Fictionistas Office Hours usually takes place on the last Tuesday of every month, starting at 7am EST. This month we’re meeting on Thursday, for no other reason than I forgot to schedule the post and then went on vacation!
Taking time off, refilling our creative tank and relaxing with friends and family is important. Are you looking forward to an upcoming vacation, or do you want to share how you unwind or refill an empty creative tank? Let us know in the comments.
This is also the time and place to ask questions about Fictionistas and writing fiction on Substack. Introduce yourself, say hello, ask and answer questions. As a community we’ll be here all day, so come and go as you please.
Hi, I'm a fiction writer under the pen name of Myinc. Over the summer, I'm looking forward to finishing my current fantasy novel. During my regular schedule, I don't have much time to write, so I only publish monthly. I might just be able to start publishing weekly!
Hello all, I am a fiction and memoir writer. This summer, I have been working on a Serial about two brothers who were on their way to celebrate the sale of their restaurant franchise, Pizza Land, when the limo they were riding was hit head-on by a semi-truck. The sale of Pizza Land left the brothers with virtually unlimited financial resources. Devastated, they decide to purchase two Harleys and embark on a yearlong cross-country journey helping people as they search for answers.
I was gathering resources to start a substack related to poetry. However, I had an idea for a writing challenge and Jackie suggested I post it here and see if there was interest. So here I am.
If I were to share an obscure folktale and set a challenge to reimagine the tale, would there be interest to join in? This would happen on my own substack(because fictionistas have too much going on at present)
Hi Riya, I've seen a lot of Substacks have success with similar challenges and prompts. It usually takes several months to build up a community around it, but it works well. Good luck!
Hey, all. I've got two weeks holiday coming up, and part of the plan is to use the time to get my substack up and running (and on the list). I write fiction, and the stack will be a mix of fantasy and crime shorts to start with.
Yes! We swap comps. Reason being, if we all pay each other for real, none of us will make any money. 😁 I don't currently have any real paying subscribers (except for my mom), but I've swapped paid subs with about six other writers. It allows us to engage with the work behind each other's paywalls, which is valuable in itself, and it looks nice from an "optics" perspective, because incoming subscribers will see that people are "paying" for your Substack. It's a wee bit sneaky, but ultimately it helps us to be in each other's corners more and help boost our curb appeal. 👍🏻
I've only ever swapped with folks who I'm actively subscribed to and who are subscribed to me, so in that case you can simply find them in your subscriber list. Check the box next to their email address, and then you'll see three dots up at the top right corner of the panel. I think there are two options on that menu: Remove and Comp. If you hit comp, it will give you options for how long to comp the subscriber, then you'll basically send them an "offer" to accept it or not.
All this said, I don't personally recommend randomly swapping paid subs just for the optics. I think it's important that you genuinely support their work and want to put your name and pretend money behind it. 😊And you should feel pretty confident that they'll want to do the same for you. It just feels cozier that way, for this writer at least.
Jun 29, 2023·edited Jun 29, 2023Liked by Jackie Dana
Hello!
I'm a speculative fiction author at Indie Author Digest here on Substack. I'm currently releasing my serial anthology. This is a speculative project I've been working on that combines short fiction with the longer form of world building. My thought was that readers are looking for shorter pieces to read, but may miss the kind of deep world building that comes with a novel, so this may be the best of both worlds? At least that's my theory, we'll see!
I think this is a great model, Reina. I know it can be a struggle to serialize a novel and keep an audience engaged, especially if you have new subscribers coming in all the time who feel overwhelmed by the idea of "catching up", but an anthology allows for people to drop in, explore, move forward or back and still feel immersed in the world. I think it's a great idea. Best of luck to you!
Great thoughts here — I agree, readers are now so used to consuming snappy digestible content. I know my attention span isn’t what it used to be. I love your idea!
Ha I ran into the same issue and came to the same conclusion for my Human Capital series! There’s a needle to thread on making each story self sufficient in terms of background without getting toooo repetitive for long term readers. Good luck!
