Welcome to My Story Newsletters
You've just joined a new platform for telling stories that recreate the magic of storytelling in the Victorian era.
So what exactly is it?
A New Story Telling Experience
On Wednesdays and Sundays, you will receive a serialized instalment of a story. You’ll get 24, 52, or maybe even more than 100 weeks of the story in your inbox. I think it’s best enjoyed over a cup of tea or as you wait for your tea to brew. Every scene will take between 3-5 minutes to read and will come with a tea recommendation based on that week’s plot.
There’s no skipping ahead and binging; want to know what happens next? You’ve got to wait for the next instalment.
To start with the stories will be told in written form. As we scale we’ll also be experimenting with audio and video. The first few scenes will be available for free and then if you like the story you can become a paid subscriber to get the rest.
Bring Back Dickens? (He Would Be So Proud)
I’ve often dreamt of setting up a literary magazine and writing a weekly serialized story like Dickens used to in the 19th Century. In the digital age, this is an increasingly unrealistic prospect. Printed publications cost big $$$ and are inconvenient - you have to remember to pick up the latest issue - or read the whole magazine, cover-to-cover.
My newsletter is created using 21st C tech with the publishing principles of the 19th C. That means instead of editing 100,000 words to perfection we’re going to push ahead and start.
You, the audience can offer us feedback in real-time. We can change and adapt the stories, processes, and style as we go and collect feedback. We’ll also get to build an amazing community that you don’t get when you purchase a single book.
Reviewing in publishing as it stands is pretty passive: you read the whole book and if you like it you give it 5 stars on Amazon or Goodreads. If you have criticism well there’s not much the writer can do. The book is already published and there’s little incentive to go back and change it.
Later we’ll divide the most popular stories up into volumes that can be bought as printed books for those who’ve enjoyed the serialization and want to re-read it. I’d also love to design merch based around the stories.
Stories For the Digital Age
I love trying new technology. The stories will initially be illustrated by an A.I. software called Photosonic. Over time we’ll onboard an illustrator: tell us what you think about the images and whether they capture what is inside your head. You can even feel free to make your own A.I generated images and send them in.
Feedback
Feedback is so important to this whole experience. We want to improve the stories and the enjoyment for everyone.
This is the way digital writers work. We want to experiment and get better as we grow. So don’t be afraid to email me on [email protected].