Weekly Writing Boost #8: My favorite Substacks

A round-up post since I'm on vacation

Mindset, motivation and inspiration for novelists—with a dash of instruction about writing craft added in. Because—you want to get your writing done, don’t you? You want to get those words on the page? Yes, yes you do. Subscribe (free or paid) to get the fuel you need for your writing career.

Where you’ll find me this week, by the water. Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

I’m on vacation this week, in a magical place called Arch Cape on the Oregon Coast. There’s a whole mob of us here, family and friends—four houses full—and it’s chaos, but it’s also the best fun ever. I was going to leave you unattended and all on your own but then I had a brilliant idea—I could spread some love and share my favorite other Substackers. I am a sucker for collecting information, so I subscribe a lot of them. For that reason I’m going to focus on other writers (though I am sneaking a few others). Here we go:

Writers and Substacks on Writing

The Kureishi Chronicles, by Hanif Kureishi. Noted dramatist and writer Kureishi (My Beautiful Laundrette, The Buddha of Suburbia) had an unfortunate accident the day after Christmas in 2022. While strolling through Rome, he fell and is now paralyzed, without the use of his hands. He dictates his posts to his son from a hospital bed. Often searing, always fascinating.

Writers at Work on Substack with Sarah Fay. Sarah is a passionate Substacker because she believes every writer should get paid fairly for their work. Her posts are full of actionable tips and helpful ideas. I’m a fan.

Danielle’s Newsletter, the newsletter of author Danielle Trussoni. She’s my favorite horror writer—in truth, the only horror writer I read. Love reading the behind-the-scenes scoop on her book. Also—in a few interactions I’ve had with her, she’s a generous, kind soul.

The Creative Edge, from J.T. Ellison. She’s a thriller writer and friend of friends in Nashville. I love her motivational posts.

Brooke Lea Foster’s Dear Fiction. This is Brooke’s author newsletter and it always has interesting doings and news in it. She has an ongoing book club and often features writer interviews.

The Caffeinated Writer, by Michelle Redmond. Full of good advice on fiction and the writing life.

Backstory Serial. I am all over this—I love the way these three not only are writing a romance in serial form but include all kinds of supporting posts about the setting and so on. I aspire to add such things to my own Substack! Oh, and you might have heard of the authors—E. Jean Carroll, Mary Trump and Jennifer Traub. Plus, there is knitting. And cats.

So Novelicious, Books & Reading & More Books by Gayla Gray. I count on Gayla for great links and book reccs.

Others of Note

Letters to my Mother, by Cecelia from New Zealand who some of you may know from her longtime, popular blog, TheKitchensGarden. Cece and I met back in the glory days of blogging and we’ve become friends. Her stories of New Zealand and tales from her farmy in Illinois will entertain and educate you—she’s a passionate advocate for sustainability.

Why Living Today Rocks by Mark Dolan. Mark and I have gotten to know each other through our Substacks and he’s a great guy. Even better, he always has something interesting going on in his brain which he then transfers to the page. Go subscribe.

Everything is Amazing. Mike Snowden, another cool dude. Quirky, entertaining posts.

I could go on and on, but I’ve given you enough to stay busy for quite some time! Leave me a note in the comments if you share my love for any of these newsletters—or have others you’d like to recommend.

Thank you to my new subscribers! It means so much when you place your faith in me and tell me that these posts inspire or motivate you!If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, please feel free to share or subscribe. I’d love to have you part of the community! Free subscribers have access to all my articles on Substack, while paid subscribers can expect classes, zoom Q and As and more.