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With the book done, and editing well on the way, it’s smooth sailing from here. Find excerpts, post them to social media, and watch that following grow. Right? Well, do I have a plot twist for you.

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been staring at my manuscript, trying to find some excerpts to share. And, while finding bits of interesting writing is easy enough, I realized that they don’t work as well out-of-context.

Normally, I rely on the fact that the reader already knows things, and already feels about things a certain way. I do this with an innovative technique I like to call “having read previous chapters”. That doesn’t translate to excerpts very well.

And even if it did, the excerpt needs to find a middle ground between “why do I care?” and spoiling major plot points. I haven’t yet found such a middle ground, or not one I could comfortably stand on, at least.

So where do I go from here? Well, if I can’t create interest with words, for fear of spoilers, I can maybe create it subconsciously, by setting a mood. So I’ve taken to creating an experience for each excerpt.

In some short videos, some would call them “reels”, I combine the words with graphics and sound to create context subconsciously, via mood, because the subconscious can’t spoil plot points. Or maybe I just try to make them look cool, that can also work.

You can see these atmospheric experiments on Instagram: @byjohnmarch. I’ll try to find a way to post them on the blog as well, but following me on social media gives me a sense of accomplishment. Really leaning into my “tortured author” persona here.

Come for the noir, stay for the existential dread.