Welcome! Master List of Posts & My Promise to Readers
- zachlaengert
- Mar 13
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 16
Why I write and what I've written
What, Why and When I Write (Master List Below)
When my Storytelling & Narrative instructor at college – author Kern Carter, check out his work! – introduced our class to the idea of short-form writing on Substack, he asked us to come up with a promise we were making to ourselves and our readers. What, why and when we would write; to help define scope and build trust.
This is what I wrote back in October 2023:
[My promise] is to share socially significant themes in the media I consume, and critically engage with them through my own experiences and other relevant works. When a reader opens my newsletter/blog, they will find: a) A new perspective on a social issue – perhaps one they were unaware of b) A new great piece of media recommended to them – or analysis that brings back fond memories if they’ve already engaged with it c) Tools with which they can more critically engage with the media they consume.
And I hope I've lived up to that, at least in part. 'A new perspective' is a little ambiguous given that I'm often writing about looking at the world through the eyes of different characters and the worlds they inhabit, but I suppose I'll stand by either meaning.
But since I'll be pinning this as a place for readers for interested in my work to go, I wanted to offer a 2025 update to the statement informed by my experience of writing for over a year.
My Promise
I currently write two articles per week, publishing them on Thursday and Sunday evenings on my website, Medium and Substack. In these articles, I reflect on socially significant and/or narratively compelling themes of media: usually books, but occasionally film, TV or music. Occasionally I'll pull the lens back slightly and discuss the experience of engaging with media, with hopes of helping more people pick up these inspiring stories in this age of TikTokification.
My reflections on a given text are often in reference to my own experiences, other fiction and/or commentary from other people with knowledge of the field. My goal is to write articles with application to current events, our society, the craft of writing and/or personal growth – so that you can hopefully gain something from reading my work.
In my ‘Swift Riffle’ posts I explore a theme or topic (often representation) throughout the speculative fiction I’ve read; looking at the impact and relevance of the theme in multiple works with an eye for any trends that emerge. Of course these are also a place where I hope you might find new stories to enjoy!
Likewise, ‘Starting Points’ is a very direct recommendation of a jumping-in book for aspiring and seasoned SFF readers alike. I discuss what I love about the book, why it might be a good fit for you and what expectations you might want to approach it with.
I also love to hear from anyone who takes the time to read what I write! If you know of examples for topics I'm writing about, if you noticed something I missed or if you have any recommendations of your own, please send them my way!
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Art: Whenever possible, I like to share fan art related to the media I'm writing about. My goal in doing so is to: bring attention to talented artists, offer visual examples of characters and scenarios I'm discussing and to push back against the overwhelming tide of AI slop online.
If you're an artist who wants your work removed from one of my posts, please reach out and I'll do so as soon as possible.
My Posts
Below you can find every piece I've ever published (new posts may take a little time to be added). If you're looking for a specific idea, character, book, author, etc., you can always use the Search function on my website to find any places I've mentioned them.
Starting Points
What is House of Leaves?
Seth Dickinson's The Masquerade
Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota
Tamsyn Muir's The Locked Tomb
Brandon Sanderson's The Stormlight Archive
K.J. Parker's The Siege and Other Works
Becoming Transhuman
Lyrical
Vampires
Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch
Swift Riffle
Lev Grossman's The Magicians
Short Fiction
Misc. ADHD Reflections
Misc. Philosophical Reflections
Loss of Humanity: Gaza and The Poppy War (& the first 'My Promise' statement)
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