Our world runs on exchange.

Labor for wages. Goods or services for money. But the most valuable of currencies in my opinion is time.

When we are given a paycheck we are able to calculate how our employer has broken down what our time is worth to them. We cannot calculate what a stranger's time is worth to us without discussion, however, and we do not know how much time each of us possess. It is not an unending wealth, and it is fragile, capable of being snatched from us at any moment through one catastrophe or another. This makes calculating the perceived worth of time rather difficult.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9thOcGj9i
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On this crisp autumn morning I ask myself ​h​​​​ow, then, am I best able to entice another person to spend their time reading my stories? The obvious answer is to be skillful (with accolades or credentials to back it up) but the second most obvious answer is to be interesting.

I could spin a sad tale about my childhood, the trauma I've endured, the struggles I've faced in pursuing a dream. I could post videos begging or pleading strangers I'll never know to give me 'just a moment of their time' to aid me. I could market myself as something worthy of investing one's attention in. 

It's a trick as old as the economy, with game shows acting as the most notable modern-day performers, focusing on the people with the intriguing or hard-fought backstories more than those who simply have talent. These backstories add perceived value to the individual, and to be fair it never fails to inspire whenever we see an underdog triumph against all odds. This in turn attracts views, be they from tv or youtube watchers.

My issue is that I am, unfortunately, rather uninteresting.

I do have my own qualms with society, but not a tragic backstory. At most I am "neurodivergent" (though I don't have the professional psych eval to back it up) meaning that I perceive and/or process the world around me differently than our society's mold, which leads to some abrasion. This could be ADD, autism, a combination of the two, my ongoing struggles with feeling dissociative, or something else that I'm unfamiliar with.

I will, however, confidently say that I'm crazy. I'd like to be an author after all.

Like a contestant on a gameshow, an author (or even an online content creator, such as a streamer) would benefit from having an emotional history. I would even argue that an author would benefit the most. Purchasing an author's story is like investing in them twice: you're not just putting your money into buying their novel, you're putting in your time to read it, banking on the fact that you'll enjoy it. As such it is exceedingly difficult to capture and hold a stranger's attention (let alone gain a following) making me feel crazy for even attempting it.

Then there's the issue of giving away something for free. A free object is perceived just as it's defined: as having little to no value. Why, then, should any of us treat it otherwise? By putting a price tag on something the seller shows the world how much they think their product is worth and adjusts its price depending on market demand.

Releasing stories for free online via blogging is considered quaint, but of having less value compared to purchasing novels. Which is funny, because there are bound to be as many great stories in the aether of the internet as there are to be at a bookstore.  Gaining popularity online through one's writing is much like being a contestant on a gameshow, with getting picked up by a professional publishing agency as winning the grand prize. Skill is heavily involved, but it also comes down to marketability, timing, and luck.

On the matter of luck, I consider myself lucky to love storytelling as much as I do. I'm not aiming to become an author for fame, money, or to see my work made into some big movie. I'm aiming to become an author because I love the art, and I deeply value the novel I spent 5 years writing.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0zCAWMSqJo
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​​​​​​​The writing prompts and short stories I do in my spare time are enjoyable, but I'm able to knock those out in about an hour or two, which acts as two hours of diversion without an end goal. Therefore I have no issue releasing them for free, having gotten value from the time I put into writing them. Though I hope that anyone who comes across my stories enjoys reading them as much as I enjoyed making them.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTeQsbxxqG
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But while I love the act of writing a story, I value my novel too much to ever release any part of it for free. (Which is where the synopsis come into play, and why it's so important; it's the readers' first impression.)282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK61lFThfpI
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So with all of this in mind, where does this leave me when it comes to buying another's time?282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eEblKVoG0
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I feel stuck in an odd situation where I must offer short, digestible samples of writing via blogging in order to generate interest, I must invest my own time in doing so, and I must release my products for free in the hopes of garnering a following. That's an uphill battle, and one which largely relies on the butterfly effect of going viral. If I'm lucky, someone some day may share my stories to one of their friends, who will share it to their friends, and so on. 282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3zOOdPOc2
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While I'm relying on luck, however, I must continue petitioning professional publishing agencies to give me a chance while being absent a writing degree, credentials, or following to speak of. On top of that my marketability is low, as I am notably not an underdog. I could lie (like the three authors in a trenchcoat) but that would be disingenuous, and doesn't sit well with me. So my odds aren't looking good.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6XuTo9HwR
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Which is why, ultimately, I will conclude this article by repeating an age-old adage: do what you love. Others may not value it, but you do, and that's enough.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2j0Igkf0G0
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I wish you all the best in your storytelling endeavors. May you recognize the value in yourselves and, provided it causes no harm, passionately pursue whatever brings you joy.282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiejLFzexKC
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Sincerely,282Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctlvCn8MIV
Chris