Matthew, thank you for sharing your thoughts and vulnerability on the growth of your publication. It is so easy to get caught up in the numbers (whether it's from a place of abundance or scarcity) and I also have the constant need to pull myself back to why I started this journey and what I truly want from it. (Hint: it is never to say I have "x" number of subscribers!)
On the short form in fiction: I had a creative writing tutor once put it really well: a short story is a snapshot or scene from a movie, whilst a novel is the whole movie. That has stuck with me.
Kate, you are of course spot on, it is never about x number of subscribers. I appreciate that I am not the only one who struggles with these things at times.
I do love that visual of a scene or snapshot. That seems quite accurate.
Looking forward to exploring this short story. Is it part of a particular collection? Thanks for being so open. I’m looking for humanity on the web as much as for information, just like many others I guess. You supply both in abundance, so don’t worry! Glad I found your substack!
Matthew, I am late to tell you how exciting it has been to see your community flower. Readers are aspiring humans, not numbers, and they came because you nourish their aspirations. It is natural to feel shaken by success beyond expectation. When Alice Munro endorsed my first book, I was not thrilled but fell into a terrible funk for fear I’d never again write anything worthy of the master’s praise. And now some readers (not me) are tossing her books into the trash—a discussion for another time.
Rona, thank you as always for your kindness and support.
I was sorry to hear about all the drama surrounding Munro. I love her writing and her books hold a treasured spot on my shelves. In truth, every writer is human and every human is broken in some way. I don't believe in cancel culture and I have far too many of my own foibles to begin worrying about others.
Thank you for your vulnerability… it’s our connective thread to all people! Even the ones we may only know through Substack.
I really relate to your introvert sense. I’m just recognizing now, at 44 years old, that I’m really not built for large groups or many levels of interacting all at once. I’m really very slow, not a multi-tasker.
Although much of my outer life, up until only a year ago, was built on massive interaction with so many, I now know what I need to be most healing towards myself and others - lots of quiet, lots of space, lots of alone.
Yet, at the same time, (and this sounds like you too) our voice needs to be heard by many… what we write and share is needed in the world. It’s sometimes difficult to balance but it’s getting easier as I learn more about who I really am underneath so much conditioning.
Thanks again, Matthew. Best to you in continued growth!🫶🏼
Char, thanks so much for your words here. I do believe we are kindred souls, much alike in many ways. My career was so busy and noisy and filled with people that I am grateful for the slowness, the space, the time I have alone now. But I agree with you completely that it is still important for us to take those things we discover in that quiet, alone time, and share it with the world.
Matthew, this is such a great piece. I am so happy for you for the growth of your community here. I look forward to reading The Aleph. I’m also about to start 100 Years of Solitude. Did you happen to watch the Netflix series? I don’t usually watch the TV adaptation before reading a book (or at all for that matter) but I really enjoyed it.
Noreen, I haven't seen the series yet but I want to give it a go. I read the book years ago and really struggled with it. I think I was too young to grasp it or something but I want to try it again. You have encouraged me to do so! I will let you know how it goes.
Matthew, this post has all the elements, beginning with your openness, your genuineness and humanity (which I fear is only going to garner you more subscribers :). This is followed by a description of your life, which sounds an awful lot like the good life to me -- and including jazz and Borges. Bravo!
Yes, numbers torment the brain, people and communities feed the heart. Your understanding of human strengths and weaknesses, Matthew, guides us through literature. Literature is life.
Matthew, I had to smile reading this because I am writing about a similar feeling this week. Your vulnerability is one of your powers, I think. People are drawn to authenticity; what you have built here on Substack—the community, the connections— is a testament to yours. You deserve every success!
As for short stories, I'll always be glad I took the time to study the form before I attempted a novel. It made writing hundreds of pages worth of story actually feel easier, I think...like it offered more freedom. Short stories are perfect teachers of plot and condensed language, as you say. I think I enjoy reading them more than writing them!
Maria, many thanks my friend. It is interesting that for so many years I thought being vulnerable was a weakness and I never allowed a crack in my shell. Now I am trying to embrace it as an essential part of who I am, recognizing it as an opportunity for growth and connection.
