Today’s discussion is all about you. I want to know more about who reads this newsletter and, crucially, I want lots of juicy links to what you’re working on. Creative projects, websites, book links, art, music, essays - point me (and everyone else) at your stuff! Show off! Don’t be shy.
I have a couple of novels, several novellas and short stories sitting in my hard drive, unpublished. Mostly sci-fi, speculative stuff. I have a few publications out in the real world. A few short stories published, a children's book and co-wrote a non-fiction book.
But what I'm really passionate about is my space opera series, The Distant Stars ... but I've been paralysed by the indie publishing process of getting them out. It's just not ME. So, I toyed with the idea of serialising my fiction online. Most of my writing friends, staunchly indie-Amazon-only-or-go-wide writers, said I will be making a mistake if I did it.
So, I ditched the idea and tried mightily to publish. Managed a few books before royally crashing and burning due to the demands of a too-demanding job and a too-demanding self-publishing routine.
I procrastinated by blogging about personal finance, fighting against Google algorithms without much success. Reading/listening self-publishing article or podcasts makes me feel guilty and hopeless. So I disengaged from the community completely.
Then I came across Elle Griffin. And I came across you. And the spark was reborn, and now I'm wading into the serial fiction world (or maybe, re-wading), hoping to find more than one reader.
That's why I'm here :) I hope to connect with fellow writers, be a part of the writing community once more. Only, hopefully, not one as pushy and pressuring as the one I left. Nice to meet you, Simon.
I've only recently revamped the substack, so the content doesn't quite reflect its new thrust yet. Before it was just a way to notify my blog readers about new posts and more about personal finance and productivity.
Well, I hope it goes well! Although serialising a story is still quite a commitment, it breaks it down into little pieces which I find much more manageable than tackling 'A Novel' (capital N) in one go. The community round here that I've encountered is lovely.
It's the community aspect that I'm attracted to. I totally understand the whole commitment thing - one of my fears, of course, is not being able to meet said commitment, but luckily I've already written 150k words of my series and have stacks of unpublished novellas and short stories lol. Hopefully this gives me some wiggle room.
Sounds like you're well-prepared. :) For me it was about working out a pace that I could keep to reliably - which turns out is 1 chapter per week. Can't do any faster (without becoming extremely stressed).
Likewise. To be honest, my earlier attempts were not terribly consistent. Uhm, sometimes weeks would pass before a chapter is posted lol. Problem is, I can't control when my ideas come and sometimes it takes forever to percolate. I'm hoping to be more consistent this time.
By the way, you mentioned in one of your posts that you do a lot of legwork and preparation first before publishing a single chapter. What kind of work is it?
Sometimes that is about having a buffer of a few chapters before I start publishing. Generally I don't have a buffer, once I'm into a story, but I always write at least half a dozen chapters up front just to make sure I actually *like writing it*. I wouldn't want to dive into a live project and find out a few chapters in that it's the wrong project.
Also, due to writing scifi and fantasy, I need to have a good grasp of the setting and the rules of the world. I'm not someone who obsesses over 'lore' at the expense of everything else, but it is crucial for it all to hang together. That up front planning means that everything remains coherent, and avoids me falling into plot holes or story dead ends. It also makes it possible to filter in some sneaky foreshadowing, despite it being a live first draft - which otherwise would probably only be added in subsequent redrafting.
My novel, The Wistful and the Good, is available now in ebook and paperback: http://mybook.to/thewistfulandthegood Reviews are welcome. Okay, reviews desperately needed. There, I said it.
My website with my old blog which will shortly get rolled into my newsletter: https://gmbaker.net.
My newsletter, Stories All the Way Down, which I am transitioning to a new focus on what I call "the serious popular novel": https://www.storiesallthewaydown.com. (Yes, I did the Substack custom domain thing, and it works).
My old life in technical communication leaves its remnants here, including my two NF books: https://everypageispageone.com.
Currently, I am working on getting my second novel, a fairytale fantasy called Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight ready for publication. Except as I was proofreading it today I decided I hated the first chapter, so that will have to get rewritten, which may mean that the sequel to The Wistful and the Good, titled St. Agnes and the Selkie, may come out next.
Also, I am preparing a new newsletter for publication, called Why I Am Still Catholic. No link and no timeframe on that one yet.
Also I am painting the house. Which is what actually absorbs most of my time and energy right now.
Well, at the moment I just have an idea for another newsletter. I'm accumulating a few ideas before I launch it, to make sure it will be sustainable.
I have always loved folk songs and fairytales. They are the most basic and authentic forms of story. They are basic stories that endure, largely untinged by ideology and pretension. I've written a number of short stories based on folk songs, including this one: https://www.storiesallthewaydown.com/p/in-which-i-retell-a-folk-ballad. When I tried to make a short story out of the ballad Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight, though, I couldn't make the story work. Then someone suggested I should continue the story with Isabel, having killed the elf knight, going off and having adventures with the elf knight's sword and horse. And that eventually became the novel.
Is it a departure? It doesn't feel like it to me. I don't tend to read or write along genre lines, but along thematic lines. Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight and The Wistful and the Good are thematically related in a number of ways.
The book is somewhat different from the typical modern fantasy I think, in that it is what I call a lapsarian fantasy, rather then the more typical promethean fantasy. More on that here: https://gmbaker.net/promethean-vs-lapsarian-fantasy/ (Hey, you asked for links. :-) ) That article will probably get revised and repurposed into the newsletter sooner or later.
I'm a novelist and editor, among a few other things. My most recent novel is "The Coincidence Plot"(Simon & Schuster, 2023), preceded by a collection of short fiction "The Inconceivable Idea of the Sun" (Hachette, 2022), and a novel "Half of What I Say" (Bloomsbury, 2017). Couple of years ago, I was sentenced to be the chief editor of The Bombay Literary Magazine (https://bombaylitmag.com), which was founded some nine years ago by good friend and brilliant author, Tanuj Solanki. In fact, it was Tanuj who made me aware of this substack.
I have a weakness for thoughtful literature. Perhaps it's better to use Sontag's definition of intelligence: a taste for ideas. I like literature with a taste for ideas. But I'm afraid I'm a weak man with many weaknesses. I read indiscriminately as a child and continue to do so, even though age is no longer an excuse. I'm just as willing to read Barbara Cartland as I am to lie with Tolstoy. I see literature as a living ecology, where every genre and author has a place.
I have lived in many places, but the bulk of my time has been spent in India and the United States. I'm currently based in India. I have been very lucky in life and with love, that is, undeservedly, but as Dumas wrote of Martin Guerre: "....a uniform happiness, which only attaches women more and more, has often upon men a precisely contrary effect, and so it was with Martin Guerre." So it is with Anil Menon as well. Writing is how I explore other modes of being.
Let me wrap this up. We bore the world the most when we talk about ourselves. Thank you Simon for setting up this friendly and supportive forum.
I write near future SciFi with military protagonists. I’m working on my third novel though nothing published yet. I’m interested in learning more about connecting with readers on social media. I have a Facebook author page where I post regularly but with little engagement. I want learn how to be more effective and generate meaningful interactions. Your series on learning about Substack really got my attention and the fact that you write science fiction is a huge bonus for me. Looking forward to the rest of your video series and learning more about your writing. Thank you!
I always had very mixed success with social media when it came to my writing. I never got much real engagement, and on rare occasions when I did it seemed a little random and couldn't be built upon. Hence I've been quite startled by the community of readers and commenters that have sprung up around the newsletter.
Well, I’m new to Substack, and still figuring it all out. Once the set-up is done and I have a couple of posts under my belt, I’ll feel better. You can check me out at AfterLaterart.com or doorsofafterlater.com. Thanks for your help earlier.
Hi, Jill! I've got a bunch of resources that might prove useful. My video tutorials are here: https://simonkjones.substack.com/t/video-guides They currently focus on Substack and I'll be adding some Scrivener tutorials soon.
BACKSTABBERS (1979) is a retro comedy murder-mystery (the first in a series of 6, with each story taking place in a consecutive decade). I'm currently working on part 2, set in 1986.
My Substack, SHORT PEOPLE, is full of 100 word flash fiction, essays and short stories. I also produce a monthly newsletter.
I hope so! I’m also writing a present day MM in a Nick Hornsby-esque setting called The Mutual. (There’s about 3 chapters up so far: I’m uploading chapters of this as and when I pull my finger out and actually write 😂)
hi Simon, just discovered substack and your newsletter, the actionable tips on writing got me. looking out for your newsletter very much. i might write poetry, short stories, or go novel-direction, just figuring out whether writing is my thing. @godlikeby_bt on X (https://twitter.com/godlikeby_bt). Keep awesome, best
I have a remarkable talent for writing books that are difficult to market. Ah, well... My novels include a re-creation of the Trojan War myth, which is bad enough. The past two years have seen the publication of a four-novel series that crosses far too many genres. [THE PASSION OF ELENA BIANCHI has classical music, hard-core kinky sex (way beyon FIFTY SHADES), the Holocaust, the Mafia, various psychic/occult elements, a personified Curse (capital "C") that has stalked the lovers for two millennia, and an esoteric notion of reincarnation called "soul fractions" -- and I don't believe there is a category for "dark-erotic, paranormal, spiritual romance"!
I am also the recent author of a novella (Jewish-paranormal, about an ibbur), a tiny volume of dramatic works (TWO OEDIPAL PLAYS), and a set of Sherlock Holmes mysteries dealing with chess. Last month, Fomite Press released PAGANINI AGITATO, a novel by Ann Abelson, which I "edited and revised."
You get the picture. That said, I am also rather "low-tech" and awkward with social media. I've been on substack for a while but am only now beginning to figure out what I'm doing. I sincerely hope I'll learn something from you and others!
That sounds like a fascinating back catalogue, Lenny!
