I've been struggling with self-doubt brewing in my subconscious like a storm on the open ocean. There’s a sense of panic mixed with turbulent uncertainty. It's akin to what some might call "Imposter Syndrome". Apparently, it’s quite common and comes in various forms. The good thing is that I’m not depressed because of it. On the contrary, I’m quite happy with my writing, running this Substack, and interacting with you.

I believe it’s stemming from the fact that I’m being too hard on myself to be “better”; in a way where I feel compelled to be someone I’m not. I follow a lot of other Substacks and I’m wowed at the amazing talent present on the platform. It’s truly incredible. Then, I think: is what I’m doing worth people’s time?

The irony in all of this is that I cringe under the spotlight. I’m terrible at public speaking, and I’d much rather function in the background as part of a team-driven project. But I can’t accomplish a whole lot sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone to tell me what to do, especially when it involves my own passions. So here we are.

A year ago, almost to the day, I was pushing for 100 subscribers. I told myself, "At 100 subscribers, you've made it." But who was I kidding? That's not how any of this works. Once you hit a milestone, another one emerges. 250 becomes 500, 500 becomes 1000, and so on. The mark of "success" is an ever-moving goal post.

Whenever I lose sight of my goals, it’s like I’m navigating stormy seas without any bearing or direction. I have to constantly remind myself that satisfaction comes from within, to be at peace with the work and not the results. That’s not to say that I shouldn’t reflect on my accomplishments, but I should treat them like buoys bobbing along the surface, guiding me toward the stability of solid ground.

I'm the same person as when I was vying for those initial signups, questioning whether what I provide has value or not. Nothing has changed. True, my eyesight has worsened, but my overall mission, my personality, and my writing remain unwavering. We don’t have the ability to decide what has value for someone else. That can be the ultimate trap, fulfilling the desires of others over our own.

I hope this post is encouraging for anyone starting out, or for people who feel like they aren't getting anywhere with their writing. I'm of the notion that more transparency is almost always better than less. People like achieving milestones, especially achievements that are a result of a collective effort. Substack has become a perfect place to collaborate and network toward these shared goals.

None of my posts have gone “viral”. I stick to a semi-rigid schedule by posting 2 times a week, sometimes 3 if I have a newsletter going out. My subscriber count has slowly, yet consistently grown mostly from the Substack network (80% of all traffic). In the past 12 months, the community here has increased exponentially.

I would like to thank you for be curious enough to check out The Storyletter. I’m going to attempt to not overthink your reasons for being here. A good thing is that after sending out the subscription survey, I’ve seen a lot of wonderful feedback on how I can improve. Big THANK YOU to those of you who filled out that form. I’ll go into more detail on those results later in the newsletter.

Keep chugging along, but don’t worry yourself into an early grave. You have value. You have purpose. You have people to talk to. The storm will pass. If you have any questions, or just want to chat, email me at storyletter@protonmail.com. ~ WM

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What’s Happening in March

• Storyletter News

• Writing Prompt - Exploring the Unknown

• The Indie Promo Space - Realms of Roush

• Tips + Tricks - Working Without Purpose

• Open Calls

• Contests

• Gift of the Month - Story Phantom Cork-back Coaster

• Up Next

• In Case You Missed It

• Storyletter Survey - The initial results of the survey are in! I’d like to do a more in-depth analysis, but I’ll share some of the key points here:

  • Paid: 100% of paying subscribers who participated in the survey said that they upgraded to show support and for publication opportunities.

    • One comment mentioned that the private Discord wasn’t as active as they’d hoped. I totally understand. I’m thinking of new ways to increase the connectivity of members in a manner that provides value. (Feel free to discuss in the Discord)

  • Free: A majority of subscribers (66.7%) stated that they signed up to be a part of the community, while 50% stated that they simply like to read fiction. The top reasons for not upgrading to paid were mostly due to financial reasons. 59% stated they were not likely to upgrade. Although, that leaves 41% of participants who were somewhat likely to upgrade in the future.

    • Several comments claimed that if they received a product with their paid subscription, they would sign up. Based on this input, I’ve decided that when I publish my first short story collection, I’ll include a complimentary e-book version to all current and future paid subscribers. Once the Storyletter Anthology becomes a reality, I’ll include that as well.

