I Believe in Universal Education So My Newsletter Must Be Free

Your tips are greatly appreciated! Upgrade at 30% offHello Friends!I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve been kind of slow pedaling through August. I’m trying to squeeze in a few final memories with my kids. We didn’t take any major trips this year, but we’ve been to a couple of water parks and we keep taking trips down the river. With the American gestapo scourging the countryside looking for people who look like my family, travel didn’t seem worth the risk.I guess this president doesn’t care about the loss of tourism dollars. In fact, anything not related to burying a certain set of legal files attracts his perpetual disdain.Some people can never be pleased.It’s not the world, it’s them.Last week, I had a wonderful conversation with Cory Vinny. He’s traveling the world on a sailboat and he was looking for pointers on how to make enough through writing to support himself. You can check it out here:Whenever anyone asks me how to support yourself writing I tense up because it’s not an easy answer. But I’ve come to realize if I don’t share what I know, the people who approach me will end up getting fleeced by some charlatan. Folks, when it comes to writing do not get fooled into thinking that you have to pay more to get the best advice. In my experience, the opposite is true.There are a lot of “writing gurus” that I really don’t like. These are the guys who brag about making $100,000 a year giving classes where they don’t teach anything. It’s just a giant Ponzi scheme. The writers who do well after talking to them would have done well anyway.I think the hardest part about teaching writing is that if you’re going to be truthful, you sound really discouraging. I don’t like getting into this transaction of, “Give me money and I’ll give you the secret knowledge.”There is no secret knowledge.Persist and get out of your own way. That’s it.Also, don’t be too proud to seek out other sources of income. A stable revenue stream is the lifeline all writers need.Finally, the writing market changes every day. Probably the trickiest thing about this craft is developing the ability to make a guess about what people are interested in at that moment. You need to put your finger on the pulse of humanity and address the questions people don’t even know they want to ask.Right now, we’re in a moment of opportunity. The general public is so anxious that they’re really open to listening to viewpoints they never would have considered before. In the 25 years I’ve spent writing, I’ve never seen anything like this.Hence… three posts a day. As always I apologize for overwhelming your inboxes. But if you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I’m trying to counter all the false narratives out there.On the day that we have even one media outlet that offers a fair perspective, I’ll let out an enormous sigh of relief and get back to telling stories about the tooth fairy. But right now, every man, woman, and child in the United States of America is getting constantly brainwashed.How do I know better?* I’m skeptical* I’m curious* I’m educated* I’m well traveled* I’m old* I have experience* I have childrenEven then I still mess up, and that’s where you my lovely readers come in. Thank you for all the gentle course corrections you’ve provided over the years.I’ve got some fun interviews coming up. On Friday, August 15th at 11AM CST, I’ll be talking with Alison Acheson about her book Blue Hours (it’s fantastic). Next Tuesday, August 19th at 10AM CST, I’ll be back on with Nick Paro. And on Wednesday, August 20th, at 10AM CST I get to chat with Will Fullwood.Will kind of started this whole thing for me. He invited me to an interview almost a year ago and we’ve been having regular chats since then. He took a few months off to go to France over the Summer, and that almost feels like a lifetime ago. I’m curious to compare notes.I am anxious to have another talk with Robert Danna, but Alison’s book was ahead of his on the list. I’ll be writing a review for Blue Hours soon, then My Curious Life. The rest of my summer reading list turned into a fall reading list!Speaking of that, did you ever look at your history on your computer after a work day? I mostly skim articles for information, but dang, I consume a LOT of information every day. In my mind I’m thinking, “Oh, I probably read 2-3 articles today.” Then I jump on my browser and find I spent time on 200-300! Again, I’m not sitting there gobbling up every word, but I jump on, scroll through, and pick up a sentence or two.Those moments are useful, it provides you insight as to the kind of speed bumps that allow you to break free from a text. Don’t read passively, take note of your reactions. That’s the best way to learn the craft.In my conversation with Cory, I mentioned that because I believe in universal education I feel that all my work has to be free. We had a nice discussion on that topic. Cory’s been using a paywall and then offering his stuff for free a week or two