Should You Share Your Creative Work Online?
Recently, I started a new blog Strange and Potent Mixture, which is titled after my demo CD and features my original poetry, spoken word pieces, and other writings.
For many years, I resisted the urge to share my creative writings online.
Two main questions crowded my mind: What were the potential negative repercussions of sharing my creative work with random strangers without making them pay for it? And why would I bother?
Some Obstacles
Most artists already work without getting paid for our creative labor. And for the vast majority of us that “big pay-off” will simply never come. That’s the hard truth about making a life and a living from art.
And for poets especially, making a living entirely from one’s publications rarely happens. Most professional poets must teach and do paid readings and speaking engagements in order to pay the bills. Or find other creative ways to earn sources of income. There are some exceptions, of course, but that’s the reality for most of us.
So, given there’s already little money to be had from publishing, is it wise to post one’s creative work online in a way that actually gives it away for free?
Another problem with posting one’s creative writing online is that most journals and presses aren’t interested in “previously published” work, and yes, they sometimes count that poem posted on your personal blog as “published.”
Finally, the nature of the internet makes it difficult to keep tabs on who may reproduce or distribute your work without your knowledge.
And the idea that someone may steal your work and put their name on it is absolutely ghastly for any writer. Moreover, the dreaded notion that someone may even go so far as to make money off your stolen work is terrible enough to keep most writers from taking even the smallest risk around this possibility.
These were the main dilemmas I faced when considering whether or not to post my poetry and other creative writings online. So, what changed my mind?
Re-Framing the Problems
First, I truly believe that with increasing technology, writing in general simply cannot sustain old ways of being reproduced and distributed.
Traditional publishing is not dead…yet, and it may never die, but it certainly has to compete with the broader range of offerings made available through the relative ease of self-publishing. Print technology is not dead yet either, but it will continue to compete with e-books and online journals.
The internet and its accompanying technology have changed the game significantly for publishing, distributing, and profiting from one’s creative writing and will continue to do so.
However, a book, even an e-book, remains entirely different from a blog or a web page. Readers who want to buy a book, whether in print or digital format, will buy a book. When I considered the tenacity of book buyers, I let go of the notion that somehow I’d never sell my chapbook if my work were available online, and I put that problem to rest.
More significantly, my income doesn’t come from publishing. Rather, my main sources of income are from teaching poetry and from live performances of my spoken word. In other words, I mostly make money from selling experiences that can’t be reproduced.
But what about getting published by a traditional publisher or journal? How to get by the “previously published” obstacle?
First, I don’t post all my poems to my blog. I’m selective. I hold back ones that I think I may be able to place in a print or online journal. Plus, many of the poems I post are early drafts, which I’d significantly revise for publication.
More significantly, it turns out that many print journals don’t consider a poem posted to your blog to be “published”—it just depends on the editorial policy. Finally, there are plenty of other poets who share their writing online and also publish chapbooks.
So, I weighed the option of “waiting to get published” versus making my work immediately available to others, and immediacy won.
Finally, it really is dreadful to think that someone might steal your work and distribute it. But copyright laws remain in place, and my work remains solely my work. Though I haven’t done so, you can also get a Creative Commons license for sharing your creative work online.
So I considered this fear of being ripped off, determined that it is unlikely to happen, and weighed it against the sense of personal freedom that comes with sharing my work with others.
Freedom won out over fear.
The Big Pay-Off
Given all these obstacles, you might wonder why I bothered, why I finally worked through them so I might begin posting my poetry online.
The main reason is quite simple: I wanted more interaction with my readers.
And posting my poetry to my blog where readers can leave comments lets me make immediate, consistent, and ongoing connections with those who enjoy my work.
But the pay-off for the risks I’m taking by sharing my poetry online is actually greater than I imagined it would be.
What I’ve found is a whole community of online poets who share their poetry and who read and offer critiques for other poets. The discovery of an online community that extends beyond my off-line relationships with other poets has been rewarding and invigorating, challenging me to write better poetry and to write more often.
Finally, regardless of how it’s done, it’s just plain fun to share your poetry with other people—to get feedback, to hear or read how your words speak in some way to another person, how they may offer some meaning for someone else. It makes a poet feel not so alone in the otherwise solitary world of writing poetry.
Applying Faith
As with most decisions related to my creative work, I’ve applied quite a bit of faith to this situation—faith that the very real and immediate positive rewards will continue to far outweigh the potential for any negative repercussions.
My creative work is enhanced and given meaning by sharing it with others, and the happiness I feel in my creativity is amplified when I’m able to share it with another person.