"classical music, hard-core kinky sex (way beyon FIFTY SHADES), the Holocaust, the Mafia, various psychic/occult elements, a personified Curse (capital "C") that has stalked the lovers for two millennia, and an esoteric notion of reincarnation" sounds like a pretty good starting point for a book blurb to me. :)
Thanks, Simon. Alas, the project itself was under a "curse" of a different sort. The publisher (a one-person operation: White Bird) dropped dead shortly after the second book was released. I never got a royalty statement (or payment) or the personal copies I had ordered. Life goes on! Who knows what I'll attempt next?
I found myself here after watching your substack for newbies. That would be me. I own a horse ranch and run an equine-assisted learning program with the horses. The horses are amazing animals and are not only calming but teach humans life skills such as better communication. It's fascinating to watch. Since most people can't come to South Texas to experience the ranch, I am bringing the experience to them through words. The goal is to visualize the beauty of the moment and end with a lesson learned. I have a few articles on Medium that were picked up by publications but I am just getting started.
Hi there, I'm a UK Chartered Psychologist (in business and organisations), and I write about authenticity, psychology, leadership and relationships. I have a PhD in Authentic Leadership and so far I've self-published 4 books all about relationships, leadership and psychology.
I write to help people learn more about themselves and others. Here's the list of books:
Thinking Styles - Relationship Strategies that Work!
Jane Eyre's Rival: The Real Mrs Rochester
Divided by Gender, United by Chocolate: Differences in the Boardroom
Love is the THE Answer
Many thanks for your newsletter, like many others, and everyone here, I really appreciate your knowledge, skills and generosity.
I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of publishing on Substack after years of blogging on my own website and sending twice-monthly newsletters via Mailchimp. I figured out the newsletter piece but the details about publishing fiction and memoir as weekly chapters has been less obvious. Your tutorials have been very helpful and I wanted to express my appreciation!
I've been on Substack going on six months. I originally started a stack to keep myself accountable for my back of the book indexing business I was trying to get going - I took the University of California Berkeley Extension course on indexing last year. But life has this annoying habit of being rude and it threw a cog into my machine. But it also tossed me a bone.
I've had a life long pipe dream of being a writer. It was one of those things I had long ago accepted that would probably never happen. Until that bone showed up.
While I don't regret taking the indexing course, the opportunity (from life being rude) literally landed in my lap to chase the pipe dream.
So here I am, writing. I'm keeping my day job, and still have to figure out a schedule of when I can write. I'm stupidly excited about this door opening for me and where it will take me.
Simon! I had to sample your stuff when I found out how frequently you write (I also write every day), and that you're interested in writing about writing. This is a cool intersection for me!
I'm finding myself writing about writing, communicating about communicating (literally everyday), and talking about talking. If you are at an unhealthy level, we're in the sick ward together!
Hi Simon, I've been on Substack since December of 2020. Started a podcast with my friend last June. I've been back to writing fiction this past year, and enjoyed reading about your journey to Substack. Looking forward to reading more from you. Feel free to check out my page at TheBrianLennonShow.Substack.com
I write at the intersection of art and mental health. My next book comes out in a few weeks. And I’m trying to get going here on Substack after a recent move over from Patreon.
Yep I just downloaded a csv file from Patreon and imported it here on Substack. I paused contributions on Patreon and comped everyone a month free here to see if they like the format. TBD whether they will continue to subscribe or not when the month is up. 🤷🏻♀️❤️
Hey there Simon. So I write a more literary type of story, in that they're long, with lots of character development. I write stories the interest me. I break them down into smaller pieces, so that every piece goes out at anywhere from 2,300-2,800 words. I get about five or six weeks per story, which is good considering I hadn't written anything at all last year until late October. (There was an incident at work involving the death of a friend.)
But I'm back on board now. I made myself write by signing up for the NaNoWriMo Challenge. I didn't think 50,000 words was enough, so I kept going. I'm in the process of revising it, while at the same time, I started publishing the 1st draft as I was writing it. I've put out 20 chapters so far. I send them out on Tuesday and Thursday. And then my long short stories go out every Sunday. I know, it seems like too much. But the Tuesday/Thursday posts were originally behind a paywall. Some of my friends were kind enough to sign up and buy subscriptions. I won't prepared for that, so put up a novel I was working on. I gave them both the first draft and the edited version, and invited them to suggest changes. (Nobody wanted to do it. There was only three of them, and I know them.) When I finish A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO TIME TRAVEL I'll put the paywall back up and finish my JACK OF DIAMONDS story. He's a thief in 1920's London who does parkour. A scoundrel; he's a womanizer, a liar, a cheat and a thief. He's also a veteran of the Great War and suffers from PTSD.
After I finish with that, I'm going to rewrite my Magnum Opus: THE APOCRYPHY, an epic historical fiction that takes place in 47-66 AD.
I'm retired now, as of Jan 1st, so I think I might be able to find the time. I love the community here at SUBSTACK, and hope to grow a following. I believe I'm a good writer, and hope to prove it to myself by building a following. I'm giving myself 5 years to gather 1500 paid subscribers. I've only been on for, well, today's an anniversary of sorts, because I started June 2. So 8 months.
I played with the video idea for a while, and think I might start that up again, behind the Paywall. It helps to know the people who signed up. I've even read to them in person, so that'll make it easier. I'm thinking, at 65, if I can get a good 20 years in, I'll be happy.
Sounds like an ambitious series of projects, Ben. Have you always been a writer, or only come to it relatively recently.
I've found knowing when to use the paywall to be quite difficult. I also found it extremely odd the first time people chose to take out a paid subscription, especially when it became people I don't know personally. I gave away all my writing for years for free and only tried giving people payment options in the last couple of years on Substack. Always feels awkward - I'm fully supportive of the right of artists to earn money for their efforts, but I somehow find it difficult to apply to myself!
If you have a decent catalogue of stories you could compile into a short sampler, you could try using BookFunnel group promos to help find new readers. I use the opening chapters of my book Triverse, which gets people onto this newsletter where they can read more.
Hi all! I'm doing something very similar to Simon: I'm publishing my first scifi novel (space pirates!) as a serial here on Substack and keeping a diary of writing the sequel in the space of a month (just started!). My goal is to earn 200 USD per month from my writing by the end of 2023. All chronicled live on Substack. Good to see that there are others here doing similar things! Good luck and success to all!
We met at the fictionista's zoom and I liked your post on long serials as well as a few others, so I decided to subscribe.
My own substack is the Warthog Report (https://warthogreport.substack.com) where I have both blog posts and fiction. My fiction project is stylized like the script and walkthrough for a fighting game. It's set in a fantasy world I've been working on for a long time, I figured if I didn't have the resources to make a fighting game based on my characters I could at least pretend to make it.
Hi William! I remember you from the zoom. Sorry I had to duck out early - I wanted to stay but unfortunately had a double (triple?) booked evening. I'll be checking out your newsletter, it sounds fascinating.
Hi, Simon. Yes, I do. I usually remember snippets and when I start writing them down, the entire dream comes back , whether partial or complete. Like I remember having dreams about Dracula and Tarantula, but now that's all I remember. But I remember two other nightmares in their entirety. Even after more than a half century. One of them is now a novel. When I wake up and remember the dream, I try to write it down as soon as I get Open Office opened. The Quest Of Mankind is different though. Back in '89 I decided that I had read so many SciFi/Fantasy and truly enjoyed it that I wanted to write my own story. I wrote out a 63page short story and had to put it aside for a few years. When I retired the first time, I pulled it out and set up the used typewriter I had bought at a rummage sale and began typing it. When I got halfway through, I got the idea for another story. And so, The Quest Of Mankind was born. Halfway through that one I got another idea and while typing that down, I got a third idea. And so were born Exploration and War and The Crystal Flame, with The reluctant Bystander becoming the 4th in the series. I then added two more finished stories and am still working on two more, one of which I want to make a bit more humorous. The other is about my main heroine growing up on her home world of Odin's Eye and what happened there after she left. I guess it should be a two parter. I wrote this once but have to do it again as the laptop I was saving it on crashed and it was lost. So that means I now have 9 possible story scenarios to work on. Should keep me busy once I get started again.
Well, here goes. I go by the name of Bill Sturdevant, author of Dream Reality (A sort of historical Fiction novel set in the time during which the CroMagnon took over the Americas after crossing the ice and land bridges from both east and west [This will possibly become a duology]). although I write under 2 other names, Wilhelm Weiss for The Quest of Mankind series and William Paul for the Horror story, perhaps also to become a duology. This one is from a nightmare that I had when I was 8 years old. One that I still remember vividly. I am also proof reading and editing #4 of the Quest of Mankind series. I started these back in '89 but lost a lot of years because of work demands. I am also working on several dreams that I remembered and wrote down for possible books/novels/stories or short stories. Haven't given any of these titles yet. Two new projects are The Black and White War and True Fear, both in the fantasy/Horror genre. And then, there is the volume of my early poetry including the saga The Gift of War, a version of which is included in my first novel, The Quest Of Mankind. Other than that, I am old, having just turned 76 on Jine 9. I am fully retired now. And I am a man of many faces. I have to be to write in so many different categories and genres. LOL. Well, I think that's enough for an introduction.
Hi, Bill. That's a lot of projects. Do you source ideas from dreams a lot? I wish I could do the same, but my dreams tend to be rare and vague and not generally very useful. :)
Well, I am shy. Also intimidated (do I belong here?) and overwhelmed. But here goes.
I've been blogging for years about emotional intelligence and personal power. My site is called Harvesting Stones and it's here: https://harvestingstones.com/. I was totally terrified to try it, but I love it and have been publishing weekly since 2016. I've been writing fiction for much longer than that, but always in hiding. Over the years, one piece kind of joined up with another until I realized I was accidentally writing a book. Then I realized I was accidentally writing a trilogy. Now I think I might be accidentally writing a series. I didn't mean to do it, I had no intention of ever sharing it with anyone, but it was the most fun I ever had and I couldn't seem to stop. So I didn't.
I found Substack last year and decided to serialize my first book. I've written the first and second books and am working on the third. I've also submitted the first manuscript about 50 times, but I'm totally unknown, the books are very long, which I'm told is completely unsuitable (I'm always completely unsuitable), and they're odd, a mixture of folk, fairytale, mythology, oral stories, science fiction, and fantasy. There's erotica. There's violence. There's an ecosystem at risk. There's social collapse. I sent the first manuscript to a professional editor, which emptied my savings account because it's so long, and was amazed to get very good feedback, so I don't think it's bad. It's just not commercial. Probably.
