Write More with Simon K Jones

Well, this was delightful. Just having got back from her US book launch, Eleanor Anstruther joined me for a live chat about the mixed feelings that always accompany the completion of major projects.We discuss:* Fallout’s winding road to publication and how it caught the attention of Empress Editions* How the Tales from the Triverse finale took longer than expected* Trying to host a book launch when London’s transport network goes on strike* My print plans for Triverse* Online communities and meeting cool people* The button you really shouldn’t press during a live streamThank you Mona Mona, Cherry Coombe, Ever Blue | Serial Romance, CPro99, Kell Willsen, and many others for tuning into my live video with Eleanor Anstruther! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Orna Ross 📚 invited me onto her regular salon live session to talk about serial fiction. It was a whistlestop and detailed examination of the form as it exists on Substack.* Why I moved from Wattpad to Substack* Why Substack is an excellent platform for serial fiction despite its many quirks* Promotion and finding readers* Structuring a serial and onboarding new readers This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Last week I wrote about the importance of knowing the rules before trying to bend them. By being daring and breaking new ground, we can take some active measures to keep our heads above the slop tide. Here’s that post:It still might not be enough. There’s also the reality that we can’t all be genre-redefining creative geniuses. Sometimes we just want to write what we want to write, without the pressure of reinventing the artform.If there’s a challenge, it’s in proving that we’re alive in the first place. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

It’s getting increasingly difficult to be mediocre. Being average used to be a solid career path, and often would yield far greater financial success that being an outlier at the top or bottom of the quality curve. What does it take to stand out in 2026? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Here is a big brain dump on monetisation of fiction newsletters, after 5 years in the trenches. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Last week I was invited by Erica Drayton to join her and S.E. Reid to natter about publishing serial fiction on Substack. What followed was a very nuts-and-bolts discussion about the process of publishing serials, including taking a close look at publishing on Substack specifically. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

I started writing Tales from the Triverse in the summer of 2021 and didn’t finish until January this year. Four and a half years working on a serial, with each chapter building upon what came before. This month, I began working on my first post-Triverse fiction. You'll find a reading of an extract of it at the end of this episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

The Koettlitz family motto was nils sine labore, which translates to ‘nothing without labour’. In the 19th century, travelling the globe and enduring Antarctica certainly required not a small amount of labour.That motto feels increasingly relevant, 110 years after the man’s death. We live in an age of acceleration, of shortcuts and lifehacks. All that matters is end product, is content, is having more. The joy of making recedes day by day, as the process of creation is deemed unnecessary. We have become transfixed by the spot of light on the wall, thinking it to be the light itself, forgetting that it is only a by-product. We cede our agency and innovation, and being in such a rush to reach the end we forget to live. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

I’m reading Cory Doctorow’s book Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse And What To Do About It. I’m only a little way in, but it has got me thinking about the online platforms that I still use. Specifically, Substack, which powers this newsletter. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Tales from the Triverse is done. After four and a bit years of running the weekly serial, the story is complete. I always say that publishing a weekly serial is closer to running a TV show than it is to writing a novel — not least because it’s a lot easier if you surround yourself with good people. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Today I’m outlining the various hardware, software and services I use to write and publish. There’s nothing particularly revolutionary in here, but I’m hoping that having it all in one place might be useful for anyone else doing similar work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Towards the end of last year I got wind of a plan being hatched by Erica Drayton. There was an idea, to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could deliver a weekend of live readings that would together form a mini online writing festival.A couple of months later and the weekend has come and gone. You can find out more over on the Top In Fiction newsletter, including links to many of the other readings. I’m posting the recording of my reading today.I had originally thought to read the prologue to Tales from the Triverse, because that’s the first chapter of the serial. It was a touch over the word count Erica had set, which prompted me to think of an alternative. I considered ‘Work parties’, but it’s frankly just a bit too grim and unrepresentative of the series as a whole. Choosing ‘The Koth’ made sense, as it functions almost as a second introduction to the series — if the prologue is the ‘pilot’, then ‘The Koth’ is the proper episode 1.Thank you to everyone who showed up to listen to me witter on, including Ben Wakeman, CB Mason | YA Dystopian+Sci-Fi, Tell Me a Mystery, Daniel O’Donnell, Minna, Mike Miller and many others. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

More than any other type of influence, novels are the trickiest one to pick out. Every book I‘ve ever read sloshes around in my brain, influencing my own writing in subtle and undefinable ways. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

