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Feb 28, 2023Liked by Simon K Jones, Geoffrey Golden

I’ve been enjoying everything Meg Oolders has been sending out over at Stock Fiction. She’s hilarious, and her writing even more so.

https://stockfiction.substack.com/

I recently discovered Jim Cummings, as well, and he is one hell of a storyteller!

https://jimcummings5251.substack.com/

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I thought this was interesting and probably pertinent to all of us: https://writingcoop.substack.com/p/the-platform-era-is-ending (I have thoughts)

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Feb 28, 2023·edited Feb 28, 2023Liked by Geoffrey Golden

My tip: read your work at live events.

•it puts your mouth where your money is.

•you get to hear and feel the words as you read them.

•new Ideas and/or edits may emerge as you practice reading the work out loud—preferably in private (or with someone objective) long before the live reading takes place.

•for better worse you get to see and hear audience member's respond to your work objectively. These may be subtle physical responses maybe.

Hint: if there is no immediate response, your audience may be completely blown away. Or, your story may need a lot of revision.

•if there are no readings taking place in your area, start one. Ask a local business owner to host your event in exchange for space. You and you comrades can help the business by making purchases of their goods and services.

•if you're attending a reading, and you've finished reading your work, don't leave the venue. Outside of an emergency—it's impolite. Similarly if you're attending a reading hosted by someone else—and your friend is reading—don't leave the venue after they've finished.

•last but not least: be the attentive audience member you would like to have at your reading (i.e. no phone checking).

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I'll share two tips on Substack growth. The first is to genuinely engage with your audience, both on your Substack and theirs. It's the only way to get to know people, their interests, writing journey, etc. People want to belong to that kind of community.

The second is to guest post. Have a clearly defined goal and subject, write it and then find a Substack you respect, where the audience could have some crossover, and then offer to post. Not all Substacks are open to guest posts, or they may have more strict acceptance criteria and that's okay.

Try new things and experiment!

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What advice does anyone have for someone who wants to have a career as a writer but currently works full-time in nothing to do with writing and has too many financial obligations to quit?

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Is anyone subscribed to BBC Maestro? Is it worth trying?

I've never paid for any writing courses before. So many focus on plot, character and structure - all important (and things I need to improve on!) but what I'm more interested in learning is how to write engaging prose. I found out that Alan Moore has some videos on BBC Maestro on rhythm and inventive language, and Carol Ann Duffy has some on poetry. Are there other online courses/videos/etc which focus on imaginative prose?

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Hello, hello everyone. A little after 9am here.

I have really been enjoying DuVay Knox's THE BLACK PULP FICTIONADO.

His writing slaps you in the face. Raw and eloquent. Funny and dead serious. Always look forward to his posts.

I originally started my Substack for myself. A place to tone my voice, get more comfortable with my writing. That took a lot of pressure off as far as getting more subscribers so when I do a get new subscription it bouys because it is unexpected and feels more organic? But when I do feel the urge, I will post a link to a certain group on Twitter or Instagram. So I guess I would say just plant your seed where you want a flower to grow? (I guess I am doing that here. Ha!)

My advice for the next generation is to write, write, write. Stay true to your craft, your form, but pay attention to it, and learn how to be flexible, to grow. I started out with writing poetry in my teens. Of course over the years, decades, my style changed, the quality improved, but I found myself writing longer pieces and having to edit, edit, edit, to make them readable. Figured out I was more of story than a moment teller. And now finally I finally found Flash which is the form for me for now. I still write poetry if a poem is in me though.

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How much of your publishing is done on Substack? Do you post everything you write to Substack, or do you leave some stuff for a website or blog?

If you don’t post everything on Substack, how do you use Substack to bring an audience to your website?

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Thought some of you might to see my new ranked list of my favorite 45 novels of all time:

https://mikegoodenowweber.substack.com/p/my-45-favorite-novels-of-all-time

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Mark Starlin Writes https://markstarlinwrites.substack.com/

Join 'Office Hours' here at Fictionistas

Buy and read Print Books. Limit AI to less than 5% of your "writing." And take a walk every day.

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Volleying my shout out to Justin Deming at Along the Hudson. Justin has a gift for writing thought-provoking fiction with just the right number of words. And his twice monthly "Fifties" challenges are an awesome way to engage with your fellow fiction writers.

https://alongthehudson.substack.com/

https://alongthehudson.substack.com/p/fifties-by-the-fire-blue-valentine

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Lately I have really enjoyed reading Justin Deming- Along The Hudson, Mark Starlin Writes, Mark Cutts and Gibberish by Scoot. Even though all of them have their own writing styles each one's writing seems to pull me in and keep me interested. Thanks guys.

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Next month, which starts tomorrow, is going to be my one year anniversary of starting my substack. Getting comments on my fiction still seems as rare as it was when I started (thankfully I consistently get non-fiction comments), and I've followed all the advice about what to do. Looks like the part of the equation I'm missing is interested readers, so I'm going to try and do more cross promotion stuff.

Don't think I'm in a state to give advice, but I'll say to be flexible. Don't be afraid to change course and try out new things.

I have a whole list of fiction substacks I've been enjoying. To avoid spamming a whole list I'll just say that I've stuck by Metanoia for some time and wish it got more recognition. (https://kerryjane.substack.com/)

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Elissa Altman's thoughts resonate deeply with me. poormansfeast@substack.com. Not fiction, but so rich and varied that often I find new themes there to develop in my fiction. In fact, one piece of advice I'd give to new fiction writers is to read contemporary essays and derive ideas for stories from them.

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Some writers may find this helpful (there’s more on editing on the stack as well): https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/why-you-should-edit-your-substack

Michael Mohr

‘Sincere American Writing’

https://michaelmohr.substack.com/

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Wanted to shout out @Victor D. Sandiego’s Dynamic Creed. Look forward to reading it each week, and have really enjoyed the bits of commentary included at the end.

https://open.substack.com/pub/dcreed?r=xmusr&utm_medium=ios

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Hmm, advice for the next generation of writers...

I feel like kind of a dick for saying it, because I know many folks are very proud of their creative writing degrees, but the number one piece of advice I’d give is to not pursue creative writing at the university level.

That is, if you live in the U.S., where your degree is extremely costly. If you live in a country where education at the university level is very affordable, or free, go for it--even if it doesn’t pan out, you can recover from that investment. In the U.S.? Eh, not so much.

I, for one, studied creative writing and English, and I regret it for many reasons (I outline here how it has fallen short, in case there’s interest: https://www.emeralddash.com/p/essay-creative-writing-program-fall-short-one).

But, that isn’t the entire picture.

I’d tell the next generation of writers to avoid it because there are just so many options out there for learning that are WAY cheaper, and honestly, of the same quality.

Want to be a writer? Subscribe to some newsletters. Listen to some podcasts. Read some books. Watch some videos. Find / start a community online or in-person (or both). Carve out some time (and protect that time), and write like hell.

By doing so, chances are high that you’ll be in the exact same boat as someone with an MFA. And you won’t have spent thousands and thousands of dollars. Plus, though every individual is different, you may not feel the same kind of pressure the collegiate writer does to perform--to prove something, or to make back money, etc.

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I will throw out a couple of recommendations. I enjoy Bill Alder’s often fantastical fiction. https://billadler.substack.com

And Justin Deming’s bite-sized fiction. https://alongthehudson.substack.com

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If anyone's interested in long-form auto-fiction, just posted a piece about friendship, youth and nostalgia: https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/cool-kids-long-form-autobiographical

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