Anyway, I can't help it. I write what I write. People love it or hate it. None of that feels like my business, if you know what I mean. My business is to write it. Them.
I like Substack, but I'm completely intimidated by the idea of asking for money. If I do eventually screw up my courage to do that, I'll do exactly what you do. (I've been poking around on your site.) I'll give the fiction free and put my weekly essays about the process behind a paywall. I've also toyed with the idea of trying to start threads and discussion groups, but that's intimidating, too. I'm quite introverted and most people think I'm too weird to talk to. Somebody once told me the words I used were too big. What does that mean? I have no family support, quite the reverse. They wish I wouldn't. Especially the erotica!
I have very few subscribers and no one has ever commented. I know from my stats some people are reading regularly every week as I publish and now and then I get a new subscriber, but I have no idea who's reading or what they think.
The thing is, I love writing. I feel like a writer. I want people to read it, even though it makes me shudder when people read it! I'd like to be using Substack as optimally as possible, but I'm overwhelmed with trying to learn all the ropes. I'm lonely. I have good friends, I have a solid community, I have a job I love, but nobody understands what it's like to be a writer and my friends, though several read me, don't really understand what I'm up to. They're kind, but they don't get it, and I know they don't get it.
So, that's me. Probably way more than you wanted to know. I think I can learn something from you, though, and I can see you're connected to a lot of other people. I know I need to start interacting on the platform and try to get over my imposter syndrome if I want to grow, and I do want to grow. I'm just not sure I can fit in enough to be part of the community. Or that I'm good enough. Or something!
Accidentally falling into serialisation is very familiar to me! My first serial project, A Day of Faces, was back in 2015 (I think?) and it was only supposed to be a very short little experiment.
SEVEN YEARS LATER
:P
So yes, it hooked me in as a process and really transfored my writing.
Remember that everyone has impostor syndrome, all the time. (I'm highly suspicious of anyone who doesn't...) In terms of not being good enough, part of that is being aware of areas you can improve. My writing now is vastly better than my writing in 2015. Back in 2015 I knew my writing could be better. In 2022, right now, I know my writing could be better. The main way to get better is to write, and knowing you *could be better* is not the same as *not being good enough*.
Hi Simon, I discovered your newsletter via a Substack thread. I've dabbled with fiction and blogging for many years. I "finished" NaNoWriMo and I have perhaps the first 3rd of a SF novel which I have been avoiding for the past four years because there's lot's to do there...
My main pride and joy at the moment is How About This (howaboutthis.substack.com), my Substack newsletter which is in month 3, I describe it as follows (this week, anyway): A mighty fine resource with posts on creativity, reading and writing, and managing all this knowledge, with a seasoning of some current events and pop culture. Plus interviews with Atlantic Canadians you should know about.
First time on Substack, still figuring out what it's all about... but I do subscribe to your newsletter.
I'm slowly writing a couple of stories -- when my Ankylosing Spondylitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis aren't in my way. I have a couple more on the back burner, in the form of moderately extensive notes, but two WIPs is plenty for me, considering I still have to earn a living and attend a zillion medical appointments. I've no idea at this stage where any of it is ultimately going, but writing is an escape for me, so I'm not very concerned with publication.
Other than that, I'm trying to expand my crystal collection for as little money as possible, setting up a new computer after my old one failed (it's almost done, and thank heaven for external hard drives and remembering to back up) and trying not to put myself in more pain than I have to.
Writing can absolutely be an escape. I find writing does something in my brain that makes me more content; if I don't write for an extended period, I get significantly more cranky.
Hello! I've only just begun here on Substack posting my work to the public for the first time. I normally write shorts in Sci-Fi and Horror and maybe a little of both, but I have posted other random things, getting my feet wet, as it were, since this putting-myself-out-there thing is all new.
I had written and self-published a fantasy novella I now call "The Arcanamist" that barely saw any engagement (entirely my fault), but that's not a bad thing as I am rewriting it with tweaks and posting chapters monthly on my page.
I have other irons in the fire; a novel series of a spacetime traveler's adventures; a fantasy world (that is growing out of control); a Sci-Fi adventure series of novel ideas spanning a few centuries of time; and all the shorts I am writing that I plan to compile into an anthology.
In the meantime, I expect to add more articles and shorts to my Substack page, which is looking somewhat paltry at the moment. There's a little bit about me here at https://rbrayworlds.com .
I do like the process of taking a manuscript and reworking it. I did that with The Mechanical Crown, entirely rewriting a draft that I'd put together a decade earlier. It was quite liberating to be able to take the good bits from the original and dump the not-so-good bits!
Hello again. I have introduced myself recently in a comment on another post but am always glad of the opportunity to shamelessly self-promote, thanks! ;)
I found this substack by somehow discovering and reading your guide to writing serialised fiction, which I am interested in.
I write fantasy, superhero, YA, gamelit, flash and philosophical fiction.
I've had a few short stories published in paying markets and placed in some writing competitions under my real name. Writing CV here: http://patreon.com/LukeTarassenko
I've written five novels, including one for a creative writing mentorship which nearly got me a literary agent, but I've not managed to bag an agent yet, so I indie-publish them under the name L.I.T. Tarassenko (I'm slowly starting to get better at doing this) https://www.amazon.co.uk/L.-I.-T.-Tarassenko/e/B01FAOWP8U%3F
My third pseudonym is 'Faenon'. As Faenon, I publish the first (well, fourth or so) drafts of my novels as serialised web fiction, most successfully at FanFiction.net (because my latest project owes a lot to the Final Fantasy games): https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13581482/1/Saga-of-the-Jewels
Lastly, because someone found my serial on fanfiction they ended up paying me to write the novel for their 'novel + turn-based battles' Final-Fantasy-influenced indie game which is in Early Access on Steam (free demo). Surreal, but pretty awesome, and the most money I have made from writing yet! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1848330/Clarent_Saga_Chronicles/
Thanks! Still excitedly awaiting the results from the serial fiction writers survey and looking forward to reading more of your newsletters on writing serial fiction! Hope the Covid is wearing off!
That's a lot of stuff. :) The games sound exciting - as well as writing a comic, the OTHER thing I've always wanted to do is create a game. The closest I've come so far is an interactive fiction prequel to one of my books, which you can play here: https://simonkjones.itch.io/in-the-beginning
I recently bought Inkle's guide to writing in their Ink language, which I really need to dig into sometime soon.
Anyway, it sounds like you're powering ahead with your writing. Good luck with it all!
Hi Simon, I'm a fiction writer, new to substack. I write weird, supernatural, and horror fiction. I've enjoyed reading and getting to know writers here on substack. I have had a few things published, a story in an rpg, a novel. The sequel to that novel and an anthology collection created through a D&D game will be released this fall. Currently, I'm posting short stories and my newsletter to my substack, as I get together a kind if serial anthology of stories all taking place in one horror cursed town called Marredbury. It's been fun experimenting and trying new things with my writing and I can't wait to share the work!
I really like the sound of a serial anthology, with a common setting but presumably lots of freedom in terms of what each individual story can do. I had something like that in mind with Tales from the Triverse initially, but it ended up having more of an on-running story arc in the end.
I have been struggling with that as well. I have been using a frame story to string the short stories together. My writing group has been asking about the connection between the frame story and the shorts, so I'm going to try going not heavy handed on the through story-arc. We'll see! The plan is to have a presentable series by winter. I'm feeling confident with the deadline
Hi Simon, I started following you because of your helpful articles on serializing fiction writing. Something I started doing on a whim here: https://zagkunde.substack.com/p/the-chronicles-of-zag-kunde. and now I feel committed to the folks that want to hear more and a little addicted myself!
It's great to hear that this form has really been a help for you doing what you've done in recent years. So bravo, and thanks for sharing.
Hi Sid, it's great to hear that the process has been helping you as well. I find it endlessly surprising how writing in a serial format flicks a switch in my brain that keeps me being productive. I've been writing consistently for about seven years now, which amazes me!
I am a longtime social justice activist currently studying fiction featuring activists and social movements, centering activist characters, settings and situations. I also do grassroots activism and write the newsletter Activist Explorer here on Substack {https://julianabarnet.substack.com/], where I explore activism in reality and in fiction.
I'm writing a three-part "social justice mystery saga." The central plot traversing the three books is the fight against gentrification and for recuperation of the people's land, as exemplified in the struggles and lives of a number of activist characters in fictionalized neighborhoods in DC and MD.
I am completing the first book and have partly drafted the second. I hope to connect more to the Fictionistas and think about serializing my fiction this way, but have not yet had the chance.
Hi Juliana, that all sounds fascinating. What came first, your own activism, or your interest in fictional activism?
Something I'm always curious about is how much fiction (and art generally) can influence the real world. Most of the time it seems the answer is 'not much', but every so often something breaks through in a way that seems to shift the needle. Obviously you need real world action as well, but I'll have to dig into your Substack to see what you think. :)
I'm very conscious in my fiction writing to try to write the worlds that I wish existed, and to push my cast lists outside of the obvious (being a middle class, middle aged white man) so as to be more inclusive. Ultimately my books are hopeful, optimistic and progressive, because a part of me likes to think that if just one person reading is influenced a tiny bit, then it's all worthwhile.
Hi Simon, thanks for your thoughts and sorry for delay in responding! The answer to your first question is, my interest in fiction and activism developed together. I have always been a voracious fiction reader, and early on began participating in activism. As life went forward, I began to notice, and then become bothered by, the fact that the kind of people I hung out with--organizers, activists, people involved in all kinds of struggles and popular movements--were very rarely depicted in the books I read or the movies I saw. Witnessing firsthand how much adventure, drama, inspiration, comedy, conflict--all the stuff of fiction--happens in the midst of activist struggles, I began to explore what was up with that.
