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Summary

The author, a Pushcart-nominated fiction writer, discusses the challenges of writing and publishing fiction, particularly on Medium, and shares links to some of her published stories.

Abstract

The author begins by introducing herself as a fiction writer who has been published on Medium and other platforms but has never made any money from her fiction. She mentions that writing fiction takes time and focus, and that her stories have not received much love or attention. She then shares links to some of her published stories, including "The Black Pigeon," which was based on her friendship with a homeless man named Ike. She also mentions that she has considered printing her novella "Graceless" as a hard copy book. The author then clarifies that this piece is not a rant but a bid to introduce readers to her fiction pieces. She includes links to some of her favorite stories and encourages readers to check them out.

Bullet points

  • The author is a Pushcart-nominated fiction writer who has been published on Medium and other platforms.
  • She has never made any money from her fiction, despite spending significant time and effort on it.
  • Writing fiction takes time and focus, and her stories have not received much attention or love.
  • The author shares links to some of her published stories, including "The Black Pigeon" and "Graceless."
  • She has considered printing her novella "Graceless" as a hard copy book.
  • This piece is not a rant but a bid to introduce readers to her fiction pieces.
  • The author includes links to some of her favorite stories and encourages readers to check them out.

Why I Don’t Write Fiction for Medium

Fiction is the red-headed stepchild of online content

Photo Credit — Alan Levine / Flickr

Long before I started making helpful suggestions here on Medium about keeping your lady bits sweet and clean or the delights of foreskins or what a drag wearing a bra is, I was a fiction writer. An actual Pushcart-nominated fiction writer.

Who never made a penny on any of her published fiction including stories published internationally.

You will find a fair amount of fiction written by me published on Medium. I’ve had the privilege of being a featured writer for Literally Literary, The Nonconformist Magazine, Plan B Vibe, The London Literary Review, and The Narrative among others. Nearly everything fictional that I have had published on Medium has been pulled from my vaults and polished up a bit.

This includes my final, “The Black Pigeon”, for a writing course at Case Western Reserve University on which my professor, PEN/Hemingway finalist Steve Lattimore, wrote: “You will be a publishing writer. I guarantee it”.

I based some events in that story on my friendship with Ike, a guy I met while he was sleeping out on the streets of Cleveland Ohio in the winter (Ike blessing my feet was not fictional, btw).

There is only one story I can think of that I wrote to publish on Medium and it found a warm and welcome home on Literally Literary in May 2019.

Writing fiction takes time and focus. I can’t slam out a well-constructed, entertaining fictional story in the three hours I lavish on my personal essays that also find lots of eyes here on Medium. And those days and even weeks spent writing and revising and tweaking and re-writing a great piece of fiction just do not get much love. Not on Medium, not anywhere online, not out here in the three-dimensional world of people reading real paper books on the subway.

When I publish something like the below piece on Medium, I make money (not a lot, but certainly more than any of my fiction has ever earned).

For example, I spent most of 2016 working on a novella called “Graceless”. It’s a first-person, present-time account from the point of view of Grace who’s living on the street. Over a year ago I floated the first chapter as a series here on Medium using my partner’s photography to illuminate the piece. To date, it’s gotten 124 claps from two people who, presumably, have read it.

Even so, I’m still considering taking Grace on over to Shakespeare & Co and printing her up as a hard copy book on their Espresso Book Printing Gizmo. You’ll let me know if you’d like a signed copy, right?

Just to be super duper clear about what I’m doing with this piece: it is not a rant and nor is it a case of the howling fantods. It is a blatant bid to introduce readers to my fiction pieces! I’m including links to some of my faves below as well as a link to subscribe to my free weekly newsletter. I’m thinking that if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably one of my regular readers (oooooo, thank you!) who may or may not realize that in my other life I’m a fiction writer.

Maybe fiction isn’t your preferred poison and that’s cool

But these stories represent significant outlays of time, effort, focus, and intention. I’ll say it myself: they deserve readers. Maybe they deserve you.

“Fallow Fields” was my first piece to be published in an anthology in a real paper book with cover art and everything! Gertrude Press finalist, 2007.

“The Last Risk” put me in the company of internationally-published writers when it was included in the Summer 2011 issue of Takahe Literary Magazine, again a real paper book anthology……….for which I was paid two copies of the issue.

Most of the rest of these pieces only first found readers on Medium and I believe you’ll enjoy reading them.

Even I had to have a go at the vampire story!

Forget the Big Bang; this is the real story behind the birth of the universe.

My humble thanks to you. I only hope I made it worth your while.

Welcome!

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Fiction
Fiction Writing
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