I recently checked out a collection of Latin American short stories from the library. My friend’s field of study is the work of Chilean author Jose Donoso, of whom I knew nothing, and my library only had exactly one short story of his. But, the first story in the collection was “The Aleph.” So I read it. What a good choice by the editors to put that first!
It reminded me a lot of Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” because of the unexpressed disdain Borges the character has for the poet (and they probably share Dante’s Inferno as a reference). I loved what Borges says to poet after experiencing the Aleph (which I suppose is spoilery). Very human and a nice twist.
The short story by Donoso in that collection was called “Ana Maria” and was of a level with “The Aleph.” A vivid snapshot with much to think about. Recommended.
Nathan, many thanks for the recommendation. I am not familiar with Donoso but have written down his name and the name of the story so I can seek them out.
I like your comparison to Poe. I hadn't made that connection until you mentioned it but there are similarities.
Mathew, thank you for this beautiful post/article. Loved it.
I enjoyed reading The Aleph. Thank you for the suggestion. ‘alef’ is also the first letter in the Persian alphabet and this was particularly intriguing for me as an Iranian. According to Wikipedia, the Arabic ‘alif’ means “derived from the root.” This might give us some ideas in connection with the short story? I’m not quite sure.
I like how Borges plays with deep concepts such as memory, truth, and forgetfulness.
As for the short story, for me short stories are distilled literature. There’s no chance for sloppiness, redundant words, and unnecessary information in a good short story.
Thank you for the list of short story writers you have provided in your post. Alice Munro is one of my favorites!
Thank you for these kind and encouraging words. I don't know any Persian unfortunately but I do think I had heard that before about the first letter of the alphabet. Thanks for the reminder. Borges was such a deep intellectual and was widely read. I am certain there is some connection there if we were to dig deep enough.
I also love Alice Munro and have many volumes of her work on my shelves. So grateful you enjoyed this essay and glad to have you here.
I, too, am drawn to am drawn to Borges...admittedly, brings me back to high school Spanish where we digested many of his stories. His writing introduced the mystical with mind-bending storylines that stayed grounded in human emotion.
I appreciated the openness and vulnerability that you began with. To see the human behind the words through this medium (Substack vs an establishment book reviewing publication) is one of parts that make this experience so special.
Borges is one of my personal favorites of the short story authors you mention. Munro was when I was younger, in grad school, but when I read her works later...I found her a bit too cold and distant...and the revelations by her daughter put me off reading her works altogether. To clarify, I don't mean that I believe others should make the same decision around not reading an author's works because of their life, but it's a decision I also feel that I am free to make.
I'm a relatively new Substacker (less than 3 months here) and I love the community here thus far. It sounds like there's an influx of subscribers for you, but that you have a base community here also.
Jo, thanks for this meaningful comment. It is really easy for me to hide behind the mask of my love of literature but I believe it is important to open up the personal side as well to establish that rapport with others. You are correct that this is a very unique and special aspect of Substack.
This was my introduction to Borges and I will definitely be visiting his work in the future. As for Munro, I understand and respect your thoughts on this topic. It is a challenging one because I do enjoy her writing but the personal revelations are disheartening. The same with Neil Gaiman whose books I loved when I was a bit younger. It brings up an important discussion about the difference between artists and their art.
I try not to engage in cancel culture too much simply because I realize I rarely, if ever, know the whole story. Unfortunately we are all very broken creatures. I probably won't ever buy another book by Gaiman but I still value the role his work had in my life. His case is more clear cut than Munro's since he was the one doing the deed. Munro failed to speak up which is sad, especially for her daughter. But how many people in abusive relationships make that same mistake? It is so hard to know the interior life of another person. I definitely respect your position and it is one that many readers have chosen to make. Her books still hold a special place on my shelves but they also have a more nuanced context to them now.
Thank you for being here and engaging in conversation. All the best, Matthew
Yes, that is what is unique about Substack, the personal touch, the warmth, the community. I'm pleasantly amazed at how much support I've gotten for being on the platform for *such* a short time, without any viral content.
Re: cancel culture. I do dislike this term and a lot of the talk that has risen up around it. It's become (IMO) a screed to allow people to comfortably allow abuse to continue. The lack of nuance, the black-and-white approach our culture is increasingly taking is part of that.
