Hi friend, if you like my (Madi Taskett)'s writing, please click below and subscribe to me on Substack: Madi Taskett | SubstackJust a girl, writing book #3, trying to make author friends. (If you’re an author, say hi and let’s be friends!)SubstackSubstack Why I'm
Note: Close to 1,000 of you read my 2024 recap, which is crazy for such a personal piece. I'm touched that it resonated so deeply! “They choose the flashy place to live Network with the flashiest friends Work the flashiest job Read the flashiest books Showcase the
Some self-published authors make millions of dollars per year, and you've never even heard of them. I met a few of these author-millionaires last week in Vegas for Author Nation Conference (thanks David Kadavy for the rec), and it turns out that you can get rich from self-publishing
A short story and some writing lessons "When did you first know?" he asks. Well, I thought multiverses could totally be a thing, I say. I twist the ring on my finger, still getting used to its weight. I thought we could be in a simulation and someone
A long time ago, I met a man whose job was to travel to the most beautiful spots in the world, testing out the Kindle. Really. The only thing he needed to do was ensure the Kindle worked in each country. Flights, hotels, and food all comped. He got paid
Hi again from your dear friend Madi, Today, I'm just updating you on the fact that I'm slowly going insane. But first, been thinking of naming this newsletter 'The Last Honest Newsletter'. I mean, do you get anything else in your inbox that isn&
Palahniuk is referencing my short story, SLC Fever Dream. How did I get him to read it? I'll tell you in a sec. The good news? He might read your story, too! First, I took his advice and made the first sentence in the story, That Madi cocooned
New Mexico: 7/1 It's pitch black 75 stories below ground and my open eyes register nothing and my breath catches and I don't know up from down and my hands quiver and my head feels spinny and I try to calm myself but I can
Sharp turn sharp turn drop rise STOP go merge skid look it's a river look it's a forest look a historical home look OMG LOOK I'm gonna die wait all good yay look Pittsburgh's roads were like a plate of spaghetti thrown
I'm sick, laying on Mom's guestroom bed, watching Pachinko on my laptop, crying. On my nightstand, two heavily highlighted books on world building for SciFi. Through tears I spot a Sarah J. Maas novel on my dresser making awkward acquaintance with A Gentleman in Moscow. In
August 5: Madison, Wisconsin "Hello, welcome to [Hotel]. How may I help you?" he recites for the thousandth time today. "Welcome [Name]. Could you please hand me your credit card and your ID?" He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "What brings
That Madi cocooned herself in her house with no spiders, hated spiders, spiders scared her. Such a stable, predictable woman. Gossiping with her massive social circle on her massive velvet couch on repeat for 4 years. I could tell you I miss her. I could also tell you that a
'X's Property' sewn as a tag into her undies. I met her in a dream last night. She was brunette. Colored eyes, I think? Pretty. Maybe a bit shorter, wearing a black dress, round stomach, white teeth, clear skin. Your property. So she's why
30 days ago, I was stuck in the 'second draft death zone' with my book. Now, I'm fully done editing my 2nd draft 🙌, and I improved my book 9% in the process! My goal was to edit the whole draft in 30 days, but I completed
30 days ago, I was caught in the 'second draft death zone' with my book. I hadn't made any solid progress after finishing my first draft 5 months ago. So when Nat Eliason told me that, inspired by my 50k words in 30 days project earlier
Daily goal: 4,140 words/day. Today: FINISHED (6,846 words today) 385 Pages in the Draft Draft 2 Goal: Increase Conflict and Suspense I've edited the entire draft! Woohoo! Seven days early too! I bought myself fancy apples from my apple dealer to celebrate. (Yes I have
Daily goal: 4,140 words/day. Today: 6,465 words ✨6377 words remaining in my draft! ✨ 359 Pages Edited so Far Draft 2 Goal: Increase Conflict and Suspense I'm really in the book now. When I make my morning coffee. When I'm at the gym. When
Daily goal: 4,140 words/day. Today: 4,339 words 339 Pages Edited so Far Draft 2 Goal: Increase Conflict and Suspense Would you like to see how I visually edit my book? For my first draft, I use Scrivener, but for editing, I use a google doc. I'
Daily goal: 4,140 words/day. Today: 5,733 words 324 Pages Edited so Far Draft 2 Goal: Increase Conflict and Suspense Damn, today's writing is good. I would totally devour this book if it was all written like today. It's such a relief to know
Day 20 Daily goal: 4,140 words/day. Today: 4,856 words 303 Pages Edited so Far Draft 2 Goal: Increase Conflict and Suspense I thought book editing was linear. I would edit roughly 4200 words a day for 22 days and then I'd be done with conflict
Daily goal: 4,140 words/day. Today: 7,107 words 281 Pages Edited so Far Draft 2 Goal: Increase Conflict and Suspense I'm rubbish at writing sex scenes. Even though these characters don't exist, it still feels like I'm peering through the windows at
I've traveled through 15 states this summer, stopping at independent coffee shops and bookstores along the way, and frankly it's become more of a chore than a fun exploration. All the coffee shops have the same instagram-clean look with Edison light bulbs and homemade artwork, high
Love isn’t always as pretty or pure as people like to think. There’s a darkness in it sometimes. I made him who he is. If he’s a monster, then I’m his creator. - Manacled by Sen Lin Yu I have a chemistry problem with the hero
Daily goal: 4,140 words/day. Today: ~4,200 words 260 Pages Edited so Far Draft 2 Goal: Increase Conflict and Suspense At the gym this morning, setting a 'rest' timer on my phone between sets, when the numbers started disappearing from my vision. You've got