I am a prolific fiction writer,
having written and published over 70 novels, 9 novellas, and 230+ short stories in the past 9 years. And that timeframe includes two years during which I wrote almost no fiction.
I have always been fascinated with the idea of writing “in public.” Doing so is the ultimate test of faith-in testimony-to writing into the dark.
Instead of controlling the events of a story and the characters’ reactions to those events from some authorial ivory tower, I trust the characters. After all, they, not I, are actually living the story. So I ditched the glowing authorial robes long ago.
I slip into sneakers, jeans and a t-shirt, roll off the parapet into the trenches of the story, and race through it with them, trying to keep up. I am their scribe. Their recorder. Or as Stephen King calls himself, their stenographer.
As the story unfolds all around us, I simply write whatever happens and record what the characters say and do in response. It’s the most fun any writer can ever have, but only if s/he Trusts the characters.
Now, as the ultimate test of my faith in writing into the dark, and as a testimony to how wonderful it is, I’m starting this stubstack. Here, readers can watch along with me as the story unfolds.
Each day that I write (so most days), at the end of the day I’ll spell-check and post the 1 to 3 or more chapters I wrote that day.
I currently have two other substacks:
In Harvey’s (Almost) Daily Journal (https://harveystanbrough.substack.com/) I write this Journal. It will continue as-is, morphing over time, as the Journal has since I started it 9 years ago (almost to the day).
What I write in the Journal is not for myself. The quotes and feature articles and free giveaways and topics and tips and items in "Of Interest" section are me paying forward what I've learned and know to be true today.
The Journal is for those writers and would-be writers who are coming up behind me. They are for the me who existed 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 year ago.
The Journal is also the only place on the internet where you can read regularly about Heinlein's Rules as they were written, and about writing into the dark.
In Stanbrough Writes (https://stanbroughwrites.substack.com/) I publish a new short story each week. It too will continue in perpetuity as long as I keep writing and readers keep reading. I can pre-post stories to that one, so it's a little less time-intensive than the Journal.
And now this "Stanbrough Writing in Public" Substack
The process won't be quite as transparent as Harlan Ellison sitting behind a department store window and writing short stories on his typewriter (his assistant "posted" them one page at a time against the window) as onlookers watched from the sidewalk, but it will be close.
Like my other substacks, I expect this one will always be free, though donations are appreciated.
If you would like to read a novel as it unfolds, one to four chapters at a time (whatever I write that day on the novel)….
YES - exciting!