And in regard to art influencing life and vice versa, well, it's a big question. What I am exploring with looking at what's going on with activists being or not being in fiction is largely about representation. How does erasure, dismissal, and stereotyping influence how people think about activists, without even realizing they are being influenced? It's a fact that a major thrust of the Cold War (which is NOT over) was to marginalize progressive activists, center fiction in individualism, and distance mainstream art from popular movements. This can be construed as a backhanded compliment:. If they spent so much effort to marginalize fiction featuring activism and progressive movements, that fiction must have power within these movements, and power to influence readers and viewers.
Yes! Comics! I have been desperate to write a comic for years. In fact, I've written some scripts in the past but have never been happy with my illustration skills (and can't afford to hire someone good). I've been busily trying to improve my art so that I can start putting together small comics, though I'm not quite there yet. How are you going about it?
I really must find time to read book 1 of Guild of Magic. I really enjoyed the opening chapters but haven't managed to get back to it yet. The joy and curse of Substack is having too much high quality material to read. I need a time machine.
Same! This has been a project two years in the making. My friend and I worked on a TV pitch for my book series, so I adapted the beginning of that (which was a beat-by-beat summary of the potential pilot) into a 5-page script (that actually ended up having no dialogue!). Then I am separately working on a brand-new story and writing a full 22-page issue. That has been an interesting exercise. It's a different way of plotting and pacing than novels.
And thanks! I hope you enjoy it. I have a short story up now that's only three parts as a shorter excursion into the world. I feel the same way about the mountain of Substack emails in my inbox. I have Expeditions and Interrogations queued up in my inbox and I want to get to that this week.
The comic will be part of my upcoming Kickstarter book campaign and depending on how that goes (and how much time I can put aside to work on it between the book and the other comic series), I would love to do a full issue next year as its own Kickstarter campaign.
I am Francesco, a professional Italian translator. I didn't yet have the time to start reading your work, but I will for sure. Too much work at the moment and no time for reading. I know, it sounds weird, since as a translator, reading is half of my job. But reading is something different for a translator. Nobody reads a book as deep as we do (no bragging here), and the result is that we do not enjoy the books we translate :)
I am currently translating the Passage trilogy (J. Cronin), Night of Knives (I. C. Esslemont) and last week I finished The Ministry for the Future (Kim Stanley Robinson). But I have a lot more to translate before the end of the year (among the others, The Bone Ships, by RJ Barker).
Hi Francesco! It's difficult when work collides with something you would otherwise enjoy. When I studied film in my early 20s it took me a while to get back to being able to enjoy watching movies, rather than analysing them.
I worked with many literary translators in my time at the National Centre for Writing in the UK and I always loved hearing about their work and the unique challenges presented by each book. Very exciting to hear that you've translated The Ministry for the Future - I adore Robinson's work and really need to get hold of that one. His books are so scientifically detailed I can imagine it's quite a challenge to translate?
Hello, Simon. I am a writer. Ten, twenty years ago I was hesitant to say that so boldly, but today I have a book on Amazon (written by my partner and me) so I can non-hesitantly say “I am a writer.”
I had to work a “real job” for most of my life (for a steady income and health insurance), with writing as a tiny side dish.
I’ve written plays for community theatre and indie films. I’ve worked as stage crew and even acted in a couple of plays and short films. However, my first love is novels.
Now that I am retired from the “real job,” I hope to publish many more books. It’s nice to meet you.
Hello Simon! Jeanine Kitchel here, Mexicosoul.substack.com. I'm 2 months into being a Substacker and loving it. My stack is about Mex, the Maya, archeology, MX artists, history, current events, expats and my own story of stumbling onto a fishing village in the Mex-Caribbean, buying land, building a house and opening a bookstore. I have a degree in journalism and have written for newspapers, magazines, MX websites, guide books, and also wrote 2 non-fiction ( a memoir--Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya, and an overview of the Maya calendar--Maya 2012 Revealed) and 2 narco thrillers set in Yucatán: Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, and Tulum Takedown. My website is www.jeaninekitchel.com and it lists the links to my books. Thanks for this and I look forward to reading your stack!
Hello, Simon. You've helped inspire me to (finally) restart a half-finished project (The Mom Trip) and dive back into the oh-so-painful process of editing the first novel I've actually completed. Thank you for that!
Hi Simon. I'm a newbie at Substack - https://lindaacaster.substack.com/ - and just finding my way around. I'm from the UK and have started a publication/newsletter, 'Portals to the Past', where I'm writing non-fiction about historical sites in the landscape.
I'm also a novelist, and long-ago short fiction writer, which I may attempt to return to. I came across your 'Tales from the Triverse' when I was closing down my system, and thought 'Wow!', so it's on my TBR list. I immediately appreciated the way it's formatted.
I've subbed tonight after reading your very helpful 'Substack for Beginners' 1&2. I appreciate your time and effort with these posts. And I found your How to Write Serialised Fiction posts. Basically, I believe I can learn on every front, so I intend sticking around. Looking forward to it.
New here I have a background mostly in Business writing and copy but have always written long essays on speculative fiction and fantasy. Mostly I've been working on short Non Fictions that I might just self publish this time around. I really want to spend time writing a couple historical fiction/speculative short novellas but find myself hitting a lot of roadblocks in this area. If anyone here has any experience in resource gathering or layout/structure ideas for historical non fiction and how they keep continuity I'd love to hear about your process! Glad to be here.
I am an English Professor in West Nowhere Japan with a book to write. It has been on my mind for years but existed only as bits and pieces in different folders, apps, and drives until recently. However, anxiety and depression moved in about ten years ago and have been terrible roommates. Then, while they were on vacation, I wrote about them on Facebook during #mentalhealthawarenessmonth. The back-channel feedback from friends was very positive, either as "Me, too," or "You should write more about this." So, I did it all at once and started my Substack. I will journal about mental health while sharing chapters, drafts, and ideas from my Santa book project.
👋 I'm serializing my novel Jimi & the Galactic Empire on Substack. Have 2 more and some musings that was on Amazon, but I've decided to remove them, solely concentrating on Substack. Currently I'm considering releasing the entirety of Jimi for free...it's almost140k words long. What do you think?
I've been writing for a number of years. My Roman epic was what I call my apprenticeship. I started it when I was 28. (I made the main character the same age on purpose.) But the story got to be too long. I think it was 280,000 words or more. I have three different versions. I started it on a typewriter two years after I got married. It was the research that was eating up all the time. Thank God for the internet. And wikipedia is a godsend for historical fiction.
I was never confident enough to try and publish anything, and when I did, it was an online site that didn't pay. I didn't care. I was just happy enough to be published. I started writing on Vocal last year, but they were just so strict about censorship I found it stagnating. When I found this site, I knew I found the right place. I plan to advertise my page and send out emails. I figure, with a world population of more than 8 billion, I should be able to find a couple thousand willing to pay $5/month. I gotta supplement my income somehow.
Greetings, Simon! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to introduce myself.
Since 1980, I have been employed as a professional writer by television shows, advertising agencies, publishing companies, restaurant chains, film festivals, and screenwriting conferences. Currently, I offer online writing workshops and muse sessions on my writelighter.com website.
I am the author of six fiction and nonfiction books, including "Write Awake: A Conscious Path to Creativity and Change." My current writing project is "Moonwater Beach," the eco-fiction sequel to my visionary fiction novel, "Inn Lak’ech: A Journey to the Realm of Oneness."
I have a couple of novels, several novellas and short stories sitting in my hard drive, unpublished. Mostly sci-fi, speculative stuff. I have a few publications out in the real world. A few short stories published, a children's book and co-wrote a non-fiction book.
But what I'm really passionate about is my space opera series, The Distant Stars ... but I've been paralysed by the indie publishing process of getting them out. It's just not ME. So, I toyed with the idea of serialising my fiction online. Most of my writing friends, staunchly indie-Amazon-only-or-go-wide writers, said I will be making a mistake if I did it.
So, I ditched the idea and tried mightily to publish. Managed a few books before royally crashing and burning due to the demands of a too-demanding job and a too-demanding self-publishing routine.
I procrastinated by blogging about personal finance, fighting against Google algorithms without much success. Reading/listening self-publishing article or podcasts makes me feel guilty and hopeless. So I disengaged from the community completely.
Then I came across Elle Griffin. And I came across you. And the spark was reborn, and now I'm wading into the serial fiction world (or maybe, re-wading), hoping to find more than one reader.
That's why I'm here :) I hope to connect with fellow writers, be a part of the writing community once more. Only, hopefully, not one as pushy and pressuring as the one I left. Nice to meet you, Simon.
Edit: I write Tai Tales, which houses my fiction and creative non-fiction -> https://elizabethtai.substack.com/
I've only recently revamped the substack, so the content doesn't quite reflect its new thrust yet. Before it was just a way to notify my blog readers about new posts and more about personal finance and productivity.
Well, I hope it goes well! Although serialising a story is still quite a commitment, it breaks it down into little pieces which I find much more manageable than tackling 'A Novel' (capital N) in one go. The community round here that I've encountered is lovely.
It's the community aspect that I'm attracted to. I totally understand the whole commitment thing - one of my fears, of course, is not being able to meet said commitment, but luckily I've already written 150k words of my series and have stacks of unpublished novellas and short stories lol. Hopefully this gives me some wiggle room.
Sounds like you're well-prepared. :) For me it was about working out a pace that I could keep to reliably - which turns out is 1 chapter per week. Can't do any faster (without becoming extremely stressed).
Likewise. To be honest, my earlier attempts were not terribly consistent. Uhm, sometimes weeks would pass before a chapter is posted lol. Problem is, I can't control when my ideas come and sometimes it takes forever to percolate. I'm hoping to be more consistent this time.
By the way, you mentioned in one of your posts that you do a lot of legwork and preparation first before publishing a single chapter. What kind of work is it?
Sometimes that is about having a buffer of a few chapters before I start publishing. Generally I don't have a buffer, once I'm into a story, but I always write at least half a dozen chapters up front just to make sure I actually *like writing it*. I wouldn't want to dive into a live project and find out a few chapters in that it's the wrong project.
