🆆 Micro Monday: Start Here
Start your micro prose journey today
🆆 Hi! Where Do You Want to Go?
Find all the Micro Monday newsletters (and prompts) here.
Find all the Live Writing Session replays (and downloads) here.
Find the current Writing Workshop on Substack here.
Join our chat thread here.
Read my “Notes” tab for ad-hoc prompts, encouragement and writing reflections
See where I’m teaching next here.
🆆 Welcome to Writer-ish with Darien Gee
Writer-ish with Darien Gee is about paying attention and embracing the fluidity of our creative lives. Our most powerful stories often emerge from small moments and careful attention.
I've built my literary career by listening to what is true for me and my work. This includes writing that's fun and commercial as well as writing that pays the bills. I pushed through even when people told me I was doing it wrong or wasn’t good enough. I've taken detours and had long stretches of non-writing while finding my way. Each pivot taught me something new about paying attention to what I needed as a writer. You can read more about me here.
My current passion lies in micro prose (300 words or less), a form that helped me transform a 90k+ novel into an award-winning chapbook of 36 prose poems. I’m currently under contract to write a title in the Object Lessons series for Bloomsbury Academic Publishing.
My goal on Substack is help others tell their stories using this form, to de-mystify writing and writing careers, to explore questions around what it means to be a writer. I lean pretty hard into writing about family, ancestry, and everyday moments. For over two decades I’ve helped writers get out of their own way so they can create their best work.
🆆 Who is This For?
For those who have a story to tell, but don’t know how to begin
For writers ready to experiment with compression and form
For writers who are generating work but struggle to see the bigger picture
For those who want structure and accountability, but also encouragement and tools to cross the finish line
For those looking to join a community of micro prose writers
For writers interested in exploring how micro prose can be a powerful stepping stone to larger projects
For writers who want to build publication credits through both individual pieces and prose or hybrid chapbooks/collections
For those ready to connect with how they move through the world using their words
I believe in starting where you are, wherever you are. I’ll join you there.
🆆 Read More Here
Here are a few places to read more about my approach to creative sustainability and writing micro:
Three Authors on Writing With Creative Constraints on Electric Lit
The Life-Changing Magic of Micro Prose on Brevity
Darien Hsu Gee: Making the Most Out of Micro on Writer’s Digest
Embracing a Creative Pivot: Q&A with Darien Hsu Gee on JaneFriedman.com
Start Your Micro Journey Here on Writer-ish.com
How to Travel the Distance with Micro from Craft Talks
🆆 What You Can Expect
Writer-ish is here to meet you where you are.
🥳 I’m celebrating for hitting a Substack milestone (1k subscribers!). From now until June 15, 2025, join Writer-ish for only $12 a year (regular rate $50 a year). That’s a 76% savings! Write micro for $1 a month! 🙌🏼
Free subscribers receive
Micro Mondays, a newsletter with a quote and a prompt to keep you writing, plus where to submit
Paid subscribers receive all the above plus
Access to all 10-minute live writing session replays, including bonus download content (micro formatting guides, sample work, templates) and a weekly challenge to move your writing forward.
Access to my writing workshops on Substack, beginning in May
Free 30-page creative sustainability workbook and workshops
The ability to post questions on our subscriber chat
Receive 20% off all Micro Memoir Workshops on my website, Writer-ish.com
Access to Zoom meetings for live edits, feedback and Q&A of their micro essays
My heartfelt thanks 💚 for supporting me and my work which enables me to offer more on this platform
Paid membership is normally $5/month or $50/year ($1/month).
🆆 Everyone has a story to tell
Whether you're new to micro prose or a seasoned writer, there's a place for you here at Writer-ish. This is about discovering your voice in small, powerful moments—no previous experience needed. Whether you're just starting or deep in your practice, micro prose is a profound way to capture the moments that matter, and Writer-ish on Substack is here to support you and your creative life through small bursts of inspiration and encouragement. I’m happy to have you here! 🌺
Darien! This is such a useful post. Thank you so much for putting this together and sharing it in one place.
Thank you I look forward to working in this community with you.