PinnedMember-onlyWhat I’ve learned from one year writing a Substack newsletterAnd how I plan to earn a living doing it. — It was one year ago that I finished researching my article No One Reads Books (and other truths about publishing), and determined that my best hope as an author was to create a platform for my writing. At the time, I had no social media accounts and had just emerged…Substack7 min read
Published in The Writing Cooperative·PinnedMember-onlyYou Won’t Make a Living as a Fiction AuthorBut maybe that’s changing — The New York Times caused a stir recently when, in an article about pandemic book sales, it disclosed that “98 percent of the books that publishers released in 2020 sold fewer than 5,000 copies.” Though this statistic was shocking to many, it is not new information. People don’t read books…Writing11 min read
Published in The Novelleist·Jul 15Member-onlyObscurity, The EpilogueIn which a young man inherits the Estate St. Vincent. — We last read The Fortieth Chapter, in which the truth was revealed. If you have recently joined us, start with The Prologue. Years later, a most beautiful man inherited a most beautiful estate. …Fiction3 min read
Jul 11Member-onlyI’m writing a utopian novel via SubstackAnd a nonfiction book imagining a more beautiful future. — Becoming a journalist In 2014, I launched Over The Moon Magazine on the side of my content marketing job. I started the magazine because I was a marketing writer and I wanted to be a magazine writer and editor, and bridging that gap felt impossible. At the time, I was living in San…Writer6 min read
Published in The Novelleist·Jul 8Member-onlyObscurity, The Fortieth ChapterIn which the truth is revealed. — We last read The Thirty-Ninth Chapter, in which a baby was born into the swamp. If you have recently joined us, start with The Prologue. In the morning, she set an old copper kettle to boil. It was dented and worn, its patina tarnished, but it was perhaps the most…Fiction9 min read
Published in The Novelleist·Jul 1Member-onlyObscurity, The Thirty-Ninth ChapterIn which a baby is born into the swamp. — We last read The Thirty-Eighth Chapter, in which we learned the secrets of the third Marie. If you have recently joined us, start with The Prologue. There are some who imbibe, not in too much drink, but in too much thought. Though they take much different paths to get there…Fiction7 min read
Published in The Novelleist·Jun 24Member-onlyObscurity, The Thirty-Eighth ChapterIn which we learn the secrets of the third Marie. — We last read The Thirty-Seventh Chapter, in which the philanthropist met his fate. If you have recently joined us, start with The Prologue. We have mentioned slightly the third of the Maries, who traveled with the widow from France, was interred into the convent, and was discovered to be missing…Fiction Friday10 min read
Published in The Novelleist·Jun 17Member-onlyObscurity, The Thirty-Seventh ChapterIn which the philanthropist meets his fate. — We last read The Thirty-Sixth Chapter, in which things went awry at the philanthropist’s wedding. If you have recently joined us, start with The Prologue. The governor returned to his study and settled himself at his bureau. The wedding had been a lavish scene, the aspirations of that groom most…Fiction10 min read
Jun 14Member-onlyI miss the pandemicA poem I wrote for TikTok — I starting writing an article about how I miss the pandemic, but it came out as a poem. Here it is spoken: Here it is written: I miss the pandemic Life’s so full It’s systemic Every moment with friends Calendar’s full when will it end I feel guilt, a pressure that I built Answering every text and message Without checking my own perspective I…Poetry1 min read
Published in The Novelleist·Jun 10Member-onlyObscurity, The Thirty-Sixth ChapterIn which things go awry at the philanthropist’s wedding. — We last read The Thirty-Fifth Chapter, in which a gentle haunting awaited the widow. If you have recently joined us, start with The Prologue. The wedding was stunning. The bride’s gown immaculate upon the alter, the priest holding his hand over them in blessing, the open air hung with boughs…Fiction8 min read
