Shut Up and Write
Why everything I publish stays open
One thing I have always disliked about the modern internet works like this.
You start reading something interesting. The writer is building an argument, and the point is getting sharper with each paragraph. Then you scroll, and suddenly the article stops.
“Subscribe to keep reading.”
Most people who read online know exactly what that moment feels like. You are halfway through an argument, and the rest of it disappears behind a wall.
I understand why writers do it. It works. Lock part of the article, force the decision, and move on. But when I started this project, I decided I did not want to build it that way.
If something is important enough to write, it should be available for people to read.
Some of the people who most need to read certain arguments are not always the people who can easily afford another subscription. Students. Younger readers. People who simply stumbled across an article while trying to make sense of something happening in the world.
So I made a simple decision early on.
Everything stays open.
No half articles. No locked conclusions. No “subscribe to finish reading.” If you arrive here, you can read the entire piece.
That decision comes with a trade-off.
I do get pushback when I send emails asking readers to support the work. I understand that reaction. Nobody particularly enjoys being asked for money, and I do not particularly enjoy asking either.
But there is a strange double standard in how people think about this. If someone runs a charity, a food bank, or a nonprofit doing real work, nobody is shocked when they send a mailer asking supporters to keep it going. People understand that valuable work can still cost money.
If a church passes the plate, no one stands up in the middle of the service and says, “I hope you’re not planning to ask me for money.” People understand that worthwhile work still requires support.
For some reason, many people struggle to apply that same logic to writing and research published online for free.
I could avoid that tension the easy way. I could lock half the work behind a paywall and force the decision immediately. Many writers do exactly that.
I chose not to.
Instead, I leave the work open and trust readers to decide whether it should continue.
Before going any further, I want to say something clearly. I am genuinely grateful to the readers who already support this project.
Right now 225 readers fund the work directly, and without them none of this exists. The essays, the investigations, the research hours, the time spent digging through archives and documents every week. All of it continues because enough people decided the work was worth supporting.
Their support made it possible to produce more than 500,000 words of original research in 2025 alone.
The work also continues to evolve. Most of the essays here are long deep dives. Many run five thousand words or more because complicated subjects often require time and documentation to explain properly. That format is not going away.
But I also recognize something practical. Not everyone has the time to read a long essay every time. So starting this week I am adding something new alongside the deep dives.
Shorter pieces.
Clearer, faster essays built around a single idea, question, or observation. The goal is to strike a better balance: one or two major investigations each week, alongside several shorter pieces people can read quickly and share easily.
The deep work continues, but the format expands. And everything will still remain open.
The point of this project is not to hide arguments behind a wall. The point is to get them into the world.
The trade-off is simple: open work survives only if readers decide it should.
At the moment, 225 readers support the work directly. The next milestone is 250, which stabilizes the floor and gives this project more room to operate without every week turning into a financial calculation.
If you read the work regularly and believe it should continue, then you already understand the model.
Paid Subscriber ($8/mo or $80/yr)
https://mrchr.is/help
One-Time Contribution
https://mrchr.is/give
The Resistance Core ($1,200)
https://mrchr.is/resist
P.S. I could put half the work behind a paywall tomorrow and force the decision immediately. Many writers do. I chose a different path. Everything stays open, and readers decide whether the work continues.
I really appreciate you Chris. I don’t have much money and I don’t charge for almost all my work. I pay for a subscription to you because your work gets me through the tough days. I could write a whole post on how. You and your family are always in my gratitude prayers.