And all that creative synergy lays the foundation for opening up creative possibilities for everyone. If I share my creative work, perhaps you’ll share yours as well. And that’s a good thing.
Do you share your creative work online? Why or Why not?
If you’ve enjoyed this article, feel free to share it.
Flickr photo courtesy of artist Jef Safi who shares his incredible art online. Thanks, Jef!
Share
35 Responses to “Should You Share Your Creative Work Online?”
Comments
Read below or add a comment...
Hey Ami,
I, for one, am so happy you decided to start your creative writing online, I’ve been enjoying it so much, I’ve been neglecting this blog. For years, I only shared my poetry on Tribal Souls, a poetry group on yahoogroups, afraid that anyone outside that circle would either reject or swipe my creative work. My fears, so far, have been unfounded & the comraderie & the inspiration I’ve gotten from sharing with others has been so uplifting that I don’t even care if I ever get published again, the outlet my blog permits is what I’d been after all along.
sMichelle´s last [type] ..blue panties
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 6th, 2011 at 2:19 am
Thanks, sMichelle! Like you, I got my feet wet so to speak by sharing my work incrementally on social networking sites. Those experiences were positive enough to start sharing it on my blog. And I know what you mean about the camaraderie and inspiration. For me, the blog has been more satisfying than publishing and as you’ve said, it’s “what I’d been after all along.”
Thanks for your support of the new blog and for your continued support of this one which remains my first love.
[Reply]
lpieces Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 8:31 am
I too started a creative writing blog and so far i have good traffic, but I often wonder if any one would copy my work. I tend to write on the spot,so these are just my thoughts. Please do check it and and see if it is any good. I just want some feedback and its difficult trying to get people to comment.
Thanks.
lyndainamillionlittlepieces.blogspot.com
[Reply]
lpieces Reply:
November 9th, 2011 at 8:31 am
lyndainamillionlittlepieces.blogspot.com
[Reply]
I share some but not all. It’s a recognised form of marketing – people like (often expect) something for nothing. I include poems in my articles all the time and there are, of course, excerpts from the novels on my website but if you want to read the novels you’ll need to pay for them. The articles and book reviews are also a kind of freebie and a way to demonstrate my writing skills. I don’t have a lot of time for blogs where the authors just talk about themselves and how well their book sales are going but I do recognise that readers in the 21st century expect to be able to interact with authors and not to enable them to do so (even if you can’t possibly reply to every comment on query) can be seen as standoffish and work against you. Besides small fry like me need all the friends they can get.
Jim Murdoch´s last [type] ..The Hour of the Star
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 6th, 2011 at 7:09 am
I’m glad you mention the marketing aspect, Jim. Something I didn’t have the space to go into. People do expect freebies before they’re willing to buy. Also, for me, I hope all my blogs and other efforts count towards promotion and comes to equal more gigs and other opportunities to make a bit of cash.
And it’s true that readers want interaction and expect it now. I mean, I get frustrated when I read someone’s writing online and then they’ve turned off comments and want me to tweet them to interact. It’s like one person dominating the conversation. No thanks.
Anyway, I’m with you. I need all the friends I can get! Thanks for sharing!
[Reply]
mmSeason Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 11:37 am
Hi, Jim {waving} Fancy seeing you here!
mmSeason´s last [type] ..Not one but two poems in Quill & Parchment!
[Reply]
So glad to have found your new blog! I also recently decided to share weekly snippets of what I’m working on, not so much excerpts as flash pieces based on work in progress. It’s a good way to connect with readers and get some feedback, as well as try out different voices, formats, styles, etc. to see what they look like in a published venue. Like you, I find the sharing aspect to be what’s most important. Writers write so that readers can read.
Lisa Rivero´s last [type] ..Fearless Writing- Running Toward the Dog
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 6th, 2011 at 3:29 pm
“Writers write so that readers can read”–very apropos, Lisa! It raises the question of whether or not we’re going to tap into the readers’ desire for our work to be readily accessible and how to balance our needs in relation to those desires.
It sounds like you’ve found that balance. Providing “flash pieces” of a work-in-progress seems like a great way to simultaneously garner reader interest and let you share and get feedback.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
[Reply]
Ami, thanks for posting this. I have struggled with the very same issue–how much to post, and how to mix it appropriately. You’ve give us an insight and more food for thought. –Brent
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 6th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Thanks, Brent! I’m glad you found the article useful in some way, and I’m happy to provide some insight. I’m curious about whether or not you’ve come up with any solutions to your dilemmas and what those solutions look like. Thanks for sharing!
