A Change of Season Brings a Change in Attitude
And oh so much writing!
Dear Reader,
If you hadn’t heard, Substack is kind of like the “IT Girl” right now and all it took was Elon Musk having a hissy fit to do it. I won’t bore you about the Twitter Drama. If you are still a part of that world then you probably already know. I have my own thoughts about it but more on that later. Because Substack has become the place to be (…writing…) that is pretty much what I’ve been doing. In abundance. And you’ll see just how much writing I’ve been up to in a second.
What I want to do at the very top is say HELLO to all the newcomers! Due to the introduction of Notes (a new Substack feature) it has brought several new subscribers my way and I am forever grateful. This newsletter/blog/everything is really making the sheer act of just writing that much more enjoyable when I don’t have to do the awkward marketing of myself.
NEWS NEWS NEWS
On 4/20 (yes, I know what day it is for those recreationally active individuals) I signed my very first freelance contract for something I wrote to be published in a print magazine! I will have WAY more on the process of how it happened and all that by my June First Edition email. For now, I just want to say how grateful I am for all the people I’ve met this year and the confidence I had in myself to go the distance and get this done.
More News | I’ve decided to send 100-word stories daily via email. Yes, you read that right. Starting today, I will be sending one 100-word story a day for as long as I am able to squeeze one out of my brain. Some might be good and (I hope) most will be great. However the outcome, if you don’t have your emails organized you might want to do that now. I’d really don’t want you to unsubscribe. Instead, just follow my helpful guide, set up a PEN TO PAPER folder and direct all of my emails there so whenever you have a free minute (it takes less than that to read a 100-word story) open up that folder and read a story or two.
HOW TO ADJUST YOUR SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS
If you don’t want a daily email, click HERE and click the green toggle for 100-Word Stories. And while you’re there, you might want to turn OFF In My Own Words (if it’s green) as I will begin sending those as actual emails later this year (unless you want my non-fiction writing). I want 2023 to be a year of fiction.
WRITING ROUND UP
A new section I’m introducing to my updates because there is a lot of writing I do but don’t share via email. I don’t want to seem like too much of an over achiever sending out emails daily. Instead, I’ll put them all here and if it sounds interesting, click the link, if not, scroll on by, I won’t mind:
NON-FICTION WRITING
Lunar Awards Submission Part I - Unfortunately, I was unable to get a story written in time for this but read anyway to learn all about this amazing opportunity for Substack fiction writers.
Why Substack is Winning - This is all about what happened when Elon Musk got all butt hurt over Substack announcing their Notes feature.
Where do I find readers? - I see people asking this question all the time. I thought I’d give my answer here as it’s a fairly simple one these days. Huzzah!
How I’m Using Substack Notes vs Chat - Pretty self explanatory. But if you’re using Substack and curious about the slight differences between the many features they roll out regularly, give this a read.
Lunar Awards Submission Part II - Like I said I missed the deadline, but this breaks down my editing process if you’re interested in that at all.
Why AI is bad for fiction writers - I have basically stayed away from the whole AI discussion. Opting to let everyone else say their piece and sharing their thoughts. But here are mine for whatever it’s worth to ya.
Substack Notes by the Numbers - This feature has many nuances to it and I wanted to quickly get my initial thoughts down after having used it for a couple days.
The Great Free VS Paid Conundrum that Faces ALL Creatives - This is easily one of the most contentious topics for us writers. Either we are adamantly for it or against it and in both camps the self-doubt is real.
What’s Your Substack Name & Description - [A Thread] With the influx of subscriptions coming via Substack doing their part for all of us, I thought it was high time we started helping ourselves to make discovery that much easier.
Keep those Hundreds of Substack Subscriptions Organized - Raise your hands if you’ve found yourself subscribing to alot more Substacks than you ever thought you would in the last month? It’s crazy! And your email could be the one to suffer most, right behind your brain trying to take it all in. I’m here to help tame the wild beast of your email inbox.
Saying Goodbye to Book Depository - Probably some of the saddest news I found out about much too late to make any final purchases. The website closed its doors on April 26th.
Why Notes is More Like Discord Than Twitter - This is more of a personal opinion than actual fact. BYDHTTMWFI.
A New Discovery for My 100-Words Journey - I’m using Werdsmith to track writing 100-word stories daily, and why you should join me.
FICTION WRITING
A Lazy Day by the Sea [100 Word Stories]
How ‘Bout Them 1920s [100 Word Stories]
A Story ‘bout a Dog [100 Word Stories]
HEARD ROUND THE ‘STACKS
Not sure if this will stick or not in my monthly updates, but here are a couple newsletters I recommend giving a read other than mine. Paying it forward is the way this all works for everyone.
WHAT I’M READING
I’m trying to get reading back into my daily routine by putting in at least 30min every night before my wife and I put on whatever show we are binge-watching. I hope the book I list here will change each month! Please hold me to this promise and remind me to get to finishing whatever I’m reading if you don’t see a new book listed here for my June 1st update email.
First up is a non-fiction book that I’m actually enjoying and will have a full book review on. But I want to use this time more for fiction reading (specifically short story collections) as well.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
Okay, I’m not one who likes to fluctuate too much from what I like in the moment. If I like a new album out by a fave artist I can listen to that album on repeat for weeks at a time. This can also happen if I want to go back to an old favorite. And in honor of the fact that I appreciate the new Apple Classical app, here’s what I’ve been listening to on repeat:
VIDEO WORTH THE WATCH
If you don’t yet have a website, whatever your passions happen to be, it’s a good idea to make one. I’ve dabbled in Wordpress for many decades now but I’m never too young (or old) for a brush-up on what works today versus what might have been the “in” thing of the past.
Congratulations on your publication, that's awesome, Erica! I hope to see more of you around the Lunar Awards, but either way if you're writing and getting your stuff out there, then that's the best thing. 😁
Congrats on your publication, Erica! That's fantastic. I only just discovered your newsletter on Substack. I love your writing style, the mix of edgy writing humor plus tech and community observations.