Hi.
It’s hard to become a better writer if you’re not writing. The first step of improving your writing is simply to write more, which is what this newsletter is all about.
I’m not going to teach you how to be a better writer — there are other people far more qualified than me to do that — but I will help you get pen to paper more frequently.
I spent many years telling people I wanted to be a writer, without ever finishing a project. Then I tried writing an online serial, publishing every week, and a switch flicked in my brain. That was 2015, and I’ve now completed three novel-sized serials, have published a paperback and am working on my fourth major fiction project.
First, you get the words down. Then you make them good.
Subscribers get two newsletters in their inboxes, entirely for free:
Write More is a weekly dose of writing tips, interviews and inspiration, sent out every Monday to help kickstart your week.
Tales from the Triverse is an ongoing serial fiction project, with brand new chapters published every Friday. You get to read it first, provide feedback, and see the book take shape in real time. It’s me demonstrating my techniques and how they can work.
You’re in control and can customise what you receive or unsubscribe at any time.
“Fantastic science fiction serials and indie publishing.”
Starter kit
If you want to sample some of my stuff before subscribing, here are some popular starting points:
“Packed with how-to info for the newbie to Substack + an interesting take on serialised fiction.”
How to read Tales from the Triverse
My current fiction project is a crime thriller that blends science fiction and fantasy into quite a heady mix.
It’s hard-hitting speculative fiction that explores current day political and social issues. It also has dragons and spaceships, obviously.
It’s free to read, and if you enjoy it you can help fund the project by taking out a paid subscription. That also gets you the ebook collected anthology of everything published so far, which is a great way to catch up.
“Substack's serialisation expert. Years of experience in helping writers to write both more and better.”
My previous projects
Reading an online serial is different to picking up a finished book. You get the opportunity to share your thoughts while the words are still being written. That also means you’re placing a lot of trust in the author. I’ve been writing online serial fiction since 2015, and have completed three major projects. Tales from the Triverse is my fourth and most ambitious. Point is, I finish my stories, and you’re in safe hands.
“Simon is working hard to crack the code of publishing serial fiction online. He's also a hell of a great storyteller with a wide and deep imagination. For your consideration.”
Some info on my previous books:
No Adults Allowed (2020) is an optimistic, post-apocalypse mixture of Lord of the Flies and Heart of Darkness, about responsibility and parenting and well-meaning but murderous AI. You can get this one as an ebook or paperback from Amazon.
The Mechanical Crown (2016 - 2019) is my epic fantasy adventure, packed full of airships, swords, battles and politics. It’s big and exciting and I’m very proud of it. Currently on Wattpad, but I have plans.
A Day of Faces (2015 - 2016) was my debut and is a YA coming-of-age story about a snake girl and her shape-shifting friend who accidentally wind up changing the world. It’s hard to explain. Also only on Wattpad at the moment, but watch this space.
“Not only does Simon write serialised science fiction of the most enviably thoughtful kind, he also *really* understands the newsletter-delivered serialised fiction space - I don't think anyone else gets this stuff better than he does - and on top of all those signs that he has a brain the size of a planet, he's a really nice guy. I kinda hate him? Go read, learn and enjoy.”
A bit about me
I’m a writer based in Norwich, England. Here’s me looking serious and overly beardy:
You might have heard me on The Writing Life podcast which I produced for several years. I’ve spoken about writing serial fiction at Primadonna Festival and for the National Centre for Writing. I’ve also taught for the BBC, FutureLearn, LinkedIn Learning, Access Creative and the Africa Game Developers Community. These days I work at One Further helping cultural organisations do exciting digital things.
“This newsletter is why I have a newsletter! And he’s an amazing fantasy, time-hopping sci-fi crime fiction writer.”
AI declaration
I experimented briefly with MidJourney in 2022, but as of February 2023 I no longer use generative AI for images. You might encounter some AI images in older posts, although I’m working to replace those. Everything I publish now is created by real humans.
I’m not against using interesting technology as part of my creative process. At some point in the future I might incorporate AI tools into my larger creative workflow, but that’ll require resolving the numerous ethical concerns first, and ideally wrestling the tech away from the 'orrible lot currently in charge.
To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.