Also, due to writing scifi and fantasy, I need to have a good grasp of the setting and the rules of the world. I'm not someone who obsesses over 'lore' at the expense of everything else, but it is crucial for it all to hang together. That up front planning means that everything remains coherent, and avoids me falling into plot holes or story dead ends. It also makes it possible to filter in some sneaky foreshadowing, despite it being a live first draft - which otherwise would probably only be added in subsequent redrafting.
Well, you asked for it, so here goes:
My novel, The Wistful and the Good, is available now in ebook and paperback: http://mybook.to/thewistfulandthegood Reviews are welcome. Okay, reviews desperately needed. There, I said it.
My website with my old blog which will shortly get rolled into my newsletter: https://gmbaker.net.
My newsletter, Stories All the Way Down, which I am transitioning to a new focus on what I call "the serious popular novel": https://www.storiesallthewaydown.com. (Yes, I did the Substack custom domain thing, and it works).
My old life in technical communication leaves its remnants here, including my two NF books: https://everypageispageone.com.
Currently, I am working on getting my second novel, a fairytale fantasy called Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight ready for publication. Except as I was proofreading it today I decided I hated the first chapter, so that will have to get rewritten, which may mean that the sequel to The Wistful and the Good, titled St. Agnes and the Selkie, may come out next.
Also, I am preparing a new newsletter for publication, called Why I Am Still Catholic. No link and no timeframe on that one yet.
Also I am painting the house. Which is what actually absorbs most of my time and energy right now.
Hi Mark! That's a lot of projects. I didn't realise you have other newsletters in addition to Stories All The Way Down.
Fairytale fantasy sounds like quite a change of direction for your fiction, I think? Would love to know more about where that project came from.
Well, at the moment I just have an idea for another newsletter. I'm accumulating a few ideas before I launch it, to make sure it will be sustainable.
I have always loved folk songs and fairytales. They are the most basic and authentic forms of story. They are basic stories that endure, largely untinged by ideology and pretension. I've written a number of short stories based on folk songs, including this one: https://www.storiesallthewaydown.com/p/in-which-i-retell-a-folk-ballad. When I tried to make a short story out of the ballad Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight, though, I couldn't make the story work. Then someone suggested I should continue the story with Isabel, having killed the elf knight, going off and having adventures with the elf knight's sword and horse. And that eventually became the novel.
Is it a departure? It doesn't feel like it to me. I don't tend to read or write along genre lines, but along thematic lines. Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight and The Wistful and the Good are thematically related in a number of ways.
The book is somewhat different from the typical modern fantasy I think, in that it is what I call a lapsarian fantasy, rather then the more typical promethean fantasy. More on that here: https://gmbaker.net/promethean-vs-lapsarian-fantasy/ (Hey, you asked for links. :-) ) That article will probably get revised and repurposed into the newsletter sooner or later.
Hello everybody.
I'm a novelist and editor, among a few other things. My most recent novel is "The Coincidence Plot"(Simon & Schuster, 2023), preceded by a collection of short fiction "The Inconceivable Idea of the Sun" (Hachette, 2022), and a novel "Half of What I Say" (Bloomsbury, 2017). Couple of years ago, I was sentenced to be the chief editor of The Bombay Literary Magazine (https://bombaylitmag.com), which was founded some nine years ago by good friend and brilliant author, Tanuj Solanki. In fact, it was Tanuj who made me aware of this substack.
I have a weakness for thoughtful literature. Perhaps it's better to use Sontag's definition of intelligence: a taste for ideas. I like literature with a taste for ideas. But I'm afraid I'm a weak man with many weaknesses. I read indiscriminately as a child and continue to do so, even though age is no longer an excuse. I'm just as willing to read Barbara Cartland as I am to lie with Tolstoy. I see literature as a living ecology, where every genre and author has a place.
I have lived in many places, but the bulk of my time has been spent in India and the United States. I'm currently based in India. I have been very lucky in life and with love, that is, undeservedly, but as Dumas wrote of Martin Guerre: "....a uniform happiness, which only attaches women more and more, has often upon men a precisely contrary effect, and so it was with Martin Guerre." So it is with Anil Menon as well. Writing is how I explore other modes of being.
Let me wrap this up. We bore the world the most when we talk about ourselves. Thank you Simon for setting up this friendly and supportive forum.
Happy to have you here, Anil!
I write near future SciFi with military protagonists. I’m working on my third novel though nothing published yet. I’m interested in learning more about connecting with readers on social media. I have a Facebook author page where I post regularly but with little engagement. I want learn how to be more effective and generate meaningful interactions. Your series on learning about Substack really got my attention and the fact that you write science fiction is a huge bonus for me. Looking forward to the rest of your video series and learning more about your writing. Thank you!
I always had very mixed success with social media when it came to my writing. I never got much real engagement, and on rare occasions when I did it seemed a little random and couldn't be built upon. Hence I've been quite startled by the community of readers and commenters that have sprung up around the newsletter.
Good to have you here, Bruce!
Well, I’m new to Substack, and still figuring it all out. Once the set-up is done and I have a couple of posts under my belt, I’ll feel better. You can check me out at AfterLaterart.com or doorsofafterlater.com. Thanks for your help earlier.
Good luck with it all! And as you're an illustrator, can I also recommend taking a look at https://authorstrator.substack.com/ and https://sneakyart.substack.com/ - both great newsletters from artists that might be of interest.
Just signed up. Thanks for the info but where can I find step by step instructions on how to start?
I am a poet, singer song writer, do decluttering, stress reduction, and holistic nutrition. I am a retired RN and lover of aesthetics and relaxation!
Jill
Hi, Jill! I've got a bunch of resources that might prove useful. My video tutorials are here: https://simonkjones.substack.com/t/video-guides They currently focus on Substack and I'll be adding some Scrivener tutorials soon.
If you're considering serial fiction, I've got a guide about that, too: https://simonkjones.substack.com/s/how-to-write-serialised-fiction
If you'd like to read my fiction, the best place to start is here: https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/how-to-read-tales-from-the-triverse
Hello everyone!
I've got a couple of novels here on Substack:
NOSTALGIA is a magical realism tale about becoming addicted to memories (a sort of sci-fi riff on A Christmas Carol). https://awright.substack.com/p/nostalgia-table-of-contents
BACKSTABBERS (1979) is a retro comedy murder-mystery (the first in a series of 6, with each story taking place in a consecutive decade). I'm currently working on part 2, set in 1986.
My Substack, SHORT PEOPLE, is full of 100 word flash fiction, essays and short stories. I also produce a monthly newsletter.
https://awright.substack.com/p/january-flash-fiction
https://awright.substack.com/p/letters-of-note-part-1
https://awright.substack.com/p/short-people-9cd
https://awright.substack.com/p/december-round-up
All of my social links can be found here: https://linktr.ee/andwrighting
Do come and say hello!
Thanks, sounds great! A retro comedy murder-mystery in particular sounds like something I need.
I hope so! I’m also writing a present day MM in a Nick Hornsby-esque setting called The Mutual. (There’s about 3 chapters up so far: I’m uploading chapters of this as and when I pull my finger out and actually write 😂)
hi Simon, just discovered substack and your newsletter, the actionable tips on writing got me. looking out for your newsletter very much. i might write poetry, short stories, or go novel-direction, just figuring out whether writing is my thing. @godlikeby_bt on X (https://twitter.com/godlikeby_bt). Keep awesome, best
tereza bene
How exciting! Sounds like you've got a lot of fun experimentation in your future. Thanks for reading. :)
I have a remarkable talent for writing books that are difficult to market. Ah, well... My novels include a re-creation of the Trojan War myth, which is bad enough. The past two years have seen the publication of a four-novel series that crosses far too many genres. [THE PASSION OF ELENA BIANCHI has classical music, hard-core kinky sex (way beyon FIFTY SHADES), the Holocaust, the Mafia, various psychic/occult elements, a personified Curse (capital "C") that has stalked the lovers for two millennia, and an esoteric notion of reincarnation called "soul fractions" -- and I don't believe there is a category for "dark-erotic, paranormal, spiritual romance"!
I am also the recent author of a novella (Jewish-paranormal, about an ibbur), a tiny volume of dramatic works (TWO OEDIPAL PLAYS), and a set of Sherlock Holmes mysteries dealing with chess. Last month, Fomite Press released PAGANINI AGITATO, a novel by Ann Abelson, which I "edited and revised."
You get the picture. That said, I am also rather "low-tech" and awkward with social media. I've been on substack for a while but am only now beginning to figure out what I'm doing. I sincerely hope I'll learn something from you and others!
That sounds like a fascinating back catalogue, Lenny!
"classical music, hard-core kinky sex (way beyon FIFTY SHADES), the Holocaust, the Mafia, various psychic/occult elements, a personified Curse (capital "C") that has stalked the lovers for two millennia, and an esoteric notion of reincarnation" sounds like a pretty good starting point for a book blurb to me. :)
Thanks, Simon. Alas, the project itself was under a "curse" of a different sort. The publisher (a one-person operation: White Bird) dropped dead shortly after the second book was released. I never got a royalty statement (or payment) or the personal copies I had ordered. Life goes on! Who knows what I'll attempt next?
Ouch, that sounds painful. At least here you're in full control of your own material.
Hi!
I found myself here after watching your substack for newbies. That would be me. I own a horse ranch and run an equine-assisted learning program with the horses. The horses are amazing animals and are not only calming but teach humans life skills such as better communication. It's fascinating to watch. Since most people can't come to South Texas to experience the ranch, I am bringing the experience to them through words. The goal is to visualize the beauty of the moment and end with a lesson learned. I have a few articles on Medium that were picked up by publications but I am just getting started.
Sounds great and much needed! Hope it all goes well. :)
Hi there, I'm a UK Chartered Psychologist (in business and organisations), and I write about authenticity, psychology, leadership and relationships. I have a PhD in Authentic Leadership and so far I've self-published 4 books all about relationships, leadership and psychology.
