Waiting is overrated (so skip it)
Novel Nest Newsletter for May 2025
Hey, y’all!
Ever feel like writing is just a series of waiting games?
After putting a story out on submission, waiting to hear back is a helluva slog.
Maybe it’s because I’m a rather slow writer and only ever have one story out on sub at a time, but even 30 days — a relatively fast turnaround time, all things considered — feels like FO-RE-VER.
Tom Petty said it simply and best: The waiting is the hardest part.
Waiting around to hear back on the status of a submission, or waiting for your beta reader or editor to provide feedback, or waiting around for your proof or author copies to arrive takes its toll.
We have questions, and anxieties.
We want that fast, dopaminergic validation hit.
We wonder what the person on the other side of the screen is thinking.
Those questions, and anxieties, and validation needs, and wonderings has ways of draining the creative energy and deflating the psyche. Yet, creative people, no matter what kind of art we produce, must relentlessly protect our energies and psyches.
While on sub with one story, I skip the waiting altogether and get back to writing. My novel ain’t going to write itself, after all.
But, most recently, I’ve also been dabbling in one-sentence stories as a way to stretch the writerly muscles. And bite-sized spec-horror? Kinda my thing.
So if you, too, find yourself in a waiting hellscape, consider stretching your writerly muscles, giving yourself a good old-fashioned conditioning.
If you’re out on sub with a novel, pen some short stories or personal essays.
If you usually write short stories, try a few one- or two-sentence stories.
Changing up the genre or medium may make the waiting feel a little less hard.
If you have a Substack or other newsletter where you share your original stories and writing, please add your link to the comments! Who knows, you might find some new readers. <3
Join Novel Nest Writers on Discord
Writers need not exist in isolation. In fact, accountability and mutual support can make the writing flow better and keep the ideas coming because another human being is there doing the hard thing, too. And we’re already getting some interesting results, including a finished manuscript — how fuggin‘ cool!
In the Novel Nest Writers discord server, we mute our mics, turn on our cameras (if willing, never required), and focus on our stories for two hours together. We’d love for you to join us.
Come into The Writing Room and write with us every Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET for no cost.
And if you prefer something more intense, you can grab a Nest Plus membership which comes with a monthly mini story coaching session (15-20 minutes) so you can get personalized feedback on your writing and special discounts for private editorial services. Nest Plus memberships are just $29.99 per month.
Writing Craft Roundup
I’m skipping over the remaining point-of-view deep dives in this newsletter because the information is already available in my POV booklet, which you may download today by naming your fair price, even if that fair price is $0. Because life.
All linked articles below were originally published by MetaStellar Magazine and are available in both text and video formats.
When to Stop Revising
Knowing when your story is done is a writing superpower. Learn how to define and hit that critical “done” point so you can move onto the next piece of writing.
(P.S. Apparently, nobody noticed that I drew the reaper’s hand backward. Pobody is nerfect.)
Overcoming Story Submission Fatigue
Don’t let submission fatigue force you to stop and consider whether writing stories is worth the effort. Instead, overcome that showstopping submission fatigue with these tips.
Word Count by Genre: A Guide for Novelists
Make sure your book is appropriately sized for your chosen audience before you submit your manuscript for consideration.
The Peaceful Writing Process
How can we be content with our writing progress when it comes in small bites that leave us hungry for more? Yes, writing is hard. But a good process will help you make peace with your writing.
Now, a question for you . . .
In the digital age with all the AI tools and resources we could want (and probably a bunch we don’t want, let’s be honest), figuring out how I can help you develop books and stories books and wrangle your language to make sure the books you want to write are the books that end up on your pages has become rather difficult.
To write a newsletter with stuff you want to read and can actually use, I’d love to know:
Are you interested in a Books & Bagels workshop during which we handcraft, boil, and bake bagels together while talking through story development via an informal (and probably flour-covered) Q&A?
Or a group workshop all about self-editing and how best to wrangle those words and get them working for you?
Or a specific topic you’d like to hear about, a question burning you haven’t yet asked or for which you’ve not found a satisfactory answer?
Don’t wait around and hope I write THE THING YOU NEED.
Reply to this message, leave a comment, or send me a personal email (FallonClark@protonmail.com - I promise I don’t bite) — whatever fits your fancy — to let me know how I can best serve you.
I have a problem with waiting too, especially for news important to me. But in general I hate waiting.