Fictionistas Office Hours takes place on the last Tuesday of every month, starting at 7am EST. This is the time and place to ask questions about the Fictionistas community 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. If you’re feeling shy, how about a conversation starter:
Autumn has arrived! While it has different significance depending on your place in the world and climate, it’s often seen as a time of transition in much of the United States. Are there significant seasonal changes that affect your writing and publishing routine? Feel free to share them with the group.
What are good strategies for finding beta readers, and how do you know if someone who says they'll beta read for you is the right person for your book?
I've decided to publish my story in bite size chunks on Substack, and I guess whoever is kind enough to a) read it and b) provide feedback will be beta readers. All feedback is useful, the good, the bad and the ugly. I feel the story will be a work in progress until the day I decide to self publish, so I hope Substack will prove useful to help me get to this stage. I am nowhere near brave enough for that yet!
Depends on what you want your beta readers to do. A good rule of thumb is to list what you want your beta readers to find (ie: character inconsistencies, unresolved plot threads, proofreading mistakes, etc.). If you're looking for substantive editing comments, you might want to use editors.
As to where to find them, there are plenty of Facebook reader groups for genres. Readers who are very familiar with the genre and tropes/elements should be considered.
Why aren’t you a Fictionista? You should join us! Even if you’re not currently writing fiction on Substack, you would be more than welcome if you write fiction elsewhere.
Hi Jackie! I do write fiction on Substack. I'm serializing a romantic mystery. I'd be happy to join! I thought it was a specific group of authors and not all of us, lol. I do subscribe to this Substack. :-)
With using FB, there is some etiquette that happens. Group members expect you to be present and "helpful" (commenting) in the group. You might be able to ask group admins if you could ask for beta readers before participating.
I just read your post on beta readers. I know some authors will swear beta readers they're better than using editors (because they've had bad experiences or don't want to pay for one), but finding beta readers is a hard business. Oftentimes, it requires "training" and an extended relationship. Friends are usually not recommended, unless they read your genre.
Beta readers quitting is common. You have to capture them in those early chapters, per genre expectations.
You can find betas in other areas, if you're not interested in FB. Instagram reader/reviewers, TikTok, BookTube (aka writers/readers on YouTube), and, if you have to, readers actively posting reviews on Goodreads. There are companies that you can pay betas for a small fee and they will read and provide extensive feedback. If you make friends with police procedural authors writing PIs as MCs, they could help as well.
If you're very patient, try Goodreads - It took me a very long time to find someone who could provide balanced feedback, but when I did it was amazing (not just because they "got" my writing and said lots of nice things (!), they also asked the right sort of questions I needed to improve my novel.). BUT: There are an awful lot of time wasters/ghosters.
Appreciate that. I hadn't thought about looking on Goodreads. That's an idea.
I dropped a semi rant about this last night - not really blaming the readers but more myself. Another thing to learn about doing business as a self-published author.
Give it a whirl, you may have more success than I did (I think it depends on your genre - epic fantasy stuff seems to find more of an audience on there). But it's worth it when you find those who really click with your work.
It is frustrating trying to find readers because people lead busy lives and there's so much stuff to read all the time (the pile of books beside my bed never gets any smaller!). Just keep pushing - good luck!
While Substack was never designed for fiction, there are a number of terrific authors on Substack working across many genres. At Fictionistas, we try to help each other figure out best practices.
I didn't start writing until this year. I just finished working the baseball season and was writing around days I was working games. Now I have ALLLLLL THE TIME on my hands. But other than writing, plans are to do some cross stitching projects, baking, and binge watching stuff on Hulu.
Hello from an unseasonly warm UK! Am quite looking forward to cold crisp mornings (my book is set during the winter months so it might be easier to get in the right head space!).
I went from zero to three critique groups within a few months. As of the end of this month, I am dropping one of them. I want to spend that time taking a hard look at a few specific techniques that I feel I need to address at the copy edit level. Unfortunately, one good thing has to move out, to make space for another.
Fall is one of the sloggier times of year for me as a writer. It’s the last chance in the year for me to get a big project finished, so I focus up and get ‘er done before the holidays take over.
Hello All! James Ron here. I'm looking forward to Fall and some good Fictionistas reading. About the only change to my routine as the weather cools is transitioning my writing desk from the sun room to inside by the heater. Write on!
