The hottest Creative Writing Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Literature Topics

The way of poetry

Silentium • 399 implied HN points • 30 Oct 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. The practice of poetry can invite us into moments of silence and stillness. It helps us reflect and connect with our deeper selves.
  2. One-on-one sessions and courses can enhance this experience, as they provide tailored guidance and support in exploring poetry and mindfulness.
  3. Meditations and recorded teachings can be valuable tools to return to when we need reminders to slow down and find peace in our busy lives.

When Do We Give Up on Writing?

Unmapped Storylands with Elif Shafak • 15613 implied HN points • 06 Oct 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Writing often takes us to a quiet, lonely place where we can be creative, but once we share our work, our lives can become busy and public.
  2. Many people stop calling themselves writers or artists as they grow up because they fear judgment and criticism from others.
  3. We shouldn't let the fear of what others think keep us from expressing ourselves. It's important to hold onto our creativity and remember the joy of storytelling.

Wordspells to Rewyrd the World

Postcards From Barsoom • 2855 implied HN points • 19 Oct 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Words have power, and they can shape our reality. The way we use language can create meaningful changes in our lives and society.
  2. Myth and stories play an important role in understanding our world. They connect us to our history and help us make sense of our experiences.
  3. Engaging in deep discussions with others can open our minds to new ideas and perspectives. It's valuable to learn from one another through conversation.

Hector Saves His Dad

Postcards From Barsoom • 1863 implied HN points • 10 Oct 24
⚔ Fiction Creative Writing
  1. A boy named Hector goes on a journey to help his dad, showing the strong bond between family members. This story highlights the importance of love and support in difficult times.
  2. The author feels guilty for not doing more for his supporters and wants to offer something special by putting his fiction behind a paywall. This decision is meant to reward those who truly value his work.
  3. Fiction often struggles to get attention and engagement compared to other topics like politics. The author hopes that by offering fiction for paid subscribers, he can encourage more people to appreciate this art form.

Republic of Letters

As Ever • 2 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. The internet used to be a refuge where people without traditional freedoms could write, connect, and experiment freely.
  2. It celebrated eccentricity—obsession, loneliness, and bold imagination—over money or respectability, forming a self-made community where members supported one another.
  3. That creative republic has largely disappeared or moved elsewhere, and there's a wistful desire to know where it now exists.
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There are weird people out there who have no identity

Blackbird Spyplane • 1538 implied HN points • 08 Oct 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Rachel Kushner's new novel, 'Creation Lake', is about a morally ambiguous spy who is unlikable, but the story remains engaging. It explores deep themes like identity and the history of humanity.
  2. The author highlights the importance of hands-on skills in today's digital age. There's value in physical creation, and those who connect with tangible things often experience richness in life.
  3. Through her writing and experiences, Kushner illustrates complex social issues, including the struggles of marginalized communities. She emphasizes the need to focus on people, not just abstract politics.

Why Do We Think What We Think of Him?

Story Club with George Saunders • 42 implied HN points • 22 Mar 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Who a first-person narrator appears to be drastically changes how readers interpret the story and what they take it to mean.
  2. Using a concrete example lets us treat first-person narration like an experiment, showing how small shifts in our sense of the narrator alter the story’s meaning.
  3. Readers are encouraged to engage and test their reactions by watching shared videos, reading related interviews, and joining the discussion to refine their views.

How to spot an LLM

That Damn Optimist • 116 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. AI-generated text often reads polished and generic, using sweeping overviews and buzzwords but lacking real emotional depth.
  2. Machine-produced language prioritizes efficiency and universality, sounding like it’s written for institutions instead of actual people.
  3. Human writing embraces small flaws and detours—typos, odd phrasing, or a scenic route to the point—which add personality and signal genuine authorship.

A Chekhov Surrogate

Story Club with George Saunders • 57 implied HN points • 15 Mar 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Reading something a second time can change your mind because a quick first pass often misses what the work is doing.
  2. When a piece feels unclear, assume the creator meant more than you caught and read charitably to uncover their choices.
  3. Training yourself to read deeply can turn mild disappointment into obsession, since art asks you to judge beyond surface impressions and rewards closer attention.

Two Prose Poems

Dada Drummer Almanach • 81 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Small rituals and a favorite book are used to manage anxiety and mark the passage of life, turning preparation and reading into both comfort and a measure of mortality.
  2. Deliberately keeping irregular habits, unstable income, and awkward routines is shown as a conscious choice to avoid recognition and protect personal space.
  3. People who choose that outsider life recognize one another through subtle signs, and silence is cultivated as an intentional social strategy rather than mere shyness.

