Fiction writing!

I don't have much to say on the essay front tbh

Dear Reader,

I’ve been reading so many substack articles, and so many essays and newsletters, and I love them all but I’m afraid as much of a talker as I am (my sister once called me a D1 yapper over text and I fear it’s stuck), I don’t think I have much of consequence to say. I also don’t enjoy writing essays in the way that I thought I would- I care too much about how much of myself I am putting online, and I’m approaching an era of my life where I want to play my cards much closer to the chest than I used to. But I am still a writer, and I fear that I am losing my touch in storytelling.

I want to turn this space into something more productive for me. I hope to start publishing my short stories and flash fiction on here soon! Some part of me views this as a failure. No magazines would accept this, no agents wanted my work, and for all I know these stories suck, and all I am going to get beyond silence is brutal critique and hate. But I am aiming for vulnerability. Secrecy has gotten me nowhere so far, and I don’t want to keep writing only diary entries. I also want to write more short stories period, and sharpen my skills on that front. Novels and full length manuscripts are taking too much of my heart and soul from me, so for now I’ll have to start rationing out. I hope that is something you will enjoy, and something that I can continue to cultivate on here.

With love,

L. B Berry