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Tales from the Triverse
Serial fiction toolkit
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A quick guide to lots of useful things for fiction writers
Dec 13, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
34
7
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Recent posts
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Loose threads: part 2
Consequence at last
Jan 16
•
Simon K Jones
6
4
1
Novel foundations: Iain M Banks, Kim Stanley Robinson, Sara Collins and more...
Books that inspired Tales from the Triverse
Jan 12
•
Simon K Jones
16
12
4
Loose threads: part 1
One last case
Jan 9
•
Simon K Jones
11
6
1
Television foundations: The Wire, Babylon 5, The Expanse, She-Ra
The many inspirations behind Tales from the Triverse
Jan 5
•
Simon K Jones
20
9
3
25:22
Things that inspired me to write Triverse
Key texts and influences
Jan 3
•
Simon K Jones
8
1
2
Parliament
A shift in power
Jan 2
•
Simon K Jones
11
7
1
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Books
No Adults Allowed
An optimistic story about the end of the world. Buy the paperback.
Tales from the Triverse
My current on-going weekly serial
How to Write Serial Fiction
The 22-part beginner's guide
Recommendations
View all 49
Catch & Release
Ben Wakeman
I'm Fine I'm Fine Just Understand
ND Stevenson
Brent and Michael Are Going Places
Michael Jensen
Why Aren't I Writing?
Suw Charman-Anderson
The Honest Broker
Ted Gioia
Serial fiction toolkit
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💬 I've been writing serial fiction for 10 years. Ask me anything!
10 years of weekly chapters is a lot of words...
Jun 9, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
32
69
7
The Novel vs The Serial: exploring the structural differences
A serial does not have to be a slow-release novel
Feb 24, 2025
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Simon K Jones
80
49
21
The temporal aspect of serials
My serial is two and a half years old
Jun 10, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
43
14
2
Almost everything you need to know about writing online serial fiction
Lots of useful things in one place
May 13, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
45
9
6
Want to talk about writing serial fiction?
Got questions about writing an online serial? Book a video chat!
May 13, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
6
4
1
Newsletter growth
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Understanding Substack's analytics
An updated tour guide
Dec 1, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
33
5
5
Figuring out the serial publishing model
(and how I got it wrong)
Nov 17, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
87
76
24
How to find new readers with a BookFunnel group promo
Sometimes you need to find your people
Jun 30, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
30
17
4
4:59
Please don't ask for subs and follows
The era of big metrics is over (well, sort of)
Dec 9, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
82
38
15
How to (slowly) cultivate a fiction newsletter: part 2
Some more thoughts from 3 years of publishing
Nov 11, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
100
60
21
Planning & plotting
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Writing from a limited, subjective point of view
It's all about what they don't know
Jul 7, 2025
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Simon K Jones
27
14
3
Why does planning work so well on paper?
Sometimes, technology just gets in the way
May 19, 2025
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Simon K Jones
31
29
1
Pacing, monotony & cliffhangers
Introducing...the buckets of pacing!
Mar 3, 2025
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Simon K Jones
52
16
13
Landing the plane
The final 2,000 words might be the most important
Dec 23, 2024
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Simon K Jones
44
17
6
Foreshadowing in online serials
Predicting the future
Nov 25, 2024
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Simon K Jones
44
20
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Being a writer
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Atoning for my AI sins
AKA a hand-drawn introduction to the Triverse
Nov 24, 2025
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Simon K Jones
24
5
2
Is AI a cure for writer's block?
Spoiler: probably not
Nov 3, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
32
23
5
The tricky ethics of using real world events in fiction
When do references to the real world become exploitative?
Oct 13, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
24
9
2
Developing your style can't be rushed
On going back to the beginning
Aug 4, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
34
16
5
I forgot to be a writer (then remembered)
Getting a taste of your own mortality
Jun 16, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
61
15
8
Connecting with audiences
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The best serial storytelling is not on TV
Lamenting the loss of the 22-episode story structure
Oct 6, 2025
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Simon K Jones
78
25
18
Author + reader = story
Don't skip the conversation
Sep 1, 2025
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Simon K Jones
38
21
6
Celebrating 330,000 words with a live author reading
Go back to the start with the first chapter of Tales from the Triverse
Mar 31, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
20
5
2
21:55
Finding your community on Substack
An overview of newsletter community features
Dec 16, 2024
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Simon K Jones
43
11
9
7:19
The reader connection in serial fiction
I interviewed one of my veteran readers
Aug 19, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
49
37
11
World building
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World building mini guide
A sketchy sketch
Oct 20, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
50
19
9
My 7 Pillars of World Building
How much lore does a story really need?
May 5, 2025
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Simon K Jones
36
15
6
How to construct a story
Taking a look at characters, themes, world building and plot
Oct 7, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
40
5
8
25:38
Fictional maps: yes or no?
Do you like fictional maps, or think they get in the way of the writing?
Feb 26, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
44
74
9
How to do exposition without it turning into an infodump
How to explain things without killing your story dead
Mar 27, 2023
•
Simon K Jones
28
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Design & presentation
View all
16:09
How to add images, videos and audio to your newsletter
Voiceovers, embeds, stock, AI generation, podcast distribution and more...
Mar 10, 2025
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Simon K Jones
39
23
10
Transforming a serial story into a book
All about the development of No Adults Allowed
Jun 24, 2024
•
Simon K Jones
37
27
10
20:34
Content warnings & age ratings
Figuring out where to pitch your stories
Jan 30, 2023
•
Simon K Jones
4
2
Preparing a book for publication
Diving into the process of self-publishing a book on Amazon.
Nov 21, 2022
•
Simon K Jones
15
20
Relinquishing control to a publisher
Or: What happens when someone else designs your book cover
Aug 15, 2022
•
Simon K Jones
11
21
Tools & software
View all
37:21
Being a copywriter in the AI era
Navigating the weirdest decade in which to be a writer
Nov 10, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
and
Tom Albrighton
13
6
A quick and easy way to format your ebook and paperback files
Taking a tour of the Reedsy Editor
Jun 23, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
34
17
8
Cultivating a healthy reader community
Or: What to do when Emma Horsedick comes a-riding
Apr 21, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
52
17
9
Taking another look at genAI for 2025
Updated thoughts on the most tedious of all the tech bubbles
Mar 17, 2025
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Simon K Jones
36
21
12
Algorithms, audiences and sub-cultures
Smaller rooms, better windows and doors
Jan 27, 2025
•
Simon K Jones
,
John Ward
, and
Ben Cohen
42
1
7
40:29
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