Fiction Writing Dispatch #1

NOTE: This post was originally publish on Substack.

This article first appeared on Substack.

Introductions

Hi, everyone! First of all, my name is Sam, and I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. Secondly, I want to take a moment to introduce myself. I’m a writer and fan of science fiction and fantasy games, novels, and short stories. My goal with this space is twofold: 1) grow my audience 2) share and discuss writing wisdom.

All fiction posts (save for a few short stories and some intro chapters) will be reserved for paid subscribers. I’ll kick out a chapter a day over the next week to get things rolling and then settle into a weekly schedule. Every subscription makes it easier for me to spend more time creating new content. Posts related to lessons learned or helpful tools related to writing will always be free and will follow a bi-weekly schedule, likely not on a fiction post day.

What to expect from my fiction: As stated above, science fiction and fantasy are my jam. The stories I love and consequently write are dark yet wholesome adventures involving flawed, heroic protagonists (i.e. someone you can root for), the light of hope in the face of overwhelming darkness, and good overcoming evil. Favorites of mine include the Lord of the Rings books by J.R.R. Tolkien, the Hellboy graphic novel series by Mike Mignola, the Mass Effect games by BioWare, the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, and the Tintin comics by Hergé.

What to expect from my non-fiction: A varied assortment of things I’ve cobbled together over the years that have helped me whether they be bits of advice or tools that help me do my job. All of it, of course, should be viewed through an appropriate lens: these are things I learned, experienced, or used that helped me—or in some cases didn’t help me—that might be of some use to other aspiring or established writers. It’s my small way of giving back to a community that has helped me. I’ll also toss in what I’m currently reading for discussion’s sake.

If all this appeals to you, then welcome aboard. I pledge to do my best to make it worth your while. Also, I want to give a quick shoutout to Simon K Jones for his detailed and super helpful posts on using Substack to publish fiction. If anyone is interested in following suit, definitely check out his articles.

Drafting, Part 1: Mindset

Don’t mind me, just adding more words to my WIP.

For this first post, I wanted to discuss my mindset as I approach creating that initial draft of a story. Full disclosure: the initial draft is the hardest part of writing fiction for me, especially when I’m just starting with a brand-new series. Whether it’s the daunting absence of a blank screen or page, or the vicious internal editor telling me nothing will sound good, I seem to struggle with getting started. Once I have a thousand or so words, and the pump is primed, so to speak, I tend to finally settle down and get into a groove. From there, it’s basically digging a metaphorical ditch until I reach my target wordcount.

A quote often attributed to Hemingway is a mantra I tell myself anytime the internal editor in me becomes overly critical. Edited for language, the quote goes like this:

“The first draft of anything is [crap].”

I find comfort in this idea because no matter what I put down it can be improved. Until a thing is published, it exists in a state of malleability. I like comparing writing a piece of fiction to molding clay. One starts with an amorphous blob that then must be bashed and worked and carved and polished until it finally resembles the thing you had hoped it would. To get over that initial block, I just have to start. I must put fingers to keyboard or pen and get something down realizing and accepting that later I will come back and make it better. The story won’t write itself.

What are some ways you overcome struggles with initial drafts?

What I’m Reading Right Now

John Adams by David McCullough