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.

An Interview with a NaNo Veteran

On the last day of NaNo, I wanted to sit down with a very good friend of mine - so good, she was the only one who took pity on me and gave me a NaNo-related interview! I have known Jaime, AKA b4e, for nearly a year now, and she was a bit part of me re-entering the world of fiction. So, I owe her for more than just the interview, that's for sure.

Jaime is a fanfiction writer who focuses a good deal on the Bionic Woman (hence her nickname). I admire fanfiction writers enormously, because they provide ongoing stories for fans, but often without the hope of monetary reward due to copyright issues. It takes a good deal of dedication to provide so much labour just for the love of a subject!

Before Jaime got me interested in it, I was not sure I wanted to do NaNo - because of her, I now have a NaNo under my belt - and Jaime now has three! Congrats, Jaime!

When did you do NaNoWriMo? How many times?

In 2007 and again in 2009.

Did you make it?

I finished by the skin of my teeth in '07, but in '09 I went about 10,000 words over. (Both stories were a bit shorter after they were edited, but the '09 story was still above 55,000 words.)

How did that feel?

The first year I felt extremely relieved that it was finally over. Last year, I would've liked to have kept going for another few weeks; I was having so much fun!

What was your NaNoWriMo novel about?

Both stories were Bionic Woman/Six Million Dollar Man fanfiction. The first one involved an earthquake and the second story was called 'Legacy'. The Bionic Woman looked back upon her life as she faced her impending death. (It wasn't as morbid as it sounds!)

What has become of the 50k? Did you publish it?

Both stories are posted online, but due to the unavailability of publishing rights, they remain unpublished. They received good reviews from the readers, though; especially 'Legacy'.

How was the NaNoWriMo experience, over all?

The first one was grueling because I started out with a totally different story and changed topics – started completely from scratch – on Day 7 or 8.

What on earth possessed you to do it?

I'm not sure. Insanity?

What did you learn from the experience?

That writing is not a chore if you enjoy your subject and just let it flow.

How did you find the quality of writing?

The first one – where I had to grit my teeth and really force myself to keep going – was....okay. I think that the second one was some of the best writing I've ever done. I'm very proud of 'Legacy'.

Would/will you do it again?

Absolutely! I hope to participate again this year, if my health allows it. Otherwise, I will definitely be back in the future!

You can read Legacy, by Jaime (aka bionic4ever, aka b4e) at her fanfiction site, where she has over 140 stories! Jaime also writes posts for various true crime blogs, and has a passion for unidentified and missing persons cold cases. And she's truly one in a million.

Thanks, Jaime. :blowkiss: