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Welcome to Writer-ish! Writer-ish is a Substack writing community where I help you tell your stories through the art of micro proseâpowerful pieces of 300 words or less.Â
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MICRO MONDAY weekly newsletters and prompts:
LIVE WRITING SESSIONS offer a 10-minute guided prompt via Substack Live:
2-3 WEEK WRITING WORKSHOPS on Substack (free for paid subscribers):
3 THINGS are live conversations with beloved short prose authors:
PAID SUBSCRIBERS can join monthly co-writing sessions with 1 hour of craft talk and live micro prose editing + 2 hours of quiet writing time, along with full access to my micro prose library:
May is MONTH OF MICRO! Up your micro prose game with a daily prompt and tip, plus a community kick-off in the beginning and a wrap-up party and Submit-a-palooza at the end. Finish the month with 31 pieces of micro prose and unlimited possibilities:
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What is Micro Prose?
Micro prose is the art of compressionâtaking a moment, memory, or observation and distilling it into its most essential form.
Writing micro isnât just about word count, however. Itâs about learning how to distill whatâs essential into a small, but powerful space. Also referred to as micro memoirs, micro essays, micro narratives, and even prose poems, the art of micro can help you uplevel your writing no matter what genre you write. For my own work, I like to focus on everyday moments and objects to discover the deeper meanings of what Iâm trying to say.
Why micro works: Theyâre quick to write (first draft: 10 minutes, first revision: 10 minutes, second revision: 10 minutes), builds consistency and helps you establish a writing practice while capturing meaningful moments without an overwhelming commitment. Itâs also a way to get some work into the world as youâre working on larger writing projects.
Whoâs Darien?
Hello, thatâs me! Iâm a multi-genre author published on multiple platforms. I have five novels with Penguin Random House published in 11 countries, 1 award-winning poetry chapbook with Poetry Society of America, 2 award-winning micro prose collections, and an award-winning nonfiction craft book on writing memoir. Two of my novels were sold at auction. Iâve also self-published, indie published, hybrid published, and audio published many other titles. Even with multiple books in the world, micro prose changed my life, and I believe it has the power to change yours.
Iâm currently under contract for a Bloomsbury Object Lessons book which Iâll be writing in micro chapters with micro sections. Separated, of course, with different fortune cookie fortune and those lucky lottery numbers. đĽ
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Darien! This is such a useful post. Thank you so much for putting this together and sharing it in one place.
Iâm in upgraded and thrilled to be here. Micro-prose new to me, yet anything that gets me writing in what might be a structured way is necessary. Reminds me of patchwork quilting. Looks like timing couldnât be betterâMay Day!!!