Fall for me, in terms of fiction, means only one thing: NaNoWriMo. In September, I ponder all the things I could write. In October, I start taking it more seriously and make a plan, and then November, I write every day.
This year I am really torn. I definitely am not going to start a new project because I have so many incomplete ones, but out of those, which do I work on? I have several circling in my brain right now demanding attention, and I am just not sure which to choose. I have two standalones, and the third book in two different series. If only I could clone myself a couple of times over.
I’m trying to decide if I should treat myself and work on an old project, which would almost be like starting something, new, or if I should keep going with the current one.
What this is telling me is that I really need to spend more time on my fiction, but time is fleeting.
Who else here is doing NaNoWriMo? Are you going to start a new project or be a “rebel“ and work on an existing one? (And is it too soon to ask this question? 😂)
I've been thinking about NaNoWriMo for the first time ever. I finally decided I'm taking November and December off from Future Thief, and I want to use that time to write something longer, a novella likely. Jackie, you can be my cruise ship director on this expedition. "Hello, I'm brand new to NaNoWriMo. I would like it to be fun and a success. Any recommendations for doing that based upon your experiences... cruise ship director?" 😁
Welcome aboard the NaNoWriMo November cruise, Mr. Reindel! 🛳️
So here are my thoughts. First of all. be sure to create an account at nanowrimo.org and choose your region, as there may be others where you live, and local in-person events are one of my favorite parts about NaNo. In fact, I went from a completely solitary writer who knew no local writers to knowing hundreds. because of this incredible experience, I started helping organize our local NaNo region in Austin and then set up a meetup group for year-round writing, and now that I'm in St. Louis I am endeavoring to build a group here as well.
Beyond that, you need to first be thinking about the kind of project you want to tackle. The standard way of doing NaNo is to start a brand new novel and write 50K+ words in November, so roughly 1700 words a day. It's a lot but very doable, and it can help you build lots of great habits/skills (writing daily, turning off the internal editor, and learning to write a first draft quickly). I learned that I am terrible with story structure and need to work out a basic storyline before going into it, but at the same time if I plan too much, I'll get bored.
You can also be a rebel and write short stories (but keep to the 50K) or anything else you want. I've known people who have used it to write poems, letters, nonfiction books, or even grad school theses. You can also use it as an opportunity to finish or revise an existing project.
I've used NaNo to finish a previous project or do a full rewrite of something that needed to be completely reconstructed, but I've never just revised during a Nov. NaNo and I'm not sure if I want to do that (though I NEED to do so!). I may end up writing the second half of one of my half-finished books.
The most important things about NaNo to me are to keep at or above par as much as possible - if you don't write one day, it's good to have enough words from previous days to keep you on track - and to never delete anything until you're done. My rule has evolved to allowing myself to edit the sentence I'm on but not to go back and "fix" previous paragraphs. If I know something no longer works, I will use strikethrough to cross it out (but keeping the wordcount) and I have often rewritten paragraphs or entire scenes (keeping the original). I also count the words for ideas I write during the month, and have a separate file within Scrivener just for that (the, "what if my protagonist..." thoughts).
Most of all, NaNoWriMo is a way to give yourself permission to write every day, even through holidays, weekends, or family intrusions. I know lots of people have to tell their significant others, kids, and even other family and friends that November is "writing month" and they will need their time to do the work. It's very empowering to put writing above other things and give yourself permission to make it a priority and ask your loved ones to do the same.
Excellent! You would make a wonderful cruise ship director. I definitely don't plan on short stories. I need a timeframe to force myself to do something longer, and this is my excuse. I'm looking at it from the perspective of writing a chapter a day, and planning on 30 chapters, which should fall in the range of 1500-1700 words. If I can get a germ of an idea, I can plan out each chapter with one sentence. At least, that's my thinking right now.
I would love for there to be a Fictionistas "something" for NaNoWriMo.
We're already talking about adding it to the agenda for the the next Fictionistas call, but perhaps we can do other things as well. What would be most helpful to you? A weekly check-in thread, maybe? Would an informatiomal post on Fictionistas be useful? Maybe I could reproduce a bit of what I told Brian here?
I've used nanowrimo in the past to work on old projects or on revisions. I like to format and energy of it, but I don't always have a new novel idea that excites me. Writing is writing, so it's still within the spirit of Nano.