To "cancel" seems to signal to stop and support and essentially ex-communicate the party being "cancelled". This is why I felt the need to clarify that in my decision to literally throw out Munro's books (which I've never done with another author) was not a call for everyone to act similarly, nor is it a call for publishers to withdraw from publishing her books, as at least one has done with Gaiman.
In my real life, I've been a survivor advocate for many years, have spoken to hundreds of survivors, so the nuance and knowledge I have of abuse is different from that of the layman. There's a piece I wrote and published on my Substack called "In Defense of Knowledge" about this - that the lack of knowledge and often the misinformation about the patterns of abuse are harming us all. Re: Munro, her pattern is one that I'm familiar with through my work/activism, and that's why I felt so strongly about it. The pattern is that usually the strongest supporter of an abuser is a woman, often his partner, and I've spoken to so many survivors that have endured years of trauma because of this pattern.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment as well, and I hope my tangent on abuse wasn't a bother.
Jo, not at all. I appreciate the discussion actually. Not sure if you ever read my essay, In the Heart of the Void, but it discusses the sexual abuse I experienced as a teenager and the ensuing years of loneliness and depression that followed. So I am right there with you and agree that everyone has to approach it in a way that makes sense for their situation. Thanks actually for being willing to have these conversations. That is what this space is for and why I find the connections between life and literature so fascinating.
Matthew I share your thoughts on subscriber counts, I think we all have that shy and vulnerable aspect to sharing so much of ourselves here. You have worked so incredibly hard on your publication though and it really shines in all you post, you deserve every word of praise whether it is whispered from the wings or shouted out loud to the crowds! 🙏🏼
Matthew, thank you for sharing your thoughts and vulnerability on the growth of your publication. It is so easy to get caught up in the numbers (whether it's from a place of abundance or scarcity) and I also have the constant need to pull myself back to why I started this journey and what I truly want from it. (Hint: it is never to say I have "x" number of subscribers!)
On the short form in fiction: I had a creative writing tutor once put it really well: a short story is a snapshot or scene from a movie, whilst a novel is the whole movie. That has stuck with me.
Kate, you are of course spot on, it is never about x number of subscribers. I appreciate that I am not the only one who struggles with these things at times.
I do love that visual of a scene or snapshot. That seems quite accurate.
Looking forward to exploring this short story. Is it part of a particular collection? Thanks for being so open. I’m looking for humanity on the web as much as for information, just like many others I guess. You supply both in abundance, so don’t worry! Glad I found your substack!
I already found it, at least in my own mother language: Dutch. It’s part of a collection from 1949, also called ‘De Aleph/The Aliph’.
Fantastic. Glad you were able to find it.
Maurice, thanks for the kind words. It means a great deal to me. Seems we are looking for the same things so I am glad to have you here.
I read this as part of a wider collection called "Collected Fictions." However, I do know it has been published separately as well.
Matthew, I am late to tell you how exciting it has been to see your community flower. Readers are aspiring humans, not numbers, and they came because you nourish their aspirations. It is natural to feel shaken by success beyond expectation. When Alice Munro endorsed my first book, I was not thrilled but fell into a terrible funk for fear I’d never again write anything worthy of the master’s praise. And now some readers (not me) are tossing her books into the trash—a discussion for another time.
Rona, thank you as always for your kindness and support.
I was sorry to hear about all the drama surrounding Munro. I love her writing and her books hold a treasured spot on my shelves. In truth, every writer is human and every human is broken in some way. I don't believe in cancel culture and I have far too many of my own foibles to begin worrying about others.
Thank you for your vulnerability… it’s our connective thread to all people! Even the ones we may only know through Substack.
I really relate to your introvert sense. I’m just recognizing now, at 44 years old, that I’m really not built for large groups or many levels of interacting all at once. I’m really very slow, not a multi-tasker.
Although much of my outer life, up until only a year ago, was built on massive interaction with so many, I now know what I need to be most healing towards myself and others - lots of quiet, lots of space, lots of alone.
Yet, at the same time, (and this sounds like you too) our voice needs to be heard by many… what we write and share is needed in the world. It’s sometimes difficult to balance but it’s getting easier as I learn more about who I really am underneath so much conditioning.
Thanks again, Matthew. Best to you in continued growth!🫶🏼
Char, thanks so much for your words here. I do believe we are kindred souls, much alike in many ways. My career was so busy and noisy and filled with people that I am grateful for the slowness, the space, the time I have alone now. But I agree with you completely that it is still important for us to take those things we discover in that quiet, alone time, and share it with the world.
