a random note about writing free projects, just for fun.

I've been working on a free short that I had planned on offering here, and on my website, as a little gift to my readers and a promotional item. Give readers a chance to read a nice, complete, short story (say, about 3-5,000 words), to see if maybe they'd like my other stuff. It seemed like a fine idea to me, and I'd still like to offer such a thing. I think.

I've also been toying with the idea of writing a free novel, bit by bit, and posting maybe a chapter a week here on my blog, or on my Tumblr blog. That also seemed like a fun thing, since I have a story idea in mind that I'm eager to play with. It's not something I'd be interested in writing for publication at the moment, but I'd like to do it, just for kicks.

My first concern is that I'd be talking to myself, I admit. I'm worried I'd lose interest if no one was reading, and I don't care to start projects I won't finish. However, I'm extremely tempted, and if I knew enough people would read it to make it worth my time, I might give in to that temptation.

But, here's the main concern - nothing escapes theft on the internet!

I'm not all that fussed about pirates, as I've said here before. Sure, I'd rather people buy or borrow my work legally, but I don't expend energy on the whole piracy thing. What I'm talking about here isn't about piracy. Since these stories would be free, I'd have no cause to complain if they got "pirated" by file sharing sites.

What ultimately makes posting freebies a tough decision is plagiarism. The constant threat of plagiarism feels like a gag. I don't want someone ripping off my fun, free, weekly serial from my blog, sticking their name on it, and trying to con people out of 99 cents on Amazon with it.

I've tried to tell myself, "Don't be so full of yourself. Who'd steal your rough little blog book?" Myself has not believed me. You and I both know, if we've paid attention to the web at all, there are content grinders out there who'd steal ninth grade history papers and pass them off as their own if they think they'd make some money off it.

Nothing is safe.

Recent stories about fanfic writers getting screwed over should be enough to give any of us pause. Not only do you lose your work, without credit, but someone else profits from it - this is particularly galling if you were offering it free of charge to begin with. It especially annoys me when people rip off fanfic writers, since they are writing out of sheer love of the work and for the enjoyment of their community. (I'm sure there are other, more concrete, benefits, as well, but I admire fanfic writers for toiling away without great hope of immediate compensation.)

Frankly, piracy is one thing, but plagiarism is where even someone as sedate as I am must draw the line. Especially if that plagiarism turned into passing off a free lark for money to unsuspecting customers on Amazon, who don't deserve to be robbed any more than I do.

Besides, I come from academics, where plagiarism is a cardinal sin, the taint of which is enough to sink a whole career. I can't shake that training, and I bring that along with me into my "night job" of writing fiction.

So, I'm torn about posting free content. And, thus, I remain undecided. So far, I have been very careful not to post too much of my work online, especially before it's been published, for the very reasons I've stated here. I don't even use online crit groups, just in case!

You can see why I'm reluctant to jump full on into the fire, right?

What are your thoughts? Does this ever stop you from posting free work? Are you seeing more or less free content online? Are there any safe ways to do it, or should I just go limp and let cheaters steal as they may? Do you have any war stories to share?

Do blogged novels even get enough attention to make the risk worth it? Or, maybe I am worrying needlessly. Is this a case where the greatest potential threat is not theft but obscurity?

I'll have to continue thinking about it, I guess. Right now, all I can say is that I'd love to, but I'm still sorting out the pros and cons. Any comments are more than welcome as I try to puzzle out my thoughts on this.

Review: An Engagement in Seattle by Debbie Macomber

I've decided to experiment with the "Blog this Review" feature from GoodReads, so pardon me while I toy with it. If I like it, I might start doing this with my longer, positive (3 or 4 stars and up) romance-related reviews... 
 
An Engagement in Seattle by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book has two novellas in it, both published in the 1990s (with updating). "Groom Wanted" features an ambitious business woman managing the family's corporation, who enters into a "green card marriage" with the plant's star researcher so he won't be deported. "Bride Wanted" features an Alaskan good guy who comes to Washington to seek a wife, and finds a jilted teacher eager for a new start. I'm a big fan of Debbie Macomber, and these stories did not disappoint.

I loved them both as light, quick reads, but Bride Wanted worked a little better for me.

Groom Wanted was surprisingly touching (I confess it made me cry at a point or two); yes, it had a bit of cheese, but in a nice way. With another author some of the hero's "this will be a real marriage, so you will sleep with me" pressure could have gone very, very wrong (i.e. forced seduction or marital rape), but Macomber definitely didn't go there - thankfully! The premise is not really unique (immigration marriage), but not a sickeningly-common one in romance novels. Also, it's rather refreshing to see a (1) Russian hero and (2) a scientist who does actual work. The secondary characters were fairly well done, as well, considering this is a short.

Bride Wanted, my favourite of the two, was lighter and a bit more fun. I enjoyed the secondary characters, and the Alaskan angle. Also, the "small town knight in shining armour seeking companion", while not new, is adorable to me. I'm a sucker for small town heroes. The heroine was very likeable. I would have done the ending slightly differently, but overall it was a very fun read.

In terms of negatives, I have very little. The books, in my opinion, did what they were supposed to, and delivered some nice, romantic entertainment. However, I am finding myself increasingly frustrated by fade-to-black love scenes. I don't know - they worked well for me for decades, but now that more and more romance novels "go all the way," the FTB ones seem somehow anti-climactic (sorta-pun not really intended). The stories were so engaging, the characters so attractive, and the chemistry so vivid, I did find myself put out when the text went to "..." and suddenly it was the next day. Sigh. However, if you normally have no trouble with FTB (or you prefer them), this won't be a problem for you.

Very nice pair of stories from what I like to think of as "old school contemporary romance," the kind of which seem to be rather rare these days, sadly. Recommended!

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(Please note: I very rarely accept review requests. I buy and read the books I want, or I borrow them. I don't have the time to commit to reviewing, though heaven bless those bloggers who do!)