As for which one to choose, my advice is to go to where the energy is. Which is calling to you? If you're not sure, or if they all are, take some time to re-read them and see which is buzziest. Maybe even start scribbling some ideas and see which gets your brain going the most, your fingers itchiest to keep writing it.
There's no wrong answer here, so any of your incomplete projects will be a good choice. Just go with the one you think you would enjoy spending the time on the most. Writing time is limited, so you may as well make it as engaging as possible.
Thanks! I wrote about 1000 words last night on a wild idea that came to me after a comment on my Unseen St Louis Substack (about a faerie monster living in the old brewery tunnels under the city!) and that, along with a bit of flash fiction I did for an event over the weekend, could both be slotted into book 3 of my favor faeries series, so that might be what I do!
Hey all! I’m a fiction writer (surrealism etc) trying out different strategies in my exercises posted here. I’m having a hard time finding readers and peers no matter how much I interact with groups like this .... any suggestions or friends who want to read each others work?
If you write fantasy or science fiction, I suggest the Lunar Awards (https://www.lunarawards.com), which I founded. Each month we have a discussion thread called The Pitch (https://www.lunarawards.com/s/the-pitch), which allows you to pitch a short story or chapter from your Substack, and gets you introduced to other speculative writers.
Gaining more readers of fiction typically requires a higher cadence of publishing, typically twice a month at least on a consistent basis, and using Notes and interacting within the comments of larger fiction publications. In many of our cases, it can take six months to a year of doing that before really building up a solid group of readers.
October through December is my most creatively charged season. This summer was a real swampy slog, and I didn't feel productive at all. I love Fall and the upcoming holidays in the US, and it fills me with so much energy. I'm ready to get at it and write something amazing. My plan is a novella, and we'll see where it goes from there. I normally write speculative -- science fiction and fantasy, but for October I will write four short stories, each with a mix of horror.
I hope this season is fruitful for all of my Fictionistas as well!
I'm back at my academic job, which limits my time for writing. I have to say, though, that so far this department has been a LOT more supportive of my nerdly outreach efforts.
Hello! New to this, so no questions as of now (still organizing things). I find autumn and winter to be the most productive seasons for writing. Colder weather imbues pensive emotions in me, and they can be very inspirational!
Hello from Toronto, Canada! It's sunny and beautiful, although the leaves have not yet changed colour, and the weather is still warm. I write fiction (and non-fiction and plays) and also teach writing. (My Substack is a writing advice column.) Fall is normally a generative time for me, but with the kids starting school, things get really hectic for a solid month or two as everytime starts up and then it gets hectic again as all the holiday stuff ramps up too.
Currently waiting to arrange a phone chat with an agent who likes my novel, but various personal circumstances have been getting in the way. This limbo is stealing all my focus, but otherwise I have an essay project to work on, plus I'm noodling with some ideas for a short story collection. Hoping to dive more fully into that in the winter.
Hello. I like the office hours idea! I’m just here to introduce myself and say hi.
Way back in the 2000s I tried NaNoWriMo, but only got about 13000 words into it before I quit. My story was a science fiction police procedural called Kirlian Justice. It was a mess. But the germ of the idea has stayed with me to this day, and the main character from that failed novel is going to appear later in the serialized novel that I started posting two days ago, right here on Substack!👍
I did NanoWriMo. I used it on my old blog to document the last 30 days of my 5th pregnancy. Writing and posting every day gained readers who wanted to follow a certain story for a set amount of time. I really enjoyed it. I used that time to write about all my pregnancies, labor and birth stories. I forced myself to get in a mode of write-post-write-post. It was fun to end the series with pics of the new baby and the fifth labor-and-delivery story. I think the challenge is healthy if I have a clear purpose for it, not merely a word-count goal. Also, I need it to be fun. If I set a goal for myself and then I cannot stick to it? It becomes a month of feeling guilty, and that kills my creativity.
yes, you have it right. It should be fun, and the goal should be something you want to achieve. For some people, though, the word count can be the end goal in and of itself. It is for me, because my writing productivity can be pretty poor throughout the year, but I can get a lot done in a single 30 day span.