Seamus Heaney: a jobber among shadows.

The Common Reader • 2126 implied HN points • 11 Dec 25
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Seamus Heaney often uses a soft and calming voice in his poetry, creating a sense of comfort and familiarity. This voice is filled with packed meanings that invite readers to explore deeper emotions.
  2. Heaney's writing encourages a balance between being literal and vague, allowing his words to convey mood and atmosphere while still crafting vivid images. This gives his poetry a musical quality that resonates with the reader's feelings.
  3. Heaney skillfully employs compound nouns to create unique images and express complex emotions. This linguistic technique adds richness to his work, reflecting his connection to nature and history, and emphasizes his distinctive poetic style.

I could write my Magnum Opus but I simply go to bed

Subtle Digressions • 1019 implied HN points • 05 Aug 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. It's normal to struggle with finding your creative path. Many people feel lost at times, especially when comparing themselves to others who seem successful.
  2. Writing takes time and effort. It's a skill that can be improved with practice, and it's okay to start small and build confidence over time.
  3. Sharing your writing can be scary, but it’s important to embrace vulnerability. Your voice matters, and it can connect with readers in a meaningful way.

How to Humanize Your AI Writing in 10 Steps

The Algorithmic Bridge • 594 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Creative Writing
  1. Use a short sequence of targeted edits—fix punchline em dashes, cut unnecessary juxtapositions and triads, replace abstractions with concrete sensory details, add a bit of conflict or oddness, remove forced callbacks, and stop overexplaining—to make AI prose feel human.
  2. Add the human moves AI can’t reliably do: bring subtle taste, irony, precise subtext, and surprising specific choices; those touches usually require your judgment to lift the writing beyond competent AI output.
  3. Work iteratively with targeted prompts—either step-by-step or an all-in-one prompt—check changelogs, and revise by eye; this yields big gains but not instant mastery, so trust your judgment and keep polishing.

DIVERGE

Big Tech • 515 implied HN points • 24 Jan 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. It’s okay to keep drafts unsent and unfinished. You don’t have to force or over-polish everything to make it meaningful.
  2. Give your drafts time and permission to sit; with patience fragments can find each other and a coherent piece can assemble itself.
  3. Writing isn’t only about getting a reply; sending can be quiet because the act of writing itself makes the words arrive.

No, Actually, James Frey Can Stay Fucked

Freddie deBoer • 10457 implied HN points • 08 Jun 25
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. James Frey's past fabrications in memoir writing highlight the importance of honesty in storytelling. Many people prefer genuine experiences over sensationalized lies.
  2. Writing about mental illness truthfully can be tough. It often doesn’t follow a dramatic or exciting narrative, which can make it less marketable.
  3. Choosing integrity over potential fame or financial gain can be a hard decision for writers. Staying true to oneself is more important than chasing trends or big advances.

Back to Work!

Story Club with George Saunders • 60 implied HN points • 08 Mar 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Try an experiment of closely studying a less successful piece by a great writer to see what it reveals.
  2. Even beloved writers have a range of quality, so not every work will be a masterpiece.
  3. Examining lower-end works can help spot the elements that make a writer’s best pieces truly succeed.

Point Dume

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 241 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Visiting writers' homes and famous scenes is a symbolic pilgrimage that helps readers feel connected to the imagined lives and myths those books create.
  2. Reading can spark a powerful, almost intoxicating urge to become a writer and can act as a form of emotional salvation or direction even before any success arrives.
  3. There is a constant tension between literary fantasy and everyday reality, and practical perspectives often question the value of chasing literary myths when real social problems and daily needs are at stake.

Against Stories

Castalia • 1918 implied HN points • 07 Jun 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Stories have a clear structure with a beginning, middle, and end, but life doesn't always fit into these neat patterns. There are moments of confusion, boredom, and the everyday that aren't typically captured in stories.
  2. Many great writers focus on the real, messy aspects of life rather than following traditional story arcs. They highlight the mundane feelings and events that often get overlooked in mainstream literature.
  3. While stories can be enjoyable, getting too caught up in them can make life feel flat or predictable. Embracing the complexities of reality can lead to a richer and more interesting experience.

14 Poems

Tao Lin • 1079 implied HN points • 06 Jul 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. A chapbook called '14 Poems' was published in June 2023 and quickly sold out. This shows that there is interest in the poems.
  2. The author has made changes to the poems and now has 13 instead of 14. This suggests that they are really committed to perfecting their work.
  3. They are currently writing a full-length poetry book, which will include these poems. This indicates ongoing creativity and growth in their writing.

