CREATIVE NON-FICTION (and secretly fiction too!) LOOKING FOR HYPE GROUP OF WRITER FRIENDS!
I published my first book Joy Is My Justice: Reclaim Yours Now (Hachette, May 2023) and it's been amazing! For all those people who think Joy is out of their reach or that they aren't "Good enough" at feeling better, this book dispels the contrived platitudes and shows you how to get to real Joy, the kind that tis connected to your pain! I am an Integrative mental health and Psychedelic Medicine Physician, TEDx speaker and most imp, a mother of a dying child. This is my life work, to show others that Joy is their birthright!
I LOVE this idea @Evelyn Skye of "growing up" with other writer friends. I have found connecting with other authors and thought leaders one of the best parts of this journey. And I am all about rooting you on and finding others to root me on as well. Comment and tell me what you need a wing woman for! Maybe it's to restack or post something for you, maybe it's to give you a bit of encouragement in a time of self-doubt...and on and on!
In the immediate future, Mariska Hargitay (from Law and Order: SVU tv series) chose my book as her foundations' book club choice and the virtual discussion is this Thursday Mar 14th! Would love anyone interested to sign up and/or share. There's a replay for 30 days if people can't join live. I'll leave link below! Now off to find other people to hype up!
Can't wait to check out your book, Tanmeet. Firstly, I'm so sorry about your son's diagnosis. I empathize with your pain and can sympathize in a way, because my husband was also diagnosed with an incurable disease that would have been terminal, but he was lucky enough to receive a double lung transplant. I wrote that personal experience into my book THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET, which is about loving in the present moment, when you know your time is short. Sending you and your family so much love.
But also, I just finished a Stanford Continuing Education class on the Science of Joy, and my next novel touches a bit on this topic, so it seems like fate that you are here and our paths crossed!
Congrats on the Mariska Hargitay book club pick--that is HUGE!
And I love the idea of a Hype Group. Let's do this thing, for ALL OF US! So happy to have you and your positive energy here!
So grateful to be connected Evelyn! Fate indeed. Excited to see how Joy shows up for you in your work. Not only do I teach about how Joy emerges from the same deep well as our pain, I also write and teach about how it’s a critical path to liberation. In this way Joy is not the destination but rather the path. So much to connect on. I need to read your first book too! Grateful to be in community with you my friend.
i feel like i'm a better hype woman than author, myself... bahahaha.
i just started publishing here on substack (essentially moved my list from mailchimp) and am trying to find the balance between newsletter & my blog (which lives, unread, on my website: www.halthegal.art )
ANywAY! i write arts-centric middle grade novels and am still in the querying phase on my third project... but i am all about the HYPE with you and want to know about these "secret fiction" projects of yours! :)
LOL, I'm all about the hype! Not so secret I guess. But I was working on an amazing fictional novel when my son was diagnosed with a fatal disease and then I put it on "the shelf" and since then published a non-fiction book. But the characters are speaking to me and it is time to bring them back!!
You sound like an extraordinary person. I am celebrating you and your book. Hooray for Mariska Hargitay! I suppose I count as 1.5 steps behind you as I am working on my memoir about life after my husband died from cancer. I don't have much have hyped (a couple of chapters on my Substack, it's free to all), but I love hyping other writers, especially those who understand grief. I will be cheering you on moving forward 🥰
Amy I am so grateful you reached out. I am sorry to hear about your husband and also simultaneously thrilled you are writing about it for your sake but also for the sake of others. I know it will be such an important story. Love having you in my corner and I am so looking forward to rooting you on this journey as well!!
Hi, Tanmeet. I'm so sorry about your son. I have never hit Subscribe so fast, but your writing immediately spoke to me. Every word you write about the experience rings true- absolutely every word. I just ordered your book- it can't get here fast enough.
My daughter was diagnosed with leukemia in 2020, two months into the pandemic, and though she went through treatment and survived, that outcome was up in the air for most of her 2 1/2 years of treatment. It still kind-of is- her type of leukemia has a high rate of relapse, so we're playing this weird waiting game while we try to just continue to live our lives.
I'd love to connect and stay in touch. I'm working on a mini-series interrogating the idea of resilience. Because so often we're told that we're resilient, and some days I even feel it, but my frustration at the challenges we faced still seep through the cracks, and some days I want to stuff my resilience into a sock drawer and live the rest of my life as a lump on my couch! If you're ever up for chatting about your take on this, or anything else, please feel free to reach out! and thank you so much for your writing and your work. It's changing my life already.
Oh Elizabeth I feel so much resonance with your story. I’m so so glad your daughter is well now and yet I can imagine how scary the chance of relapse is. This present moment is so prescient and yet the potency of it is that it’s full of fear and dread. That’s the simple truth. I cannot wait for you to read the book. And a mini series on resilience sounds fabulous. You’ll see how I have a different take on resilience than the one that is offered to us in the world of wellness. That’s its own chapter towards the end of the book. Oh I cannot wait to connect more!! I can see a good chat in the future for us!!!
Hi Tanmeet! We're officially writer friends now 🤗 congratulations on the book club pick, that's awesome! I agree about the "growing up" with writer friends, it can be so overwhelming when there are SO many people in one industry and can definitely be lonely at times. It really resonated with me when she mentioned having someone .5 or 1 step ahead of you in finding that mentor!
Thanks Kathlene! Check it out, the book has helped so many already! It's an empowering journey into Joy as not a solution, but something that emerges from the same deep well as our pain. A chance to be WITH our life instead of looking away. Sending love. ❤️
Congratulations on the book! I used to get ketamine infusions for depression, but after about 6 weeks it stopped working. Looking forward to seeing more from you. I'll follow.
Oh I am so glad. The more people who share their experiences the better. I have had some powerful work with patients and ketamine and I too have tried it. It's good medicine.
Im currently writing romcoms with about a 3.5 level of spice and a whole lot of fun. They do have queer rep as well. I’m also cowriting a romantacy with my partner. My mythology retelling is a Filipina mythology retelling that also reads like contemporary historical fantasy. That one is definitely my passion project :).
I’m an enneagram 4w3, so I feel all the things but do all the work!
I am published with short fic. I’m a hybrid author. Im always looking to level up craft, connect to other writers, and nerd out about story!
Oh I think you're very brave Kathlene! I always worry that I'll get into trouble if I try to retell someone else's story. Although I'm still wondering if I would be good at writing Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic. lol
I'm not gonna lie -- I thought starting with Romeo & Juliet would be so easy, but it's been more of a struggle than I thought. Juliet has been VERY re-imagined since I like my heroines to have a little fire inside of them. If you start a Buffy fanfic, sign me up! Spike still lives rent-free in my head.
There's a few ways you can go nowadays though, isn't there? Maybe Juliets a guy and Romeo's a woman, that would switch things up. Or would it? Okay, now I'm thinking about it. Lol. I'd love to read a snippet when you're ready to share.
Can't wait to be writer friends! Love this (my work is in the post below) Can't wait to learn more. Especially since my in-laws are Filipino so you touched a soft spot:) Following you now!
Tanmeet, if you want to read Filipina authors, Tif Marcelo writes wonderful rom coms and wrote as part of a Filipino author holiday anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Pasko-Na-My-Love-Anthology/dp/0999543288 I know it's not the holiday season, but your comment made me think of this!
I love a good romcom or romantasy read! I will definitely have to check out your work:) Scrolled up to see your post after responding to your comment, so I guess that makes us writer friends!?
Hi Sammie! I'm brand new to this site but I love that you are writing romantasy with your partner! That's so amazing. I love when my boyfriend helps me write, it feels like a new kind of love language.
YA FANTASY and RETELLINGS looking for WRITER FRIENDS AND CRITIQUE PARTNERS -- Hi all! I mostly wrote YA, but dabble in contemporary women's fiction. I am unsuccessfully querying an adult book and just finishing up revisions on my passion project: a YA fantasy retelling of Romeo & Juliet which is hopefully the first in an interconnected series featuring all Shakespeare's emo teens. I love connecting with fellow writers as we toil away, and I'm still on the lookout for a solid CP relationship. Looking forward to getting to know everyone -- and to the book club, Evelyn!
Welcome, Kathlene! So happy to have you here; you were one of the OG members of the first writer matchup. I'm very excited for you and your Romeo & Juliet retelling. As for the querying... well, you know, mark them as notches of experience! It's a numbers game, and the more you put yourself out there, the better a shot you have. I, too, have many notches on my rejection post? belt? um... I lost control of my metaphor there hahaha...