The truth is that everything I have ever experienced goes into my writing, whether I like it or not. Things I’ve done, places I’ve been, people I’ve met — as well as all the books, comics, movies, games and music I’ve enjoyed over the years.This is part one in a short series of posts on the foundational texts that informed and inspired my writing of Tales from the Triverse. Today I’m thinking about core television influences.There are four shows I’m going to be poking at: The Wire, Bablyon 5, The Expanse and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Those first three are probably quite obvious to anyone who has read Triverse, while the last might be raising a few eyebrows. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

As Tales from the Triverse reaches its final conclusion after four and a half years, I’ve been thinking about the influences that contributed to its early development and design. In this video I take a closer look at some of them, including:* The Wire TV show* Gotham Central comic* Iain M. Banks’ Culture novels* Kim Stanley Robinson’s work, especially the Mars trilogy and Galileo’s Dream* The Expanse TV show and novels* Crime fiction generally, and the Noirwich festival* Babylon 5 TV show* The 1980s UK Transformers comic, specifically Simon Furman’s work on it* She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Netflix remake, showrunner ND Stevenson This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

I started publishing Tales from the Triverse in September 2021. The weekly serial will likely wrap up in January 2026, or February at the latest. As I wrote last week’s instalment, I had a palpable sensation of coming to the end, of nearing the point at which I say goodbye to the characters and the world in which I’ve been playing these four and a bit years.Unknown territory approaches: this newsletter has never existed without Tales from the Triverse. It’s the biggest, most ambitious project I’ve ever worked on, and I can’t really remember a time now when I wasn’t thinking about it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

The chapter of Tales from the Triverse that went out a couple of weeks ago fell foul of the UK’s Online Safety Act. If someone in the UK tries to view the chapter on the web and isn’t yet ‘age verified’, they are greeted with this message:Outside of the UK, you won’t be seeing it. And if you’re in the UK but already age verified, you won’t see it. If you’re a paid subscriber to any Substack-powered newsletter you’re automatically verified, apparently, due to having a credit card.Money = freedom, as tends to be the case. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

There are many ways of publishing your work, and we’re living in something of a golden age for author choice.My chosen route is to send out chapters in serial form, and I’m now fairly certain that for the last four years I’ve been doing it wrong. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Earlier today I had a delightful chat with Tom Albrighton in which we both tried to not be grumpy about AI and mostly succeeded. I think?Tom’s been a copywriter for a couple of decades, and is someone I found hugely helpful back when I was starting out doing a lot of copywriting myself back in the day. More recently, he’s been especially vocal about the impact of AI on his area of work, and in 2024 published AI Can’t Write But You Can.Anyway, our chat ended up being about what it means to be a human creator, why we bother doing anything at all, and how it doesn’t really matter how good AI ends up becoming because that’s sort of missing the point. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Last week The Guardian published comments from Nigel Newton, chief executive of publisher Bloomsbury.“I think AI will probably help creativity, because it will enable the 8 billion people on the planet to get started on some creative area where they might have hesitated to take the first step…AI gets them going and writes the first paragraph, or first chapter, and gets them back in the zone.”Hmm. I have thoughts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

It’s increasingly hard to care about fiction on TV, with producers of the biggest shows doing everything they can to undermine their own stories. The seemingly inevitable push towards cultural irrelevance is driven by the insatiable hunger of streaming platforms, and all of the issues are entirely self-inflicted.As creators of and audiences for serial fiction, I think it’s worth poking at what’s going on so that we can at least avoid the same traps. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Heroic characters tend to provide diminishing returns. We are often drawn to origin stories because they provide a built-in character arc, where development is part of the package. Once they have reached that apotheosis, going from ordinary person to hero, what then? Often the response is to ramp up the action and spectacle to ever-more absurd levels — and dwindling audience engagement. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

What is Tales from the Triverse? There are so many more of you reading this newsletter now, or passing by on ways to parts unknown, that it’s time for a re-introduction.It's a gritty police procedural set in 1970s London, each case shining a light on the dark corners of society. Each story deals with a particular case and doesn't shy away from difficult topics. People trafficking, drug addiction, illegal immigration, fraud, murder, terrorism, police corruption. It's about the news and the society we live in.It's also science fiction, .diving into the far future to see what becomes of humanity. There are spaceships, flying cars, robots, AI superintelligences. Humanity has colonised the solar system, with stories visiting settlements on Mars, Enceladus and Venus. Go inside the asteroid Ceres, or travel the space elevator into Earth orbit.It's high fantasy, journeying across an unknown land, where magic is real and there are monsters in every cave and canyon. Feudal city states battle with native insurgents lurking in the forests, while fire breathing dragons guard people's houses and dig the mines. The universities rule over everything, pushing at the boundaries of what is possible and the fabric of reality.Tales from the Triverse is, madly, all of those things. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Sometimes a shortcut makes sense, but take too many of them and you might miss something along the route. Going for a walk isn’t always about reaching a destination — sometimes it’s about the walk itself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

