To The Readers of The Grasshopper and The Witness Chronicles

Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash

Good morning, and yes it is morning somewhere!

With readers in 58 countries and 46 US states, The Grasshopper has surpassed any imaginable reach in the 17 months I have been publishing my thoughts on writing, life, and in the Witness Chronicles, politics and climate issues.

For a writer sitting in western New York State on a fall morning, these stats still amaze. But even more important is the ability to carry on conversations about ideas and life, the good and the bad. Recently I have seen more comments and responses from readers and your point of view is always respected, unless you delve into hate and prejudice.

The world is too small for those things and it gets smaller every day. But I’m happy to say there have been very few of these negative responses. Disagreement is fine- we need to be disagreeing and then talking about it, more than ever.

While writing and becoming a better writer is always my core theme, I am moving towards something equally important, and that is personal growth as an artist and a human being. To write is to communicate with others and to communicate we must retain the ability to reason with each other, even when we disagree.

We face many immense challenges as a global community and our future lives will be more complex and challenging than many of us can imagine. Personal preparation for this is just as important as preparing your life for rapid, unexpected change. That change is another core topic I’ll be exploring.

And yes, there is a pitch. I spend quite a bit of time researching and writing the Grasshopper and every minute of it is pure pleasure. But I need the validation of your feedback and your support in the form of upgrading to a paid subscription, if and when you can.

Here in the west, $5 has become what a dollar was when I was younger, enough to buy a latte, a fast food burger, or a used book (the best deal out there). So I don’t feel bad about requesting that if you can, please subscribe. 

There are two benefits for me, as a writer and publisher. First, and not to be underestimated, is the validation that my words have value to readers. Second, I can use the money! Right now it doesn’t amount to much but my goal in the year going forward is to build this into a viable way to pay my bills, as unrealistic as that may sound.

We live in a world where an indicted possible criminal asks for money, based on his jail mugshot, and somehow raises millions. Regardless of how you feel about that, please ask yourself how sending five dollars to a writer fits into that world.

That’s all. Lots of stuff coming, almost all of it free. Please consider subscribing. Thank you,

Martin Edic