I write to help people learn more about themselves and others. Here's the list of books:
Thinking Styles - Relationship Strategies that Work!
Jane Eyre's Rival: The Real Mrs Rochester
Divided by Gender, United by Chocolate: Differences in the Boardroom
Love is the THE Answer
Many thanks for your newsletter, like many others, and everyone here, I really appreciate your knowledge, skills and generosity.
I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of publishing on Substack after years of blogging on my own website and sending twice-monthly newsletters via Mailchimp. I figured out the newsletter piece but the details about publishing fiction and memoir as weekly chapters has been less obvious. Your tutorials have been very helpful and I wanted to express my appreciation!
Very glad to help! Thanks!
Hi!
I've been on Substack going on six months. I originally started a stack to keep myself accountable for my back of the book indexing business I was trying to get going - I took the University of California Berkeley Extension course on indexing last year. But life has this annoying habit of being rude and it threw a cog into my machine. But it also tossed me a bone.
I've had a life long pipe dream of being a writer. It was one of those things I had long ago accepted that would probably never happen. Until that bone showed up.
While I don't regret taking the indexing course, the opportunity (from life being rude) literally landed in my lap to chase the pipe dream.
So here I am, writing. I'm keeping my day job, and still have to figure out a schedule of when I can write. I'm stupidly excited about this door opening for me and where it will take me.
Simon! I had to sample your stuff when I found out how frequently you write (I also write every day), and that you're interested in writing about writing. This is a cool intersection for me!
Hi Andrew! I certainly like writing and writing about writing. Possibly to an unhealthy level?
Glad to have you here!
I'm finding myself writing about writing, communicating about communicating (literally everyday), and talking about talking. If you are at an unhealthy level, we're in the sick ward together!
Hi Simon, Babylon 5 got me here! (it reminded me of fun memories).
I am a writer in progress, my playgrounds are on Substack:
https://yourcreativeletter.substack.com/
https://yourbrandingletter.substack.com/
and for french readers: https://penseespassivolatiles.substack.com/
I am also a creative: I am an illustrator, art director and branding enthusiast.
And I am currently working on my first book... a non fiction one, but one day I would love to dare and venture in the fiction arena.
Ah, Babylon 5 still bringing people together, 30 years later. :)
Look forward to checking out your writing and illustration!
Timeless Babylon 5! Thanks 🙂
Hi Simon, I've been on Substack since December of 2020. Started a podcast with my friend last June. I've been back to writing fiction this past year, and enjoyed reading about your journey to Substack. Looking forward to reading more from you. Feel free to check out my page at TheBrianLennonShow.Substack.com
I write at the intersection of art and mental health. My next book comes out in a few weeks. And I’m trying to get going here on Substack after a recent move over from Patreon.
Are you able to bring your Patreon supporters directly over to Substack? I don't know whether Patreon give you direct access to your followers or not.
Yep I just downloaded a csv file from Patreon and imported it here on Substack. I paused contributions on Patreon and comped everyone a month free here to see if they like the format. TBD whether they will continue to subscribe or not when the month is up. 🤷🏻♀️❤️
Ah, nice. Good that Patreon allows that!
Hope it goes well.
Hey there Simon. So I write a more literary type of story, in that they're long, with lots of character development. I write stories the interest me. I break them down into smaller pieces, so that every piece goes out at anywhere from 2,300-2,800 words. I get about five or six weeks per story, which is good considering I hadn't written anything at all last year until late October. (There was an incident at work involving the death of a friend.)
But I'm back on board now. I made myself write by signing up for the NaNoWriMo Challenge. I didn't think 50,000 words was enough, so I kept going. I'm in the process of revising it, while at the same time, I started publishing the 1st draft as I was writing it. I've put out 20 chapters so far. I send them out on Tuesday and Thursday. And then my long short stories go out every Sunday. I know, it seems like too much. But the Tuesday/Thursday posts were originally behind a paywall. Some of my friends were kind enough to sign up and buy subscriptions. I won't prepared for that, so put up a novel I was working on. I gave them both the first draft and the edited version, and invited them to suggest changes. (Nobody wanted to do it. There was only three of them, and I know them.) When I finish A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO TIME TRAVEL I'll put the paywall back up and finish my JACK OF DIAMONDS story. He's a thief in 1920's London who does parkour. A scoundrel; he's a womanizer, a liar, a cheat and a thief. He's also a veteran of the Great War and suffers from PTSD.
After I finish with that, I'm going to rewrite my Magnum Opus: THE APOCRYPHY, an epic historical fiction that takes place in 47-66 AD.
I'm retired now, as of Jan 1st, so I think I might be able to find the time. I love the community here at SUBSTACK, and hope to grow a following. I believe I'm a good writer, and hope to prove it to myself by building a following. I'm giving myself 5 years to gather 1500 paid subscribers. I've only been on for, well, today's an anniversary of sorts, because I started June 2. So 8 months.
I played with the video idea for a while, and think I might start that up again, behind the Paywall. It helps to know the people who signed up. I've even read to them in person, so that'll make it easier. I'm thinking, at 65, if I can get a good 20 years in, I'll be happy.
Sounds like an ambitious series of projects, Ben. Have you always been a writer, or only come to it relatively recently.
I've found knowing when to use the paywall to be quite difficult. I also found it extremely odd the first time people chose to take out a paid subscription, especially when it became people I don't know personally. I gave away all my writing for years for free and only tried giving people payment options in the last couple of years on Substack. Always feels awkward - I'm fully supportive of the right of artists to earn money for their efforts, but I somehow find it difficult to apply to myself!
If you have a decent catalogue of stories you could compile into a short sampler, you could try using BookFunnel group promos to help find new readers. I use the opening chapters of my book Triverse, which gets people onto this newsletter where they can read more.
Hi all! I'm doing something very similar to Simon: I'm publishing my first scifi novel (space pirates!) as a serial here on Substack and keeping a diary of writing the sequel in the space of a month (just started!). My goal is to earn 200 USD per month from my writing by the end of 2023. All chronicled live on Substack. Good to see that there are others here doing similar things! Good luck and success to all!
Sounds great, Bay. Good luck with that target!
We met at the fictionista's zoom and I liked your post on long serials as well as a few others, so I decided to subscribe.
My own substack is the Warthog Report (https://warthogreport.substack.com) where I have both blog posts and fiction. My fiction project is stylized like the script and walkthrough for a fighting game. It's set in a fantasy world I've been working on for a long time, I figured if I didn't have the resources to make a fighting game based on my characters I could at least pretend to make it.
Hi William! I remember you from the zoom. Sorry I had to duck out early - I wanted to stay but unfortunately had a double (triple?) booked evening. I'll be checking out your newsletter, it sounds fascinating.
Hi, Simon. Yes, I do. I usually remember snippets and when I start writing them down, the entire dream comes back , whether partial or complete. Like I remember having dreams about Dracula and Tarantula, but now that's all I remember. But I remember two other nightmares in their entirety. Even after more than a half century. One of them is now a novel. When I wake up and remember the dream, I try to write it down as soon as I get Open Office opened. The Quest Of Mankind is different though. Back in '89 I decided that I had read so many SciFi/Fantasy and truly enjoyed it that I wanted to write my own story. I wrote out a 63page short story and had to put it aside for a few years. When I retired the first time, I pulled it out and set up the used typewriter I had bought at a rummage sale and began typing it. When I got halfway through, I got the idea for another story. And so, The Quest Of Mankind was born. Halfway through that one I got another idea and while typing that down, I got a third idea. And so were born Exploration and War and The Crystal Flame, with The reluctant Bystander becoming the 4th in the series. I then added two more finished stories and am still working on two more, one of which I want to make a bit more humorous. The other is about my main heroine growing up on her home world of Odin's Eye and what happened there after she left. I guess it should be a two parter. I wrote this once but have to do it again as the laptop I was saving it on crashed and it was lost. So that means I now have 9 possible story scenarios to work on. Should keep me busy once I get started again.
Well, here goes. I go by the name of Bill Sturdevant, author of Dream Reality (A sort of historical Fiction novel set in the time during which the CroMagnon took over the Americas after crossing the ice and land bridges from both east and west [This will possibly become a duology]). although I write under 2 other names, Wilhelm Weiss for The Quest of Mankind series and William Paul for the Horror story, perhaps also to become a duology. This one is from a nightmare that I had when I was 8 years old. One that I still remember vividly. I am also proof reading and editing #4 of the Quest of Mankind series. I started these back in '89 but lost a lot of years because of work demands. I am also working on several dreams that I remembered and wrote down for possible books/novels/stories or short stories. Haven't given any of these titles yet. Two new projects are The Black and White War and True Fear, both in the fantasy/Horror genre. And then, there is the volume of my early poetry including the saga The Gift of War, a version of which is included in my first novel, The Quest Of Mankind. Other than that, I am old, having just turned 76 on Jine 9. I am fully retired now. And I am a man of many faces. I have to be to write in so many different categories and genres. LOL. Well, I think that's enough for an introduction.
Hi, Bill. That's a lot of projects. Do you source ideas from dreams a lot? I wish I could do the same, but my dreams tend to be rare and vague and not generally very useful. :)
Well, I am shy. Also intimidated (do I belong here?) and overwhelmed. But here goes.
I've been blogging for years about emotional intelligence and personal power. My site is called Harvesting Stones and it's here: https://harvestingstones.com/. I was totally terrified to try it, but I love it and have been publishing weekly since 2016. I've been writing fiction for much longer than that, but always in hiding. Over the years, one piece kind of joined up with another until I realized I was accidentally writing a book. Then I realized I was accidentally writing a trilogy. Now I think I might be accidentally writing a series. I didn't mean to do it, I had no intention of ever sharing it with anyone, but it was the most fun I ever had and I couldn't seem to stop. So I didn't.