[Reply]
Yes, ‘pro bona’ work is like a loss leader. My fear, though, is always that I’m the opposite of prolific and never feel I’ll have enough to send out if much of it is on my blog!
Thank you for sharing your thought process about this.
mmSeason´s last [type] ..You can all read this month’s Quill & Parchment NOW
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 6th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
Thank you! I’ve found that by sharing I’ve become more prolific and even in a short period of time, I’ve seen my skills improve, precisely because I’m interacting with a community of other writers. What helps me with being more prolific is participating in near-daily prompt challenges.
I don’t know if you write poetry, but some good poetry challenges are: One Shot Wednesday and Sunday Picture Prompt Challenge at One Stop Poetry; and the weekly picture prompt at Magpie Tales. All of these are really popular, and I find myself eager to participate in the challenges, and so I’m writing more in order to do so.
Good luck and thanks for sharing!
[Reply]
mmSeason Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 9:03 am
Guess what? The day before reading this I’d just bookmarked a load of weekly prompt blogs, with the idea of kickstarting the muse whenever I had a quarter-hour but a blank mind. Magpie Tales is one of them
so great minds, perhaps…
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
Magpie is great! Tess Kincaid offers interesting picture prompts once a week.
[Reply]
Ami, here is what I am working towards.
I shut down one web site, because it could not focus on everything I do. Secondly, I am going to republish some of that material in a different fashion. I am working towards publishing in e-Pub format, and on other sites. Amazon has started offering “singles” and e-Chook is offering something similar through apps. I think this will be the trend, so I will start publishing singles and work towards publishing a larger e-book.
That’s the plan. We’ll see how it goes.
I like your idea of a second web site for the poetry, and having looked at it, I quickly became a subscriber. That has possibilities.
Brent
D. Brent Miller´s last [type] ..Sound advice in the latest Studio News
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 2:50 am
Fantastic, Brent! You have a lot going on. After taking a look at all that you do creatively, I understand needing to shut down that one site. But it seems wise to try to use that material in some way; so, publishing as “singles” sounds like a great solution.
While I’m glad to have my second site for creative writings, I’m thinking hard about how I can consolidate everything on one site. There are some tricky concerns about monetizing that I want to consider. But that’ll just have to comprise another blog article.
Thanks for taking the time to share your current ideas. I find them helpful!
[Reply]
The site I took down had 650 posts, created over a give year span. It has all been archived. It is mostly travel or motorcycle related. Another plan is to offer the singles and e-books on my site in an online store-downloads directly from my site. I will also be selling fine art photography. Of course, for this to work, there has to be traffic. That’s the hard part, and of course, there are lots of “experts” out there who are willing to help for a fee. –Brent
[Reply]
D. Brent Miller Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 7:05 am
Doh! Five year span.
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Wow! Lots of material to work with, Brent. That can only be a good thing I think. And I like your ideas for monetizing. The sticky wicket is indeed getting traffic, subscribers, and ultimately buyers.
Have you ever heard of A-List Bloggers Club hosted by Leo Baubata and Mary Jaksch? I’m a member, and I’ve found it to be quite useful. Of course, there’s a monthly fee ($20), but you get all their “bootcamps” for free. For me, it’s been totally worth it. Right now, in fact, we’re doing a bootcamp that focuses on getting more traffic and subscribers. Anyway, it makes more sense for me to pay to learn this stuff on my own than to pay someone else to do it for me.
Maybe it’s something to look at? Good luck!
[Reply]
mmSeason Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 4:54 pm
I’ve researched increasing traffic without any thought of ‘going professional’, and found this very useful page: http://technotip.org/60-ways-to-increase-your-twitter-followers/ (in fact Technotip is very useful altogether). If you’re not using Twitter to bolster your website’s profile, many of these tips are still good in a general way.
My favourite is to put your website on a bumper sticker! which seems to have vanished from the list, but people have commented on it.
mmSeason´s last [type] ..You can all read this month’s Quill & Parchment NOW
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 8th, 2011 at 7:31 am
Thanks! Took a look…seem like useful tips.
[Reply]
Awesome Amy. I look forward to reading your poetry.
While I’m not writing solely as a creative outlet, it is still challenging to make it public. It is just like the photo shows, peeling away a public facade. A rewarding risk.
Marci | Liberating Choices´s last [type] ..3 Ways to Hug a Life-Changing Choice
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 9th, 2011 at 10:09 pm
Yes, Marci. It’s a risk to put any of our writing in the public domain, I think. And writing a blog that tends to share bits and pieces of who we are personally (as yours and mine do) is, I think, a risky and challenging proposition. But, as you suggest, it’s totally worth the rewards! Thanks for dropping by!
