DEAR READER,
How could TiF ever hope to capture all the fiction written in a year by the hundreds of fiction writers in our growing community? We couldn’t possibly. But we can damn well try. And this issue is attempting to do just that. There are over 750 stories by over 300 writers to choose from! But, with this massive compendium of stories and writers there’s no easy way for me to list them all here in this email. For starters, the email would be cut off! And the last thing I want to do is have the possibility of leaving even one amazing writer out of their time in the spotlight! Solution? I’ve created the largest PDF that TiF has ever put out.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE PDF
This is very different from the weekly PDFs. I’ve decided to organize it into 3 Parts as follows:
Part 1: The Official Annual List
This includes all of the stories chosen directly by everyone who has ever been featured in the last 6 months here on TiF. Now, the list of people who submitted their choice was originally 180+, however, it is now only 147 and I want to explain why that happened:
Any story submitted that had already been Featured in a previous weekly issue or monthly recap was removed (thereby receiving a medallion already). This list is intended to highlight favorite stories that may have been missed either the first half of 2024 or any time throughout the year. I realize this may not have been clear at the outset and I’ll be sure to use language that makes this more clear when putting together the 2025 annual recap issue.
The story is no longer available on Substack. Some people have either deleted their Substack altogether or moved their entire publication off of Substack and it’s not on their own website elsewhere. [I will say that I am looking at ways to expand Top in Fiction to incorporate stories shared outside of Substack in the future]
The story is behind a paywall. All stories featured on TiF should be free to read at time of listing.
If the story is too political or extreme in any way based off the title or from reading a few lines of the story, then it was removed. Unfortunately, while I believe in free speech, this list is viewed by far too many people who’ve come to trust TiF to find something they may like to read and I rather not enter into a debate on things outside of the mission that TiF is trying to invoke; community through storytelling.
So, if you filled out the Google form but your story is not listed in this section it is likely for one of these four reasons.
Part 2: The Weekly Issues
I’ve compiled all 25 issues from the very beginning for you! Almost 375 stories in total! WOW!
Part 3: The Monthly Recaps
Yep, that’s right, I’ve secretly created PDFs for all 6 monthly recaps! 78 total stories to choose from!
For those of you keeping count, this massive PDF has 750+ stories to choose from and I could not be prouder to list them all here for you.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE WRITERS
What makes this list so unique and amazing, for me, is seeing just how vast this community truly is. It might seem small compared to others, but from where I’m sitting, it feels like home. A place of wonder and adventure and just damn good storytelling.
I never would’ve imagined that hundreds (and almost thousands as we reach this milestone soon) would flock to Top in Fiction in search of a place to call home, a place to find great stories to read, and a place to be in a community that values the art of storytelling in so many beautiful ways.
So, if you haven’t already, give these amazing writers a follow if you can. Or if you feel so inclined, subscribe to their newsletter. Cause based on 2024, I’m simply giddy with anticipation at what else they all have in store for us in 2025!
THE TiF SCHOLARSHIP
How to explain this without going on and on for paragraphs? I honestly don’t know how so I want to try and just tell you my idea and see if you get my vision and want to support it:
Being a fiction writer can seem like a very solitary thing. We go off somewhere and write and then we come out of the shadows and hit publish and ZOOM, off it goes to who knows where in the hopes that the eyeballs of perfect strangers will read what we’ve poured our heart and souls (some of us may have even shed some blood, sweat, and tears) into!
But no one truly understands the things a writer might need to start, to keep going, and especially to finish. On the surface they may seem commonplace or easy to come by or unnecessary even, but to a writer they are paramount. What are these phantom things I speak of? Well, let me mention a few:
Writing Software - yes, Google docs is free, but not everyone wants to use Google docs. Why not find a way to give copies of Scrivener to those who’ve never had it or can’t afford it?
Cover Design or Image Creation - Canva is free but limited. Why not give someone the benefit of a year’s worth of Pro access? Or perhaps the opportunity to use a service like 99Designs and get a professional cover done for their book?
Publishing [Ebook and Print] - Vellum, while only available for Mac users, is a great tool that allows creating the right files needed with the push of a button. There’s also up-and-coming Atticus which is web-based and therefore accessible to Mac and PC users. Having access to this can make the publishing process that much easier.
Now, what didn’t I mention? Two main things: ISBNs and Editors. The two most costly of things that, while I’d love to offer to help a writer pay for these things, that may not be possible today. But, I hold out hope for a future where paying an editor to edit work is also an option on the table.
These are just some of the things I’d love for TiF to help writers out there to access and use to help them on their journey towards publication. That is the purpose of the TiF Scholarship. To take work off their site and put it in people hands in a fully finished and formed way.
I could go on and on about this, but I’m going to leave it there as the moment you’ve all been waiting for, or possibly scrolled past all of this to get to is here:
This TiF Annual Recap PDF is 60+ pages and I’m hoping you will donate $5 / $10 / $25 to download it.
I want to stress that downloading the PDF is FREE for everyone. You DO NOT need to donate anything to acquire the PDF.
All donations made by clicking the button below will go towards the TiF Scholarship Fund. I will be open and transparent as to how to apply and who will be the receipient of a TiF Scholarship. I hope to begin the process this Spring.
And depending on how much we get, I’m going to try and stretch these funds as much as possible to help as many as I can jump the hurdles that so many fear or simply cannot afford.
THE TiF ANNUAL RECAP of 2024!
I present to you the “Class of 2024” fiction writers! Enjoy! And, as always, because fiction never takes a holiday, we’ll see you on Monday!
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