The Collected Commonplace Newsletters

The Commonplace • 575 implied HN points • 31 Dec 25
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. A free ebook collects 119 essays (over 200,000 words) on a wide range of everyday and cultural topics and is available for offline download.
  2. The essays helped sustain mental wellbeing during difficult years and attracted enough paying subscribers to support full-time writing for a while, but there is now a planned shift from nonfiction to fiction despite the likely loss of audience and income.
  3. All published pieces remain free with thanks to readers, and there is an optional donation link for anyone who wants to support the work.

An interview with Mary Ruefle

Austin Kleon • 3337 implied HN points • 26 Mar 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Mary Ruefle loves to create poetry by painting over old texts, which makes her work unique and interesting. It's a fun way for her to express creativity.
  2. She prefers to communicate through typewriter and postal mail instead of using technology like computers or Zoom. This shows her love for traditional methods.
  3. Ruefle believes in doing things simply because they are enjoyable, like her erasure poetry. This perspective encourages people to pursue what they love.

These dreams

Disaffected Newsletter • 1079 implied HN points • 03 Jun 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Some people's dreams can be really intense and dark, often reflecting unfinished business or unresolved fears from the past. They stick with you long after you wake up.
  2. Facing difficult or scary memories in dreams can be a way to process them and find some closure. It's like your mind is trying to help you deal with what happened.
  3. Even after changes in life, like therapy or distancing from harmful people, old dreams can resurface, but understanding them better can bring clarity and healing.

Why Fiction?

Political Currents by Ross Barkan • 54 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Fiction and imagination are core human abilities that let us build inner worlds and connect across time, and they can’t be replaced by facts or more passive media.
  2. Some tech trends and powerful actors prize efficiency and automation so much that they risk outsourcing thinking and creativity to machines, which could hollow out our cultural and intellectual life.
  3. Writing and reading novels demand active imagination, so keeping faith in fiction is a necessary defense of personhood and a collective effort to preserve storytelling and art.

Book Review Contest 2024 Winners

Astral Codex Ten • 8947 implied HN points • 11 Oct 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. The winners of the 2024 Book Review Contest have been announced, with AmandaFromBethlehem taking first place. She received $2,500 for her review of 'Two Arms And A Head'.
  2. A variety of interesting books were reviewed by participants, showcasing unique perspectives and diverse interests. Some other notable reviews included titles like 'Nine Lives' by David Matolcsi and 'How The War Was Won' by Jack Thorlin.
  3. All winners and finalists earn a free subscription and the chance to pitch essay ideas for potential publication. There are suggestions for future contests to change the format or even skip a year to allow participants more reading time.

Kimi K2

Don't Worry About the Vase • 1926 implied HN points • 16 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Creative Writing
  1. Kimi K2 is a good and affordable AI model for creative writing. It stands out for its unique style and gives users plenty of ways to be creative.
  2. Despite being praised for its performance, Kimi K2 has some limitations, especially in reasoning tasks. This means it may struggle with complex math or social skills.
  3. The success of Kimi K2 shows that new players in AI can create strong models even with limited resources. It highlights the importance of different perspectives in the AI landscape.

sunday dreampool

bad cattitude • 81 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. The post is a short, poetic reflection that suggests inspiration and wisdom can appear unexpectedly.
  2. It’s a paid, subscriber-only piece, so you requires subscribing or signing in to read the full content.
  3. The title and the dedication (“for the penguin”) give it a playful, personal weekend-vibe tone.

The Ghost of the Author

The Algorithmic Bridge • 456 implied HN points • 13 Nov 25
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Ghosts are a part of our culture and represent our fears of the unknown. They're not just stories from the past; they symbolize deeper issues we face today.
  2. AI can evoke strong emotions and help people express feelings they struggle to communicate. It can be a tool for creativity, even in times of grief, as seen in stories written with AI assistance.
  3. Using AI in art and literature raises questions about creativity and originality. There’s a debate about whether AI can truly create art or if it simply reshuffles existing ideas and concepts.

life is a crying baby

Both Are True • 180 implied HN points • 27 Dec 25
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. A time-limited project that delivers 58 short entries by email over the course of a month, capturing small ideas, drafts, and daily thoughts.
  2. The main purpose is to clear a cluttered personal database and give past creative impulses a finite, honored form with an explicit end date.
  3. There’s a lot of vulnerability and self-doubt about sharing, but the act of releasing it is framed as an exhale and a way to listen to and respect past creative selves.

