Fiction writing exercises, craft essays, and reading recommendations from Matt Bell, author of APPLESEED and REFUSE TO BE DONE. Publishes monthly.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Freemium | Publishes | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 77 | Founded | 6 years ago | Last Issue | a month ago |
| Active | |||||
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mattbell.substack.comLatest Issues
#62: The Stories Characters Tell Themselves
Hello friends! I hope you’re having a good summer so far. I’ve got a couple of quick pieces of housekeeping before we get to this month’s craft essay:
First, thanks to everyone who already sent in your typo stories and anecdotes for my nex...
Have a Good Story about Typos? Want to Appear in My Next Book?
Hello friends!
I hope your summer is off to a good start! I’m just back from travels to Spain, Portugal, Greece, and the tiniest bit of the UK, and am now slowly sliding back into my writing practice. This summer, that means finishing draf...
#61: The Autobiography of Your Novel
Hello friends! Before we get to this month’s craft essay, I’ve got two bits of good personal news:
First, I’m thrilled to share that my new novel Penitent will be published in 2028 by Doubleday, with Thomas Gebremedhin editing! Thanks as...
Recording of Craft Lecture: "How to Outline a Novel"
March 19, 2026
Hello friends! Thanks so much to everyone who attended this week’s craft lecture! As promised, here’s the recording from the talk:
Paid Subscriber Benefit: Live Craft Lecture Today!
March 18, 2026, 7pm ET
Hello friends! For those of you who are paid subscribers of No Failure, Only Practice, today’s our first craft lecture of 2026! This month’s lecture will be on best practices for outlining novels, something readers h...
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Author most recently of the novel APPLESEED and the craft book REFUSE TO BE DONE. Husband, teacher, runner, writer. Born in MI, living in AZ.
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