later. It’s important to emphasize that there are no right answers, you have to experiment and find what works for you.I often find that things that work for other writers don’t work for me until I make little adjustments. We’ve all got a different objective, that’s what makes us unique.One of my strengths, I think, is reading the room and recognizing what people want to hear at that moment. But that’s why my work has to remain free. If I paywall it for two weeks, I might miss an opportunity to be heard. Now, that strategy might not apply to Cory because he’s taking a different approach to his writing (for now).Ultimately, there’s just so much bad information out there that’s constantly shoveled down people’s throats. In a recent conversation with Robert Danna, we shared how we’re always yelling at the television because they’re telling flat out lies.Those lies ruin relationships, they make kids frustrated, they cultivate hatred, they lead to frustration, hate and human suffering.Every time I feel frustrated I sit down and write (hence the 3 posts a day).Am I changing the world?Maybe not.But doing this makes me feel better than sitting around feeling hopeless. It helps me purge the anxiety from my mind so I can get a good night’s sleep. We should never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep. Most of the bad actions in the world were committed by men who can’t sleep at night.Something I always try to emphasize is that all of you, my lovely readers, should consider me your resource. I receive tons of lovely comments, but I honestly don’t get all that many questions. I really do love it when somebody reaches out to me with, “Walter, maybe you have an answer for this…”At this point in my life, I’m a pretty well-rounded individual. I’m good at anticipating what people want to hear, but the more involved you the readers are in this process, the easier it is for me. Quite often I get a question and it reminds me that I’ve been meaning to write about that.I want to provide value for sponsoring my newsletter. I’m very confident that if you read my newsletter regularly, you’ll end up at least saving money, and potentially making money in other ways (I need a few more good writers to Boost and feature on Medium—even if the acceptances are hard to come by these days).If you’re struggling to decide who to sponsor, always pick the writers with either no badge, or the badge with the white background:The writers that have a check with an orange or purple background have thousands of paid subscribers already. Your sponsorship is MUCH MORE APPRECIATED when you give it to lesser known voices.Also, change is what we need.Honestly, I don’t feel there is any need to become a paid subscriber to rich celebrities who come to this platform. They’re sitting on millions of dollars already. They were a part of the shameful media behavior that contributed to the rise of this authoritarian state.You already know what you’re going to get if you support them: nothing!The more helpless we feel, the more important it is to recognize that we all have the power to make an impact on the world by supporting alternative voices. If you look around, you see very few people advocating for universal healthcare (but the whispers are getting louder). It doesn’t make sense to sponsor a millionaire celebrity who can’t relate to you because he already has all his needs taken care of. Instead, lend your support to voices that know your struggle and are trying to help.I’m a long way from 1,000 paid subscribers, but if I ever get there I’ll have the power to help out even more important voices. I personally think that once writers get to that level, they have an obligation to support others. In the meantime, I’ll keep doing what I can with interviews, articles, and answering your questions!As always, anything you can do to help out is greatly appreciated! I’m terrified about the idea of fascist propaganda becoming so normalized that it dominates public school curriculums. The scary part is that indoctrination is already present. There are places that teach the white supremacist “Lost Cause” narrative as if it is actual history. But as bad as that is, it can always get worse. Your generous questions, comments, likes, shares, and sponsorship help to keep me in this fight. Maybe one day we’ll have the voice of reason on television, wouldn’t that be nice? But in the meantime, thanks for your support!You all make this newsletter happen! Thanks for your sponsorship! I have payment tiers starting at as little as twenty dollars a year.Upgrade at 30% offUpgrade at 40% offUpgrade at 50% offUpgrade at 60% offI'm so happy you're here, and I'm looking forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow.My CoSchedule referral linkHere’s my referral link to my preferred headline analyzer tool. If you sign up through this, it’s another way to support this newsletter (thank you).I'd Rather Be Writing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to I'd Rather Be Writing at walterrhein.substack.com/subscribe