Dear Reader, Issue 7, Volume 1

Friends in fiction, spooktacular stories, and you, my dear reader.

Dear Reader:

My only entry for the October 1 issue of Elegant Literature was rejected, as I suspected. The short story was not a terrible piece of writing. It lacked a character who was identifiable. This continues to be an area where I struggle, but I am slowly making progress. Inventing a plot, describing scenery or action, and even writing dialogue is getting easier, but those pesky memorable characters elude me.

I submitted two entries for the issue that is available on November 1. Both of those were solid, but after completing them, only one is what I would consider publication quality. Fellow writer Tom Pendergast of Caribunkle, was kind enough to offer me feedback on one of those short stories before I submit. I am thankful to be connecting with other Substack writers willing to do that. After his feedback, and my wife’s, I cut 300 words!

For the month of October (December 1 publication), I am planning only one submission. I want it to be rock solid, spending quality time on creating a memorable character, and giving Mr. Pendergast, and possibly a few others, ample time to provide feedback.

Spooktacular Season

October is here! My stories will take on a supernatural or cryptozoological shift in tone. I do not think they would be considered modern horror by any stretch. They will contain a few more frights than normal. As an added bonus, the story I have for this upcoming Wednesday will include another podcast, similar to The Michigan Dogman. Dare I say it is Lovecraftian in nature.

The Michigan Dogman

For one week in October, as an addition to a short story, or possibly as an added bonus on Halloween night, I was thinking of writing a poem. The oldest piece of fiction writing I have from my childhood is a poem. I wrote in third or fourth grade about a ghost. We had to take an existing nursery rhyme and give it a Halloween theme. I loved that assignment, but that’s the extent of my poetry experience. I expect to break every rule — if there are any with poetry.

If you have any advice about writing poems, let me know in the comments. 

Dear Reader Newsletter?

Even though I send out Dear Reader only twice a month, I am aware that it is not fiction. It is about my progress toward paid publication, as well as updates on what I am currently writing… or not writing. For this reason, I am considering making Dear Reader a section of Future Thief. What that means is that you can unsubscribe from these posts if you choose.

The only reason I have not done that yet is because I am too lazy. It requires adding information and complexity that I am not sure is warranted. As a result, I am going to include a poll here for you to decide! I have never used the Substack poll feature, so this may be a spectacular failure. At least it will be spectacular. Possibly spooktacular.

The poll will close in one week.

Happy Reading,

Brian Reindel