“I might have found my tribe.” EasterCon keynote, 2008Read the news and it’s easy to think that publishing fiction is a waste of time; an indulgence in a world beset by so much horror. Is being a writer a luxury we can’t afford? WELL. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve produced a huge amount of written material over my life, and especially in the last decade since I started serialising stories every week. Hundreds of thousands of words of fiction and non-fiction, and that’s without counting copywriting in the day job. I’m confident in my writing voice.That’s not what I’m going to focus on as an example here. Instead, I’m considering my attempts to be a better illustrator, which are in very early stages. I’m still trying to figure out my visual style, and it’s an interesting process to go through having already gone through it with my writing. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

At a literature event programmed and produced by a bunch of teenagers last week, I found myself talking to a 16 year old about the challenge of judging your own work.“It’s really hard to know if what I’m writing is any good,” he lamented. “It’s basically impossible to know if anything is good until I put it in front of an audience.”He’s got a point. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Last week there was a bit of a fracas on Notes. By social media standards, having a bit of a tiff on Notes is a fairly gentle affair. While Twitter is arguing with Mecha Hitler and Bluesky is…doing whatever Bluesky is doing, a major scuffle on Notes is usually a back and forth about an obscure aspect of literature.In this case, it was about how many books per year a writer should read. The focus rapidly became about the specific number (50 seemed to be the commonly cited threshold), rather than any kind of nuance. The implication was that to read fewer than 50 books meant you weren’t serious about writing.It was all very silly, and I don’t want to relitigate it here. That said, I found myself going down a couple of tangential rabbit holes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Choosing the point of view for your story is the big make-or-break decision. You have to figure this out ahead of time, because it directly affects every aspect of the text. It’s not really something you can decide upon while writing. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

My son was born towards the end of 2012, forcing me to acknowledge, perhaps for the first time, that I was going to die. Turns out, that's just what I needed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

If we fiction writers got everything we wanted, what would that actually look like? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

One of the great pleasures of the fiction community that has emerged on Substack, and in the newsletter space more generally, is its diversity of thought. Eleanor writes literary fiction, I write science fiction and fantasy. A typical literary festival would never think to program us on the same panel event, or in conversation, and yet here we are, having a good old natter about writing serials. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

I first had the pleasure of interviewing Neill Cameron back in 2021, when I was hosting the Writing Life podcast for the National Centre for Writing. He’d just published a new book, Freddy Vs School, a spin-off from his long-running MEGA ROBO BROS comic.Zip forward to 2025 and he’s published many more books for young readers, including the final volume of MEGA ROBO BROS. Neill serialised that story over ten years in the UK weekly comic The Phoenix (and I thought I’d been working on Triverse for a long time!). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

When I was in the early stages of preproduction on Tales from the Triverse I ran into a problem. The serial is structured as crime fiction, with each storyline focusing on an investigation by the detectives. Sensible crime fiction writers set their novels in the real world, so that they can borrow from reality for their world building. Here's how I developed the setting without falling down rabbit holes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

This week I'm pondering word counts, prompted by the superb micro fiction work of Mata Haggis-Burridge in 'I Could Gobble You Up'. Read it here: https://open.substack.com/pub/matahaggisburridge/p/micro-fiction-i-could-just-gobble?r=3rwg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Bird by Bird is a book about writing that is also about its writer, Anne Lamott. It’s as much an autobiography as it is a writing guide, shifting back and forth throughout. By making it about the writing life, Anne gives context to everything else. It elevates the book from a list of useful tips to something far more impactful, moving and — yes — useful.On today's episode I'm joined by ZK Hardy and T K Hall to discuss the book. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

This years is a big one for me, because I’m finally going to complete Tales from the Triverse, the weekly serial that I’ve been publishing since September 2021.By far the largest project I’ve ever attempted, the story is now over 330,000 words and would be a chunky 1000 page+ novel if it were printed. To celebrate where I’ve got to and where I’m headed, I thought I’d go back to the beginning with a reading of the opening chapter.Read more here: https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/how-to-read-tales-from-the-triverse?r=3rwg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Apologies for the plumbing metaphor in the subject. Writing is an incredibly difficult thing to do, especially if you want to write consistently and to a not-entirely-rubbish quality. And sometimes, the words: they do not come. Today is all about tips for getting over that hump. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