You had me at emo teen Shakespeare! Retellings are SO much fun!! And interconnecting stories - chef's kiss. I saw you're hoping to query this summer! I'm right there with you (or at least early fall) and am cheering you on!
A Romeo and Juliet retelling sounds interesting. I enjoy reading retellings. It is so interesting to see how authors pick details from retellings and make the story their own.
This one is ending up being quite a departure. I had originally thought it would be really fun to stay really close to the original structure, but that went out the window pretty quickly. :) I saw below that you're a YA writer, too. I'll give you a follow on Instagram...
I've been working on it a long, long time! LOL. I struggled to find the right angle, but I'm in the final revisions. And I definitely intend to query it. Hopefully by this summer!
LOL I completely understand the "long, long time" - I worked on my first project for ~5 years. Sometimes the time really does help with finding the right story, and it seems like you did! I'm also hoping to query by summer which is coming up quickly hahaha. I'd love to talk to you more about your journey if you want to connect on insta or another platform :)
I'd love to connect! I saw below that you write YA fantasy, too, and it seems like we're right in the weeds together. LOL. I'm happy to connect on Instagram, although I'm super lame and have not started ANY sort of author platform yet. My personal is @keobrown3 -- I don't post much, but I am on regularly and great with DMs. :) My email is keobrown@gmail.com which is also a great way to reach me. I feel like I'm ON social media a lot, but not really ON-on it. More of a lurker, I suppose...
LOL don't worry, I've had a writing insta for some time but I use it mostly to keep up with authors and other writers and less to post, so completely in the "lurker" camp as well hahaha. I'll follow you on Insta and we can talk more!! So exciting to meet somebody who's in the same boat :)
huzzah for shakespeare!!!! such a treasure trove of retelling fodder! i love that there's ALWAYS room for more shakespeare-inspired tales!! between you, me, and evelyn, i bet we can get ye olde bard back on the bestseller list.... ;D
and every "unsuccessful" query is one person you didn't want to work with anyway! i see every "no" as getting closer to the right "YES!" we're just narrowing it down. :)
It's sitting patiently on my bookshelf! I put a hold on reading any Romeo & Juliet books until I finished my own. Now that I'm in the homestretch, I just started Evelyn's Hundred Lives of Juliet, and Violent Delights will probably be next. Keep me in the Shakespeare mindset while I query.
ADULT FANTASY, CRITIQUE PARTNER AND WRITER FRIENDS
I'm currently fresh off a creative writing MFA and currently querying a series that's a queer reimagining of the epic poem/myth, the Ramayana, tumbled through the transmigration trope in a sort of mashup of literary fantasy and anime influence. Because book one and much of book two are my MFA thesis, there've been a lot of eyes on it and it's recently undergone it's fourth revision. I'm longing for a mentor/critique partner who's just that little bit ahead of me (agented at least) who falls in writerly love with me/my book, but am also just looking for fresh eyes on both the critique and beta reader levels. I love to make writer friends and give as good as or better than I get. Championing others is how I survive the nail biting angst. The good news about me as a critique partner is that I've been trained very well in how to critique beneficially to the writer and the work. I'm at @zephyrmarksmywords on instagram. Thank you, Evelyn, for creating an opportunity for us to find each other!
Hello, Zephyr. I'm actually behind you (don't look back!), as I am currently working on my MFA for Creative Writing. I'm unpublished, unagented, and rather lacking in friends. I also just started my substack this month.
Anyways, I hope you find the "step up" friend you're looking for.
First of all, Zephyr is the coolest name! One of my best friends used that as his email when we were in college, and this is the first time I've seen someone else who is a Zephyr. Your book sounds fascinating, and I'm crossing all my fingers for you while you're querying! It's wonderful to meet you and become one of your writer friends!
and i have a substack that's still finding its path between blog and newsletter and i'd love to have you there as well if you'd like!
huzzah for EVELYN and cheering each other on! :D
evelyn, i love how you pointed out finding mentors 1/2 to 1 step ahead of you... SO wise!! it's been so much "easier" to connect with established authors (like your wonderful self!) because i guess they're more visible online... and maybe less panicked about their careers, so a little more open? ;D and becasue i found them because i read & loved their published books!
so helping us connect HERE, where many of us are pre-published but working on it? it's a GIFT.
awww you're the sweetest, Hallie. I am SO happy that you're here with all your joyful energy! Your art is so whimsical and cheerful and smile-inducing. I bet your words are exactly the same!
Everyone sounds so wonderful! Evelyn you are amazing at helping people connect. I'm not looking for critique partners right now, since I have a group that meets monthly and another two partners who check in daily (I know! How lucky am I?) But I absolutely love hearing about other people's projects and passions! ❤️❤️
I'm incredibly lucky to have found two people who mesh with me so well and are so dedicated. I met one at the SCBWI Nevada Mentor program several years ago. She knew the third person and brought her in. It just works. It helps they are herding dog people too. Sometimes are writing check ins are as much about our dogs as writing.🤣 As you said, conferences and workshops are great places to meet people. As are book clubs!
CHARACTER-DRIVEN FICTION (upmarket? literary?) looking for WRITER FRIENDS! I'm currently working on my first novel and am working on what my writing coach calls a discovery draft. I'd already written from start to finish, but it wasn't quite in the revision stage yet. I also publish Comedy, Tragedy weekly on Substack. It's about a midlife writer living with bipolar disorder. Where are you at with your writing?
I love upmarket, character-driven fiction! Let's be friends! :) It's so great to hear that you have a writing coach; I know other writers who have done that and it's been really helpful for them. I also write discovery drafts (I call them zero drafts, not a first draft). It's lovely to meet you, Barb!
I really needed direction in terms of what to do next after the draft I had, and my writing coach has helped with that. I'd love to be friends! I'm looking forward to book club.
Good idea getting a coach. I had an idea for a novel in 2013 and after trying to write it on my own for 5 years I decided to pursue an MA in screenwriting to learn how to write a plot. 😅 That was some expensive coaching but it helped. I ended up writing a screenplay instead of a book but that's ok.
Good luck with your draft! I'm a discovery drafter, too. It makes for a messy revision process, but it's the reason I love to write. I'd love to be writer friends!
I'm a part-time freelance writer who writes nonfiction pieces touching on a variety of topics including food, art, travel and pop culture. I would love to make more friends in this industry as well as work with others who are able to provide accountability and feedback with each other!
You as well, Evelyn! I'm a new subscriber, but I've loved getting to hear more about Damsel and all that you've accomplished so far this year! Excited to see what else is on the horizon:)
Hi Emily! I just subscribed- I'm so excited to read what you write! I love food and travel, I'm getting back to travel after the pandemic and all that came with it, and my focus has been on food in the countries I'm able to visit. I write freelance pieces adjacent to my memoir-in-progress right now, mostly about parenting and my kid's cancer experience, but I'm working on an essay about the parallels between pushing through discomfort while traveling and pushing through discomfort while life is challenging you the absolute most. Happy to connect and read more of your work!
Hi Emily! That's awesome that you've established a freelance business! I'm happy to be a writer friend who writes mostly fiction now, but still ghostwrites some web content.
I actually always have food in my books, especially dessert. :) I haven't blogged/newslettered about it, but there was a fan Pinterest board years ago that all about the food in The Crown's Game!
Agreed! I usually write a lot about local spots or restaurants I've visited when traveling. One of my favorite pieces this year featured a lot of food that I was able to try out during a press trip last winter! I would love to get into some more obscure food topics, like origin stories of food or nostalgic foods that have since been retired or have a fun campaign that it was centered around! I love finding the history of things like that but have yet to put pen to paper on a topic like that just yet.
I love both Gastro and Atlas Obscura! I have a few story ideas I plan to pitch them actually, but have been busy with other stories at the moment. Their content is so fun!
I'm taking a very unusual path to story telling and who knows where we're going here.
I've studied art and illustration with the purpose of applying them to my books. I'm composing a world full of familiar concepts with a torrent of new and original fantasy themes.
Think Chronicles of Narnia and The Spiderwick Chronicles influences. (Say Chronicles three times fast)
I'm keeping the magic but doing without most every other aspect of your normal fantasy setting, no elves, dwarves, dragons, orcs or goblins.
I've got a very realistic awareness that this kind of original worldbuilding is very taxing and I'll spending a few years putting it all together. I've already got 5 years worth of material that I'm now composing and sharing.
I want to meet others interested in the technical side of writing, that is where my path takes me next! Let's get those grammar reps in. Still have a few more years before I worry about publishing.