I found Substack last year and decided to serialize my first book. I've written the first and second books and am working on the third. I've also submitted the first manuscript about 50 times, but I'm totally unknown, the books are very long, which I'm told is completely unsuitable (I'm always completely unsuitable), and they're odd, a mixture of folk, fairytale, mythology, oral stories, science fiction, and fantasy. There's erotica. There's violence. There's an ecosystem at risk. There's social collapse. I sent the first manuscript to a professional editor, which emptied my savings account because it's so long, and was amazed to get very good feedback, so I don't think it's bad. It's just not commercial. Probably.
Anyway, I can't help it. I write what I write. People love it or hate it. None of that feels like my business, if you know what I mean. My business is to write it. Them.
I like Substack, but I'm completely intimidated by the idea of asking for money. If I do eventually screw up my courage to do that, I'll do exactly what you do. (I've been poking around on your site.) I'll give the fiction free and put my weekly essays about the process behind a paywall. I've also toyed with the idea of trying to start threads and discussion groups, but that's intimidating, too. I'm quite introverted and most people think I'm too weird to talk to. Somebody once told me the words I used were too big. What does that mean? I have no family support, quite the reverse. They wish I wouldn't. Especially the erotica!
I have very few subscribers and no one has ever commented. I know from my stats some people are reading regularly every week as I publish and now and then I get a new subscriber, but I have no idea who's reading or what they think.
The thing is, I love writing. I feel like a writer. I want people to read it, even though it makes me shudder when people read it! I'd like to be using Substack as optimally as possible, but I'm overwhelmed with trying to learn all the ropes. I'm lonely. I have good friends, I have a solid community, I have a job I love, but nobody understands what it's like to be a writer and my friends, though several read me, don't really understand what I'm up to. They're kind, but they don't get it, and I know they don't get it.
So, that's me. Probably way more than you wanted to know. I think I can learn something from you, though, and I can see you're connected to a lot of other people. I know I need to start interacting on the platform and try to get over my imposter syndrome if I want to grow, and I do want to grow. I'm just not sure I can fit in enough to be part of the community. Or that I'm good enough. Or something!
Accidentally falling into serialisation is very familiar to me! My first serial project, A Day of Faces, was back in 2015 (I think?) and it was only supposed to be a very short little experiment.
SEVEN YEARS LATER
:P
So yes, it hooked me in as a process and really transfored my writing.
Remember that everyone has impostor syndrome, all the time. (I'm highly suspicious of anyone who doesn't...) In terms of not being good enough, part of that is being aware of areas you can improve. My writing now is vastly better than my writing in 2015. Back in 2015 I knew my writing could be better. In 2022, right now, I know my writing could be better. The main way to get better is to write, and knowing you *could be better* is not the same as *not being good enough*.
Hi Simon, I discovered your newsletter via a Substack thread. I've dabbled with fiction and blogging for many years. I "finished" NaNoWriMo and I have perhaps the first 3rd of a SF novel which I have been avoiding for the past four years because there's lot's to do there...
My main pride and joy at the moment is How About This (howaboutthis.substack.com), my Substack newsletter which is in month 3, I describe it as follows (this week, anyway): A mighty fine resource with posts on creativity, reading and writing, and managing all this knowledge, with a seasoning of some current events and pop culture. Plus interviews with Atlantic Canadians you should know about.
Hi Mark! I'll check out your Substack, sounds interesting. Good luck with that SF novel if you ever pull it out of the drawer... :)
Hi!
First time on Substack, still figuring out what it's all about... but I do subscribe to your newsletter.
I'm slowly writing a couple of stories -- when my Ankylosing Spondylitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis aren't in my way. I have a couple more on the back burner, in the form of moderately extensive notes, but two WIPs is plenty for me, considering I still have to earn a living and attend a zillion medical appointments. I've no idea at this stage where any of it is ultimately going, but writing is an escape for me, so I'm not very concerned with publication.
Other than that, I'm trying to expand my crystal collection for as little money as possible, setting up a new computer after my old one failed (it's almost done, and thank heaven for external hard drives and remembering to back up) and trying not to put myself in more pain than I have to.
Writing can absolutely be an escape. I find writing does something in my brain that makes me more content; if I don't write for an extended period, I get significantly more cranky.
Hello! I've only just begun here on Substack posting my work to the public for the first time. I normally write shorts in Sci-Fi and Horror and maybe a little of both, but I have posted other random things, getting my feet wet, as it were, since this putting-myself-out-there thing is all new.
I had written and self-published a fantasy novella I now call "The Arcanamist" that barely saw any engagement (entirely my fault), but that's not a bad thing as I am rewriting it with tweaks and posting chapters monthly on my page.
I have other irons in the fire; a novel series of a spacetime traveler's adventures; a fantasy world (that is growing out of control); a Sci-Fi adventure series of novel ideas spanning a few centuries of time; and all the shorts I am writing that I plan to compile into an anthology.
In the meantime, I expect to add more articles and shorts to my Substack page, which is looking somewhat paltry at the moment. There's a little bit about me here at https://rbrayworlds.com .
I do like the process of taking a manuscript and reworking it. I did that with The Mechanical Crown, entirely rewriting a draft that I'd put together a decade earlier. It was quite liberating to be able to take the good bits from the original and dump the not-so-good bits!
Hello again. I have introduced myself recently in a comment on another post but am always glad of the opportunity to shamelessly self-promote, thanks! ;)
I found this substack by somehow discovering and reading your guide to writing serialised fiction, which I am interested in.
I write fantasy, superhero, YA, gamelit, flash and philosophical fiction.
I've had a few short stories published in paying markets and placed in some writing competitions under my real name. Writing CV here: http://patreon.com/LukeTarassenko
I've written five novels, including one for a creative writing mentorship which nearly got me a literary agent, but I've not managed to bag an agent yet, so I indie-publish them under the name L.I.T. Tarassenko (I'm slowly starting to get better at doing this) https://www.amazon.co.uk/L.-I.-T.-Tarassenko/e/B01FAOWP8U%3F
My third pseudonym is 'Faenon'. As Faenon, I publish the first (well, fourth or so) drafts of my novels as serialised web fiction, most successfully at FanFiction.net (because my latest project owes a lot to the Final Fantasy games): https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13581482/1/Saga-of-the-Jewels
I also put them on Royal Road https://www.royalroad.com/profile/165580/fictions and Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/user/LITTarassenko and my substack.
I've also written and coded an indie video game: https://rpgmaker.net/games/2693/
Lastly, because someone found my serial on fanfiction they ended up paying me to write the novel for their 'novel + turn-based battles' Final-Fantasy-influenced indie game which is in Early Access on Steam (free demo). Surreal, but pretty awesome, and the most money I have made from writing yet! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1848330/Clarent_Saga_Chronicles/
Thanks! Still excitedly awaiting the results from the serial fiction writers survey and looking forward to reading more of your newsletters on writing serial fiction! Hope the Covid is wearing off!
Luke
That's a lot of stuff. :) The games sound exciting - as well as writing a comic, the OTHER thing I've always wanted to do is create a game. The closest I've come so far is an interactive fiction prequel to one of my books, which you can play here: https://simonkjones.itch.io/in-the-beginning
I recently bought Inkle's guide to writing in their Ink language, which I really need to dig into sometime soon.
Anyway, it sounds like you're powering ahead with your writing. Good luck with it all!
Hi Simon, I'm a fiction writer, new to substack. I write weird, supernatural, and horror fiction. I've enjoyed reading and getting to know writers here on substack. I have had a few things published, a story in an rpg, a novel. The sequel to that novel and an anthology collection created through a D&D game will be released this fall. Currently, I'm posting short stories and my newsletter to my substack, as I get together a kind if serial anthology of stories all taking place in one horror cursed town called Marredbury. It's been fun experimenting and trying new things with my writing and I can't wait to share the work!
I really like the sound of a serial anthology, with a common setting but presumably lots of freedom in terms of what each individual story can do. I had something like that in mind with Tales from the Triverse initially, but it ended up having more of an on-running story arc in the end.
I have been struggling with that as well. I have been using a frame story to string the short stories together. My writing group has been asking about the connection between the frame story and the shorts, so I'm going to try going not heavy handed on the through story-arc. We'll see! The plan is to have a presentable series by winter. I'm feeling confident with the deadline
I have a little contemporary romance, and several with elements of magic.
Yes, I do plan on writing more romance. Thanks
Hi. You asked and I will answer.
I am a musician and music teacher and I am also a book addict. I am also working on a few stories, but I am nowhere near publishing anything yet.
I anyone wants to check out my website, please do, and share to anyone that might be interested in learning to make music!
https://mastermusic.mystrikingly.com
Hi Christine, thanks for sharing. Good luck with the writing projects!
Hi Simon, I started following you because of your helpful articles on serializing fiction writing. Something I started doing on a whim here: https://zagkunde.substack.com/p/the-chronicles-of-zag-kunde. and now I feel committed to the folks that want to hear more and a little addicted myself!
It's great to hear that this form has really been a help for you doing what you've done in recent years. So bravo, and thanks for sharing.
Hi Sid, it's great to hear that the process has been helping you as well. I find it endlessly surprising how writing in a serial format flicks a switch in my brain that keeps me being productive. I've been writing consistently for about seven years now, which amazes me!
Good luck with the project!
Thank you!
Hello again. Here is a think to my fiction Substack. mattlang.substack.com
It’s all short stories now, a novel soon to come. I’d call them somewhat surreal meditations on place.
Are they juicy? They might be juicy.
Hi Matt. :) The tease of potential juice is a good hook.
I've just started reading your Six Words, Six Stories series, and will be commenting on them once my brain has filtered some thoughts...
Hi Simon, Thanks for asking!
I am a longtime social justice activist currently studying fiction featuring activists and social movements, centering activist characters, settings and situations. I also do grassroots activism and write the newsletter Activist Explorer here on Substack {https://julianabarnet.substack.com/], where I explore activism in reality and in fiction.
I'm writing a three-part "social justice mystery saga." The central plot traversing the three books is the fight against gentrification and for recuperation of the people's land, as exemplified in the struggles and lives of a number of activist characters in fictionalized neighborhoods in DC and MD.
I am completing the first book and have partly drafted the second. I hope to connect more to the Fictionistas and think about serializing my fiction this way, but have not yet had the chance.