[Reply]
Great website and a good subject to discuss! The internet has made it so easy to promote your work. I am a Spoken Word artist and I recently uploaded some of my work. Let me know what you think.
http://www.wetverses.com/spoken-word/
Thanks and I look forward to reading more comments on this post.
DD
Dheeaba Donghrer´s last [type] ..The Punany Poets Love Stimulus Tour Excerpt
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 10:30 pm
Thanks, Dheeaba! You’ve got some steamy stuff on your site. Thanks for sharing and for stopping by. And good luck with your spoken word.
[Reply]
I admire your honesty and willingness to “get it out”…I do not personally know a single writer that does not have a “real” job…as for me, I’ll enjoy it while I can, my words are not so important as to be vaulted away, nor are they worthless enough to throw away, so I give them away
I can’t take my words with me
Peace, hp
thank you for stopping by…
there is more there to read if you care to, no charge
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 11th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
I like your attitude and philosophy, hp! Giving away our words is one gift we as poets and writers can give to others. And sharing brings its own rewards. “Can’t take my words with me”–isn’t that the truth?! Thanks for stopping by poetryNprogress!
[Reply]
Great commentary, Ami! As someone who has kept blogs at three different sites within the last 6 years, I’ve actually forgotten how to get to my first one anymore! I’ve never worried about theft because I’ve never considered publication. Blogs allow me to write with the hopes that someone may stumble upon and be inspired, entertained, etc.. I do wonder, however, about submitting a poem that has been on a blog. How much must a poem be re-worked from draft form in order to be “ok”?
Btw, I found you via One Stop, which I’ve just discovered. I feel my knowledge and skills are lacking, but it is great for inspiration and the reading of others works. I very much liked what you said about your spoken word poetry..that it has to be understood for EVERYONE. It caused me pause since I often write poetry with the intention to be vague, leave openings for interpretation. Although not a spoken word poet, your commentary gave me pause. Thank you.
I look forward to future posts, and a visit to your other blog.
~ Angela
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 18th, 2011 at 10:37 am
Thanks, Angela! It’s great that you’re visiting from One Stop Poetry.
As for how much a poem needs to be reworked, I’m really not entirely sure. Admittedly, I haven’t quite crossed that bridge yet, so to speak. Since I started posting my poetry in January, I haven’t tried submitting any of those poems to publications; rather I’ve focused on poems I haven’t posted.
As for poetic transparency, I think it’s a crucial quality to spoken word. That doesn’t mean one must ditch complexity or even the possibility for multiple meanings. However, “vague” just doesn’t fly with spoken word really, and there are ways to open up complex and multiple meanings in one’s work without being vague or cryptic about it.
I hope I’ll see you participating in the One Stop challenges. Thanks again for stopping by and good luck with your writing!
[Reply]
Thank you Ami for your post. I always enjoy them when I get the chance! Oh, by the by I loved your “Portrait of an Artist as a Young Liar”!
I post my poetry on my blog, but I usually wait until after I have submitted poems I really felt had potential with literary journals. Usually, I will publish their link to the poems that have been accepted. Occasionally I will just go ahead and post poems on my blog because I want them out there! But I try to be patient and selective.
Thank you for your writing and postings!
[Reply]
Ami Mattison Reply:
March 22nd, 2011 at 4:25 am
Hey, Darryl! Thanks for adding your experience to the conversation. It sounds like you’ve come up with a great strategy!
I will say that I’ve done a small bit of research since writing this article and I’ve found that many print journals and publishers I’ve run across seem to not care whether or not one’s work has been posted online. However, I can only imagine that online journals wouldn’t want to repost poems that are available online elsewhere.
Thanks for sharing and stopping by!
PS–It makes me happy that you enjoyed “Portrait.” I’ll keep offering little gifts here and there to the mailing list; so stay tuned!
[Reply]
thank you for writing this
i’m a young writer and poet who is a complete stranger to publication, and i have so much doubts posting my work online.
one of my worries is that my work will get stolen, no matter what type of security that website offers (i don’t believe the lack of copy and paste really helps).
i just want to thank you again for enlightening me
[Reply]
pretty cool stuff i like what I am seeing and readind keep it up.
[Reply]
Hi I was wondering if you could tell me somewhere I could post my poetry. My only obstacle is that my poetry is in Irish. So if you could help I would deeply appreciate it. : )
[Reply]