I’m billing this as a so-called selfish podcast. I was eager to hear more about serialised fiction directly from a master practitioner of the craft.
But I know it’s something others can benefit from as well.
Though I started my own Substack in July 2023, it wasn’t until September 2024 that I started spending more time in its cosy confines, and that was when I stumbled upon my first example of serialised fiction with
’s wonderful Cold Secrets (on her newsletter Myriatid).Shortly thereafter, I discovered
through Notes, where she is always so kind and generous with her time and insights. She really is a ‘prolific hack’ (and that’s a compliment!) and from here, I saw that she had serialised The Spider on A Work of Fiction. But I felt like I was too late to go back in and start from the beginning. I like the idea of reading along with the writer, as they publish, and I missed the boat with The Spider.No worries - I just bought the ebook when it came out in January (it’s always nice to support fellow Substackers).
Much has been written about the art of serialising fiction on Substack, and I am eternally indebted to the ever-so-prolific (but not a ‘hack!’),
, author of Write More with Simon K Jones. I trawled through his entire archive, I think, and I haven’t met anyone better to guide you along the process of serialising.It’s damn near impossible to choose just one of his posts, so here is just one that made a lasting impression: How serial writing works for plotters & pantsers
I’m also indebted to
, author of Medieval Musings, and her work on serialised fiction.This post in particular, DO THIS if you want to become a better writer. (And avoid the mistakes I made), is a great place to start.
You can also find interviews with Vicky Randle ("I thought I'd 'made it'... whatever that means,") and Simon Jones ("I fell into serial fiction almost by accident")
Another great resource for getting inside the minds of writers is
and his newsletter, Writers are Weird. I love hearing about the routines and practices of writers, and these interviews are always enlightening. There’s much more than interviews, however. You’ll also find advice, habits, and perspectives from other great writers.His interview with Hanna Delaney is here: How to Find Time to Write While Raising a Family
is another good resource and this post, The Secret to Writing a Great Serialized Novel or Memoir, gets into the history of serialising, discussing Charles Dickens, who “wrote with the sensibility of a journalist who knew how to hook readers one installment after another. He understood the importance of the basic journalistic who, what, where, when, why.”Last, and certainly not least, is
, who has quite a range of some bizarre stuff, and I mean this very complimentary. One of the joys of Substack is all the new voices I’m discovering, much of which I never would’ve considered before arriving here (and believe me, I’m a prolific reader). I barely know how to describe his genre, but let’s go with cyberpunk (or is it steampunk?), dirtbag literature, horror and sci-fi (and he dabbles in EDM, too). This has never been my genre, but it’s amazing what you discover when you experiment and unearth unexpected gems. I’m still haunted by this story: DisposalAs for the ‘selfish’ part of it, yours truly will be serialising his first work of fiction, starting soon. It truly is an experimental work in progress and I barely know what I’m doing. Fiction has never been my strength (neither has non-fiction, to be fair, but that hasn’t stopped me from publishing my drivel before).
Do you or anyone else you follow on Substack write any fiction, serialised or otherwise? Don’t be shy - share your link in the comments, or recommend a writer you enjoy.
In case you missed it:
My previous post was all about My social media dilemma.
I was also featured (thank you, yet again,
) in this excellent piece (and I swear, I say that NOT because I’m in it!):
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