Grateful to be on this journey with you.
Matthew, this is such a great piece. I am so happy for you for the growth of your community here. I look forward to reading The Aleph. I’m also about to start 100 Years of Solitude. Did you happen to watch the Netflix series? I don’t usually watch the TV adaptation before reading a book (or at all for that matter) but I really enjoyed it.
Noreen, I haven't seen the series yet but I want to give it a go. I read the book years ago and really struggled with it. I think I was too young to grasp it or something but I want to try it again. You have encouraged me to do so! I will let you know how it goes.
Matthew, this post has all the elements, beginning with your openness, your genuineness and humanity (which I fear is only going to garner you more subscribers :). This is followed by a description of your life, which sounds an awful lot like the good life to me -- and including jazz and Borges. Bravo!
Many thanks dear friend. It seems I tend to work out all the inner chaos by writing down the words. And I agree, life is good.
Thanks for the rec, just placed a hold at my library for it!
Wonderful! Let me know your thoughts.
Yes, numbers torment the brain, people and communities feed the heart. Your understanding of human strengths and weaknesses, Matthew, guides us through literature. Literature is life.
Thanks Maureen, so grateful to have you here and hope all is well.
It’s always such a comfort when one reads of another’s honesty and vulnerability.
I hear you Matthew and I thank you.
It’s a comfort to know that I am not alone.
Thank you. It does seem we often struggle in silence a bit and think we are alone in the challenges. It is good to know we are not alone.
Matthew, I had to smile reading this because I am writing about a similar feeling this week. Your vulnerability is one of your powers, I think. People are drawn to authenticity; what you have built here on Substack—the community, the connections— is a testament to yours. You deserve every success!
As for short stories, I'll always be glad I took the time to study the form before I attempted a novel. It made writing hundreds of pages worth of story actually feel easier, I think...like it offered more freedom. Short stories are perfect teachers of plot and condensed language, as you say. I think I enjoy reading them more than writing them!
Maria, many thanks my friend. It is interesting that for so many years I thought being vulnerable was a weakness and I never allowed a crack in my shell. Now I am trying to embrace it as an essential part of who I am, recognizing it as an opportunity for growth and connection.
I recently checked out a collection of Latin American short stories from the library. My friend’s field of study is the work of Chilean author Jose Donoso, of whom I knew nothing, and my library only had exactly one short story of his. But, the first story in the collection was “The Aleph.” So I read it. What a good choice by the editors to put that first!
It reminded me a lot of Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” because of the unexpressed disdain Borges the character has for the poet (and they probably share Dante’s Inferno as a reference). I loved what Borges says to poet after experiencing the Aleph (which I suppose is spoilery). Very human and a nice twist.
The short story by Donoso in that collection was called “Ana Maria” and was of a level with “The Aleph.” A vivid snapshot with much to think about. Recommended.
Nathan, many thanks for the recommendation. I am not familiar with Donoso but have written down his name and the name of the story so I can seek them out.
I like your comparison to Poe. I hadn't made that connection until you mentioned it but there are similarities.
All the best.
Mathew, thank you for this beautiful post/article. Loved it.
I enjoyed reading The Aleph. Thank you for the suggestion. ‘alef’ is also the first letter in the Persian alphabet and this was particularly intriguing for me as an Iranian. According to Wikipedia, the Arabic ‘alif’ means “derived from the root.” This might give us some ideas in connection with the short story? I’m not quite sure.
I like how Borges plays with deep concepts such as memory, truth, and forgetfulness.
As for the short story, for me short stories are distilled literature. There’s no chance for sloppiness, redundant words, and unnecessary information in a good short story.
Thank you for the list of short story writers you have provided in your post. Alice Munro is one of my favorites!
Thank you for these kind and encouraging words. I don't know any Persian unfortunately but I do think I had heard that before about the first letter of the alphabet. Thanks for the reminder. Borges was such a deep intellectual and was widely read. I am certain there is some connection there if we were to dig deep enough.
I also love Alice Munro and have many volumes of her work on my shelves. So grateful you enjoyed this essay and glad to have you here.
