The best Creative Writing newsletters

Etgar Keret shares personal essays, stories and reflections, from humorous anecdotes about author tours to searching pieces on life in Israel after October 7. Readers get first-person literary writing that mixes absurdist humor with moral and political introspection.

A flash fiction newsletter from writer and teacher Kathy Fish offering craft articles that close-read published micro-fiction, plus writing prompts. Paid subscribers also get weekly posts, live write-together sessions and month-long generative writing events.

A Substack of short fiction and serialized prose, including a continuing story called The Maria Chronicles, delivered as brief reads for the phone. Readers get atmospheric, romantic vignettes with a literary voice.

A personal blog of essays and fragments by a writer who mixes self-deprecating humor, small experiments and reflections on work and love. Issues cover a self-love experiment inspired by another Substack writer, a speech about door-to-door canvassing, and a short poem.

A living archive and biweekly-ish roundup from comics writer Grant Morrison, mixing surreal humour, cultural commentary, music picks, and updates on projects such as the Magick and Symbolism Kickstarter. Readers get an idiosyncratic, occult-tinged take on current events and creative life.

A personal, irreverent newsletter from a writer who runs a monthly book club and publishes occasional essays, mixing bookclub announcements, a weekly political and news roundup, and literary features. Readers get book recommendations, sharp commentary on current events, and emerging-writer essays with a playful, provocative voice.

A screenwriter and novelist shares storytelling craft breakdowns, screenwriting analysis, and cultural essays on film, TV, fiction and art, including personal reflections on balancing creative work with life. Readers get practical craft lessons, resource lists like downloadable horror scripts, and community prompts for finishing work in progress.

George Saunders hosts a community on how short stories work, with craft discussion and occasional author news. The excerpted issues are mostly announcements and personal updates about the Met Opera adaptation of Lincoln in the Bardo and a bookstore event.

A Substack by a coach and author writing to high-achieving women about overfunctioning, burnout and redesigning their lives. Issues mix personal essays, such as writing a first novel at sixty, with updates on her coaching experiments and offers.

A newsletter on storytelling craft that explains narrative structures such as the Hero's Journey, along with practical techniques like copywork, hooks and narrative distance. It mixes short idea lists with deeper explainers and occasional guest essays.

Strange Pilgrims is an independent, ad-free literary magazine newsletter that publishes essays, fiction and critique alongside audio recordings by the authors. It also shares editorial notes, open calls for submissions and pay rates for writers.

A personal newsletter about attention, online manipulation and digital community, mixing essays on computational propaganda with fiction contest updates and announcements about a community space. Readers get reflective commentary on social media dynamics alongside a speculative flash fiction piece and news about its author's projects.