Robyn Ryle (she/her/hers)

She Thought It'd Never Get Published, But THEN... I hit two exciting milestones, plus TONS of writing links and resources!

I hit two exciting milestones! 🥳 Find out what they are in my latest #Substack newsletter.


Plus the latest episode of The Long Road to Publishing with guest @robynryle.bsky.social.

And TONS of #writing links and resources! evalangston.substack.com/p/she-though...

#writingcommunity

@robynryle.bsky.social has pivoted many times in her career, publishing in multiple genres and by multiple methods. Her novel-in-stories, Sex of the Midwest, is being published by @galiotpress.bsky.social.

Get the story on The Long Road to Publishing #writingpodcast
shows.acast.com/the-long-roa...

I’d really like to have a mid-life crisis but I’m not sure I can afford it.

The amount of nature drama in this tiny backyard on an average day is fairly astounding, if you’re paying attention. Trying to do a better job paying attention.

I just…who did you think Bruce Springsteen was?

I’ve invented a new cocktail—a gin and tonic with a splash of Aperol. Possible names: The 2nd Street; The Gilly (for the cat); Sex of the Midwest (for my book).

P.S. I know this drink probably already exists and I do not care.

Also just like Twitter in that I am clearly whispering into the void. So grateful to have that feeling back in my life.

I can tell Bluesky is going to be just like Twitter because I have no idea what you’re all talking about.

When an agent asks for the first ten pages but it’s nonfiction, what are the first ten pages? First ten pages of a sample chapter? First ten pages of the book proposal, but which part?
#publishing #writingcommunity

Reminder that while bookshop.org is amazing and you should be directing your online book sales there, I'll echo others and say that for small publishers, one of the most impactful things you can do is buy directly from our website, putting money in our bank account today for operations.

Thanks, Lee!

A buzzword I hate is how data is meant to provide "decision support," which in practice means that the data analyst nerds (it me) are pressured to massage their data until it supports whatever decision the highest-paid person in the room already wanted to make in the first place.

Okay, let's talk about the Jodi Picoult thing And that the "easy way out" is sometimes the only way out

I had some things to say about the Jodi Picoult thing—namely that traditional publishing isn’t a meritocracy. It excludes a lot of people, especially marginalized folks. So that “easy way out” is the only option for a lot of writers.

robynryle.substack.com/p/okay-lets-...

My new tattoo has reached the scabby phase and I want my husband to touch it because I find it sort of fascinating and he won’t and, I don’t know, I might have married the wrong person.

I just want to hang out at my favorite coffee shop on gray, cold days, writing and listening to Evermore over and over again. Is that too much to ask?

Yes, my tattoos give me super-powers On rituals and their purposes

Thinking about rituals this week and whether or not my tattoos give me super-powers. Check it out and maybe subscribe while you’re there.

robynryle.substack.com/p/yes-my-tat...

Have a serious think about how you’ll define “success” for yourself. Your own criteria, no one else’s. Write it down somewhere so you can remind yourself often.

Being an academic in 2023, the satire writes itself.

why some people be mad at me sometimes they ask me to remember but they want me to remember their memories and i keep on remembering mine.

LUCILLE CLIFTON, everybody

Yes? I’m old-school, but writing on the board (with chalk—none of that whiteboard crap) is still in my top ten favorite parts of my job.

A student just e-mailed to say he hoped my surgery went well (had to get a tooth removed and cancel a day of classes) and my heart is sort of bursting. What good, sweet kids I teach.

Hughes Van Ellis, Tulsa Massacre Survivor, Dies at 102 Mr. Ellis was one of three known remaining survivors of the massacre, in which a white mob burned down the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Okla., killing as many as 300 Black residents.

Hughes Van Ellis, one of three known remaining survivors of the massacre in which a white mob killed hundreds of Black residents in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921, died on Monday. He was 102.

The most amazing book—Pachinko.

So true.

Yes! I’m a writer! My greeting card game should be A+. Sometimes the pressure is too much and I just go with, “Love, Robyn.”

Long windows looking out onto the street

Jeff in the middle of a weird misshapen arch

An antique sewing machine in a room with iron bars

Man-paned window with courthouse outside

My favorite tour in my town is the loft tour, where you get to go see the very, very weird upstairs spaces above all the businesses. Small sample of the strange stuff up there. #madisonindiana

Yes, Kate McKean’s Substack. Also Becky Tuch’s for litmag news. Christine Sneed posts agent lists on her Substack for paid subscribers. For craft on Substack, George Saunders and Junot Diaz. I also love Summer Brennan’s newsletter. She’s a gorgeous writer and talks craft some.

I had to Google it.