It’s been a while since I’ve written about AI in detail, largely because it’s overhyped and dull. There is value in keeping an eye on it, though, and I want to be open to new developments. So here we are.Dr Jeremy Silver's article on the Creative PECMade with human intelligence badgeThird Information Crisis on BBCA Love Letter to LA music videoBehind the scenes This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Toady's episode is all about the differences between the novel and the serial. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

It’s not unknown for this newsletter to go off on various tangents, but the central core is always in the name: Write More.While I do occasionally stray into how to write good fiction, it’s not my focus. There are plenty of teachers and authors who are far better positioned than me to help you improve your writing, in terms of its artistic quality.There’s a missing piece of the puzzle, though. You can go to university and study creative writing, take endless online courses, read all the classic books about writing — but none of it is going to make a difference if you’re not actually doing the writing.Here's that other post on calculating 10,000 hours: https://open.substack.com/pub/simonkjones/p/10000-hours?r=3rwg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

On Saturday evening I had an impromptu conversation with Ben Wakeman and Eleanor Anstruther. We each read a piece of our writing, and then have a good old chat. Today’s video is a slightly edited and whittled-down version of that conversation.The readings:* An excerpt from ‘The Writer’ by me, from Tales from the Triverse. You can read the whole thing here.* An excerpt from In Judgment Of Others by Eleanor. You can buy it here.* An excerpt from The Memory of my Shadow by Ben. More on that one here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

When was the last time you got invited to chat with a developer at Facebook, or Instagram, or TikTok? Yeah, me neither.The big platforms that we rely on as creators — and as readers / viewers / listeners — are mysterious black boxes, concealing how they work. Increasingly, Meta and X have become antagonistic partners that we’ve had to content with in order to reach our audiences.But it doesn’t have to be that way.A couple of weeks ago I was invited by John Ward to join him for a chat with Ben Cohen, a developer at the newsletter/video/audio/social platform Substack. Ben has worked on all sorts of features, including the semi-automated categorisation of published material on the platform.I don’t normally get too deep into the weeds on this stuff, but it’s especially relevant for us fiction writers due to that perennial challenge: how to find readers. Since the invention of the printing press there have been more books to choose from than any single person can get through in their lifetime.The internet hasn’t helped in that regard. 🙄Cutting through the noiseIt’s easier than ever to publish our work, but that makes it all the harder to find audiences. There’s simply so much stuff, what chance do any of us have at being found by the right readers?That’s why Ben’s work is so fascinating. A key part of his role has been figuring out ways for readers on Substack to find material they’ll enjoy. It’s a work in progress, clearly, and he talks candidly about the many remaining challenges and unanswered questions.I use Substack to power this newsletter, so this discussion was directly pertinent to my writing. Regardless of what you use, though, Ben’s insights speak to the wider complications around curation, algorithms and how we all navigate an increasingly busy and complex online world.The most reassuring aspect of all this is that the team at Substack talk about this stuff at all. And not just the founders and top dogs — there seems to be a culture of encouraging all staff to interact openly with creators and readers.Meta and X were always terrible partners because it was such a one-way interaction. It was a repeating cycle of rug pulls, which makes it impossible for creators to build a foundation. Let’s not kid ourselves — Substack could very easily succumb to enshittification, but for now it’s incredibly useful to understand the motivations of the developers and designers there. Agree or disagree with their decisions, but at least we know the direction of travel.Big thanks also to everyone who showed up to watch the conversation live. There were about 90 people in attendance, which was lovely. I’m hoping to do more of them throughout 2025, so stay tuned.I go on and on and on about writing serial fiction. You’ve been warned. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

Producing a simple podcast is easier and cheaper than ever. Here are some starter tips.Check out some of the writers I've interviewed over the years: https://open.substack.com/pub/simonkjones/p/amazing-podcasts-with-amazing-writers?r=3rwg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

A live read of the first chapter of No Adults Allowed, my third novel. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

The last five minutes of a film can make or break it. The last 2,000 words of a novel. The last sentence of a short story. Finishing a story is what makes a story. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

The TL;DR is: it’s really frustrating when strangers send me a direct message asking for me to subscribe to them, in exchange for them subscribing to me. I’m sure you’re not one of those people, but we’ve all met them, right? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

As I close in on the finale of my weekly serial Tales from the Triverse, I’m thinking a lot about foreshadowing, and how it works for online serial fiction. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe

How does structure affect your story? Can the two ever be separate?How I build stories: https://open.substack.com/pub/simonkjones/p/how-to-construct-a-story?r=3rwg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webBrad's podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7tAaS2mnD3SC03xbSjtU9z?si=6_VLSZd7SRWRYL2QXvCPXQ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit simonkjones.substack.com/subscribe