Narrative Baggage
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How much dialogue is too much in a book? The benchmarks and the real answer
How much dialogue is too much in a book? Here are the benchmarks from three writing software and the actual answer that isn’t just “it depends”.
Sep 13
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Jesse Cook
26
31
11
My third month on Substack wrapped (August 2026)
142 subscribers, 3.38k views, and one article that skewed all the data. Here's my third month on Substack wrapped, plus a look back at the whole first…
Sep 6
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Jesse Cook
18
18
11
August 2026
Short story: the greatest swordsman (as submitted for the Cozy Quill Fantasy Writing Competition)
The greatest swordsman alive was on his way to defeat the demon king. What he didn’t know was that he was going to die at the end. A short fantasy…
Aug 30
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Jesse Cook
14
11
4
A random Substack comment and who gets to call themselves a writer
Someone said I’m not a writer… and of course, I had to write about it! Here’s my take on who gets to call themselves a writer and what the internet…
Aug 23
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Jesse Cook
79
64
13
How to write banter: why is not just a romance thing and what it does for your story
Banter can compress the backstory of your characters while also making your readers stay between big scenes. Here’s how to write it and what it is not.
Aug 16
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Jesse Cook
22
28
11
My second month on substack wrapped
From 41 to 94 subscribers in one month. Here's what I posted, what worked, my “strategy” if you want to call it that, and what the data actually means.
Aug 9
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Jesse Cook
25
27
6
Self-insert characters: how to do them right and why nobody is above it
Self-insert characters have a bad reputation. But even George R. R. Martin and Stephen King use them. Here’s how to do it right and when it becomes…
Aug 2
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Jesse Cook
26
23
14
July 2026
What makes a character likable and where does your story land on my likability matrix
A likable person and a likable character are different. Learn what actually makes readers care and use my likability matrix to see where your story…
Jul 25
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Jesse Cook
23
21
15
What "show, don't tell" actually means and what writers get wrong about it
"Show, don't tell" is the most repeated advice in writing… and the least explained. Here’s what it actually means and how to use it to land your scenes.
Jul 19
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Jesse Cook
27
25
30
My first month on substack wrapped
41 subscribers, 889 views, and a 42.86% open rate. Here's everything I learned from my first month on Substack, with graphs pulled straight from my…
Jul 12
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Jesse Cook
22
20
10
Plotter vs pantser: why I think they’re not exactly different (my hot take)
Pantser vs plotter is the most current “identity crisis” in the writing community. Here’s my hot take: I think they’re just two phases of the same…
Jul 4
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Jesse Cook
12
40
23
June 2026
How a strong narrative voice lets you get away with almost everything
Narrative voice is what keeps readers turning pages even at a slow start or when a chapter is dragging. Here's how to find yours and keep it consistent.
Jun 20
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Jesse Cook
32
37
44
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