Has anyone else here serialized their novels? Any tips or advice? I don’t really want to break it into chapters because there’s only about 15. But also feels weird to split a chapter down the middle. Curious what others have done!
Jun 29, 2023·edited Jun 29, 2023Liked by Jackie Dana
Greetings all,
I'm Michael Marpaung, fiction writer of Germanicus Publishing, though I also write a personal blog called Indonesian and American. My "magnum opus" in Substack is "Inquisitor's Promise", a space opera web novel - it's also finished. Right now, I'm trying to get a proper release for that book (I'm thinking Amazon and/or Lulu).
In terms of my works in Substack moving forward, I just launched my next project called "The Holy League Universe" which expands upon the universe that the novel took place in.
As you might guess, I have a lot of thing percolating. Honestly, I had to force myself to hold back at times. I think as writers it's important for us to manage our energy. The OP talks about "refilling an empty creative tank", but I think it's more important to manage that tank so you don't run out because creative burnout.
Hello Fictionistas and friends, I'm a fiction and non-fiction writer looking to reconnect this summer with some long-time travel writing (and places) adventures, and report it all back to you later on! I've recently restructured my Substack to make it more substainable and better for the reader's experience, and enjoy checking in to others' stacks and periodic community items like this one, as I find them to be a mine of useful information and ideas I wouldn't have necessarily thought of. So many great ideas and initiatives floating around in this space. Happy writing, and happy summer everyone!
Hello! I'm prepping to launch my Substack. My idea is that the Substack is a repository of stories all about this multiverse that I haven't named yet. I think I may start off posting a short story once a month, with a special "State of the Newsletter"-type post once a quarter. I would switch to posting weekly if I start serializing a novella/novel. What do y'all think? Any advice? I'm looking forward to all the discussions today!
My goal is two posts a week. For the ones who are paying, they get a short story or flash fiction or personal essay sort of thing. Everyone gets a post about where I am in my writing or a general how I'm doing (because I'm trying to get away from posting on Facebook for that).
Give it a try and experiment; stay engaged with places like this and see what happens. I have never been able to crank out stuff quickly. I work on an episode for my serial over a month and then publish pieces of it over a week or two. I keep each publication so it can be read in 5-6 mins. Good Luck!
Thanks! What I'm starting to see is that there isn't necessarily a formula for this, which is both exciting and nerve-wracking. I'm also trying to keep in mind my own abilities. Like you, I don't think I could crank out stuff quickly. I'm thinking of building up a nice backlog that I can just schedule so that I'll have some breathing room.
Hi all, I've been writing a novel called Heaven 2.0. The (tentative) blurb is "Why would a perfectly good, all-knowing, and all-powerful God allow evil and suffering to exist in the world? Let’s find out!" It’s my take on the sci-fi AI story, but incorporating the strange fallibility and generative nature of how AI/VR are panning out in reality, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Now that the self promo is out of the way I have a question; what’s the end game of serializing your novel online? Do you find it affects how you plan and write compared to more traditional structures?
This is something I just started doing. I took an idea from a writing prompt to write a short story, but I had so much fun writing it, I'm now going to serialize it. I don't know if it will be novel length, but the characters were yelling at me to tell their story. I'm thinking of posting a new story about them at least once a month.
While I haven't serialized, there's quite a few here who have. There are several end games that I can think of, but it mostly boils down to ending with an option to purchase a self published hard copy or having subscribers pay for the chapters or extras that accompany the chapter. There are two approaches to the writing, one is to finish it and then start publishing and the other is to write as you go. I've actually seen it work both ways. I guess it depends on your temperament. Hope that helps.
Publishing a hard copy of my Harold and Sallie stories is a possibility, but that's a long way down the road. For now I just want to enjoy writing about these characters that I've created and I want to see where they take me.
This is what I am doing, writing for fun, and then I will see if it goes anywhere. I like Substack because it forces me to publish regularly, and I love the interaction with other authors.
Hi y'all! I started my substack back in December, but plans and ideas for what I wanted to do with it as to where it's headed now changed a few months ago.
I'm using it to focus on my writing. I went paid a couple of weeks ago and have posted a few short stories, one of which is going to be a serialized story. I hadn't planned on that but the MCs kept yelling at me that they had a story to tell and I was the one chosen to tell it.
Things not behind the paywall are general how my writing is going and how I'm doing in general will be free to read (as I'm trying to get away or at least not be on Facebook as much)
Right now my main goal is one short story (or maybe flash fiction) a week for the paying peeps and one general post for all.
Someone mentioned that some stackers swamp comps (gift subs) to each other, which I would be into doing, I'd love to have more experienced writers look at my writing.
Hey everyone! I write memoir and fiction with a couple of my stories - In Gold Country, and Jimmy Swann - ongoing in serialized form. Please come by for a visit. : )
I have a rather busy family event coming up, so that will be a bit of a forced break from writing. And I have felt a bit of a struggle with setting up the next part of my serial. Thankfully with the distinct parts I can afford a longer wait.
I'm so into writing that sometime a break from a writing project just means writing something else. It's important to have things to remind me that writing is fun when the obligations and business get to me. Playing video games is the other main break, like the Pikmin 4 demo that just came out. Maybe a little bit of Pikmin fanfic can help get me in the mood for my serial.
Also here's a question, let's say someone is offering a 'deluxe' paid version of their free short fiction. What's an incentive/bonus that you think would get you interested in purchasing that version? Or is supporting an author you think is okay with a one off purchase rather than a full on paid subscription enough of an incentive.
Taking a break is a good thing. No matter what it is. One of my hobbies is cross stitching, and I can go a month working on a cross stitch project and then put it away for a month. Keeps it fresh.
"I'm so into writing that sometime a break from a writing project just means writing something else." Oh man, I can relate to that!
If a reader loves the free short fiction, maybe they'd want to read author commentary about how the story came together. Or an addendum that tells us what happened after the story or gives us another character's perspective.
Hey everyone! New here to Substack and to Fictionistas. I'm a speculative fiction writer, experimenting with a couple Substacks. One, purely fiction, under a couple of pen names: suncountry.substack.com - a sort of trans-apocalyptic trip through the formerly contiguous United States. And then another that is... I don't know! Sort of fiction, sometimes bloggy: thereadingpeasant.substack.com
I'm really curious about the potential ways our writing can intersect. Either in conversation on one another's nonfiction posts, or by weaving together our worlds and characters (sort of like featured cameos or something like that). I'm not altogether sure what that looks like, but curious if anyone else has thoughts or interest.
I don't know that I've seen separate Substacks/authors interweave worlds. Usually common threads are through prompts or challenges, which might involve the same world. It's an interesting idea. 💡
Hi all, I’m researching a better future (Mondays) and writing a utopian novel about it (Fridays). I got stuck after my most recent chapter and had to retool, but I edited it and will be sending that out shortly and back on track.
Has anyone else struggled with writing live? I think the pressure to get a new chapter out every Friday resulted in me putting out a chapter that wasn’t good and then I had to re-do it. Still working on the balance between sticking to a schedule and making sure it has the time and space to be good!
For what it is worth this is what I do. I have a series with monthly episodes. I use a critique group first for feedback about the structure ect. Then I have it proofread before I publish it.
I have shorter stories I publish in between the episodes that I do on my own. This approach allows me to publish something monthly.
How other people generate multiple stories each week, I do not know, I don't see myself ever doing that.
I definitely see my subscribers as my proofreaders so I don’t feel the need to add those steps. And I’m editing the final draft as I go. Really appreciate the feedback!
Only being eight chapters into my own serial novel, I've found it an interesting challenge. I usually write novels quite fast so that I'm sort of always living inside the book I'm writing. But slowing down to writing one chapter per week feels completely different, but in a fun way.
So far I haven't had any trouble, but I know this is certainly the risk!
Hello! I write sci-fi and fantasy in short story and serialised novella/novel form and publish twice a week, short stories on Tuesdays and serial chapters on Thursdays. https://reddoscarwrites.substack.com/
I am going away with my wife and some friends next week. I will be taking my laptop and notebooks, I can't not write. I become antsy, anxious, agitated, and generally awful to be around. Plus going away and new conversations always serve as inspiration.
When creativity is low I go and do something. Be it paint, read, play a video or board game, visit a museum or National Trust. Sometimes all is needed is a good sleep or a dash of novelty from a disparate hobby while the fiction brews in the background.
My husband and I took a quick train trip up to Milwaukee (we live in Chicago) earlier this week and just the train ride and the hotel we stayed in (used to be an office building, complete with those mail chutes and letter boxes) inspired a couple of short stories that I'm working on. I left my laptop at home on purpose, so I was taking notes as ideas came to me.
I cross stitch when I need a break from everything. Stabbing fabric with a sharp, pointy object is very therapeutic!
I'm radicaledward or e rathke or edward rathke or whatever name seems most appropriately easy to remember. About two months ago, I began serializing a novel on my substack: https://radicaledward.substack.com/s/emrys-the-fool
I also have short stories that I've begun publishing in the last few weeks. But my substack is primarily nonfiction.
Along with that, you can find my novels at amazon. I have two series running right now.
👋 Hey, I'm Geoffrey, one of the co-founders of Fictionistas. I write the newsletter Adventure Snack: bite-sized interactive quests the right length for your lunch break.
As I wrote in my post today, I'm taking July away from posting to travel to San Diego Comic-Con and play video games. I purchased my very own arcade cabinet, a dream since childhood! There are photos in my latest post...
Hi everyone, I’m a short form fiction dabbler (I mainly work in film and TV) so it’s great to discover so many new writers on here. I had so much fun participating in this month’s fiction prompt, but I’m not sure if my Substack readers want fiction from me or not — that post has had a muted response compared to the others. Several projects I’ve worked on over the years have ended up in development hell, so I’m wondering if Substack is the place to serialize them in episodic novella form? Is there ever enough time to write? Even writing full time I don’t feel like that’s the case. Nice to meet everyone!
My fictional newspaper, The Wyldwood News (free) mixes elements from mythology with a sardonic take on real world events and also ties into my serial fantasy fiction story, Sága's Fable Mind (paid, first episode scheduled to publish on July 1st). The serial is a contemporary, dark-humored retelling of myths, legends, and folktales. So far, it’s been a lot of fun to write on Substack and I hope to do it for a long time
Hi, I'm a fiction writer under the pen name of Myinc. Over the summer, I'm looking forward to finishing my current fantasy novel. During my regular schedule, I don't have much time to write, so I only publish monthly. I might just be able to start publishing weekly!
Hello all, I am a fiction and memoir writer. This summer, I have been working on a Serial about two brothers who were on their way to celebrate the sale of their restaurant franchise, Pizza Land, when the limo they were riding was hit head-on by a semi-truck. The sale of Pizza Land left the brothers with virtually unlimited financial resources. Devastated, they decide to purchase two Harleys and embark on a yearlong cross-country journey helping people as they search for answers.
https://scottocamb.substack.com/p/vision-quest
Hi.. I'm Riya, poet and fictionist.
I was gathering resources to start a substack related to poetry. However, I had an idea for a writing challenge and Jackie suggested I post it here and see if there was interest. So here I am.
If I were to share an obscure folktale and set a challenge to reimagine the tale, would there be interest to join in? This would happen on my own substack(because fictionistas have too much going on at present)
I love the idea. Would it be poetry or open for prose?
Great idea! I second Stephen's question. I'm not much of a poetry writer haha
Love this!
Thank you, Meg!
Stephen, Reina - Definitely open to prose.
Yay! I'm looking forward to hearing what you do with this project. Sounds fun :)
Hi Riya, I've seen a lot of Substacks have success with similar challenges and prompts. It usually takes several months to build up a community around it, but it works well. Good luck!
Riya would definitely be interested in participating. Great idea!
I think this is a great idea
Thanks for posting the idea, which sounds amazing. I would also very much be interested in participating, time permitting.
Hi Riya, great fan of poetry here, both writing and translating. I update at least 2/3 per week. Would be great to be kept posted. Thanks.
Thank you for all the encouragement. Will update on this thread when it's ready
Hey, all. I've got two weeks holiday coming up, and part of the plan is to use the time to get my substack up and running (and on the list). I write fiction, and the stack will be a mix of fantasy and crime shorts to start with.
Good luck. I enjoy writing here very much.
Hello! 10pm here in Brisbane Australia.
I’ve recently relaunched my Substack as part of my goal to make a living as a creative writer.
I’ve been enjoying reading other Substackers work, and will actually be restacking a story tomorrow (The Roots Touch the Sky by Lisa Kuznak - it’s awesome https://open.substack.com/pub/mechanicalpulp/p/the-roots-touch-the-sky?r=4de6r&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post).
The one thing I’ve been pondering is if paywalled writers swap gifted subscriptions with each other?
Yes! We swap comps. Reason being, if we all pay each other for real, none of us will make any money. 😁 I don't currently have any real paying subscribers (except for my mom), but I've swapped paid subs with about six other writers. It allows us to engage with the work behind each other's paywalls, which is valuable in itself, and it looks nice from an "optics" perspective, because incoming subscribers will see that people are "paying" for your Substack. It's a wee bit sneaky, but ultimately it helps us to be in each other's corners more and help boost our curb appeal. 👍🏻
Do we need to swap email addresses, or will it accept user names in the subscription panel?
Isn't just basically giving each other gift subscriptions? I'd be totally up for doing that.
I've only ever swapped with folks who I'm actively subscribed to and who are subscribed to me, so in that case you can simply find them in your subscriber list. Check the box next to their email address, and then you'll see three dots up at the top right corner of the panel. I think there are two options on that menu: Remove and Comp. If you hit comp, it will give you options for how long to comp the subscriber, then you'll basically send them an "offer" to accept it or not.
All this said, I don't personally recommend randomly swapping paid subs just for the optics. I think it's important that you genuinely support their work and want to put your name and pretend money behind it. 😊And you should feel pretty confident that they'll want to do the same for you. It just feels cozier that way, for this writer at least.
Hope this was helpful!
Best of luck with your relaunch, Stephen.
Hello!
I'm a speculative fiction author at Indie Author Digest here on Substack. I'm currently releasing my serial anthology. This is a speculative project I've been working on that combines short fiction with the longer form of world building. My thought was that readers are looking for shorter pieces to read, but may miss the kind of deep world building that comes with a novel, so this may be the best of both worlds? At least that's my theory, we'll see!
https://reinacruzwrites.substack.com/p/marredbury
I think this is a great model, Reina. I know it can be a struggle to serialize a novel and keep an audience engaged, especially if you have new subscribers coming in all the time who feel overwhelmed by the idea of "catching up", but an anthology allows for people to drop in, explore, move forward or back and still feel immersed in the world. I think it's a great idea. Best of luck to you!
Thank you so much!
Great thoughts here — I agree, readers are now so used to consuming snappy digestible content. I know my attention span isn’t what it used to be. I love your idea!
Thanks. Mine isn't either! I remember being able to finish a novel in a day or a weekend. Now? Forget about it!
I am just now reaching the point where I can read for pleasure again, and this is the perfect platform to get some quick reading done.
As cheesy as it sounds, I really think I've found my new online 'home'.
I love it!!
Ha I ran into the same issue and came to the same conclusion for my Human Capital series! There’s a needle to thread on making each story self sufficient in terms of background without getting toooo repetitive for long term readers. Good luck!
For sure! Thank you!
Sounds interesting. I just subscribed. I am doing something similar. Good luck.
Welcome!
Hi! I’ve decided to finally put my fiction out there--I’m serializing my first novel here: https://somefiction.substack.com
Has anyone else here serialized their novels? Any tips or advice? I don’t really want to break it into chapters because there’s only about 15. But also feels weird to split a chapter down the middle. Curious what others have done!
Thanks for the community :)
Sarah Fay is sharing some great resources on her substack, Writers at Work
https://www.writersatwork.net/
Thanks!!
I’m not sure if I should have Dissecting a strawberry just before going to bed. I’ll let you know tomorrow if my dreams are affected.
Who knew a fruit could be so disturbing !!
Here's another one for you, CFH
https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/different-types-of-serial-storytelling
Greetings all,
I'm Michael Marpaung, fiction writer of Germanicus Publishing, though I also write a personal blog called Indonesian and American. My "magnum opus" in Substack is "Inquisitor's Promise", a space opera web novel - it's also finished. Right now, I'm trying to get a proper release for that book (I'm thinking Amazon and/or Lulu).
In terms of my works in Substack moving forward, I just launched my next project called "The Holy League Universe" which expands upon the universe that the novel took place in.
As you might guess, I have a lot of thing percolating. Honestly, I had to force myself to hold back at times. I think as writers it's important for us to manage our energy. The OP talks about "refilling an empty creative tank", but I think it's more important to manage that tank so you don't run out because creative burnout.
Re: The tank. I'm with you, Michael. My tank is overflowing. Here's to steady (burnout free) forward progress for both of us. 🥂
That's a great point, Michael! Too many of us do boil over with too much at once.
Hello Fictionistas and friends, I'm a fiction and non-fiction writer looking to reconnect this summer with some long-time travel writing (and places) adventures, and report it all back to you later on! I've recently restructured my Substack to make it more substainable and better for the reader's experience, and enjoy checking in to others' stacks and periodic community items like this one, as I find them to be a mine of useful information and ideas I wouldn't have necessarily thought of. So many great ideas and initiatives floating around in this space. Happy writing, and happy summer everyone!
Hello! I'm prepping to launch my Substack. My idea is that the Substack is a repository of stories all about this multiverse that I haven't named yet. I think I may start off posting a short story once a month, with a special "State of the Newsletter"-type post once a quarter. I would switch to posting weekly if I start serializing a novella/novel. What do y'all think? Any advice? I'm looking forward to all the discussions today!
My goal is two posts a week. For the ones who are paying, they get a short story or flash fiction or personal essay sort of thing. Everyone gets a post about where I am in my writing or a general how I'm doing (because I'm trying to get away from posting on Facebook for that).
Both posts a week are fiction?
No. The free for all is more of an update on me and writing in general.
Give it a try and experiment; stay engaged with places like this and see what happens. I have never been able to crank out stuff quickly. I work on an episode for my serial over a month and then publish pieces of it over a week or two. I keep each publication so it can be read in 5-6 mins. Good Luck!
Thanks! What I'm starting to see is that there isn't necessarily a formula for this, which is both exciting and nerve-wracking. I'm also trying to keep in mind my own abilities. Like you, I don't think I could crank out stuff quickly. I'm thinking of building up a nice backlog that I can just schedule so that I'll have some breathing room.
Hi all, I've been writing a novel called Heaven 2.0. The (tentative) blurb is "Why would a perfectly good, all-knowing, and all-powerful God allow evil and suffering to exist in the world? Let’s find out!" It’s my take on the sci-fi AI story, but incorporating the strange fallibility and generative nature of how AI/VR are panning out in reality, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!
https://open.substack.com/pub/whogetswhatgetswhy/p/dating-advice?r=1z8jyn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Now that the self promo is out of the way I have a question; what’s the end game of serializing your novel online? Do you find it affects how you plan and write compared to more traditional structures?
This is something I just started doing. I took an idea from a writing prompt to write a short story, but I had so much fun writing it, I'm now going to serialize it. I don't know if it will be novel length, but the characters were yelling at me to tell their story. I'm thinking of posting a new story about them at least once a month.
While I haven't serialized, there's quite a few here who have. There are several end games that I can think of, but it mostly boils down to ending with an option to purchase a self published hard copy or having subscribers pay for the chapters or extras that accompany the chapter. There are two approaches to the writing, one is to finish it and then start publishing and the other is to write as you go. I've actually seen it work both ways. I guess it depends on your temperament. Hope that helps.
Publishing a hard copy of my Harold and Sallie stories is a possibility, but that's a long way down the road. For now I just want to enjoy writing about these characters that I've created and I want to see where they take me.
This is what I am doing, writing for fun, and then I will see if it goes anywhere. I like Substack because it forces me to publish regularly, and I love the interaction with other authors.
Hi y'all! I started my substack back in December, but plans and ideas for what I wanted to do with it as to where it's headed now changed a few months ago.
I'm using it to focus on my writing. I went paid a couple of weeks ago and have posted a few short stories, one of which is going to be a serialized story. I hadn't planned on that but the MCs kept yelling at me that they had a story to tell and I was the one chosen to tell it.
Things not behind the paywall are general how my writing is going and how I'm doing in general will be free to read (as I'm trying to get away or at least not be on Facebook as much)
Right now my main goal is one short story (or maybe flash fiction) a week for the paying peeps and one general post for all.
Someone mentioned that some stackers swamp comps (gift subs) to each other, which I would be into doing, I'd love to have more experienced writers look at my writing.
Hey everyone! I write memoir and fiction with a couple of my stories - In Gold Country, and Jimmy Swann - ongoing in serialized form. Please come by for a visit. : )
https://jamesron.substack.com/
I have a rather busy family event coming up, so that will be a bit of a forced break from writing. And I have felt a bit of a struggle with setting up the next part of my serial. Thankfully with the distinct parts I can afford a longer wait.
I'm so into writing that sometime a break from a writing project just means writing something else. It's important to have things to remind me that writing is fun when the obligations and business get to me. Playing video games is the other main break, like the Pikmin 4 demo that just came out. Maybe a little bit of Pikmin fanfic can help get me in the mood for my serial.
Also here's a question, let's say someone is offering a 'deluxe' paid version of their free short fiction. What's an incentive/bonus that you think would get you interested in purchasing that version? Or is supporting an author you think is okay with a one off purchase rather than a full on paid subscription enough of an incentive.
Taking a break is a good thing. No matter what it is. One of my hobbies is cross stitching, and I can go a month working on a cross stitch project and then put it away for a month. Keeps it fresh.
"I'm so into writing that sometime a break from a writing project just means writing something else." Oh man, I can relate to that!
If a reader loves the free short fiction, maybe they'd want to read author commentary about how the story came together. Or an addendum that tells us what happened after the story or gives us another character's perspective.
That's mercifully in line with what I was thinking and planning, thank you.
Happy to help!
Hey everyone! New here to Substack and to Fictionistas. I'm a speculative fiction writer, experimenting with a couple Substacks. One, purely fiction, under a couple of pen names: suncountry.substack.com - a sort of trans-apocalyptic trip through the formerly contiguous United States. And then another that is... I don't know! Sort of fiction, sometimes bloggy: thereadingpeasant.substack.com
I'm really curious about the potential ways our writing can intersect. Either in conversation on one another's nonfiction posts, or by weaving together our worlds and characters (sort of like featured cameos or something like that). I'm not altogether sure what that looks like, but curious if anyone else has thoughts or interest.
I don't know that I've seen separate Substacks/authors interweave worlds. Usually common threads are through prompts or challenges, which might involve the same world. It's an interesting idea. 💡
Hi all, I’m researching a better future (Mondays) and writing a utopian novel about it (Fridays). I got stuck after my most recent chapter and had to retool, but I edited it and will be sending that out shortly and back on track.