I, too, am drawn to am drawn to Borges...admittedly, brings me back to high school Spanish where we digested many of his stories. His writing introduced the mystical with mind-bending storylines that stayed grounded in human emotion.
Ellen, this was my first time reading his work and I was impressed. I will definitely be returning to visit more of his writing in the future.
I appreciated the openness and vulnerability that you began with. To see the human behind the words through this medium (Substack vs an establishment book reviewing publication) is one of parts that make this experience so special.
Borges is one of my personal favorites of the short story authors you mention. Munro was when I was younger, in grad school, but when I read her works later...I found her a bit too cold and distant...and the revelations by her daughter put me off reading her works altogether. To clarify, I don't mean that I believe others should make the same decision around not reading an author's works because of their life, but it's a decision I also feel that I am free to make.
I'm a relatively new Substacker (less than 3 months here) and I love the community here thus far. It sounds like there's an influx of subscribers for you, but that you have a base community here also.
Jo, thanks for this meaningful comment. It is really easy for me to hide behind the mask of my love of literature but I believe it is important to open up the personal side as well to establish that rapport with others. You are correct that this is a very unique and special aspect of Substack.
This was my introduction to Borges and I will definitely be visiting his work in the future. As for Munro, I understand and respect your thoughts on this topic. It is a challenging one because I do enjoy her writing but the personal revelations are disheartening. The same with Neil Gaiman whose books I loved when I was a bit younger. It brings up an important discussion about the difference between artists and their art.
I try not to engage in cancel culture too much simply because I realize I rarely, if ever, know the whole story. Unfortunately we are all very broken creatures. I probably won't ever buy another book by Gaiman but I still value the role his work had in my life. His case is more clear cut than Munro's since he was the one doing the deed. Munro failed to speak up which is sad, especially for her daughter. But how many people in abusive relationships make that same mistake? It is so hard to know the interior life of another person. I definitely respect your position and it is one that many readers have chosen to make. Her books still hold a special place on my shelves but they also have a more nuanced context to them now.
Thank you for being here and engaging in conversation. All the best, Matthew
Yes, that is what is unique about Substack, the personal touch, the warmth, the community. I'm pleasantly amazed at how much support I've gotten for being on the platform for *such* a short time, without any viral content.
Re: cancel culture. I do dislike this term and a lot of the talk that has risen up around it. It's become (IMO) a screed to allow people to comfortably allow abuse to continue. The lack of nuance, the black-and-white approach our culture is increasingly taking is part of that.
To "cancel" seems to signal to stop and support and essentially ex-communicate the party being "cancelled". This is why I felt the need to clarify that in my decision to literally throw out Munro's books (which I've never done with another author) was not a call for everyone to act similarly, nor is it a call for publishers to withdraw from publishing her books, as at least one has done with Gaiman.
In my real life, I've been a survivor advocate for many years, have spoken to hundreds of survivors, so the nuance and knowledge I have of abuse is different from that of the layman. There's a piece I wrote and published on my Substack called "In Defense of Knowledge" about this - that the lack of knowledge and often the misinformation about the patterns of abuse are harming us all. Re: Munro, her pattern is one that I'm familiar with through my work/activism, and that's why I felt so strongly about it. The pattern is that usually the strongest supporter of an abuser is a woman, often his partner, and I've spoken to so many survivors that have endured years of trauma because of this pattern.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment as well, and I hope my tangent on abuse wasn't a bother.
- Jo
Jo, not at all. I appreciate the discussion actually. Not sure if you ever read my essay, In the Heart of the Void, but it discusses the sexual abuse I experienced as a teenager and the ensuing years of loneliness and depression that followed. So I am right there with you and agree that everyone has to approach it in a way that makes sense for their situation. Thanks actually for being willing to have these conversations. That is what this space is for and why I find the connections between life and literature so fascinating.
Matthew I share your thoughts on subscriber counts, I think we all have that shy and vulnerable aspect to sharing so much of ourselves here. You have worked so incredibly hard on your publication though and it really shines in all you post, you deserve every word of praise whether it is whispered from the wings or shouted out loud to the crowds! 🙏🏼
Thank you so much Susie. You are a kind and generous soul. If I ever make it to France I am going to climb your hill and give you a hug.
I will be waiting at the top to hug you back Matthew!
This warmed my heart, Matthew. 💚
Thanks Don.