Chronicles Chronicals Chronciles... whew. I couldn't even type it 3x, let alone say it 3x fast!
I love what you're doing with extensive worldbuilding. I tend to worldbuild while I'm in the process of writing, but my other friends do a lot (even all) of the detail work before they write their books. I'm impressed by the scale of your imagination!
I also appreciate/like/admire your patience with your writing. It takes courage to sit into your work like that and not rush it, so bravo!
I love world building, magic, grammar, and linguistics!
I've got three resources to toss over for you.
1. The Magic-System Blueprint by C/.R. Rowensen. Really intriguing approach to magic making. https://crrowenson.com/
2. Not sure if this is quite your thing, but your post brought it to mind, so I thought I'd share. It's a Fantasy Language Generator, where you get to set and tweak the grammar ad other linguistic rules to have it generate a full language based on your terms! Lots of fun, and I thought it might be useful to your big magic world. https://www.vulgarlang.com/
You know that all the best ones do! Mine is already completed. It will eventually make an appearance on my publication, once I decide what I can show without spoiling the story.
That's fair. I don't know if you've read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo has two maps in the front. One of the world and one of the place the main characters are breaking into (it's a heist book). The maps do not really spoil anything because you don't know what anything means until you get to the specific parts in the book. I hope that all makes sense.
CLIMATE FICTION, WRITER FRIENDS - I'm currently writing a collection of cli-fi stories called 'There Is Hope' about life on a planet devastated by climate change and this things that give people hope.
This is my first book and I am writing it here on Substack. I already published the first 4 stories from this interlinked collection and now I'm working on the 5th. Initially I was convinced that publishing my stories here on Substack is the way to go. But lately I started to wonder if it wouldn't be better to stop publishing here, finish my book and at least try to find an agent.
Thanks for this thread Evelyn, it's a huge honour to find the author of Damsel here on Substack.
And happy to connect with fellow writers in this space.
Welcome to the community, Claudia! I think that is such an interesting career question about what to do with your story. For me, I prefer to finish a whole book rather than serialize it, because then I can revise once I have a complete story. But for others, they may already know all the details before they begin the serialization, or they may enjoy reader feedback during the writing process. Charles Dickens and many other writers successfully published their work serially. So a lot of it comes down to personality and your own goals.
I would be curious to hear other people's opinions/experiences on this!
Thanks for your reply, Evelyn! I am able to serialise because this is a collection of interlinked short stories and I publish the stories only once they are done and edited to death. I already know the overall plot arc and where the story is going, as I started writing this several years ago. I wouldn't dream of serialising a book as I write it.
I decided to publish my work here on Substack as a means to keep myself accountable and also because I never thought that I would stand a chance with traditional publishing. But I started to wonder if I'm not missing a chance by thinking like this.
I love this concept so much! Any sort of interconnected world is my reading love language. I don't have any sage advice on publishing on a platform like this, but I do think it's great there are more.options for us writers today. Traditional publishing is so so rough (says the querying aspiring author!).
I am definitely so happy that I started this newsletter. I benefited so much from being surrounded by other writers and a community, it's so uplifting.
Writing a series of interconnected stories is a lot of fun. I love exploring different protagonists in each story while working to a unified overall plot, dropping clues on the way.
Love this idea of publishing your stories here, not sure if there is a right answer but I love all the writers on here taking the future of their work into their own hands!
Thank you. I totally agree that writers who take their future in their own hands are an inspiration. I wanted to be that person. But witnessing so many authors having and agent, getting published traditionally makes me wonder if I'm not missing on something.
This is the thing. We all feel "left out" of many things but that's our heart's nudging in response to our fear. I am one of those traditional authors with an agent and big 5 publisher. and I feel like I am missing out as well. It's the human inclination, to look for more. But you are feeding your heart and that's what matters. Take one step at a time and see what happens. you have no idea what's on the other side, whether it's an agent, a hybrid publisher or serializing on Substack. One step, one breath, at a time. You got this.
Tanmeet, I LOVE what you said here. This is so true. It's human nature, and kindness to ourselves (both in understanding our wants and then letting them be what they will) is a wonderful gift.
I did not know that climate fiction is a genre - and I’m incredibly curious about it! I also realize in retrospect that I’m drawn to stories that include how life will be in the aftermath of climate change. Perhaps it’s because I so deeply love the natural world, I can’t fathom an Earth that no longer has lush forests and ecosystems.
I think the books you’re writing, the docu-series you’re developing, and your newsletter here on SS is all important work! Yes, go find an agent, but also keep writing here! You’re building a community of people who will want to read your work and who care about the climate. Think of the ripple effect you’re creating each time someone learns something new or becomes inspired by something you post!
I recently worked on a book proposal with a coach and one thing she said is to maintain any connection I can with communities - in person and online - because that’s all part of the platform an agent and traditional publisher will want to see you engaged with.
I’m happy to connect and become writer friends! Looking forward to following your work. 🥰
Thank you, Darcey! I really appreciate the feedback. I share your feelings about nature and after reading 'The Uninhabitable Earth' by David Wallace-Wells I was overcome with such sadness at the thought that one day life on this planet could cease to exist. It was a rough read but so eye opening. We need to appreciate the world around us more. It's vital.
Claudia, I recently learned that Cli-Fi was a genre of its own, and I love it. I am toying with some dystopian future ideas that will absolutely need to integrate climate change. I think your concept is brilliant and so necessary right now. I encourage you to take the dive into the trad publishing world. I also struggle with how much, if any, of my creative work to publish on Substack. So far, I've only posted poetry. Happy to connect here!
Thank you, Ingrid. I discovered climate fiction in 2022, and my fiction projects aligned so well with it that I decided to adopt it as my genre. Thank you for the advice, if not with the current book, I will definitely want to try traditional publishing with my next one.
Lately I read a lot about people rejecting dystopia and opting for more utopian futures. I like dystopia and cautionary tales. Good luck with yours! Happy for the connection as well. ☺️
I mainly write picture books and will have my debut coming out in 2025 with Hachette (a year away ... that's only a year away *nervously nodding my head while thinking about how fast that time will go and all the things I need to do before then*).
I will be illustrating my second book that comes out in 2025 and that is slightly terrifying since I feel like I'm very far from being an expert, BUT I really love creating art, so I'm also excited and honoured that some people think my work is good enough.
Would love to connect with more lovely children's book creators on here and on Instagram: @melissajwriting
This is such a wonderful idea, Evelyn! Thank you so much <3
Wow, congrats on the debut picture book, Melissa-Jane! Please be sure to remind us all when it's released. I would love to get a copy for my friend who has little ones.
I see you've already connected with Hallie here, another illustrator. I am always in awe of those talented enough to draw, especially at a level where you are illustrating picture books!
Awww thank you so much, Evelyn!!! I will be sure to keep everyone updated on here. I'm right with you in being in awe of those illustrating picture books – except now I've somehow (nervously) joined the fold.
Congrats!! That's amazing! I will definitly be looking up your debut <3 I love picture books (but haven't ever attempted to write one), and am super impress at illustrating your own - what media are you using?
Awww thanks, Camille! <3 <3 <3 I generally sketch traditionally but then finish off my art in Procreate on my iPad. Though I've been creating lots of single pieces of art lately in watercolour, gouache and pencil, oh and sometimes acrylic on canvas too.
I am impressed with children authors and illustrators. I would find it hard to be able to write for children because I would have to learn to condense what I was saying. I tend to write a lot. I also couldn't be an illustrator because I can't draw. Good luck with debut.
Congratulations! I'm endlessly impressed by children's book writers and illustrators. Even though my kids--at 9, 11, and 12--are moving on to other books, we still read at least one picture book every night. To tell an entire story in so few words?! And do the lovely pictures?! Can't wait to read yours. :)
Thank you so much, Kathlene!!! Picture books are just gorgeous and so great for all ages. I often buy new ones for me, and my kids 4 and 7, but mostly for me :D So happy to connect with you on here <3
Evelyn, what a sweetheart you are, always reaching out to help and connect others. On behalf of everyone, thank you! 😘
LOOKING FOR MEMOIR WRITERS (I think!)
My memoir, very nearly finished is "A Storyboard Life" – how I crafted a 30-year career in film, with just $20, some magical thinking and plenty of sheer effing determination.
I'd love to connect with anyone else writing creative nonfiction, especially memoir.
So lovely to see you here in the comments again, Kristin! I love what an active member you are of this newsletter community. Thank you for your optimistic spirit and enthusiasm!
