I don’t have a great answer to that question as I bring a significant amount of personal uncertainty to this endeavor. I’ve spent the last five years writing short stories, researching lit mags for publication, submitting works, receiving the occasional positive feedback (as opposed to stock denial emails) and seeing my work published online in a few lit mags. As I entered this year, I was prepared to begin the process all over again with a strong short story that I was confident could make the short list of a fiction contest. Then came an existential crisis full of questions like “Why am I doing this?”, “What if I’m not a good writer?”, “Should I take on some extra student loan debt for a creative writing degree to confirm this or tell me otherwise?”, “Would I continue to enjoy writing if no one ever read anything I wrote?”.
Instead of answering those questions in a flurry of applications or another quiet round of submissions, I decided to make something public. Unpolished. Imperfect. But honest. Serial Smithery is my attempt to write in the open—not just stories, but also the ongoing mess of trying to become a better writer. Some weeks I’ll share short fiction, other times it might be a scene, a scrap, or a reflection on what I’m learning (or unlearning). The point isn’t to prove I’m good at this. The point is to show up and see what comes of it.
And that shift didn’t come naturally. If I wanted to reach real readers, I had to do things well outside my comfort zone. So I made a plan, set goals, identified an audience, joined writing groups (ugh…networking), updated social media (also ugh), told people what I was building, designed a logo, picked a mildly clever name, and—hardest of all—committed to a profile picture.
From here on, I’ll post something—a short story, a scene, a scrap of dialogue, or just a reflection on where I’m stuck and what I’m learning. Some of it will be crime fiction, mystery, or sci-fi. Some of it won’t. But it will always be part of the process. If you love these genres, or just enjoy following a writer’s journey, I hope you’ll stick around. Subscribe below and share if it speaks to you. No grand launch, no promises—just one word at a time.
I started with all the same concerns, Scott, PLUS the concern of will I even be able to figure out the "setting up and listing process". All my fears were unfounded. Substack makes it so easy. And my progress has been great in seven months - considering that I am not on any social media. I hope in the last five months you have been able to silence those critical, undermining voices in your head and proven them wrong! I am not typically a fan of crime stories, but I am reading YOUR stuff to see what you are about. More comments later. Again, thanks for the help with creating sections. Sharron at Leaves.
Thanks for the recommendation! Much appreciated! Every little shout helps, as you know. I appreciate your confidence in my work. You have been recommended by 🍁Leaves ever since I started slobbering over Genesis Block a few months back. I hope it helped in some way.
Sharron