We fiction writers are notorious for being reclusive dwellers of wilderness-isolated cabins, but these days, being a fiction writer necessitates engaging with people (ew, gross) online. Like any social setting, it takes a particular set of skills.
(I will not be posting a Liam Neeson meme at this time.)
The trouble for me is I don’t think I’ve ever had those skills, nor have I been able to develop them. Moreover, the state of the Internet and media these days is not just about finding ways to cut through the noise. It’s about being so noisy your noise overwhelms the other noise and, in what seems to me like a paradox, steals attention before some other noise muscles yours out or an algorithm decides you’re not worth anyone’s time because you’re not giving the tech bros enough engagement, or whatever.
I’ve written before about how I’ve found the need for fiction writers to be terminally online has had significant impacts on my mental health. Moreover, most of the people who own the media we have to use are now in the American oligarchy, so I can’t in good conscience continue to support that. To boot, I’m a real person (apologies if this comes as a shock), and some things have changed in my real life that have necessitated I re-evaluate the energy I’m putting into these things.
So, I’m altering how I tell the world about what I’m up to with my writing. If you want to keep following my fiction writing, keep reading. If not, you’ll probably miss out on news, blogs, reviews, bonus content, and more goodies, and I’m sure that will just cut you to the bone. (This is sarcasm because I know it won’t.)
Keep tabs on me through my website and email
Moving forward, I’m looking to simplify and be as independent as possible. That means I’m going to focus on my website as a hub for all writing news. The trouble with that is nobody organically goes to websites anymore, so simply posting stuff on a website is equivalent to walking into an anechoic chamber and shouting into a garbage can.
That’s why I’m going to embrace email. At the end of last year, I left the fate of my Substack uncertain because I found it wasn’t performing as I’d hoped (and Substack is sort of problematic because it makes money propping up Nazis and has done weird, unethical things to juice numbers and make it seem like writers can make money on the platform). But it’s simple, streamlined, and free, and I’m not planning to monetize it. I may transition to a new email service in the future, as many writers have, but for now, I’m going to stick with it.
(Obligatory give-me-your-email-address page if you haven’t already)
Instead of sending out big digest newsletters with in-depth essays, I’m going to focus on smaller, more frequent emails, primarily driven by blog content. In short, it will effectively be a mirror of whatever I post on my website. If you sign up (or already have), you’ll get an email anytime I post something on this website. Whether it’s a passing thought I’m noodling or an in-depth craft essay or critical review, you’ll get a notification in your inbox. You’ll be able to choose to read it right there, go to my website to read it in full, or delete it outright because you’re too damn busy for my nonsense (and I get that).
FYI, to get some thingymabobs to work right, I’m going to have to do a full website redesign, so that’s a bummer. I’ll be working on that over the coming weeks or, more likely, months. Pardon my dust.
What if you want to watch me like a creeper on social media?
If you’re one of the terminally online and get your updates about the outside world on social media, you won’t be hearing from me on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, or Twitter anymore. What’s left? Bluesky is now basically what Twitter was when it was good, and it isn’t run by corrupt, billionaire oligarchs. For the foreseeable future, you’ll find me socializing there and only there. Anytime I have news, a deep thought, or a dumb joke to share, I’ll post it on Bluesky. Who knows if the silly Internet algorithms will let you see it? I suppose there’s a chance you may if the stars align. Otherwise, check your email inbox.
If all of this goes well, I hope to settle into a simpler, more streamlined way to talk to the world, and to be frank, I need that. I need to focus on the actual fiction writing, and there’s this whole other nagging thing about living a life. It’s a drag, I know.
But anyways, that’s what the future looks like. If you are sticking with your social media and aren’t interested in yet another, I totally get that. I assume you’re pretty attached to your email, though, so we’ll always have your inbox.
Hope to see you around!