Excellent question. Obviously I want what every fiction writer wants - fame, glory and a fan base! There are a few issues: one is formatting. I have visual elements to my fiction and it's been difficult to place the images where they need to be. My stories are getting longer & longer - not flash fiction post length. And the conundrum of various publications not accepting anything that has been published anywhere else
Just wanted to introduce myself - I'm a writer from the UK who runs two Substacks: Short People is where you can find my short stories/flash fiction and essays - https://awright.substack.com
My other Substack is for my pen name Drew Hollis: You can find my serialised novels here and general chat about all things pop culture at (un)Pop Fiction - https://drewhollis.substack.com
My question is: How are you finding Substack so far? What are your tips for being organised and consistent with posting?
I think you have to find your own groove, but I will say that for gaining an audience, at least once every two weeks is a good cadence. I also try to post on the same day, which helps with readers expectations. As far as organization, it got to the point because I run two 'stacks, I had to start using some calendar software. Right now, I'm evaluating the best free option.
Yeah, I'm having to use a calendar because running just one Substack can be tricky enough! What's your other Substack about? (Fictionistas is really cool, btw!)
My two Substacks are Future Thief and the Lunar Awards, but I help out with Fictionistas when I can. They've got a great bunch volunteering in various capacities, and it helps keeps the ship afloat.
Hello! How does this work?
Hello! It works just fine. 😁
I mean the office hours…
you just post your question or comment here and others can reply. Just like we’re doing here.
What are good strategies for finding beta readers, and how do you know if someone who says they'll beta read for you is the right person for your book?
I've decided to publish my story in bite size chunks on Substack, and I guess whoever is kind enough to a) read it and b) provide feedback will be beta readers. All feedback is useful, the good, the bad and the ugly. I feel the story will be a work in progress until the day I decide to self publish, so I hope Substack will prove useful to help me get to this stage. I am nowhere near brave enough for that yet!
Certainly a good strategy to see how something new performs. That sounds like a fun strategy if you can get a few regular readers who comment.
Depends on what you want your beta readers to do. A good rule of thumb is to list what you want your beta readers to find (ie: character inconsistencies, unresolved plot threads, proofreading mistakes, etc.). If you're looking for substantive editing comments, you might want to use editors.
As to where to find them, there are plenty of Facebook reader groups for genres. Readers who are very familiar with the genre and tropes/elements should be considered.
**Not a Fictionista** ;-) Wait, I am! :-)
Why aren’t you a Fictionista? You should join us! Even if you’re not currently writing fiction on Substack, you would be more than welcome if you write fiction elsewhere.
Hi Jackie! I do write fiction on Substack. I'm serializing a romantic mystery. I'd be happy to join! I thought it was a specific group of authors and not all of us, lol. I do subscribe to this Substack. :-)
It's literally anyone who subscribes to Fictionistas! :D
I hadn't given a thought to Facebook since I barely go on there anymore. I will definitely give it a look.
With using FB, there is some etiquette that happens. Group members expect you to be present and "helpful" (commenting) in the group. You might be able to ask group admins if you could ask for beta readers before participating.
I just read your post on beta readers. I know some authors will swear beta readers they're better than using editors (because they've had bad experiences or don't want to pay for one), but finding beta readers is a hard business. Oftentimes, it requires "training" and an extended relationship. Friends are usually not recommended, unless they read your genre.
Beta readers quitting is common. You have to capture them in those early chapters, per genre expectations.
You can find betas in other areas, if you're not interested in FB. Instagram reader/reviewers, TikTok, BookTube (aka writers/readers on YouTube), and, if you have to, readers actively posting reviews on Goodreads. There are companies that you can pay betas for a small fee and they will read and provide extensive feedback. If you make friends with police procedural authors writing PIs as MCs, they could help as well.
If you're very patient, try Goodreads - It took me a very long time to find someone who could provide balanced feedback, but when I did it was amazing (not just because they "got" my writing and said lots of nice things (!), they also asked the right sort of questions I needed to improve my novel.). BUT: There are an awful lot of time wasters/ghosters.
Appreciate that. I hadn't thought about looking on Goodreads. That's an idea.
I dropped a semi rant about this last night - not really blaming the readers but more myself. Another thing to learn about doing business as a self-published author.
Give it a whirl, you may have more success than I did (I think it depends on your genre - epic fantasy stuff seems to find more of an audience on there). But it's worth it when you find those who really click with your work.