    • One comment stipulated that if they were certain to receive a reciprocal benefit, then they’d consider it. I may need more input, but I may give priority Showcase and Interview opportunities to paying subscribers. It won’t be exclusive, but priority status might be a worthy benefit.

    • Another comment mentioned a special way to conduct future writing prompts which I really liked. I shall ponder how best to execute it.

  • Summary: The feedback was incredibly insightful, with lots of positive and constructive comments that I will take into consideration moving forward. I’ll be eager to see if things shift over time as more people sign up and fill out the survey. If you haven’t done the survey, and would like to, here is the link to the form:

    Storyletter Survey

• Along Harrowed Trails Kickstarter

  • Last year, I submitted a short story to an open call for Western Horror by Timber Ghost Press. It got accepted and will be featured in the anthology, “Along Harrowed Trails”, coming out this year. For the initial launch, the book will be run as a Kickstarter. I backed Timber Ghost Press’ previous anthology, “Dead Stars and Stone Arches”, and was thoroughly impressed with the quality of not only the book, but the short stories and poetry found inside. The upcoming anthology is professionally edited, features a ton of talented writers (established and emerging), and the cover is both gorgeous and horrifying. If you’re interested in backing the book in order to get first dibs, as well as support a small press, click the button below to follow the project’s updates:

Back Along Harrowed Trails

Writing Prompt - Exploring the Unknown

The Storyletter hosts quarterly writing events. Writers can either post the story on their own Substack and we’ll cross-post it to our audience, or the story can be submitted for publication consideration as a Storyletter Original. Storyletter Originals are automatically eligible for inclusion in the Storyletter Anthology (volume one currently in the works). For more information, check out the post below:

The Storyletter

Storyletter Prompt: Exploring the Unknown

Read more

4 days ago · 11 likes · Winston Malone

Indie Promo - Realms of Roush

Escape to new and exciting realms once a month with Realms of Roush. This newsletter (and podcast) gives you new sci-fi and fantasy stories right in your inbox. Check out "Eagle," a post-apocalyptic comedy to get a taste Realms of Roush.

Realms of Roush Explore new worlds from your inbox, once a month. Realms of Roush takes you to the realms of sci-fi, fantasy, and creative essays. By Zachary Roush

*If you’d like to promote something in The Storyletter’s monthly newsletter, send me your pitch in an email to storyletter@protonmail.com

Tips & Tricks - Work Without Purpose

Open Calls

• The Sentinel Creatives - Medieval Horror short stories | Deadline: April 15

• DarkLit Press - Dark and speculative fiction novels and novellas

• Future House Publishing - Speculative, family-friendly novels

• Ballads of the Distant Reaches - Fantasy short story pitches

• Eerie River Publishing - Year of the Tarot Anthology series

Contests

• Cleaver’s Form and Form-breaking Poetry Contest - Deadline March 31 ($15 fee)

• Nimrod International Journal (poetry, short fiction, nonfiction) - Deadline April 1 - ($3)

• Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest - Deadline April 1 - (no fee)

• Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival Poetry & Short Story Contest - Deadline April 28 - ($10 fee)

• Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest - Deadline April 30 - ($22 fee)

• Parsec Short Story Contest - Deadline May 1 (no fee)

• First Pages Prize - Opens March 1 through April 10 - ($20 fee)

• Something or Other Publishing Contest - Deadline July 31st (no fee)

Purchase Story Phantom Coaster

Up Next

• April’s XPress Access post will be “To Build a Store”. I’ll break down the costs, steps, and things to consider when launching a store like the Gift Shop.

• “The Weight of the World” collection is with the editor, but I’m struggling with the cover design. I was going to draw it myself, but now I’m not so sure. Can’t bring myself to do AI art either, so I’ll be reaching out to my artist for her thoughts on what we can come up with.

• The “Exploring the Unknown” prompt will run through May, then we’ll gear up for the annual S6 Contest (more on that as we get closer to Summer).

• There’s been a lot of discussion around Kickstarter lately. However, I’m not so sure that I want to divest my time and energy into another platform. I’m likely going to double down on Substack in order to find possible ways of improving the paid services that I provide here before asking for money elsewhere. I’ll be announcing some big changes in the coming months.

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• Prompt Announcement - Exploring the Unknown

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