Hello readers!
This certainly has been a start of the year, and we’re still in the thick of it. It’s hard to know what’s appropriate to do right now. Are the arts distractions? A necessary refuge? Something else entirely? Being a writer, particularly a writer on the current version of the internet, means having to make a devil’s bargain for getting your work out into the public. At some point, even if you’re giving it away for free, you have to trust someone else with your baby. This has been particularly true in the last couple of months for social media platforms.
I’ve already divested myself from Twitter when it became ‘X,’ and I never really got the hang of Tik-Tok. Up until last month I was publishing Everyday Drabbles on my website, and on a Facebook page. Facebook has very much been a pay-to-play environment for a while now, with constant invitations to ‘boost’ my posts for a fee. I wasn’t really reaching subscribers there, and had only kept it going for a few friends who preferred to view the stories on the platform.
With the drama over TikTok’s banning and tenuous return, along with Meta CEO Zuckerberg’s recent statements, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching. And I’ve decided that I am leaving Facebook, at least as a creator. Meta platforms have signaled that they are not interested in open and free communications but have become an echo chamber of the worst voices on the political far right. They are neither safe nor are they valuable to me as a writer.
HughJODonnell.com and its mirror site, EverydayDrabbles.com will remain the home for Everyday Drabbles, and those posts will remain here every morning for free. I will also be continuing to post updates, announcement, podcast reposts, and reviews on this homepage.
But with Facebook gone, I have decided to relaunch my Patreon as a place where you will be able to view drabbles for free and also get them by email.
The Everyday Drabbles Patreon is already live. Posts go live every morning ET and signing up for the Free tier will also send them to your email. If you want to support the project starting at $1 or more you can get benefits such as behind-the-scenes and announcement posts, early access to posts, and even personalized drabbles in digital or deluxe print formats! $5 and $10 supporters will get access to ebook and print collections as they are released going forward as well.
Thank you for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy Everyday Drabbles.
Gratefully,
Hugh J. O’Donnell
Hugh J. O'Donnell 