CONTEMPORARY WOMEN'S LIT/HISTORICAL WOMEN'S FICTION/DYSTOPIAN FEMALE FUTURES - CRITIQUE PARTNERS AND WRITING FRIENDS! I'm on the fourth full revision of my debut novel, a contemporary multicultural family saga with elements of magical realism. I have a small and completely indispensable critique group already. We are all at roughly the same phase with our first novels (endless revising, thinking about querying soon, lamenting how long publishing takes). I love the idea of having friends/mentors/mentees who are a half step ahead/behind. Sign me up! There is always something new to learn in this process. Give me all the wisdom and I'll share what little I have gained so far!
Hi, Ingrid! I'm so happy to meet you and be one of your new writer friends! I love the space that you're writing in and am glad to hear that even though you have a core group of critique partners, that you are continue to expand your writerly community. Book people are the best people! I can't wait to hear more about your journey in the coming months here. :)
I am working on my first book. It's a fantasy/romance about Puerto Rico for adult readers .I'm looking for Writer Friends to share, laugh, talk, commiserate about writing.
Hi, other Evelyn! So great to see you in the Comments again! Your book sounds really great-- are you Puerto Rican or do you live there/are you from there? Just curious, since I've done some virtual events with The Bookmark bookstore there.
Hi 👋 Evelyn! I am Puerto Rican and live in Brooklyn, NY. Not far from Coney Island. I'm writing this book to know more about the island and its history and the people of the island. I feel a strong pull to the island. My grandparents are from there and came to the US in the 1940s. I'm hoping to visit the island next summer. That's so great about Bookmark! I did a quick google search and saw there are a few on the island. Which one did you work with? I want to visit one of them when I'm there next year.
how wonderful that you're visiting PR next summer! I'm not sure which Bookmark it was since I did virtual events. :) But they are so wonderful--both the booksellers and the community of readers!
YOUNG ADULT FANTASY – looking for CRITIQUE PARTNER AND/OR WRITER FRIENDS!
Hi! I’m Camille Brea and I write YA Fantasy and Science Fiction. I’m currently about to do a major rewrite of my magical boarding school manuscript before I start querying later this year! It has apothecary vibes, is set in a fictional small town along the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC, and features family/generational curses. I would love to meet some new writer friends and possibly find a critique partner/group for later this year as we all work toward querying! I’m super excited for Evelyn’s book club, and hopefully more baking tips! (also, I'm coming to this late, but WOW! 172 comments - so many writer friends to be made!)
Major rewrites are so hard. I am currently rewriting my manuscript right now. I changed a major plot point which means my whole manuscript needs changing. I am looking for more writer friends and I could use critique partners. Hit me up on Instagram @kholschenwrites
MEMOIR, CRITIQUE PARTNERS and WRITER FRIENDS - I'm Elizabeth, I live outside of Philly, and I write weekly over on my Substack about my family's experience with my daughter's cancer diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic! I've landed a few pitches for essays adjacent to this, forthcoming in April, and I've published an essay with Reactor Mag (formerly Tor.com) about how all I read when my daughter was sick was Stephen King (and why!) I also write a lot about solo parenting and maternal mental health. I'm deep into the querying process for my memoir, and it's such a grind. I also write short horror fiction but friends, time in the day is so short, so right now I'm focusing on essays and memoir.
I'd love to connect with other writers, and I'm also open to swapping work and critiquing! It's lonely business at my desk every day. The focus of my book is my experience with caring for my daughter while she was sick, but it also focuses on my mental health challenges at the time, and the demands we put on mothers to really be doing it all (especially mothers who are mothering alone). Also, the American Healthcare System, because let me tell you, it didn't make anything easy for us. I do not write a whole lot of 'feel-good' material. Although we came through the experience and we learned things from it, and although we found moments of joy, it was not a display of resilience on our part. It was long and difficult and more than a year later, we're still dealing with the fallout and cleaning up the mess. I did not meditate to cope with the stress, but I write a lot about what I DID do, none of it healthy or good or uplifting.
But we made it! and now I'm working on telling all I know. I'd love to connect with anyone interested in connecting, and to give notes on work for anyone interested! I'm spending this year writing full-time, and I'm thrilled to be here doing the thing!
So glad to have you hear, Elizabeth, and that you're sharing your experience on Substack with others who might need to hear it. Also really wonderful that you get to spend this year writing full-time. Sending love to your family as you heal!
This is such an important story to tell! I, thank heavens, have never had to deal with a very sick child, but it's something that every parent naturally thinks about -- and the idea of mom mental health is SO important and universal. (I'm also so curious about why you only read Stephen King! Might have to go hunt down that essay...) I do not write memoir -- mostly YA fantasy for me -- but would still love to connect.
Hi Kathlene! Would definitely love to connect- just followed you! Thanks so much for reaching out. My essay is available on ReactorMag.com, you can google my name and I should pop right up. It'll definitely give some insight into why I read so much Stephen King during that time (and all the time, honestly). Looking forward to talking more, reach out any time!
CREATIVE NON-FICTION (and secretly fiction too!) LOOKING FOR HYPE GROUP OF WRITER FRIENDS!
I published my first book Joy Is My Justice: Reclaim Yours Now (Hachette, May 2023) and it's been amazing! For all those people who think Joy is out of their reach or that they aren't "Good enough" at feeling better, this book dispels the contrived platitudes and shows you how to get to real Joy, the kind that tis connected to your pain! I am an Integrative mental health and Psychedelic Medicine Physician, TEDx speaker and most imp, a mother of a dying child. This is my life work, to show others that Joy is their birthright!
I LOVE this idea @Evelyn Skye of "growing up" with other writer friends. I have found connecting with other authors and thought leaders one of the best parts of this journey. And I am all about rooting you on and finding others to root me on as well. Comment and tell me what you need a wing woman for! Maybe it's to restack or post something for you, maybe it's to give you a bit of encouragement in a time of self-doubt...and on and on!
In the immediate future, Mariska Hargitay (from Law and Order: SVU tv series) chose my book as her foundations' book club choice and the virtual discussion is this Thursday Mar 14th! Would love anyone interested to sign up and/or share. There's a replay for 30 days if people can't join live. I'll leave link below! Now off to find other people to hype up!
https://give.joyfulheartfoundation.org/event/jhf-book-club-joy-is-my-justice/e562218
Can't wait to check out your book, Tanmeet. Firstly, I'm so sorry about your son's diagnosis. I empathize with your pain and can sympathize in a way, because my husband was also diagnosed with an incurable disease that would have been terminal, but he was lucky enough to receive a double lung transplant. I wrote that personal experience into my book THE HUNDRED LOVES OF JULIET, which is about loving in the present moment, when you know your time is short. Sending you and your family so much love.
But also, I just finished a Stanford Continuing Education class on the Science of Joy, and my next novel touches a bit on this topic, so it seems like fate that you are here and our paths crossed!
Congrats on the Mariska Hargitay book club pick--that is HUGE!
And I love the idea of a Hype Group. Let's do this thing, for ALL OF US! So happy to have you and your positive energy here!
So grateful to be connected Evelyn! Fate indeed. Excited to see how Joy shows up for you in your work. Not only do I teach about how Joy emerges from the same deep well as our pain, I also write and teach about how it’s a critical path to liberation. In this way Joy is not the destination but rather the path. So much to connect on. I need to read your first book too! Grateful to be in community with you my friend.
congrats on the book!!
i feel like i'm a better hype woman than author, myself... bahahaha.
i just started publishing here on substack (essentially moved my list from mailchimp) and am trying to find the balance between newsletter & my blog (which lives, unread, on my website: www.halthegal.art )
ANywAY! i write arts-centric middle grade novels and am still in the querying phase on my third project... but i am all about the HYPE with you and want to know about these "secret fiction" projects of yours! :)
LOL, I'm all about the hype! Not so secret I guess. But I was working on an amazing fictional novel when my son was diagnosed with a fatal disease and then I put it on "the shelf" and since then published a non-fiction book. But the characters are speaking to me and it is time to bring them back!!
oh, i'm glad they're back to chatting!! what genre/age group? :)
Adult, historical fiction (but in this new iteration it might be a modern lookback instead of set in the time era it was. Things change!
You sound like an extraordinary person. I am celebrating you and your book. Hooray for Mariska Hargitay! I suppose I count as 1.5 steps behind you as I am working on my memoir about life after my husband died from cancer. I don't have much have hyped (a couple of chapters on my Substack, it's free to all), but I love hyping other writers, especially those who understand grief. I will be cheering you on moving forward 🥰
Amy I am so grateful you reached out. I am sorry to hear about your husband and also simultaneously thrilled you are writing about it for your sake but also for the sake of others. I know it will be such an important story. Love having you in my corner and I am so looking forward to rooting you on this journey as well!!