Start the week #109

Eclecticism: Reflections on literature, writing and life • 5 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Effective writing teaching aims for the Zone of Proximal Development by giving tasks just beyond a student’s current ability and gradually increasing difficulty to keep them challenged but not overwhelmed.
  2. The recent books reviewed range widely — exploring how maths shapes culture, practical questions about writing and feedback, a skeptical look at technological ‘progress’, and Bengali short stories that feel stylistically different from Western ones.
  3. There’s a tension around men showing emotion in public: some prefer a stoic, get-on-with-it approach while others argue emotional openness helps mental health, and repressing grief can have real health costs.

Off to London

Story Club with George Saunders • 43 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. There’s a busy travel week ahead, with events in London, Bristol, and Edinburgh.
  2. The piece explores the story 'CivilWarLand in Bad Decline' from a first book, trying to recall how it was written and what the intentions were.
  3. The story is strange and dark, and creating it was a very exciting creative experience; the detailed discussion is available to paid subscribers.

#232: A reading list for summer cope

Maybe Baby • 993 implied HN points • 10 Aug 25
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Many people feel anxious about time, especially as summer comes to an end. Recognizing this feeling can help manage it better.
  2. There's a tendency to judge summers based on expectations, which can lead to feelings of regret or envy. It's important to appreciate moments for what they are.
  3. Setting small, attainable goals can often lead to a more satisfying life. Don't get too caught up in big dreams, as they can distract from enjoying the simple things.

I'm doing Inkhaven

Aliveness Studies • 9 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. A month-long Berkeley writing residency forces daily output (residents must publish 500+ words a day), giving strong structure and accountability for people who want to write more.
  2. The program’s main benefits are community, feedback, and networking — being around other writers and experienced bloggers can help workshop pieces, boost productivity, and even support mental health through co-regulation.
  3. Even without clear long-term goals, committing to a focused month can clarify thinking, be a fun way to explore the area, and many participants report very positive experiences.

The Archive

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 708 implied HN points • 14 Aug 25
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Words can disappear for different reasons, like being banned or forgotten, and it can really change how we express ourselves and perceive the world.
  2. The act of sharing and speaking these lost words can help bring them back to life, making them part of everyday conversations again.
  3. Even if we can't save every word, every time someone uses a forgotten word, it's a small victory in keeping our language alive.

AI and the future of literature.

The Common Reader • 2090 implied HN points • 14 Feb 25
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. AI is changing literature and writers need to pay attention to it. It's becoming a tool that helps with research and creates new possibilities in storytelling.
  2. Some see AI as a threat to writing because it can generate content, which might take away from the unique human experience in literature. Others believe it's just another tool that can enhance creativity.
  3. Literature has always adapted to new technology, and ignoring AI might leave writers behind. Engaging with AI might lead to new forms of art and storytelling that we cannot yet imagine.

The Deaf Girl and Her Whistling Tea Kettle

Holly’s Newsletter • 1071 implied HN points • 06 Feb 24
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. The author describes the comforting ritual of coming home and warming up halfway up the stairs, associating it with the Danish concept of 'hygge'. It's a sensory experience that brings deep comfort.
  2. Rituals are highlighted as calming and grounding. They help relax the part of the brain that deals with constant anxiety and serve as a way to connect with the present moment.
  3. The post discusses the author's journey from being addicted to Coke Zero to finding solace in the ritual of preparing and drinking hot tea instead, despite previous attempts with coffee.

The Forever Dying and the Always Dead; or, Literary Fiction and the Novel

Counter Craft • 1030 implied HN points • 24 Jun 25
📚 Literature Creative Writing
  1. Literary fiction is often seen as declining, but it's still selling well. We should broaden our view and not just focus on the bestseller lists to understand its impact.
  2. The way books are sold has changed a lot over the years. Nowadays, most people find books in big stores or online, which favors more popular, commercial fiction.
  3. There's a lot of pressure on publishers to find big hits, but they could do better by supporting more authors and promoting a variety of books, not just the ones that are trending.

3 poems from the sports section

Austin Kleon • 1498 implied HN points • 24 Oct 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Creative Writing
  1. The sports section of newspapers is great for crafting blackouts because of the simple and expressive language used by athletes and coaches.
  2. Even though the New York Times recently disbanded its sports department, this section continues to inspire creative writing.
  3. Using nouns and verbs from sports articles can help create interesting and relatable poetry, highlighting themes like time and idleness.