I’ve decided to include a paid subscription option here on SStack. It was a hard decision even though I know many if not most writers do it; writing is after all how we get paid. Part of the hesitation was I that felt strange anxiety: what if I ask for money and it suddenly feels like writing for a magazine and I can’t flow as well, what if I start worrying about quality (now I can always think, oh well, its free so…) what if my mind falls apart and I can’t post anything for a month? These are valid questions!
Also I hesitated to put a money value on this because unlike a book or a magazine, it is conversational/relational. I feel like I’ve connected with people and learned a lot here, specifically about how online community works. I never thought the word “community” applied to an internet platform but I’ve experienced otherwise here and it’s been a fun surprise. When I first started I was afraid to turn on the comments because what I’d seen on some platforms was so often inane and hostile. But eventually my curiosity got the better of me and it was a discovery, kind of like—
I was doing a job, not asking for help—but I got it! The combination of honesty, intelligence and considerate-ness here has been heartening and refreshing: thank you for opening my eyes.
But then there is the reality that I make my living writing and I don’t have a regular gig and I’m no longer teaching. So if you like what you’re reading here and want to support its continuation, I would be grateful. I’m thinking there will still be a lot of free material. I’m not sure how to decide what to put a lock on but I will figure that out. If you want to go free, that works for me. If you want to pay, that’s the way! I will appreciate both.