Hi, Tanmeet. I'm so sorry about your son. I have never hit Subscribe so fast, but your writing immediately spoke to me. Every word you write about the experience rings true- absolutely every word. I just ordered your book- it can't get here fast enough.
My daughter was diagnosed with leukemia in 2020, two months into the pandemic, and though she went through treatment and survived, that outcome was up in the air for most of her 2 1/2 years of treatment. It still kind-of is- her type of leukemia has a high rate of relapse, so we're playing this weird waiting game while we try to just continue to live our lives.
I'd love to connect and stay in touch. I'm working on a mini-series interrogating the idea of resilience. Because so often we're told that we're resilient, and some days I even feel it, but my frustration at the challenges we faced still seep through the cracks, and some days I want to stuff my resilience into a sock drawer and live the rest of my life as a lump on my couch! If you're ever up for chatting about your take on this, or anything else, please feel free to reach out! and thank you so much for your writing and your work. It's changing my life already.
Oh Elizabeth I feel so much resonance with your story. I’m so so glad your daughter is well now and yet I can imagine how scary the chance of relapse is. This present moment is so prescient and yet the potency of it is that it’s full of fear and dread. That’s the simple truth. I cannot wait for you to read the book. And a mini series on resilience sounds fabulous. You’ll see how I have a different take on resilience than the one that is offered to us in the world of wellness. That’s its own chapter towards the end of the book. Oh I cannot wait to connect more!! I can see a good chat in the future for us!!!
Hi Tanmeet! We're officially writer friends now 🤗 congratulations on the book club pick, that's awesome! I agree about the "growing up" with writer friends, it can be so overwhelming when there are SO many people in one industry and can definitely be lonely at times. It really resonated with me when she mentioned having someone .5 or 1 step ahead of you in finding that mentor!
Following you now! So grateful to be making more writer connections. Big gratitude for this chance to connect here!
Just followed back! My DMs are open and I would love to stay in touch:)
Yes for sure! DM me anytime.
Your book sounds amazing and like something I need in my life. :) I love the idea of a hype group -- what a great way for us to support each other!
Thanks Kathlene! Check it out, the book has helped so many already! It's an empowering journey into Joy as not a solution, but something that emerges from the same deep well as our pain. A chance to be WITH our life instead of looking away. Sending love. ❤️
Congratulations on the book! I used to get ketamine infusions for depression, but after about 6 weeks it stopped working. Looking forward to seeing more from you. I'll follow.
Following you too! I am glad ketamine gave you some relief at least for a bit. It's a big topic!
I plan to write about it in the future!
Oh I am so glad. The more people who share their experiences the better. I have had some powerful work with patients and ketamine and I too have tried it. It's good medicine.
I totally agree.
ROMCOMS, ROMANTACY, MYTHOLOGY RETELLINGS, CRITIQUE PARTNER AND/OR WRITER FRIENDS!
Im currently writing romcoms with about a 3.5 level of spice and a whole lot of fun. They do have queer rep as well. I’m also cowriting a romantacy with my partner. My mythology retelling is a Filipina mythology retelling that also reads like contemporary historical fantasy. That one is definitely my passion project :).
I’m an enneagram 4w3, so I feel all the things but do all the work!
I am published with short fic. I’m a hybrid author. Im always looking to level up craft, connect to other writers, and nerd out about story!
Your work sounds wonderful! I'm glad to call you my new writer friend. :)
Likewise! Congrats again on Damsel. Can’t wait for the book club.
So excited you'll be at the book club hangout!
Love all your genres! Retellings are my fav, and nerding out about story sounds like the most fun thing ever.
Oh I think you're very brave Kathlene! I always worry that I'll get into trouble if I try to retell someone else's story. Although I'm still wondering if I would be good at writing Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic. lol
I'm not gonna lie -- I thought starting with Romeo & Juliet would be so easy, but it's been more of a struggle than I thought. Juliet has been VERY re-imagined since I like my heroines to have a little fire inside of them. If you start a Buffy fanfic, sign me up! Spike still lives rent-free in my head.
There's a few ways you can go nowadays though, isn't there? Maybe Juliets a guy and Romeo's a woman, that would switch things up. Or would it? Okay, now I'm thinking about it. Lol. I'd love to read a snippet when you're ready to share.
And oh yes, Spike!
Oh thanks! I love retellings myself :)
Can't wait to be writer friends! Love this (my work is in the post below) Can't wait to learn more. Especially since my in-laws are Filipino so you touched a soft spot:) Following you now!
Tanmeet, if you want to read Filipina authors, Tif Marcelo writes wonderful rom coms and wrote as part of a Filipino author holiday anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Pasko-Na-My-Love-Anthology/dp/0999543288 I know it's not the holiday season, but your comment made me think of this!
Thanks for the recommendation!!
I love a good romcom or romantasy read! I will definitely have to check out your work:) Scrolled up to see your post after responding to your comment, so I guess that makes us writer friends!?
Absolutely! Yay more writer friends
Just followed you! My DMs are open and I'd love to stay in touch :)
Hi Sammie! I'm brand new to this site but I love that you are writing romantasy with your partner! That's so amazing. I love when my boyfriend helps me write, it feels like a new kind of love language.
Wow 🤩 that sounds great! My husband is Filipino
Filipino rep! Love it :) is he Fil-Am or from there?
All those genres are my sweet spot and your projects sound great! I'd love connect.
Sounds wonderful. Best way to get ahold of me is on Instagram or TikTok at @sammietrinidadcreates or fb with just my first and last name.
👍🏼
YA FANTASY and RETELLINGS looking for WRITER FRIENDS AND CRITIQUE PARTNERS -- Hi all! I mostly wrote YA, but dabble in contemporary women's fiction. I am unsuccessfully querying an adult book and just finishing up revisions on my passion project: a YA fantasy retelling of Romeo & Juliet which is hopefully the first in an interconnected series featuring all Shakespeare's emo teens. I love connecting with fellow writers as we toil away, and I'm still on the lookout for a solid CP relationship. Looking forward to getting to know everyone -- and to the book club, Evelyn!
Welcome, Kathlene! So happy to have you here; you were one of the OG members of the first writer matchup. I'm very excited for you and your Romeo & Juliet retelling. As for the querying... well, you know, mark them as notches of experience! It's a numbers game, and the more you put yourself out there, the better a shot you have. I, too, have many notches on my rejection post? belt? um... I lost control of my metaphor there hahaha...
You had me at emo teen Shakespeare! Retellings are SO much fun!! And interconnecting stories - chef's kiss. I saw you're hoping to query this summer! I'm right there with you (or at least early fall) and am cheering you on!
I'll be cheering you on as well! What so you write?
A Romeo and Juliet retelling sounds interesting. I enjoy reading retellings. It is so interesting to see how authors pick details from retellings and make the story their own.
This one is ending up being quite a departure. I had originally thought it would be really fun to stay really close to the original structure, but that went out the window pretty quickly. :) I saw below that you're a YA writer, too. I'll give you a follow on Instagram...
The fun thing about writing is how our writing projects tend to get a mind of their own.
Your YA fantasy retelling of Romeo & Juliet sounds sooo cool!! How long have you been working on this project and do you hope to query this one?
I've been working on it a long, long time! LOL. I struggled to find the right angle, but I'm in the final revisions. And I definitely intend to query it. Hopefully by this summer!
LOL I completely understand the "long, long time" - I worked on my first project for ~5 years. Sometimes the time really does help with finding the right story, and it seems like you did! I'm also hoping to query by summer which is coming up quickly hahaha. I'd love to talk to you more about your journey if you want to connect on insta or another platform :)
I'd love to connect! I saw below that you write YA fantasy, too, and it seems like we're right in the weeds together. LOL. I'm happy to connect on Instagram, although I'm super lame and have not started ANY sort of author platform yet. My personal is @keobrown3 -- I don't post much, but I am on regularly and great with DMs. :) My email is keobrown@gmail.com which is also a great way to reach me. I feel like I'm ON social media a lot, but not really ON-on it. More of a lurker, I suppose...
