Every so often I opine over on Substack Notes (this platform’s equivalent of X/Twitter, for those not in the know) about what I should publish for my authorial debut.
So just to make sure I'm clear—and forgive me if I'm asking something that already has an obvious answer, I'm existing on an hour of sleep, an overload of caffeine, and raw spite today—were you looking to expand one or more of these into a larger tale, or are you looking to put together a collection of related stories?
I’m considering the idea of putting together a short story collection, with the common theme being historical fiction/fantasy, and these are the stories I’m considering for inclusion. Obviously, there will be some revision and reworking involved.
Got it. I can see a few options for how to go here. The easiest one in terms of getting a good amount of stories together would probably be to just gather everything that you've as historical and make a collection based on that. The upside is that's a quick and easy way to fill out the book. The downside comes in the heavy tonal and stylistic shifts of going from something like Legends of the Revolution to Slyfforic the Strong-ish. Not to say it can't work, but there may be extra organizing challenges that come with that.
The better option, I think, would be to put the book together based on a specific series and/or a specific style. For example, gather up and rework all your Legends of the Revolution stories, maybe write one or two new ones if the muse strikes, and release Legends of the Revolution as its own collection. Or you could gather up all the Slyfforic stories and pair them with some of your other comedic work and have something like The Adventures of Slyfforic the Strong-ish and Other Amusing Yarns. You could do something similar with Legends by pairing it with some of your other more serious/action heavy stories, too, and using a similar naming convention.
Ultimately, the route you decide to go will probably be most heavily influenced by whichever kind of stories are best igniting your imagination at the moment. I know that personally, I think seeing Legends compiled would be great, doubly so if that ends up inspiring you to expand on that series further. With how you've set that series up, there's lots of potential to build it out into a larger anthology, maybe even something in a similar vein to Bros Krynn's 'Crown of Blood' if the ideas catch. You've already established a lot of history in that series, so there's tons of potential to mine there, but even if you don't, I do think that's the strongest collection of stories of the options you're considering.
Wow, I had no idea you had all these! I say focus on writing what's coming from your heart at the moment. If you ever have a contract, you won't have that luxury.
CAMEMBERT FOREVER!! Just create a few more cheesy shorts and have yourself a Cheese Shop. You could create a whole new genre — ROM-CAM.
I apologize. I know you’re asking for real and I know your heart lies in fantasy.
Well, I do aim to fascinate you, and if ROM-CAM is what does the trick…🤔🤷🏻♂️
Our anniversary IS tomorrow…
Nice list, man. I think I have a favorite here...
https://joshtatter.substack.com/p/the-outlaws-blade-part-1
So just to make sure I'm clear—and forgive me if I'm asking something that already has an obvious answer, I'm existing on an hour of sleep, an overload of caffeine, and raw spite today—were you looking to expand one or more of these into a larger tale, or are you looking to put together a collection of related stories?
I’m considering the idea of putting together a short story collection, with the common theme being historical fiction/fantasy, and these are the stories I’m considering for inclusion. Obviously, there will be some revision and reworking involved.
Got it. I can see a few options for how to go here. The easiest one in terms of getting a good amount of stories together would probably be to just gather everything that you've as historical and make a collection based on that. The upside is that's a quick and easy way to fill out the book. The downside comes in the heavy tonal and stylistic shifts of going from something like Legends of the Revolution to Slyfforic the Strong-ish. Not to say it can't work, but there may be extra organizing challenges that come with that.
The better option, I think, would be to put the book together based on a specific series and/or a specific style. For example, gather up and rework all your Legends of the Revolution stories, maybe write one or two new ones if the muse strikes, and release Legends of the Revolution as its own collection. Or you could gather up all the Slyfforic stories and pair them with some of your other comedic work and have something like The Adventures of Slyfforic the Strong-ish and Other Amusing Yarns. You could do something similar with Legends by pairing it with some of your other more serious/action heavy stories, too, and using a similar naming convention.
Ultimately, the route you decide to go will probably be most heavily influenced by whichever kind of stories are best igniting your imagination at the moment. I know that personally, I think seeing Legends compiled would be great, doubly so if that ends up inspiring you to expand on that series further. With how you've set that series up, there's lots of potential to build it out into a larger anthology, maybe even something in a similar vein to Bros Krynn's 'Crown of Blood' if the ideas catch. You've already established a lot of history in that series, so there's tons of potential to mine there, but even if you don't, I do think that's the strongest collection of stories of the options you're considering.
https://youtu.be/0VSXqgvl8dQ?is=M3UFdQxz4cZi-j26
Do them all, publish it, and send me a DM when it's done and I'll buy the first copy.
Wow, I had no idea you had all these! I say focus on writing what's coming from your heart at the moment. If you ever have a contract, you won't have that luxury.