I almost exclusively write short stories. I have a few out in the world and another being published soon.
I’m really fascinated by the form and the experience of short fiction, which I find to be much more than just a proving ground for the novel. I love how a story can grow and deepen with care and attention, that every word and moment matters, and how intimate and urgent it feels to experience a glimpse of a world/life in a single sitting. I’ve written a few screenplays and have been chipping away at a novel, but the short story is where I feel most inspired.
As for process: the more I write the less emphasis I place on the premise. I used to think a sticky, original idea or scenario was everything…now I’m much more engaged by character and language. I find if I give my full attention to those things, the story starts to grow in ways that surprise me, and becomes more uniquely meaningful than if I were trying to manufacture meaning. Ive been writing seriously for nearly a decade, and I still find it mysterious, sometimes joyful, always difficult, and totally worthwhile.
May 3, 2024
Related Recs
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is there such a thing as a rec being too niche? recently i decided to try my hand at writing a full-fledged novel, and the process has been illuminating in so many ways. it’s given me way more appreciation for the rigorous conditions under which stories are written, whether it be in visual media or literature (especially the ones that end up being good).
so far, what’s proven most gratifying to me as an aspiring storyteller is ordering the events non-chronologically. though it’s a bit unkind to my freewheeling compulsions, it’s challenging me to conceptualize events with more foresight, as the chosen disruption of continuity requires me to be more intentional with the details of particular conversations and pivotal events. even if it never sees the light of day, i’m grateful to be indulging my creative mind again :)
Jan 10, 2025
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I write lyrics/poems/prose/essays/the occasional substack/text based art/performance art and the most successful process I've found works for me is just 'hold a pen and hope that it happens'. I can't get any real ideas done on a laptop (my substacks are all drafted in bullet points by hand first). I don't write every day because I don't have the energy or time or enough that is important to say. I only write when I really get the urge in my fingertips and then I get my notebook and just open the page and get whatever out I can. Sometimes it's an idea I've been mulling over that finally comes out and others it's just nonsense sentences that eventually form something.
Basically my advice if you're struggling to get started is just whenever you think you want to do it, just hold a pen and a blank piece of paper and just do it. Maybe it'll be brilliant from the off. First lines are hard so don't worry about it if it's not, fourth lines are where it gets good. I definitely produce 70/30 shit/good writing and that's okay because who's reading it??
Also sometimes you go back a few months later and realise that what you thought was terrible was actually great all along it just needed a different context!
May 3, 2024
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I always feel that the word writer is too big for me, but I would say that I am one (or at least I try to be one😹). I write a little bit of everything... In my case, at the beginning, I do very well writing what comes to mind, and when I have more material I try to make an outline/summary of where I want the story to go. If I'm writing poetry, I write directly what comes to my mind without thinking much about it. I encourage you to start writing whatever it is, many times it just comes out without thinking much about it or having it planned.😊
May 3, 2024
Top Recs from @withnickotte
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I’ve never had a bad time
Oct 29, 2024
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Not every idea is a good idea. But maybe a small part of it is, or maybe it can grow into one, or maybe it will lead to the next good idea, or maybe you just need to get all those lousy ideas out of the way so the good ones have room to breathe.
Or maybe it just feels good to write and this fixation on good vs bad ideas is the thing that’s in the way.
Nov 4, 2024
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Recommending this for myself because I never do it but when I do it always helps me get what’s inside outside.
Apr 9, 2024