LOL don't worry, I've had a writing insta for some time but I use it mostly to keep up with authors and other writers and less to post, so completely in the "lurker" camp as well hahaha. I'll follow you on Insta and we can talk more!! So exciting to meet somebody who's in the same boat :)
huzzah for shakespeare!!!! such a treasure trove of retelling fodder! i love that there's ALWAYS room for more shakespeare-inspired tales!! between you, me, and evelyn, i bet we can get ye olde bard back on the bestseller list.... ;D
and every "unsuccessful" query is one person you didn't want to work with anyway! i see every "no" as getting closer to the right "YES!" we're just narrowing it down. :)
I am here for ALL the Shakespeare emo teen vibes. Have you read Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights?
It's sitting patiently on my bookshelf! I put a hold on reading any Romeo & Juliet books until I finished my own. Now that I'm in the homestretch, I just started Evelyn's Hundred Lives of Juliet, and Violent Delights will probably be next. Keep me in the Shakespeare mindset while I query.
ADULT FANTASY, CRITIQUE PARTNER AND WRITER FRIENDS
I'm currently fresh off a creative writing MFA and currently querying a series that's a queer reimagining of the epic poem/myth, the Ramayana, tumbled through the transmigration trope in a sort of mashup of literary fantasy and anime influence. Because book one and much of book two are my MFA thesis, there've been a lot of eyes on it and it's recently undergone it's fourth revision. I'm longing for a mentor/critique partner who's just that little bit ahead of me (agented at least) who falls in writerly love with me/my book, but am also just looking for fresh eyes on both the critique and beta reader levels. I love to make writer friends and give as good as or better than I get. Championing others is how I survive the nail biting angst. The good news about me as a critique partner is that I've been trained very well in how to critique beneficially to the writer and the work. I'm at @zephyrmarksmywords on instagram. Thank you, Evelyn, for creating an opportunity for us to find each other!
Hello, Zephyr. I'm actually behind you (don't look back!), as I am currently working on my MFA for Creative Writing. I'm unpublished, unagented, and rather lacking in friends. I also just started my substack this month.
Anyways, I hope you find the "step up" friend you're looking for.
Hi David, my new writer friend. I just subscribed to your substack!
Hi! I just subscribed to yours!
Oh, also, I started my MFA at SNHU, and have now moved to Lindenwood! I bet we had some of the same professors!
First of all, Zephyr is the coolest name! One of my best friends used that as his email when we were in college, and this is the first time I've seen someone else who is a Zephyr. Your book sounds fascinating, and I'm crossing all my fingers for you while you're querying! It's wonderful to meet you and become one of your writer friends!
MIDDLE GRADE, WRITER FRIENDS!
i might be open to critique partners, too, but i don't want to over-commit! (also i'm terrible at reading on screen, so i'd have to print things!) ;)
anyway, HI! i'm hallie, i'm an illustrator who after 20+ years is finally feeling self-confident enough to tell her own stories, too.
i'm querying a middle grade book and writing the next one.
they're arts-centric tales, specifically celebrating theatre and film, so far. :)
my website is halthegal.art
my instagram is @halthegal_storyart
and i have a substack that's still finding its path between blog and newsletter and i'd love to have you there as well if you'd like!
huzzah for EVELYN and cheering each other on! :D
evelyn, i love how you pointed out finding mentors 1/2 to 1 step ahead of you... SO wise!! it's been so much "easier" to connect with established authors (like your wonderful self!) because i guess they're more visible online... and maybe less panicked about their careers, so a little more open? ;D and becasue i found them because i read & loved their published books!
so helping us connect HERE, where many of us are pre-published but working on it? it's a GIFT.
thank you!!
looking forward to book club next sunday!! yay!!
xo,
*hallie
awww you're the sweetest, Hallie. I am SO happy that you're here with all your joyful energy! Your art is so whimsical and cheerful and smile-inducing. I bet your words are exactly the same!
thanks, evelyn!!!!! :D
Woohoo for Middle Grade! It's such a fun genre to write!!
lucky me, it's my "natural" voice, too! ;D and my fave reading genre. :)
Hi Hallie, nice to 'meet' you!
I mainly write picture books but am also working on chapter books and MG.
I'm an illustrator too, but a total newbie. Your work is adorable :)
<3
awwww thanks, melissa-jane!! 🥰🎨📖💖 excited to connect & learn from author you as well!! yay books!! 😄❤️✏️
Woohoo! Oh and best of luck with querying – I'll be sure to look for updates so I can cheer you on <3
thank you much!! 😄🎭✨🥰🥳✏️📖🙏🏽💙
Hi Hallie -- fancy meeting you here. :) I'm already cheering you on and will continue to do so!
I love that you two struck up a friendship from my last writer matchmaking!
hiiiii, kathlene!!!! :D thank you thank you as ever!!! :D
Everyone sounds so wonderful! Evelyn you are amazing at helping people connect. I'm not looking for critique partners right now, since I have a group that meets monthly and another two partners who check in daily (I know! How lucky am I?) But I absolutely love hearing about other people's projects and passions! ❤️❤️
Wow, daily check-ins! That's amazing dedication. Sounds like you have some gems in your writing group. So happy to have you mingling here, Suzanne!
I'm incredibly lucky to have found two people who mesh with me so well and are so dedicated. I met one at the SCBWI Nevada Mentor program several years ago. She knew the third person and brought her in. It just works. It helps they are herding dog people too. Sometimes are writing check ins are as much about our dogs as writing.🤣 As you said, conferences and workshops are great places to meet people. As are book clubs!
CHARACTER-DRIVEN FICTION (upmarket? literary?) looking for WRITER FRIENDS! I'm currently working on my first novel and am working on what my writing coach calls a discovery draft. I'd already written from start to finish, but it wasn't quite in the revision stage yet. I also publish Comedy, Tragedy weekly on Substack. It's about a midlife writer living with bipolar disorder. Where are you at with your writing?
I love upmarket, character-driven fiction! Let's be friends! :) It's so great to hear that you have a writing coach; I know other writers who have done that and it's been really helpful for them. I also write discovery drafts (I call them zero drafts, not a first draft). It's lovely to meet you, Barb!
I really needed direction in terms of what to do next after the draft I had, and my writing coach has helped with that. I'd love to be friends! I'm looking forward to book club.
I can't wait to see you at the book club!!
Good idea getting a coach. I had an idea for a novel in 2013 and after trying to write it on my own for 5 years I decided to pursue an MA in screenwriting to learn how to write a plot. 😅 That was some expensive coaching but it helped. I ended up writing a screenplay instead of a book but that's ok.
Good luck with your book!
Thanks so much, Claudia!
Good luck with your draft! I'm a discovery drafter, too. It makes for a messy revision process, but it's the reason I love to write. I'd love to be writer friends!
Thank you! It's definitely a mess right now lol. I gave you a follow. I'd love to be friends!
Barb, looking for friends too! My post above that explains my writing! Your work sounds fascinating, following you now!
Thanks, Tanmeet!
NONFICTION ARTICLES, CRITIQUE PARTNER AND/OR WRITER FRIENDS!
I'm a part-time freelance writer who writes nonfiction pieces touching on a variety of topics including food, art, travel and pop culture. I would love to make more friends in this industry as well as work with others who are able to provide accountability and feedback with each other!
Nice to meet you, Emily! We are now officially writer friends!
You as well, Evelyn! I'm a new subscriber, but I've loved getting to hear more about Damsel and all that you've accomplished so far this year! Excited to see what else is on the horizon:)
Thank you sooo much, Emily! Looking forward to getting to know you better, too!
My DMs are always open to chat and cheer each other on! :)
Hi Emily! I just subscribed- I'm so excited to read what you write! I love food and travel, I'm getting back to travel after the pandemic and all that came with it, and my focus has been on food in the countries I'm able to visit. I write freelance pieces adjacent to my memoir-in-progress right now, mostly about parenting and my kid's cancer experience, but I'm working on an essay about the parallels between pushing through discomfort while traveling and pushing through discomfort while life is challenging you the absolute most. Happy to connect and read more of your work!
Thank you, Elizabeth! So sorry to hear about your child. Looking forward to reading your work as well!
Emily, we are officially writer friends now! My post is above explaining my writing and I would love to support you!
Hi Emily! That's awesome that you've established a freelance business! I'm happy to be a writer friend who writes mostly fiction now, but still ghostwrites some web content.
Great to meet you, Zephyr! I haven't dabbled too much into fiction, but maybe one day I'll try it out!
Welcome! What’s your favorite kind of food to blog about?
I actually always have food in my books, especially dessert. :) I haven't blogged/newslettered about it, but there was a fan Pinterest board years ago that all about the food in The Crown's Game!
