Exciting news! At least two people have actually read the first five chapters of my novel.
Earlier this week I received a notification from one of my social media groups. I’d been mentioned in a comment:
I had mixed feelings. On the one hand, people like my novel! Yay! And they’re hungry for more. Also yay! (It’s still crazy to even think that people other than my mom, my husband, and a couple of my friends are reading this newsletter.) But on the other hand, they’re frustrated at my delayed production. Not yay.
Am I turning into George R.R. Martin, I wondered?
I posed the question on Facebook, and a reader responded with this image:
This is my very first piece of fan art, by the way (thanks, Harry Felker!) Super excited about that. I’ll treasure it always.
Anyway, I ran a comparison:
So it’s not as bad as I originally thought. I may not be the fastest writer, but it hasn’t yet been ten years since the last installment in my main fiction project. Meanwhile, no signs of turning into George in all those other regards, though I’d be more than happy to have piles of money, my own independent movie theater, and an award-winning TV drama based on my stories.
Life Update
I started this newsletter with lofty goals, but few resources to make them happen. Just my laptop, a Substack account, and a great idea percolating in my brain. Over the summer that lack of resources kicked my ass, and I had to turn my attention to bringing in dollars instead of cranking out words. In the fall, still distracted with income-producing work but not as swamped as before, I warmed up the newsletter engine with a series of essays while spending time trying to break back into Chapter Six.
And now, winter is coming. I have a couple months’ worth of expenses saved up, a big freelance contract is coming to a close, gas prices are too high for DoorDashing to be worthwhile, and I’m feeling the strong desire to spend all of my time writing novel chapters and other content.
A Christmas Present
To kick things off, I’ve been preparing a Christmas present for you guys. (No, it’s not Chapter Six, but it’s just as good, maybe even better. It’s what happened when I got stuck on Chapter Six, and in the making of it, I got unstuck.) So keep an eye out for that in the next few days. The email will have the word “Christmas” in the subject line.
Then, after the holidays: Chapter Six.
Announcing: New Ways to Support Technate 2051
I was going to wait until I had a thousand free subscribers before I launched paid subscriptions. I’m not quite there yet, but recently I’ve had some folks ask how they could support this endeavor. And I figured, who am I to deny them the opportunity to give me money?
So I’m opening up paid subscriptions, but for the time being, all the content I produce here will remain available to free subscribers as well. This is just something for those who feel inspired to help me further my goal of making this my full-time job. Paid subscriptions are $5 per month or $50 per year, and you can change your subscription preference here.
In addition, I’m adding a couple of other ways that readers can support Technate 2051. If you’d like to send a one-time tip, you can buy me a coffee.
If crypto’s more your thing, you can send me some here (many different cryptocurrencies are supported.)
And if you would like to gift a paid subscription to someone else (perhaps as a Christmas gift), you can buy a gift subscription here.
Whether or not you choose to support this project financially, I’m so appreciative to all of you for just being here, for signing up to this email list, for reading my stories and essays, for tagging me on social media and making funny memes about how I’m turning into George R.R. Martin. Thank you for your interest and all your encouragement.
Someday, what I love doing and what I earn my living doing will be the same thing. Until then, I’ll keep plugging away.
Thank you for reading!
Dystopian fiction isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but if it’s yours, I hope you’ll stick around. The easiest way to do that is to subscribe to this newsletter for free. You’ll get fresh new Technate 2051 chapters in your inbox as soon as they’re ready, plus regular updates on my novel-ing process, and essays on real-world dystopia.
Have any friends who love dystopian fiction? If so, please consider sharing the first chapter with them!
And if you want to chat, send me a note at starrohara@substack.com
-Starr
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You're the best. I totally understand the $ thing. I'm doing Door Dash myself. I will wait patiently for the next installment.