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Reposted by Amy Slays Doubt Monsters

Jane Friedman @janefriedman.com · 22/09/2026

If you intend to get serious about writing powerful essays, you should familiarize yourself with three structural components that you’ll tie together to make a cohesive whole: 1. Form 2. Voice 3. Outcome Insight from @amylbernstein.bsky.social

janefriedman.com

3 Structural Components of Essay: Form, Voice, and Outcome | Jane Friedman

The essay is like any other literary genre: There are guidelines worth following, and style choice dictates different points of view and structures.

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

What's the next mountain I'm gonna climb? This was a dream come true! My talk focused on the necessity of treating artists as workers and paying them a living wage.

Amy Bernstein on stage at TEDx Logan Circle. Washington, DC, August 11, 2026.

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Writers: You'll have no trouble relating to this! That's me on the left and writer Veronica Vo on the right. She recently completed her MFA...and now she's out there in the querying and writing trenches. Join us for the related live chat!

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Artists are advised to wield data to define and measure their worth and their output. This does not always go well. And I'm not doing it. #cnf #essay #artist #writer #bksy amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com/p/permission...

amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com

When Measuring Messes with your Mindset

Look beyond the data for your identity as an artist

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

@readercon.bsky.social So excited to attend Readercon this weekend and share TENT CITY with everyone. A sly, dark exploration of the American Dream in decline. Check it out! Also excited about serving on the David Gerrold panel!!

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

I don't drive decisions on visuals, but appreciate the editors and publishers who do! For Wrangling the Doubt Monster, I asked for illustrations and the publisher found the ideal graphic artist to interpret the project. For Days of Leaving, the publisher came up with options; I weighed in.

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

I think short fiction and graphics (in various forms) go very well together; complementary arts that enhance the whole experience. I think any style of art can work--as long as it suits the material.

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

I'm always going to write what I *need* to write, and then seek an outlet for that material. So happens, I have a thought-provoking little sci-fi novella, kind of literary, kind of meta, plays with format...and of course I can't find a home for that. But some day, I will!

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

The story--and the marketplace--decided that for me!

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

My chapbook is a long short story about love and loss told from four shifting narrative perspectives. Perfect for the self-contained chapbook format!

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Hey, I'm inviting complete strangers to my party! Fortunately, it's virtual so you can't steal my silverware. But seriously: Let's have some fun! Register here: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #fiction #writers #authors #booksky #newfiction #speculative #dystopian #booklaunch

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

The truth about writing #memoir is packed into this single question. #cnf #booksky

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

This #cnf essay explores how fiction, including my new novel TENT CITY, contributes a rough first draft of history. I'm not in "sales" mode; I prefer "engagement" mode. #booksky #newbook #speculativefiction #fiction #novel medium.com/books-are-ou...

medium.com

Fiction Offers a First Draft of History

Invented stories have much to tell us about the real world

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

When revising feels like a slog...when you can no longer see your own words...look up: Your reader awaits. amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com/p/vision-and... #cnf #fiction #nonfiction #writers

amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com

Vision and Revision

Seeing your work clearly when everything looks blurry

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

TODAY, FRIDAY! Still got some gas in the tank? What a whirlwind, right? This is the book every self-doubting creative needs right now. Stop by for an honest conversation. You'll leave inspired and refreshed! Learn more about this little book punching above its weight at amywrites.live. #AWP

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Signing copies of my award-winning WRANGLING THE DOUBT MONSTER on Friday at the Women's National Book Assn. Booth 236. 1 pm. Stop by to chat about creative self-doubt! We're in this together! #AWP #AWP26 #writerscommunity #Baltimore

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

#AWP26 - Excited to have such dynamic writers join my virtual offsite, Is My Nonfiction Book/Memoir on Track? Wed 3/4 at 4:00PM. It's FREE! Sunday, Mar. 1 -- last day to submit pages for feedback. See AWP offsite pg for sign-up details! #CNF #Memoir

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

If you're heading to #AWP26 or coming to #Baltimore just for the conference offsites...we've got the lowdown on submitting to the best zines! #authorsandwriters #booksky #fiction #cnf

Secrets of the Editors: The Fine Art of Literary Submission & Rejection.

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Writing #CNF? Going to #AWP? Check out my virtual offsite: IS MY NF BOOK OR MEMOIR ON TRACK? Free group coaching by an expert. Insights into your structure, premise, and more! Deets: conference.awpwriter.org/offsite_even..., Mar 04, 2026

conference.awpwriter.org

2026 AWP

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Want to get happily published? Begin by being honest with yourself about what you want from the experience. #CNF #writers #authors amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com/p/is-there-a...

amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com

Is There a Wrong Way to Publish?

The answer depends on whether your intentions align with reality

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

I understand why we classify books by genre. But I prefer my #fiction to be hard to classify. Which is why I rail against the genre coding systems in place. #booksky substack.com/home/post/p-...

substack.com

The Rampant Coding of Literature

Tucking messy ideas into neat boxes

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Your published book isn't past its sell-by date. Remember there are readers out there ready to encounter your work for the first time. #booksky #fiction #writers #authors #indie amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com/p/why-every-...

amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com

Why Every Day is Launch Day

How to keep that new-car smell going

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Struggling to write better FIRST-PERSON FICTION? Don't miss my master class at the San Fran Writers Conf in Feb.! It's not just a POV--it's a mindset! We'll cover pitfalls, tricks, and share loads of examples. Real-time writing. www.sfwriters.org/events-and-p... @sfwc.bsky.social #fictionwriters

sfwriters.org

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Took 7 years to find a publisher for this dark tale about an economic apocalypse. TENT CITY A striving family. A collapsing economy. A tragic death. In Tent City, everyone must confront their demons in the struggle to survive. PRE-ORDER: www.open-bks.com/library/mode... #booksky #speculative

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

We cannot undo anything that’s occurred in the past. Period. But we can change how we respond to events yet to occur. #cnf amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com/p/the-past-d...

amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com

The Past Does Not Predict Your Future

Look ahead to the good stuff

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Take note! #AWP26 goers: The Fine Art of Literary Submission and Rejection: Secrets of the Editors ...a walkable off-site you won't want to miss if you want to break into the lit mags. Watch for our listing!

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Do you suffer from the self-doubt blues? There are ways to cope...and remember, you're not alone! #cnf #essay #creatives amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com/p/five-ways-...

amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com

Five Ways to Address the Sabotage Caused by Self-Doubt

Mindsets to help you strike a better balance

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

"So if you’re among the multitudes feeling disconnected these days, and wondering what your purpose is, consider that your purpose—at least in part—is to explore the artist within you and discover how your art helps to restore meaning to a deeply troubled world." open.substack.com/pub/amylbern...

open.substack.com

Existential Interlude

Reflections on a time out of joint

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

I'm going to be that obnoxious writer who answers, "My book deserves more hype." Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration is resonating with self-doubting creatives and has won multiple awards. It's highly original and makes a big impact. There, I said it, #AWP.

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Applying the reverse bucket list concept to writing and creativity....Lots to think about! #cnf amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com/p/can-writer...

amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com

Can Writers Ever Truly Be Happy?

Radically redefining goals may hold the key

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Amy Slays Doubt Monsters @amylbernstein.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

If you're looking for inspiration...not simply to write...but to write tight... amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com/p/the-case-o...

amylbernsteinauthor.substack.com

The Case of the Shrinking Novel

The mystery of saying more with less

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