Who Do We Tell Stories For?

Why I want my novel to be free to read.

I want to thank all of you for reading my work here, it means a great deal to me. I hope the following will not be a disappointment, but this essay is going to mark a turn in the tone of my publication. I was already defining storytelling rather widely, but even still with title “On Storytelling,” it’s been easier to shrink from certain topics with the reasoning that this just wasn’t the place for it.

I have a lot to say to the world. If you read my series of novels, The Legend of Leanna Page, you will find that I deal with a lot of issues quite directly, albeit loosely veiled under metaphor, in my fictions. I want this publication, however, to be the place where I lift off the veil. To that end, you may notice I have changed the title. With a nod to the book by Jonathan Gottschall that I already talk about too often anyway, I am now calling this

“On The Storytelling Animal”

My thoughts about and letters to the human race.

*****

I want to start by addressing a question that’s come up recently. At my dad’s wedding a couple weeks ago, I was telling a writer friend of mine about how I am publishing The Legend of Leanna Page for free online and she was a bit taken aback. She clarified, “You’re giving it away for free? That’s… a choice.” I laughed and nodded and very much wanted to engage in the interesting and complex topic, but I was pulled away by something else - pictures, maybe? - and never got the chance to respond. (Lisa, if you’re reading this, this is partly for you.)

There’s also been some conversation within the writers on Substack lately (where this publication is hosted) about whether or not to use paywalls. Some of my friends here are choosing to require payment to read their work and writing about some of the conflicted feelings that are going along with that. On every LoLP chapter, I end with the promise that the full series will always be available for free. I want to explain my reason for that to ensure I never accidentally suggest that I believe giving something away for free is the correct choice for every writer or every work.

Writers, like all artists, deserve to be able to make a living from doing their artistic work. Still, I am never going to require payment to read The Legend of Leanna Page, and the reasoning entirely has to do with who I’m writing it for.

The Legend of Leanna Page is my manifesto. It is my statement on family, leadership, love, and difficult choices. In Volume Two, I delve into religion, economics, and the question of evil and hate. Volume Three will be my step-by-step guide for I hope the world will ‘find Elenvia’ and make peace between all its divided parts.

Something I cannot stand about the world is its reliance on money. I think the fact that there is a hefty financial cost involved with simply staying alive is criminal. And I address that in The Legend of Leanna Page.

When I imagine a reader finding this legend, I picture them stumbling across it in a library, or discovering it in a thrift store. I want it to be found on those adorable little take-one, leave-one shelves people put next to their mailboxes. I want people who don’t have the money to spend on books to be able to read my book. I happen to be addicted to the beauty of a paperback, so I splurge on them more often than I should, but frankly, I’m not too far from being one of those people myself. I don’t currently pay for any subscriptions on Substack, but - for context - I’m also careful about buying groceries.

A decently sized part of my financial situation is due to the choices I make in order to follow my creative passions, but following our passions shouldn’t be a luxury. We’re told the human race moved beyond focusing on food and shelter centuries ago and that’s why we were able to progress. That’s only true for some of us though, and that lucky population is getting increasingly smaller.

I’ll admit that I don’t do well with authority. I respect people and institutions based on the ideas the espouse, not their status or title. Frankly, our institutions espouse a lot of crap, so I respect what comes from them on a case-by-case basis. Capitalism is an off-case for me. I just can’t bring myself to force my most important work to be a part of it. It will come as no surprise that my feelings about that make it pretty hard for me to comfortably exist in the world. I completely respect any artist who chooses to engage more directly with capitalistic structures to help themselves live better. I’ll do that too at some point, but not with The Legend of Leanna Page. That one just matters a little too much to me.

If you couldn’t pay for my book, please read it; I’m writing it for you.