Omg, a fan Pinterest board is the ultimate dedication. How cool!
Lol I just realized you are asking Emily that question, not me! But I answered anyway.
A conversation around good food is never wasted :)
Agreed! I usually write a lot about local spots or restaurants I've visited when traveling. One of my favorite pieces this year featured a lot of food that I was able to try out during a press trip last winter! I would love to get into some more obscure food topics, like origin stories of food or nostalgic foods that have since been retired or have a fun campaign that it was centered around! I love finding the history of things like that but have yet to put pen to paper on a topic like that just yet.
Do you have a copy of Gastro Obscura or read their site? So mouthwatering! https://www.atlasobscura.com/gastro
I love both Gastro and Atlas Obscura! I have a few story ideas I plan to pitch them actually, but have been busy with other stories at the moment. Their content is so fun!
FANTASY WORLDBUILDING
I'm taking a very unusual path to story telling and who knows where we're going here.
I've studied art and illustration with the purpose of applying them to my books. I'm composing a world full of familiar concepts with a torrent of new and original fantasy themes.
Think Chronicles of Narnia and The Spiderwick Chronicles influences. (Say Chronicles three times fast)
I'm keeping the magic but doing without most every other aspect of your normal fantasy setting, no elves, dwarves, dragons, orcs or goblins.
I've got a very realistic awareness that this kind of original worldbuilding is very taxing and I'll spending a few years putting it all together. I've already got 5 years worth of material that I'm now composing and sharing.
I want to meet others interested in the technical side of writing, that is where my path takes me next! Let's get those grammar reps in. Still have a few more years before I worry about publishing.
Chronicles Chronicals Chronciles... whew. I couldn't even type it 3x, let alone say it 3x fast!
I love what you're doing with extensive worldbuilding. I tend to worldbuild while I'm in the process of writing, but my other friends do a lot (even all) of the detail work before they write their books. I'm impressed by the scale of your imagination!
I also appreciate/like/admire your patience with your writing. It takes courage to sit into your work like that and not rush it, so bravo!
Welcome to the WORDPLAY community, Marco!
I love world building, magic, grammar, and linguistics!
I've got three resources to toss over for you.
1. The Magic-System Blueprint by C/.R. Rowensen. Really intriguing approach to magic making. https://crrowenson.com/
2. Not sure if this is quite your thing, but your post brought it to mind, so I thought I'd share. It's a Fantasy Language Generator, where you get to set and tweak the grammar ad other linguistic rules to have it generate a full language based on your terms! Lots of fun, and I thought it might be useful to your big magic world. https://www.vulgarlang.com/
3. Me, if you want a new friend. davidjace.substack.com
Best wishes!
ok I'm intrigued by those! You can never have too many resources.
Best wishes right back at you!
That sounds very fascinating and time consuming. Are you planning on building a world map to go with your book?
You know it! There's 5 whole continents and a whole lot of adventure! Can't have all of that without a proper map.
Good. I enjoy a good map. Makes it easy to track where the characters are going.
You know that all the best ones do! Mine is already completed. It will eventually make an appearance on my publication, once I decide what I can show without spoiling the story.
That's fair. I don't know if you've read Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo has two maps in the front. One of the world and one of the place the main characters are breaking into (it's a heist book). The maps do not really spoil anything because you don't know what anything means until you get to the specific parts in the book. I hope that all makes sense.
CLIMATE FICTION, WRITER FRIENDS - I'm currently writing a collection of cli-fi stories called 'There Is Hope' about life on a planet devastated by climate change and this things that give people hope.
This is my first book and I am writing it here on Substack. I already published the first 4 stories from this interlinked collection and now I'm working on the 5th. Initially I was convinced that publishing my stories here on Substack is the way to go. But lately I started to wonder if it wouldn't be better to stop publishing here, finish my book and at least try to find an agent.
Thanks for this thread Evelyn, it's a huge honour to find the author of Damsel here on Substack.
And happy to connect with fellow writers in this space.
Welcome to the community, Claudia! I think that is such an interesting career question about what to do with your story. For me, I prefer to finish a whole book rather than serialize it, because then I can revise once I have a complete story. But for others, they may already know all the details before they begin the serialization, or they may enjoy reader feedback during the writing process. Charles Dickens and many other writers successfully published their work serially. So a lot of it comes down to personality and your own goals.
I would be curious to hear other people's opinions/experiences on this!
Thanks for your reply, Evelyn! I am able to serialise because this is a collection of interlinked short stories and I publish the stories only once they are done and edited to death. I already know the overall plot arc and where the story is going, as I started writing this several years ago. I wouldn't dream of serialising a book as I write it.
I decided to publish my work here on Substack as a means to keep myself accountable and also because I never thought that I would stand a chance with traditional publishing. But I started to wonder if I'm not missing a chance by thinking like this.
that makes sense about them being individual yet linked short stories!
Yes, there are no single climate heroes. But rather a community of people working together to make the world a better place.
I love this concept so much! Any sort of interconnected world is my reading love language. I don't have any sage advice on publishing on a platform like this, but I do think it's great there are more.options for us writers today. Traditional publishing is so so rough (says the querying aspiring author!).
I am definitely so happy that I started this newsletter. I benefited so much from being surrounded by other writers and a community, it's so uplifting.
Writing a series of interconnected stories is a lot of fun. I love exploring different protagonists in each story while working to a unified overall plot, dropping clues on the way.
Love this idea of publishing your stories here, not sure if there is a right answer but I love all the writers on here taking the future of their work into their own hands!
Thank you. I totally agree that writers who take their future in their own hands are an inspiration. I wanted to be that person. But witnessing so many authors having and agent, getting published traditionally makes me wonder if I'm not missing on something.
This is the thing. We all feel "left out" of many things but that's our heart's nudging in response to our fear. I am one of those traditional authors with an agent and big 5 publisher. and I feel like I am missing out as well. It's the human inclination, to look for more. But you are feeding your heart and that's what matters. Take one step at a time and see what happens. you have no idea what's on the other side, whether it's an agent, a hybrid publisher or serializing on Substack. One step, one breath, at a time. You got this.
Tanmeet, I LOVE what you said here. This is so true. It's human nature, and kindness to ourselves (both in understanding our wants and then letting them be what they will) is a wonderful gift.
If there is one thing being an author will teach you, it’s self compassion!!!
Thanks yo much for sharing your experience from the other side. Perhaps there is not right way to do this, there's only doing it.
I did not know that climate fiction is a genre - and I’m incredibly curious about it! I also realize in retrospect that I’m drawn to stories that include how life will be in the aftermath of climate change. Perhaps it’s because I so deeply love the natural world, I can’t fathom an Earth that no longer has lush forests and ecosystems.
I think the books you’re writing, the docu-series you’re developing, and your newsletter here on SS is all important work! Yes, go find an agent, but also keep writing here! You’re building a community of people who will want to read your work and who care about the climate. Think of the ripple effect you’re creating each time someone learns something new or becomes inspired by something you post!
I recently worked on a book proposal with a coach and one thing she said is to maintain any connection I can with communities - in person and online - because that’s all part of the platform an agent and traditional publisher will want to see you engaged with.
I’m happy to connect and become writer friends! Looking forward to following your work. 🥰
Thank you, Darcey! I really appreciate the feedback. I share your feelings about nature and after reading 'The Uninhabitable Earth' by David Wallace-Wells I was overcome with such sadness at the thought that one day life on this planet could cease to exist. It was a rough read but so eye opening. We need to appreciate the world around us more. It's vital.
Claudia, I recently learned that Cli-Fi was a genre of its own, and I love it. I am toying with some dystopian future ideas that will absolutely need to integrate climate change. I think your concept is brilliant and so necessary right now. I encourage you to take the dive into the trad publishing world. I also struggle with how much, if any, of my creative work to publish on Substack. So far, I've only posted poetry. Happy to connect here!
Thank you, Ingrid. I discovered climate fiction in 2022, and my fiction projects aligned so well with it that I decided to adopt it as my genre. Thank you for the advice, if not with the current book, I will definitely want to try traditional publishing with my next one.
Lately I read a lot about people rejecting dystopia and opting for more utopian futures. I like dystopia and cautionary tales. Good luck with yours! Happy for the connection as well. ☺️
CHILDREN'S AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR FRIENDS!
I mainly write picture books and will have my debut coming out in 2025 with Hachette (a year away ... that's only a year away *nervously nodding my head while thinking about how fast that time will go and all the things I need to do before then*).
