Hey just wanna say that somehow, with you breaking up your novel this way, it feels more digestible. :) Before, I felt like I didn't know if I could even attempt your novel, weirdly enough!
That's good to know! I'd hoped that splitting it down like this, and referring to it more as an anthology rather than a singular novel, would help. Focusing on the individual stories rather than the raw chapter numbers makes it much easier to grasp, conceptually, I think!
Hey Simon k Jones, your writing skills are truly impressive! Your ability to craft engaging and captivating content is commendable. Keep up the great work and continue inspiring others with your talent..
This is indeed very helpful and interesting. Is there a video somewhere showing a walk-through of how to set up/write/build an index like this, how to set up sections, how to post serialized posts, etc? I've been monkeying around with Substack for a few weeks now and am still not making any real progress on the technical stuff. Thanks.
Thanks, Simon! Will make my way through these. So far, there's nothing about the actual steps of how to serialize a novel on YouTube. At least not that I could find. I've seen videos showing that it is done but not actually how to do it. It's surely far simpler than it appears. Again, thanks. I wish you great and lucrative success.
I love sci fi and police procedurals but I've never tried reading a magazine serial before. Wow I'm so excited and amazed. I love that it is in bit sized format I could easy try and follow.
Thank you for your masterful work and sharing with us. Your substack series was also very helpful for me!
I love the concept and the way you have separated it with a useful introduction intuitively easy to grasp. I haven't been convinced that a chronological serialisation of a fiction novel on substack would work so well, but to have a universe with a central theme but each bit as standalone intuitively seems right...cant wait to check it out :)
Hi, Simon! I think the jury is out and we're all still experimenting somewhat. For me, writing and publishing as I go is something I've done for close to a decade, originally over on Wattpad. Substack is a less natural fit in some ways, but is far more rewarding in terms of building a legitimate readership.
In the early days of publishing Triverse back in 2021 it was very quiet, but I do have a sense of momentum building, and an increasing interest in fiction. There's things that could be done on the Substack end to enhance the fiction/serial reading experience, for sure, but even where we are now seems to be increasingly viable.
Hey! Yes, I love the world you have crafted already!
Personally I never until now had the nerve to publish writing online until I started here. I started slowly with recipes and now am over to short stories, but I keep getting distracted by all the great and honest writing on this platform...so if you find me commenting and liking too much then Simon says do me a favour and block me, as you are distracting me from what I had hoped to be doing on substack :)
"Simon K Jones, your writing skills are truly remarkable! Your words have a way of painting vivid images, evoking deep emotions, and captivating readers from start to finish. Your talent for storytelling is a gift that shines brightly in every piece you craft. Keep letting your creativity flow, for the world eagerly awaits more of your brilliant work! 🌟📝 #WritingWizard"
Somewhere in your serial posts on serial novels you recommended against chapter numbers. Your rationale seemed solid. Now I see your index, which seems natural to me — and at odds with your prior advice. As a human being, I find contradictions completely acceptable, but thought I’d ask if I missed a nuance.
I have not learned how to search a writer’s content to glean his thoughts on a specific topic. Apologies for that.
Good question. There is indeed a nuance! When I started publishing Triverse, I included a chapter number on each individual post. This works for short runs, but for ongoing or long-running serials, that number can get rather large!
That's when I moved away from individual numbering. The story index here still numbers the stories, as the context here is more about presenting it as a sequence.
It's also worth noting that each of the stories listed in this index comprise of multiple parts. 'The Creature' is about 10 parts, for example, so you can see how the numbering can get out of hand if I were to number every single post.
That does make sense Simon. The novel I’m planning to serialize has about 50 chapters split into four part, so I envision my index will be like a Scrivener outliner with two level numbers - Part.Chapter.
My take-away from your post is that putting a number in the post title is not necessary since the index provides the sequencing. As long as the index is easily accessible, the reader will have no problems.
I’m leaning toward creating individual sections for each of the five books I drafted. Is that crazy?
Hey just wanna say that somehow, with you breaking up your novel this way, it feels more digestible. :) Before, I felt like I didn't know if I could even attempt your novel, weirdly enough!
That's good to know! I'd hoped that splitting it down like this, and referring to it more as an anthology rather than a singular novel, would help. Focusing on the individual stories rather than the raw chapter numbers makes it much easier to grasp, conceptually, I think!
