Dear reader,
While I started The Schwartz Circuit with the intention of circulating my work—fiction, essays, etc.—I really had an ulterior motive. I started this newsletter because I wasn’t finishing things. I thought that having an audience might give me the push to complete stories. Thank you for being that audience—it worked!
It’s not like I’ve become prolific overnight, but with your help, I did realize that I could finish stories I was proud of, and I realized something else important: It’s time to take the next step and start submitting my work to places that could potentially publish it.
I have a lot to learn about that process. But one thing I know is that I have to find a new direction for The Schwartz Circuit, so soon, the way startups pivot as they grow—the problem being that most places aren’t interested in publishing a story I’ve already shared on my newsletter.
So I’ve decided that going forward, I’ll use SC to share less structured writing, the kind of words that normally might not exist outside of my notebook or an email to a writer friend. I’m feeling inspired by Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard; it’s a collection of letters he wrote for his unborn daughter, one a day, mostly based on whatever object caught his attention, like “Plastic Bags” (they’re not all great, but “Plastic Bags” is).
I’d like to write you letters on various subjects, nothing too heavy or that goes on for too long; a snapshot of my brain, lightly organized. I guess that’s what I started out doing, with the very first SC, and I hope a return to this format will be fun for both of us :) Please always feel free to write me back and let me know what you think. If there’s anyone reading who’s on a similar path (or has a friend who is…) I love meeting other writers and creative folk and finding ways to support each other.
I heard some good advice the other day that an email, like a short story, only needs to be about one thing—and it’s usually best if it is. So I’ll end here, and ask you to look out in your inbox (Gmail users, here’s how to move me out of your promotions tab!) for a proper letter coming soon.
Hugs,
Paige