I will be illustrating my second book that comes out in 2025 and that is slightly terrifying since I feel like I'm very far from being an expert, BUT I really love creating art, so I'm also excited and honoured that some people think my work is good enough.
Would love to connect with more lovely children's book creators on here and on Instagram: @melissajwriting
This is such a wonderful idea, Evelyn! Thank you so much <3
Wow, congrats on the debut picture book, Melissa-Jane! Please be sure to remind us all when it's released. I would love to get a copy for my friend who has little ones.
I see you've already connected with Hallie here, another illustrator. I am always in awe of those talented enough to draw, especially at a level where you are illustrating picture books!
Awww thank you so much, Evelyn!!! I will be sure to keep everyone updated on here. I'm right with you in being in awe of those illustrating picture books – except now I've somehow (nervously) joined the fold.
Congrats!! That's amazing! I will definitly be looking up your debut <3 I love picture books (but haven't ever attempted to write one), and am super impress at illustrating your own - what media are you using?
Awww thanks, Camille! <3 <3 <3 I generally sketch traditionally but then finish off my art in Procreate on my iPad. Though I've been creating lots of single pieces of art lately in watercolour, gouache and pencil, oh and sometimes acrylic on canvas too.
I am impressed with children authors and illustrators. I would find it hard to be able to write for children because I would have to learn to condense what I was saying. I tend to write a lot. I also couldn't be an illustrator because I can't draw. Good luck with debut.
Thank you, Karly!!! It is SO hard writing a story in so few words, but I'm getting better at it (I think haha). What do you write?
I write YA. My current WIP is YA contemporary. I have room for a lot of words.
I've got a few unfinished YA manuscripts hanging around. Hopefully I'll get back to them one day!
That'll probably be fun to do some day. Give you a different kind of challenge.
Congratulations! I'm endlessly impressed by children's book writers and illustrators. Even though my kids--at 9, 11, and 12--are moving on to other books, we still read at least one picture book every night. To tell an entire story in so few words?! And do the lovely pictures?! Can't wait to read yours. :)
Thank you so much, Kathlene!!! Picture books are just gorgeous and so great for all ages. I often buy new ones for me, and my kids 4 and 7, but mostly for me :D So happy to connect with you on here <3
Evelyn, what a sweetheart you are, always reaching out to help and connect others. On behalf of everyone, thank you! 😘
LOOKING FOR MEMOIR WRITERS (I think!)
My memoir, very nearly finished is "A Storyboard Life" – how I crafted a 30-year career in film, with just $20, some magical thinking and plenty of sheer effing determination.
I'd love to connect with anyone else writing creative nonfiction, especially memoir.
Thanks everyone & thank you, Evelyn!
Kristin
So lovely to see you here in the comments again, Kristin! I love what an active member you are of this newsletter community. Thank you for your optimistic spirit and enthusiasm!
Hi Kristin! I write memoir and non-fiction. I love your title and would love to connect. I followed and subscribed. ☺️
Thanks, Darcey!
I will follow back :)
CONTEMPORARY WOMEN'S LIT/HISTORICAL WOMEN'S FICTION/DYSTOPIAN FEMALE FUTURES - CRITIQUE PARTNERS AND WRITING FRIENDS! I'm on the fourth full revision of my debut novel, a contemporary multicultural family saga with elements of magical realism. I have a small and completely indispensable critique group already. We are all at roughly the same phase with our first novels (endless revising, thinking about querying soon, lamenting how long publishing takes). I love the idea of having friends/mentors/mentees who are a half step ahead/behind. Sign me up! There is always something new to learn in this process. Give me all the wisdom and I'll share what little I have gained so far!
Hi, Ingrid! I'm so happy to meet you and be one of your new writer friends! I love the space that you're writing in and am glad to hear that even though you have a core group of critique partners, that you are continue to expand your writerly community. Book people are the best people! I can't wait to hear more about your journey in the coming months here. :)
I am working on my first book. It's a fantasy/romance about Puerto Rico for adult readers .I'm looking for Writer Friends to share, laugh, talk, commiserate about writing.
Hi, other Evelyn! So great to see you in the Comments again! Your book sounds really great-- are you Puerto Rican or do you live there/are you from there? Just curious, since I've done some virtual events with The Bookmark bookstore there.
Hi 👋 Evelyn! I am Puerto Rican and live in Brooklyn, NY. Not far from Coney Island. I'm writing this book to know more about the island and its history and the people of the island. I feel a strong pull to the island. My grandparents are from there and came to the US in the 1940s. I'm hoping to visit the island next summer. That's so great about Bookmark! I did a quick google search and saw there are a few on the island. Which one did you work with? I want to visit one of them when I'm there next year.
how wonderful that you're visiting PR next summer! I'm not sure which Bookmark it was since I did virtual events. :) But they are so wonderful--both the booksellers and the community of readers!
That's really great to hear about the store. I can't wait to go next year.
I would love to connect. Your work sounds incredible.
Hi, Sammy! Thanks for your kind words about my book! Are you on Facebook?
Yep! It’s Sammie Trinidad.
Hmmmm, I was thinking if there is another way we could connect. TBH, I'm not on Facebook often. How else could we connect? Any ideas?
Do you have Instagram or TikTok? Those are the other ways to reach me. Also, discord.
I think Evelyn Camu responded to you but it didn't get connected to this thread. Check above (if you filter for "New First" it'll pop up at the top.
YOUNG ADULT FANTASY – looking for CRITIQUE PARTNER AND/OR WRITER FRIENDS!
Hi! I’m Camille Brea and I write YA Fantasy and Science Fiction. I’m currently about to do a major rewrite of my magical boarding school manuscript before I start querying later this year! It has apothecary vibes, is set in a fictional small town along the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC, and features family/generational curses. I would love to meet some new writer friends and possibly find a critique partner/group for later this year as we all work toward querying! I’m super excited for Evelyn’s book club, and hopefully more baking tips! (also, I'm coming to this late, but WOW! 172 comments - so many writer friends to be made!)
Major rewrites are so hard. I am currently rewriting my manuscript right now. I changed a major plot point which means my whole manuscript needs changing. I am looking for more writer friends and I could use critique partners. Hit me up on Instagram @kholschenwrites
Hi Camille! It' so lovely to have you here. Your book sounds so magical! Can't wait to see you in the book club!
MEMOIR, CRITIQUE PARTNERS and WRITER FRIENDS - I'm Elizabeth, I live outside of Philly, and I write weekly over on my Substack about my family's experience with my daughter's cancer diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic! I've landed a few pitches for essays adjacent to this, forthcoming in April, and I've published an essay with Reactor Mag (formerly Tor.com) about how all I read when my daughter was sick was Stephen King (and why!) I also write a lot about solo parenting and maternal mental health. I'm deep into the querying process for my memoir, and it's such a grind. I also write short horror fiction but friends, time in the day is so short, so right now I'm focusing on essays and memoir.
I'd love to connect with other writers, and I'm also open to swapping work and critiquing! It's lonely business at my desk every day. The focus of my book is my experience with caring for my daughter while she was sick, but it also focuses on my mental health challenges at the time, and the demands we put on mothers to really be doing it all (especially mothers who are mothering alone). Also, the American Healthcare System, because let me tell you, it didn't make anything easy for us. I do not write a whole lot of 'feel-good' material. Although we came through the experience and we learned things from it, and although we found moments of joy, it was not a display of resilience on our part. It was long and difficult and more than a year later, we're still dealing with the fallout and cleaning up the mess. I did not meditate to cope with the stress, but I write a lot about what I DID do, none of it healthy or good or uplifting.
But we made it! and now I'm working on telling all I know. I'd love to connect with anyone interested in connecting, and to give notes on work for anyone interested! I'm spending this year writing full-time, and I'm thrilled to be here doing the thing!
So glad to have you hear, Elizabeth, and that you're sharing your experience on Substack with others who might need to hear it. Also really wonderful that you get to spend this year writing full-time. Sending love to your family as you heal!
This is such an important story to tell! I, thank heavens, have never had to deal with a very sick child, but it's something that every parent naturally thinks about -- and the idea of mom mental health is SO important and universal. (I'm also so curious about why you only read Stephen King! Might have to go hunt down that essay...) I do not write memoir -- mostly YA fantasy for me -- but would still love to connect.
Hi Kathlene! Would definitely love to connect- just followed you! Thanks so much for reaching out. My essay is available on ReactorMag.com, you can google my name and I should pop right up. It'll definitely give some insight into why I read so much Stephen King during that time (and all the time, honestly). Looking forward to talking more, reach out any time!