Preamble
Thanks to the magic of Substack, I’ve picked up quite a few new subscribers in recent weeks, so, first, welcome to all of you, whether you’ve just subscribed to Read Write Repeat or you’ve been with me all along. I’m grateful for and humbled by your interest.
Second, a warning: This particular post is a ramble. As the title implies, it’s an end-of-year grab bag of loose ends. Think of it as a literary Christmas stocking, full of treats and trinkets. Skip it if you must, skim it if you’d prefer, or put a pin in it and come back when you have a hot hazelnut latte, a cozy recliner, and 10 minutes that you can spare.
However, if you’re thinking of skipping this one, especially if you’re a new subscriber, I humbly invite you to at least read the “table of contents” on the About page, which includes instructions on how to subscribe or unsubscribe to the individual sections here. Maybe you only want to read my fiction, perhaps you’re only interested in book reviews, or you’re following to hear about and support my progress toward getting my novel (and future writing) published, maybe you don’t mind the occasional ramble. I tried to make Read Write Repeat customizable, so you’ll always get only what interests you.
The State of My Writing
The long-timers will recall my writing retreat in February 2022, where my focus was on two things: Getting my act together for submitting my novel to literary agents, and doing the initial work on my next novel. On that retreat, I finished the first task and did very little of the second task, after getting derailed midway by a head cold and also by the distractions / attractions of my first solo vacation in 30 years.
Anyway, to recap, I finished writing my first novel in 2021, and it’s out there in the world trying to attract me a literary agent. I’ve not had any meaningful progress on that front, though I did get my first rejection letter (for the novel), so cross that off the writer’s bucket list. I’ve been grateful to the writers of other Substacks I follow for keeping my spirits up and reassuring me that this process of trying to get published is almost universally disappointing. In particular, Alison Acheson of
offers lots of great info about agents and writing, and she’s been personally supportive and generous with advice, and Kate McKean of is a working literary agent with a trove of insider intel, including this very recent post about keeping the fire burning even when there’s little acknowledgement or apparent interest from the publishing world.One small but personally satisfying development with my novel is that I took a few hours to format the book, design a mock cover, and order a few copies to share with my close friends as “beta readers” while I wait for an agent to show interest. It’s not a necessary step, by any means, but it does give me some cheer to see the work of so many years in a familiar form, something real and material that I can hold in my hands and share photos of.
What Was (A)I Thinking?
In my last post, Travel Enriches, I mentioned that I might be traveling to Tel Aviv for business. I did take that trip, for a week in early December, and it was fascinating and exhausting and I’ll probably write about the trip in some other rambling post. If you’re interested, you can check out some travel photos and sketches on my Instagram.
In something more germaine to this writing publication, however, I also experimented in that post with using AI (artificial intelligence) to write some of the text, and I challenged my subscribers to identify the parts that I wrote and the parts that AI wrote. The answer is that the last 1/3 of the post — beginning with “For a first-timer…” and right on through the end — was entirely written by AI, with no editing or embellishment from me. Those readers who offered a guess got it right, based on the more personal details offered in the first 2/3 and maybe a little bit on the tone of the writing. Kudos to you guessers; you won’t be fooled by AI any time soon.
Nevertheless, AI-generated images and written text are all the buzz right now, and I plan to continue to experiment with the technology and its potential. You have my word that I will always acknowledge any parts of my writing that are AI-generated or AI-assisted, at least until the machines become self-aware and overrule my will.
The Great Substack Story Challenge
I got word this morning that I am one of ten Substack fiction writers who were selected to participate in the next Great Substack Story Challenge, which kicks off in mid-January.
The Story Challenge is a round-robin project, wherein each writer in turn contributes a chapter, but there’s no advance planning, plotting, or coordination. The first writer publishes the first chapter, then the second writer has a week to read that first chapter and write and publish the second chapter. Etcetera. Each chapter is published on the Substack of its author, but they’re all interlinked so you can find your way through. Neat, huh?
I don’t know yet which chapter I’ll be assigned, but it’s a true honor to be selected to participate, and I’m nervous and excited, so I’ll be sure to let all of you know as the details coalesce. I hope you’ll read along.
If you’d like to read the story that resulted from the first Substack Story Challenge, hit the link below to jump in, and be sure to subscribe to the Substacks of any of the writers who intrigue you.
Now Read This
I’ve promised since launching this Substack a year ago to attempt a serial story, where I publish scenes as I write them. I finally undertook the project in October, when I published the first scene of a planned short story, Liminal. I knew this would be a high-wire act, and it’s every bit as challenging as I expected. Not least because of interruptions — a short-notice work trip to Israel, for example, a post-travel week of jet lag and monster head cold — and distractions — the first Cormac McCarthy novel in more than a decade landed in late October and there were two of them (!), which of course I had to drop everything to greedily devour, the second season of The White Lotus is brilliant, it’s Christmas in a week, etc.
Nevertheless, I’m excited about Liminal, I promise a second scene soon, and I will endeavor to publish future scenes in a more timely fashion. But please give that first scene a read and tell me in the comments what you think. It’s a new style and voice for me and I’d love to hear your reaction.
There are two other complete short stories in the Fictionalia section of this Substack, so check those out when you’re looking for the kind of distraction / entertainment that only a short story can provide.
Enjoy your holidays, and get some rest.
Ed, thank you for the sharing of The Unschool!
What a great re-cap of your year--and I so like the idea of printing the book for beta-readers instead of a pdf on-screen of some such. It must feel good in the hand, as a book should.
Looking forward to what grows in 2023. Onward, and Peace--
Alison