Feedback, Friendship, Fiction, Fictionistas
The community being built by a group of fiction writers on Substack
A community is defined as a unified body of individuals. Being part of a community can give one a sense of belonging, camaraderie and even purpose. Fictionistas is giving that to fiction writers on Substack.
Founded by Jackie Dana and Geoffrey Golden, Fictionistas is a group of writers on Substack who came together on a Discord server. The two founders met at the Substack Grow program in 2021.
“We decided to launch Fictionistas because there were a lot of fiction writers in the program and on Discord, but we weren’t getting a lot of recognition on Substack,” Dana said. She added there wasn’t even a fiction category on Substack at the time.
Golden said the tips and tricks taught in the Substack Grow program were geared toward non-fiction writers, and they wanted a resource for the work they were doing, which was writing fiction.
I came across Fictionistas when one of the writers I follow published their chapter of the Great Substack Story Challenge, a narrative relay where a different writer wrote a chapter of a story in chronological order. They had my interest right away and I subscribed immediately. I even participated in their March prompt celebration, which included a Zoom meeting hosted by Nicole Rivera.
Part of the inspiration for Fictionistas was Rivera’s Stop Writing Alone podcast. Rivera said Dana loved what Stop Writing Alone had to offer and thought fiction writers on Substack needed similar community support.
Fiction writers on Substack, like myself, no longer need community support because they have it in Fictionistas. They invite everyone to monthly zoom meetings and prompt challenges on top of hosting office hours where writers answer questions. And they plan to continue offering support to the community as they grow. Golden said as they add features and grow, the group is committed to their purpose of bringing writers together to help each other develop newsletters. And growing is exactly what they’re doing.
Dana said she envisioned Fictionistas being a small community of 25 to 50 people. With almost 1,400 members, it has grown beyond her expectations. She also said a number of people have stepped up to write for Fictionistas or organize activities. Brian Reindel is one of the numerous fiction writers on Substack that is writing for Fictionistas now. He’s excited to be part of what is recognized as the predominant fiction community on Substack.
“It’s nothing like social media, or other online communities, where everyone is constantly vying for the top spot, or to be considered the ultimate authority,” Reindel said. “We’re all very hopeful and helpful about fiction and seeing one another succeed. It comes about naturally through volunteers.”
Rivera and Heather Huffman are just a couple of those volunteers who are doing important work for Fictionistas. They share prompts and host prompt parties for the group. Huffman believes the prompt parties are successful because writers of all levels get to write together and read a first draft to each other.
“None of the stories are perfect; sometimes they don’t make sense,” Huffman said. “But reading them helps others to find the courage to read too. What I love about what we are doing in the Fictionistas community is that I hear the first draft on the call and then read the polished piece soon after. The transformation from the party to the finished work is magical.”
J.E. Petersen, another member of the Fictionistas community, is loving the prompt challenges along with the writing relays and monthly zoom calls. He’s excited about the ideas around cross-promotion, collaboration and matchmaking for one-on-one mentorships.
“It's honestly incredible how quickly this has become such a vibrant and supportive network of fiction writers,” Petersen said. “It's an incredibly good place to find writers who not only share your vibe, but are at your level in terms of experience and readership, as well as those who are far ahead.”
Petersen believes Fictionistas is positioned to leverage the Substack model to help new fiction writers get discovered and make a living on their work. Golden believes the Substack model of writing a newsletter that’s sent directly to subscribers can help writers break unproductive habits.
“Writers can use the pace of a newsletter to learn how to publish regularly and be less precious,” Golden said. “Sometimes writers get in their own heads and want to draft and redraft something for years.”
Golden hopes Fictionistas makes the newsletter-writing process easier for all fiction writers and lifts up the writing community as a whole. Dana’s goal is to provide a platform for fiction writers to connect, collaborate and support each other.
“Writing can be a solitary and isolating activity, and I believe that by building a strong community, writers can find inspiration, motivation, and valuable feedback to improve their craft,” Dana said.
I, for one, am glad I discovered Fictionistas. I look forward to being part of the community they’re building. I encourage everyone to check them out.
Great article!
Thanks for the terrific article. Looking forward to your participation in Fictionistas!