It is frustrating trying to find readers because people lead busy lives and there's so much stuff to read all the time (the pile of books beside my bed never gets any smaller!). Just keep pushing - good luck!
I wrote about my experience on Goodreads here - https://open.substack.com/pub/drewhollis/p/the-importance-of-feedback?r=1dsnz&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
https://open.substack.com/pub/sjstone/p/on-beta-readers?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=43kcb
Great post! You are absolute right - finding someone who 'gets' your work is darn near miraculous.
Is Substack a good fit for fiction? I'm uncertain...
While Substack was never designed for fiction, there are a number of terrific authors on Substack working across many genres. At Fictionistas, we try to help each other figure out best practices.
Depends what you want to do with your fiction! What do you have in mind?
I didn't start writing until this year. I just finished working the baseball season and was writing around days I was working games. Now I have ALLLLLL THE TIME on my hands. But other than writing, plans are to do some cross stitching projects, baking, and binge watching stuff on Hulu.
Hello from an unseasonly warm UK! Am quite looking forward to cold crisp mornings (my book is set during the winter months so it might be easier to get in the right head space!).
Hello fellow writer!
I went from zero to three critique groups within a few months. As of the end of this month, I am dropping one of them. I want to spend that time taking a hard look at a few specific techniques that I feel I need to address at the copy edit level. Unfortunately, one good thing has to move out, to make space for another.
I write poetry, memoir and about the writing journey. Autumn is great for writing as there are less distractions… poorer weather and not much sun.
Fall is one of the sloggier times of year for me as a writer. It’s the last chance in the year for me to get a big project finished, so I focus up and get ‘er done before the holidays take over.
Hello All! James Ron here. I'm looking forward to Fall and some good Fictionistas reading. About the only change to my routine as the weather cools is transitioning my writing desk from the sun room to inside by the heater. Write on!
Fall for me, in terms of fiction, means only one thing: NaNoWriMo. In September, I ponder all the things I could write. In October, I start taking it more seriously and make a plan, and then November, I write every day.
This year I am really torn. I definitely am not going to start a new project because I have so many incomplete ones, but out of those, which do I work on? I have several circling in my brain right now demanding attention, and I am just not sure which to choose. I have two standalones, and the third book in two different series. If only I could clone myself a couple of times over.
I’m trying to decide if I should treat myself and work on an old project, which would almost be like starting something, new, or if I should keep going with the current one.
What this is telling me is that I really need to spend more time on my fiction, but time is fleeting.
Who else here is doing NaNoWriMo? Are you going to start a new project or be a “rebel“ and work on an existing one? (And is it too soon to ask this question? 😂)
I've been thinking about NaNoWriMo for the first time ever. I finally decided I'm taking November and December off from Future Thief, and I want to use that time to write something longer, a novella likely. Jackie, you can be my cruise ship director on this expedition. "Hello, I'm brand new to NaNoWriMo. I would like it to be fun and a success. Any recommendations for doing that based upon your experiences... cruise ship director?" 😁
Welcome aboard the NaNoWriMo November cruise, Mr. Reindel! 🛳️
So here are my thoughts. First of all. be sure to create an account at nanowrimo.org and choose your region, as there may be others where you live, and local in-person events are one of my favorite parts about NaNo. In fact, I went from a completely solitary writer who knew no local writers to knowing hundreds. because of this incredible experience, I started helping organize our local NaNo region in Austin and then set up a meetup group for year-round writing, and now that I'm in St. Louis I am endeavoring to build a group here as well.
Beyond that, you need to first be thinking about the kind of project you want to tackle. The standard way of doing NaNo is to start a brand new novel and write 50K+ words in November, so roughly 1700 words a day. It's a lot but very doable, and it can help you build lots of great habits/skills (writing daily, turning off the internal editor, and learning to write a first draft quickly). I learned that I am terrible with story structure and need to work out a basic storyline before going into it, but at the same time if I plan too much, I'll get bored.
You can also be a rebel and write short stories (but keep to the 50K) or anything else you want. I've known people who have used it to write poems, letters, nonfiction books, or even grad school theses. You can also use it as an opportunity to finish or revise an existing project.
I've used NaNo to finish a previous project or do a full rewrite of something that needed to be completely reconstructed, but I've never just revised during a Nov. NaNo and I'm not sure if I want to do that (though I NEED to do so!). I may end up writing the second half of one of my half-finished books.