Very cool concept. I look forward to digging into it! :)
Thanks, Brian! Hope you enjoy. Do let me know in the comments. :)
Hey Simon k Jones, your writing skills are truly impressive! Your ability to craft engaging and captivating content is commendable. Keep up the great work and continue inspiring others with your talent..
This is indeed very helpful and interesting. Is there a video somewhere showing a walk-through of how to set up/write/build an index like this, how to set up sections, how to post serialized posts, etc? I've been monkeying around with Substack for a few weeks now and am still not making any real progress on the technical stuff. Thanks.
Hi Ryan! I have some videos here, though I've yet to cover some of those specific topics. https://simonkjones.substack.com/t/video-guides
You have given me some good ideas on what to do next, though thanks!
Thanks, Simon! Will make my way through these. So far, there's nothing about the actual steps of how to serialize a novel on YouTube. At least not that I could find. I've seen videos showing that it is done but not actually how to do it. It's surely far simpler than it appears. Again, thanks. I wish you great and lucrative success.
Such a great idea to have a contents page 🙌🏻
Hi Simon,
I love sci fi and police procedurals but I've never tried reading a magazine serial before. Wow I'm so excited and amazed. I love that it is in bit sized format I could easy try and follow.
Thank you for your masterful work and sharing with us. Your substack series was also very helpful for me!
Your reader, Mel
Hi Mel! Thanks for checking out Triverse. I really appreciate you taking the time! Sounds like it might be your sort of thing. :)
I love the concept and the way you have separated it with a useful introduction intuitively easy to grasp. I haven't been convinced that a chronological serialisation of a fiction novel on substack would work so well, but to have a universe with a central theme but each bit as standalone intuitively seems right...cant wait to check it out :)
Hi, Simon! I think the jury is out and we're all still experimenting somewhat. For me, writing and publishing as I go is something I've done for close to a decade, originally over on Wattpad. Substack is a less natural fit in some ways, but is far more rewarding in terms of building a legitimate readership.
In the early days of publishing Triverse back in 2021 it was very quiet, but I do have a sense of momentum building, and an increasing interest in fiction. There's things that could be done on the Substack end to enhance the fiction/serial reading experience, for sure, but even where we are now seems to be increasingly viable.
Anyway, hope you enjoy!
Hey! Yes, I love the world you have crafted already!
Personally I never until now had the nerve to publish writing online until I started here. I started slowly with recipes and now am over to short stories, but I keep getting distracted by all the great and honest writing on this platform...so if you find me commenting and liking too much then Simon says do me a favour and block me, as you are distracting me from what I had hoped to be doing on substack :)
This is great! Thanks!
Thanks for reading, Todd!
"Simon K Jones, your writing skills are truly remarkable! Your words have a way of painting vivid images, evoking deep emotions, and captivating readers from start to finish. Your talent for storytelling is a gift that shines brightly in every piece you craft. Keep letting your creativity flow, for the world eagerly awaits more of your brilliant work! 🌟📝 #WritingWizard"
Hello my dear friend good evening
Somewhere in your serial posts on serial novels you recommended against chapter numbers. Your rationale seemed solid. Now I see your index, which seems natural to me — and at odds with your prior advice. As a human being, I find contradictions completely acceptable, but thought I’d ask if I missed a nuance.
I have not learned how to search a writer’s content to glean his thoughts on a specific topic. Apologies for that.
Good question. There is indeed a nuance! When I started publishing Triverse, I included a chapter number on each individual post. This works for short runs, but for ongoing or long-running serials, that number can get rather large!
That's when I moved away from individual numbering. The story index here still numbers the stories, as the context here is more about presenting it as a sequence.
It's also worth noting that each of the stories listed in this index comprise of multiple parts. 'The Creature' is about 10 parts, for example, so you can see how the numbering can get out of hand if I were to number every single post.
Hope that makes sense!
That does make sense Simon. The novel I’m planning to serialize has about 50 chapters split into four part, so I envision my index will be like a Scrivener outliner with two level numbers - Part.Chapter.
My take-away from your post is that putting a number in the post title is not necessary since the index provides the sequencing. As long as the index is easily accessible, the reader will have no problems.
I’m leaning toward creating individual sections for each of the five books I drafted. Is that crazy?