Writer’s Desk Taking a moment, one more round-two query, short fic subs, and more

Taking my foot off the gas (a little) as querying continues, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/23/w...

Writer’s Desk Considering my query letter, finishing a story, short fic subs, and more

Finally getting back to “The End”, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/16/w...

Thanks for reading!

Dear Sir or Madam Why, when it comes to querying, it’s never truly the end

What happens when a writer runs out of agents to query? Find out in this week’s post on my querying journey. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/15/d...

Writer’s Desk Rethinking my opening pages, inhaling, a new short story, and more

Remembering to breathe, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/09/w...

Dear Sir or Madam What to do when your best clearly isn’t good enough: figure out how to be better.

Where to start when your best clearly isn’t good enough, in this week’s “Dear Sir or Madam”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/08/d...

Writer’s Desk First read of Writers of the Future Vol. 42, querying Seven Days on Samarkand, and more

Finally seeing what all this “Writers of the Future” fuss is about, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/02/w...

Dear Sir or Madam Comps, why they’re important, and how to find them

What are “comps”, and why do they matter so much to querying writers? Find out in this week’s post on my querying journey. michaeltkuester.com/2026/03/01/d...

Little Green Men Science in Fiction

Do we know what intelligent alien life would actually look like? What science says about aliens, and what that means for the modern scifi writer, in this month’s “Science in Fiction”. michaeltkuester.substack.com/p/little-gre...

Writer’s Desk A comprehensive audit, querying continues, short fiction, and more

Questioning everything as my next Olympiad begins, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk.” michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/24/w...

My Next Olympiad Looking ahead to my next four years. I’ve got a lot to do before the Olympic flame burns again.

The end of the Olympic Winter Games always gets me thinking about my future. After a lot of thought, I have a firm plan for my next Winter Olympiad. michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/23/m...

Dear Sir or Madam …call me “maybe”?

Call me “maybe”? Talking about the “maybe pile”, in this week’s “Dear Sir or Madam”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/22/d...

"He Said" Tales from the cutting room floor

Dialogue tags: you’re overthinking them. If you’re a writer, that is, as I explain in my latest tales from the cutting room floor. #WritingCommunity

open.substack.com/pub/michaelt...

I've got bad news for any conservative who watched this:

Alysa Liu is America.

A young woman who's struggled with her sense of self-worth. Who walked away from something she was great at because she couldn't handle the toxicity. Who learned to love herself, came back, and fucking nailed it.

Best part of the whole damn thing!

As Colbert himself said, they don’t seem to want us talking about this, so let’s talk about it.

Writer’s Desk Making a “science pass”, back to short fiction, Substack, and more

Putting the science in science fiction, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. #WritingCommunity #BookSky michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/16/w...

Wow, that’s…depressing.

Awesome!

A Brazilian man won the giant slalom at the Winter Olympics. Your daily reminder that nothing is impossible.

Hey, is #PitMup happening here, too? If it is, anybody need a boost?

Friends and more.

Sadly no. Her position makes it impossible (as head of Mission Control she must make life or death decisions).

#AwesomeCharacters

Rand’s first love was a woman named Deziray Reynolds. She worked in Mission Control prior to his first extrasolar mission.

Then he spent two decades in space. But she was head of Mission Control by the time he was rescued. So in the end, she saved him.

I’m not hearing any bad ideas

Love seeing Jake Paul wearing orange to cheer on his Dutch girlfriend against two Americans, days after lecturing US Olympic athletes on how they should always support the US.

Writer’s Desk Querying, Substack launch, a return to short fiction, and more

Writing around the Olympics, in this week’s “Writer’s Desk”. #WritingCommunity michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/09/w...

Dear Sir or Madam What to do while waiting for strangers to judge you

#Querying is all about waiting. What to do while wait to be judged, in this week’s “Dear Sir or Madam”. michaeltkuester.com/2026/02/08/d...

Sorry I've been AWOL, Bluesky. Olympic stuff. How are all my #WritingCommunity peeps doing?

WOW