The most important things about NaNo to me are to keep at or above par as much as possible - if you don't write one day, it's good to have enough words from previous days to keep you on track - and to never delete anything until you're done. My rule has evolved to allowing myself to edit the sentence I'm on but not to go back and "fix" previous paragraphs. If I know something no longer works, I will use strikethrough to cross it out (but keeping the wordcount) and I have often rewritten paragraphs or entire scenes (keeping the original). I also count the words for ideas I write during the month, and have a separate file within Scrivener just for that (the, "what if my protagonist..." thoughts).
Most of all, NaNoWriMo is a way to give yourself permission to write every day, even through holidays, weekends, or family intrusions. I know lots of people have to tell their significant others, kids, and even other family and friends that November is "writing month" and they will need their time to do the work. It's very empowering to put writing above other things and give yourself permission to make it a priority and ask your loved ones to do the same.
Let me know if you have any questions!
This was really helpful. I've heard about NaNo but never jumped in, in part because I mostly write shorter stuff.
Excellent! You would make a wonderful cruise ship director. I definitely don't plan on short stories. I need a timeframe to force myself to do something longer, and this is my excuse. I'm looking at it from the perspective of writing a chapter a day, and planning on 30 chapters, which should fall in the range of 1500-1700 words. If I can get a germ of an idea, I can plan out each chapter with one sentence. At least, that's my thinking right now.
I interviewed Elizabeth Haynes about nano back in 2018 (!). It's a good starting point: https://nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/writing-hub/nanowrimo-primer-with-elizabeth-haynes/
I would like to participate for the first time. Is there going to be a Fictionistas group chat for this or any initiative around NaNoWriMo?
I’m planing on working on my current cli-fi series. I have several short stories left, hope to get first drafts for some of them.
I like your idea of using October to prepare. I think I’ll do that as well.
I would love for there to be a Fictionistas "something" for NaNoWriMo.
We're already talking about adding it to the agenda for the the next Fictionistas call, but perhaps we can do other things as well. What would be most helpful to you? A weekly check-in thread, maybe? Would an informatiomal post on Fictionistas be useful? Maybe I could reproduce a bit of what I told Brian here?
I've used nanowrimo in the past to work on old projects or on revisions. I like to format and energy of it, but I don't always have a new novel idea that excites me. Writing is writing, so it's still within the spirit of Nano.
As for which one to choose, my advice is to go to where the energy is. Which is calling to you? If you're not sure, or if they all are, take some time to re-read them and see which is buzziest. Maybe even start scribbling some ideas and see which gets your brain going the most, your fingers itchiest to keep writing it.
There's no wrong answer here, so any of your incomplete projects will be a good choice. Just go with the one you think you would enjoy spending the time on the most. Writing time is limited, so you may as well make it as engaging as possible.
Thanks! I wrote about 1000 words last night on a wild idea that came to me after a comment on my Unseen St Louis Substack (about a faerie monster living in the old brewery tunnels under the city!) and that, along with a bit of flash fiction I did for an event over the weekend, could both be slotted into book 3 of my favor faeries series, so that might be what I do!
I like your style likewise a member of nanowrimo so I stymphasise in your position
Hey all! I’m a fiction writer (surrealism etc) trying out different strategies in my exercises posted here. I’m having a hard time finding readers and peers no matter how much I interact with groups like this .... any suggestions or friends who want to read each others work?
If you write fantasy or science fiction, I suggest the Lunar Awards (https://www.lunarawards.com), which I founded. Each month we have a discussion thread called The Pitch (https://www.lunarawards.com/s/the-pitch), which allows you to pitch a short story or chapter from your Substack, and gets you introduced to other speculative writers.
Gaining more readers of fiction typically requires a higher cadence of publishing, typically twice a month at least on a consistent basis, and using Notes and interacting within the comments of larger fiction publications. In many of our cases, it can take six months to a year of doing that before really building up a solid group of readers.
October through December is my most creatively charged season. This summer was a real swampy slog, and I didn't feel productive at all. I love Fall and the upcoming holidays in the US, and it fills me with so much energy. I'm ready to get at it and write something amazing. My plan is a novella, and we'll see where it goes from there. I normally write speculative -- science fiction and fantasy, but for October I will write four short stories, each with a mix of horror.
