Unlocking My Stories For The Love And Fuck of It

Brian Brewington

Mar 17, 2018·5 min read

Look, I’m as grateful to The Paid Partner Program as I am frustrated with it. I’ve just finished reading The Dip by Bestselling author Seth Godin. Throughout the book, he does a phenomenal job of explaining how many systems mere survival and success count on people quitting. How quitting is built into the economics and architecture of them. The fact most will quit before ever making it over the hump, is presumed and depended upon.

The Paid Partner Program is one of them. Medium doesn’t want to pay us all to write. In fact, in the monthly program email update they sent out yesterday — they had the audacity to humble brag about paying writers an average of $50 a month. You know who $50 excites? People with a cocaine addiction and ten year old kids on Christmas. It’s not keeping lights on. A premium membership costs ten percent of that, leaving your average Medium writer with only 90 percent of the crumbs of the cake they were allotted to begin with.

As I said, I truly believe the programs existence depends on most of us giving up, this way there’s more cake for the likes of disgusting corporate conglomerates such as CNN and Rolling Stone. While I refuse to give in and secede to their shenanigans, I came into a sudden unexpected windfall of cash this month, plus my tax return. Combining that with the fact people actually reading my work means more to me than pocket change, earlier this month I decided I would keep a vast majority of what I published in March unlocked and have done exactly that. In addition, I’ve also decided to unlock all of the following previously published stories below — as both a way of thanking my readers and those who have supported my work as well as spreading my ideas more widely. Well, here they are — enjoy!

Here’s Why I Stopped Attending 12 Step Meetings

A personal short and to the point piece I wrote, in part to help myself understand why I stopped attending the 12 step meetings I once convinced myself I had to attend for the rest of my life. Though, I give credit where it is due, I took this opportunity to say all of the things so many people in a supposedly anonymous program think — but don’t speak on. Just my take on those programs and recovery in general really.

Let the Ideas Come To You and the Words Flow Through You

A very short read explaining how I try to approach writing, at least ideally. Really just a brief summary of how I noticed the harder I try when I sit down to write, the worse off I seem to be. I wrote this in hopes to help others who may struggle in the same fashion, as well as let it serve as a reminder to myself. The more relaxed I am as I sit down to write and the less serious I take myself — the less pressure there is. Which in turn, shows up in the work itself.

Be Too Busy Doing, To Aspire To Be Anything

A plea with anyone who dubs themselves as an aspiring anything, be it writer,entrepreneur, artist or singing dancing bus driver. A call to all creatives to stop aspiring and spring into action instead. Simply some thoughts on the art of doing, I wrote after being tired of hearing the word “aspiring” thrown around so freely and frequently. Stop talking about it, make like Nike and just do it.

One of the Most Dangerous People I’ve Ever Known Owned An AR-15

A personal narrative piece I wrote after the recent Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. The article is what it sounds like — a reflection on how the last person I knew growing up who should’ve owned any gun at all — owned the same type of semi-automatic assault rifle used in the tragic mass murder, as well as many others. I tried to keep my opinions out of it and instead let readers conclude their own opinions after hearing my story. Not an anti-gun story, just one I hoped would open up some minds and thought provoking discussions.

An Ode To A World I Don’t Understand

A piece far more light hearted than most of those above. One I wrote poking fun of today’s society, political correctness — and myself. While I take on a humorous tone, I also touch on some topics intended to again provoke thought and express my views and opinions on life in this country today. Take three minutes to read it, I think you’ll enjoy it.

Well, there’s five unlocks for now, as I didn’t want to make this post too long or drawn out or bury my work, in my other work — as certain platforms do. I’ll be doing this regularly, being stories essentially stop earning income after a week or two anyhow. I hope I’ve given at least a few non paying members who didn’t previously have access to these posts a chance to read them. As nice as money is, my primary aim is to deliver value and my main motivation has always been the love I have for this craft itself. Thanks for reading.