Nurture Your Tree

Reads for reads, as much as we need

A read for read

If we do what we said

Imagine the work we could've made

If we never had read

Another

Read for read

But plant the seed

To nurture and water

The storybook tree

That grows in our garden

That grows in our hearts, then

Its leaves of pages

Unfurl wide open

We feel fulfilled in ourselves

We feel newly awoken

So, why would you give a "read-for-read"

When to hook Your audience

You hook must grip them

Like the roots to the dirt of a great, mighty, tree

You can't grow to the heavens

Without roots down in hell

You don't need to tell

Yourself, You just have to sell

To convince people that Your work's superbly genuine

Soon, You'll never have to post a "read-for-read" again

...

Author's Notes: A lot of people get frustrated about the read-for-read culture. Personally, I'm not a big fan of it. Have I made friends in a lot of the FaceBook groups? Yes, yes I have. However, I don't want somebody to feel obligated to read my work. Please, read my work only if You feel genuinely interested in doing so. Your time, energy, and attention are resources that You can never reclaim. I wish for You to spend them wisely how You see fit. Have I engaged in "reads-for-reads?" Guilty as charged. I say that if You are to do so, make sure that You give them an exchange of equal value. An example could be a poem for a poem, a fiction story for a fiction story, or a product review for a product review. If not, try to make sure that they're the same length or have the same context. You wouldn't want to feel like You've been burned or received the short end of the stick, so let's not do that to others.

Sincerely,

Thavien Yliaster