Hi Juliana, that all sounds fascinating. What came first, your own activism, or your interest in fictional activism?
Something I'm always curious about is how much fiction (and art generally) can influence the real world. Most of the time it seems the answer is 'not much', but every so often something breaks through in a way that seems to shift the needle. Obviously you need real world action as well, but I'll have to dig into your Substack to see what you think. :)
I'm very conscious in my fiction writing to try to write the worlds that I wish existed, and to push my cast lists outside of the obvious (being a middle class, middle aged white man) so as to be more inclusive. Ultimately my books are hopeful, optimistic and progressive, because a part of me likes to think that if just one person reading is influenced a tiny bit, then it's all worthwhile.
Hi Simon, thanks for your thoughts and sorry for delay in responding! The answer to your first question is, my interest in fiction and activism developed together. I have always been a voracious fiction reader, and early on began participating in activism. As life went forward, I began to notice, and then become bothered by, the fact that the kind of people I hung out with--organizers, activists, people involved in all kinds of struggles and popular movements--were very rarely depicted in the books I read or the movies I saw. Witnessing firsthand how much adventure, drama, inspiration, comedy, conflict--all the stuff of fiction--happens in the midst of activist struggles, I began to explore what was up with that.
And in regard to art influencing life and vice versa, well, it's a big question. What I am exploring with looking at what's going on with activists being or not being in fiction is largely about representation. How does erasure, dismissal, and stereotyping influence how people think about activists, without even realizing they are being influenced? It's a fact that a major thrust of the Cold War (which is NOT over) was to marginalize progressive activists, center fiction in individualism, and distance mainstream art from popular movements. This can be construed as a backhanded compliment:. If they spent so much effort to marginalize fiction featuring activism and progressive movements, that fiction must have power within these movements, and power to influence readers and viewers.
I'm working on book 2 of my epic urban fantasy series, Guild of Magic which I am serializing on my Substack newsletter: jonauerbach.substack.com.
This summer I will also be expanding my newsletter into comics as I write my first comics series!
Yes! Comics! I have been desperate to write a comic for years. In fact, I've written some scripts in the past but have never been happy with my illustration skills (and can't afford to hire someone good). I've been busily trying to improve my art so that I can start putting together small comics, though I'm not quite there yet. How are you going about it?
I really must find time to read book 1 of Guild of Magic. I really enjoyed the opening chapters but haven't managed to get back to it yet. The joy and curse of Substack is having too much high quality material to read. I need a time machine.
Same! This has been a project two years in the making. My friend and I worked on a TV pitch for my book series, so I adapted the beginning of that (which was a beat-by-beat summary of the potential pilot) into a 5-page script (that actually ended up having no dialogue!). Then I am separately working on a brand-new story and writing a full 22-page issue. That has been an interesting exercise. It's a different way of plotting and pacing than novels.
And thanks! I hope you enjoy it. I have a short story up now that's only three parts as a shorter excursion into the world. I feel the same way about the mountain of Substack emails in my inbox. I have Expeditions and Interrogations queued up in my inbox and I want to get to that this week.
Nice!
Is the comic intended to accompany the TV pitch, or have you made the decision to switch to the comic format for the story entirely?
The comic will be part of my upcoming Kickstarter book campaign and depending on how that goes (and how much time I can put aside to work on it between the book and the other comic series), I would love to do a full issue next year as its own Kickstarter campaign.
Ah, exciting! Good luck with it all.
Hello,
You asked about me :)
I have written three books, two of which can be found here:
www.carolinemcintoshbooks.com
I am now moving into the romance genre.
I look forward to seeing more of your newsletters.
From
Caroline
Hi Caroline! Nice to meet you. What kind of romance projects are you working on? Do you see yourself working in that genre for the foreseeable future?
I am Francesco, a professional Italian translator. I didn't yet have the time to start reading your work, but I will for sure. Too much work at the moment and no time for reading. I know, it sounds weird, since as a translator, reading is half of my job. But reading is something different for a translator. Nobody reads a book as deep as we do (no bragging here), and the result is that we do not enjoy the books we translate :)
I am currently translating the Passage trilogy (J. Cronin), Night of Knives (I. C. Esslemont) and last week I finished The Ministry for the Future (Kim Stanley Robinson). But I have a lot more to translate before the end of the year (among the others, The Bone Ships, by RJ Barker).
Hi Francesco! It's difficult when work collides with something you would otherwise enjoy. When I studied film in my early 20s it took me a while to get back to being able to enjoy watching movies, rather than analysing them.
I worked with many literary translators in my time at the National Centre for Writing in the UK and I always loved hearing about their work and the unique challenges presented by each book. Very exciting to hear that you've translated The Ministry for the Future - I adore Robinson's work and really need to get hold of that one. His books are so scientifically detailed I can imagine it's quite a challenge to translate?
Oh yes, it was really hard. So much to research, so many concepts, so many pages :D
Hello, Simon. I am a writer. Ten, twenty years ago I was hesitant to say that so boldly, but today I have a book on Amazon (written by my partner and me) so I can non-hesitantly say “I am a writer.”
www.CineHunden.com is our website.
I had to work a “real job” for most of my life (for a steady income and health insurance), with writing as a tiny side dish.
I’ve written plays for community theatre and indie films. I’ve worked as stage crew and even acted in a couple of plays and short films. However, my first love is novels.
Now that I am retired from the “real job,” I hope to publish many more books. It’s nice to meet you.
Hello Simon! Jeanine Kitchel here, Mexicosoul.substack.com. I'm 2 months into being a Substacker and loving it. My stack is about Mex, the Maya, archeology, MX artists, history, current events, expats and my own story of stumbling onto a fishing village in the Mex-Caribbean, buying land, building a house and opening a bookstore. I have a degree in journalism and have written for newspapers, magazines, MX websites, guide books, and also wrote 2 non-fiction ( a memoir--Where the Sky is Born: Living in the Land of the Maya, and an overview of the Maya calendar--Maya 2012 Revealed) and 2 narco thrillers set in Yucatán: Wheels Up—A Novel of Drugs, Cartels and Survival, and Tulum Takedown. My website is www.jeaninekitchel.com and it lists the links to my books. Thanks for this and I look forward to reading your stack!
Hello, Simon. You've helped inspire me to (finally) restart a half-finished project (The Mom Trip) and dive back into the oh-so-painful process of editing the first novel I've actually completed. Thank you for that!
If you'd like to have a look sometime, it's all at https://ambercstephens.substack.com. (I haven't posted a lot yet - more is scheduled.)
Hello! I’m a writer. I enjoy reading and writing strange stories that speak to the heart.
Hi Simon. I'm a newbie at Substack - https://lindaacaster.substack.com/ - and just finding my way around. I'm from the UK and have started a publication/newsletter, 'Portals to the Past', where I'm writing non-fiction about historical sites in the landscape.
I'm also a novelist, and long-ago short fiction writer, which I may attempt to return to. I came across your 'Tales from the Triverse' when I was closing down my system, and thought 'Wow!', so it's on my TBR list. I immediately appreciated the way it's formatted.
I've subbed tonight after reading your very helpful 'Substack for Beginners' 1&2. I appreciate your time and effort with these posts. And I found your How to Write Serialised Fiction posts. Basically, I believe I can learn on every front, so I intend sticking around. Looking forward to it.
New here I have a background mostly in Business writing and copy but have always written long essays on speculative fiction and fantasy. Mostly I've been working on short Non Fictions that I might just self publish this time around. I really want to spend time writing a couple historical fiction/speculative short novellas but find myself hitting a lot of roadblocks in this area. If anyone here has any experience in resource gathering or layout/structure ideas for historical non fiction and how they keep continuity I'd love to hear about your process! Glad to be here.
Hi
I am an English Professor in West Nowhere Japan with a book to write. It has been on my mind for years but existed only as bits and pieces in different folders, apps, and drives until recently. However, anxiety and depression moved in about ten years ago and have been terrible roommates. Then, while they were on vacation, I wrote about them on Facebook during #mentalhealthawarenessmonth. The back-channel feedback from friends was very positive, either as "Me, too," or "You should write more about this." So, I did it all at once and started my Substack. I will journal about mental health while sharing chapters, drafts, and ideas from my Santa book project.
👋 I'm serializing my novel Jimi & the Galactic Empire on Substack. Have 2 more and some musings that was on Amazon, but I've decided to remove them, solely concentrating on Substack. Currently I'm considering releasing the entirety of Jimi for free...it's almost140k words long. What do you think?
I've been writing for a number of years. My Roman epic was what I call my apprenticeship. I started it when I was 28. (I made the main character the same age on purpose.) But the story got to be too long. I think it was 280,000 words or more. I have three different versions. I started it on a typewriter two years after I got married. It was the research that was eating up all the time. Thank God for the internet. And wikipedia is a godsend for historical fiction.
I was never confident enough to try and publish anything, and when I did, it was an online site that didn't pay. I didn't care. I was just happy enough to be published. I started writing on Vocal last year, but they were just so strict about censorship I found it stagnating. When I found this site, I knew I found the right place. I plan to advertise my page and send out emails. I figure, with a world population of more than 8 billion, I should be able to find a couple thousand willing to pay $5/month. I gotta supplement my income somehow.
Greetings, Simon! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to introduce myself.
Since 1980, I have been employed as a professional writer by television shows, advertising agencies, publishing companies, restaurant chains, film festivals, and screenwriting conferences. Currently, I offer online writing workshops and muse sessions on my writelighter.com website.
I am the author of six fiction and nonfiction books, including "Write Awake: A Conscious Path to Creativity and Change." My current writing project is "Moonwater Beach," the eco-fiction sequel to my visionary fiction novel, "Inn Lak’ech: A Journey to the Realm of Oneness."
I am passionate about making a difference and to inspire writers to manifest positive change through the written word. This is why I am on Substack and why I offer writing support and inspiration at https://writelighter.substack.com and https://writersfortheplanet.substack.com.
Hello! Glad to have you hear. Writing can be such a positive part of our lives. I hope that proves to be the case for you.