Has anyone else struggled with writing live? I think the pressure to get a new chapter out every Friday resulted in me putting out a chapter that wasn’t good and then I had to re-do it. Still working on the balance between sticking to a schedule and making sure it has the time and space to be good!
For what it is worth this is what I do. I have a series with monthly episodes. I use a critique group first for feedback about the structure ect. Then I have it proofread before I publish it.
I have shorter stories I publish in between the episodes that I do on my own. This approach allows me to publish something monthly.
How other people generate multiple stories each week, I do not know, I don't see myself ever doing that.
I definitely see my subscribers as my proofreaders so I don’t feel the need to add those steps. And I’m editing the final draft as I go. Really appreciate the feedback!
Only being eight chapters into my own serial novel, I've found it an interesting challenge. I usually write novels quite fast so that I'm sort of always living inside the book I'm writing. But slowing down to writing one chapter per week feels completely different, but in a fun way.
So far I haven't had any trouble, but I know this is certainly the risk!
Hello! I write sci-fi and fantasy in short story and serialised novella/novel form and publish twice a week, short stories on Tuesdays and serial chapters on Thursdays. https://reddoscarwrites.substack.com/
I am going away with my wife and some friends next week. I will be taking my laptop and notebooks, I can't not write. I become antsy, anxious, agitated, and generally awful to be around. Plus going away and new conversations always serve as inspiration.
When creativity is low I go and do something. Be it paint, read, play a video or board game, visit a museum or National Trust. Sometimes all is needed is a good sleep or a dash of novelty from a disparate hobby while the fiction brews in the background.
My husband and I took a quick train trip up to Milwaukee (we live in Chicago) earlier this week and just the train ride and the hotel we stayed in (used to be an office building, complete with those mail chutes and letter boxes) inspired a couple of short stories that I'm working on. I left my laptop at home on purpose, so I was taking notes as ideas came to me.
I cross stitch when I need a break from everything. Stabbing fabric with a sharp, pointy object is very therapeutic!
I'm radicaledward or e rathke or edward rathke or whatever name seems most appropriately easy to remember. About two months ago, I began serializing a novel on my substack: https://radicaledward.substack.com/s/emrys-the-fool
I also have short stories that I've begun publishing in the last few weeks. But my substack is primarily nonfiction.
Along with that, you can find my novels at amazon. I have two series running right now.
The Shattered Stars, which is like TNG if the crew came straight from Firefly: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BVGGCYKS
The other is The Howling Earth, which is a lofi cyberpunk. Imagine if Gene Wolfe wrote Vampire Hunter D: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNQ11JH5
👋 Hey, I'm Geoffrey, one of the co-founders of Fictionistas. I write the newsletter Adventure Snack: bite-sized interactive quests the right length for your lunch break.
As I wrote in my post today, I'm taking July away from posting to travel to San Diego Comic-Con and play video games. I purchased my very own arcade cabinet, a dream since childhood! There are photos in my latest post...
https://adventuresnack.substack.com/p/youre-the-blobs-personal-assistant
Hi everyone, I’m a short form fiction dabbler (I mainly work in film and TV) so it’s great to discover so many new writers on here. I had so much fun participating in this month’s fiction prompt, but I’m not sure if my Substack readers want fiction from me or not — that post has had a muted response compared to the others. Several projects I’ve worked on over the years have ended up in development hell, so I’m wondering if Substack is the place to serialize them in episodic novella form? Is there ever enough time to write? Even writing full time I don’t feel like that’s the case. Nice to meet everyone!
Hello! I write at The Wyldwood https://thewyldwood.substack.com
My fictional newspaper, The Wyldwood News (free) mixes elements from mythology with a sardonic take on real world events and also ties into my serial fantasy fiction story, Sága's Fable Mind (paid, first episode scheduled to publish on July 1st). The serial is a contemporary, dark-humored retelling of myths, legends, and folktales. So far, it’s been a lot of fun to write on Substack and I hope to do it for a long time