I hope this season is fruitful for all of my Fictionistas as well!
Happy fall, y'all. I'm Patty and I'm just popping in with a quick howdy because I have a sweet romance fantasy story that needs my attention.
I'm back at my academic job, which limits my time for writing. I have to say, though, that so far this department has been a LOT more supportive of my nerdly outreach efforts.
Hello! New to this, so no questions as of now (still organizing things). I find autumn and winter to be the most productive seasons for writing. Colder weather imbues pensive emotions in me, and they can be very inspirational!
Hello from Toronto, Canada! It's sunny and beautiful, although the leaves have not yet changed colour, and the weather is still warm. I write fiction (and non-fiction and plays) and also teach writing. (My Substack is a writing advice column.) Fall is normally a generative time for me, but with the kids starting school, things get really hectic for a solid month or two as everytime starts up and then it gets hectic again as all the holiday stuff ramps up too.
Currently waiting to arrange a phone chat with an agent who likes my novel, but various personal circumstances have been getting in the way. This limbo is stealing all my focus, but otherwise I have an essay project to work on, plus I'm noodling with some ideas for a short story collection. Hoping to dive more fully into that in the winter.
Hello. I like the office hours idea! I’m just here to introduce myself and say hi.
Way back in the 2000s I tried NaNoWriMo, but only got about 13000 words into it before I quit. My story was a science fiction police procedural called Kirlian Justice. It was a mess. But the germ of the idea has stayed with me to this day, and the main character from that failed novel is going to appear later in the serialized novel that I started posting two days ago, right here on Substack!👍
I'm curious why you stopped. Was it something within the story itself you felt didn't work?
I just didn’t have a story. I figured the story would come to me as I wrote, but that’s an unrealistic expectation for NaNoWriMo, I think.
Did I ever introduce myself? I'm Tori and write romantic mystery. I'm in Tampa so we don't have autumn, lol. Perhaps if it gets below 80...🥵
Jacksonville, here. We get autumn in January (IF anyone has planted struggling little maples). By February, the trees are blooming. LOL!
I did NanoWriMo. I used it on my old blog to document the last 30 days of my 5th pregnancy. Writing and posting every day gained readers who wanted to follow a certain story for a set amount of time. I really enjoyed it. I used that time to write about all my pregnancies, labor and birth stories. I forced myself to get in a mode of write-post-write-post. It was fun to end the series with pics of the new baby and the fifth labor-and-delivery story. I think the challenge is healthy if I have a clear purpose for it, not merely a word-count goal. Also, I need it to be fun. If I set a goal for myself and then I cannot stick to it? It becomes a month of feeling guilty, and that kills my creativity.
yes, you have it right. It should be fun, and the goal should be something you want to achieve. For some people, though, the word count can be the end goal in and of itself. It is for me, because my writing productivity can be pretty poor throughout the year, but I can get a lot done in a single 30 day span.
Excellent question. Obviously I want what every fiction writer wants - fame, glory and a fan base! There are a few issues: one is formatting. I have visual elements to my fiction and it's been difficult to place the images where they need to be. My stories are getting longer & longer - not flash fiction post length. And the conundrum of various publications not accepting anything that has been published anywhere else
Hi everybody! (Hi, Doctor Nick!)
Just wanted to introduce myself - I'm a writer from the UK who runs two Substacks: Short People is where you can find my short stories/flash fiction and essays - https://awright.substack.com
My other Substack is for my pen name Drew Hollis: You can find my serialised novels here and general chat about all things pop culture at (un)Pop Fiction - https://drewhollis.substack.com
My question is: How are you finding Substack so far? What are your tips for being organised and consistent with posting?
I think you have to find your own groove, but I will say that for gaining an audience, at least once every two weeks is a good cadence. I also try to post on the same day, which helps with readers expectations. As far as organization, it got to the point because I run two 'stacks, I had to start using some calendar software. Right now, I'm evaluating the best free option.
Yeah, I'm having to use a calendar because running just one Substack can be tricky enough! What's your other Substack about? (Fictionistas is really cool, btw!)
My two Substacks are Future Thief and the Lunar Awards, but I help out with Fictionistas when I can. They've got a great bunch volunteering in various capacities, and it helps keeps the ship afloat.
Subscribed! 😁 👍
Awesome! Thank you. 😁