"Hallo Goldie, an Interview with Douglas McCleneghan" + "Tipsheet on Following vs Subscribing" + "Get a whole year of articles for just one month's cost ($5)."

T.C.A. #14.

Eds N.B.

Douglas’ deeply thoughtful answers fascinate me. I trust that readers will experience the same. He describes himself as a retired Teacher, I disagree, for every paragraph I read tells me he Still is an exemplary Educator.

Hi Douglas, many thanks for agreeing to this interview. It’s a great pleasure to have you here ! Let’s dive straight in….

Q1). What brought you to Substack in the first place ?

I first heard of Substack as a place where interesting and provocative writing is published. That was enough for me to join up. My tastes lean towards the non-conformist, eccentric & “indie”, and I found writing here that resonated with this. From there it was a short step to deciding to return to writing and create a Substack. The blurb that introduces my stack shows where I thought I was going, but I have been inspired and encouraged here to branch out.

Q2). Why write ?

I have always loved reading and writing. When I taught, I wrote articles, reviews, book chapters, textbooks, and served as an editor who encouraged others to take the first steps into writing for a professional publication.

As a classroom teacher I was interested in creativity, fostering ways for students to express something of themselves in their writing. I learned that writing is a rewarding, purposeful activity, engages the imagination the intellect and explores aspects of ourselves and our place in the world. It is a way of embedding oneself in a culture or intellectual community, strengthening, or perhaps clarifying, one’s sense of self. It’s not easy, demands mental discipline and effort, and is therefore meaningful and intrinsically rewarding.

Q2a) I love it that you also publish the work of your wife, Lynette. Do you mentor each other ?

Lynette has written novels and short stories available at Amazon for Kindle. There were times when I was of direct assistance, editing providing some commentary. Her style of mentoring is quite different. She tends to come up with ideas and general commentary, less focused on the text at hand and more dealing with the ideas and concepts that inform a piece – more abstract and conceptual.

Q3). Wow, how useful ! Now tell us please, how do you write – what’s the process ?

I have a notebook where I jot down possibilities. If an initial idea takes root, I tend to add to the notes while thinking it through. I imagine the words that I will use, if it is fiction I imagine scenes from the story, the dialogue, and try to fix that in my mind, rehearsing it, sounding the words. It is a kind of dialogue with myself, as though I am writer and reader.

If I think it has possibilities I will start to write, often handwritten. At this stage I watch a piece develop, and how it takes on a life of its own. Writers have alluded to this phenomenon where a piece of writing takes on its own character and seems to demand to be written in a certain way. It’s as though I am taking dictation rather than creating. For example, the most recent story I wrote, “Conjugation”, had different ending, which I actually preferred to the published version. But something wanted the ending as it finally appeared. I like it now, but it was not part of the plan. When I was creating the initial idea of “1944 – True Believers” I had a character who was an important part of the story, I had imagined scenes in which he appeared, but when I was writing the story I could not fit him in anywhere. I was as though the story itself had no need for him.

Q4). Which authors inspire you ?

When asked this question people usually indicate particular writers from whom they draw influence. I’m a bit weird about this though, often it is the most recent writer I’ve read who has inspired me to try out a new idea. For instance, “Conjugation” was loosely influenced by E F Benson’s “The Horror-Horn”. But for the most part I am inspired by the quality of the writing, whoever the writer, whatever the context. A recent example I read is from a record review in a weekly music paper, from 1979. Jon Savage is reviewing Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures album” and writes: “…Manchester’s dark spaces and empty places, endless sodium lights and hidden semis seen from a speeding car, vacant industrial sights – the endless detritus of the nineteenth century – seen gaping like rotten teeth from an orange bus.”

It evokes the writer’s vision, solemnly paced, bleak and noirish, worthy of JG Ballard. What most strikes me is that this is ephemera, yet the writer has brought perception and insight to bear, engaged with the subject matter of a record and what it has to say about the malaise of the contemporary world of fading Western techno capitalism The writer understands that what he says and how he says it matters, it’s a way of being in the world. It’s writing that exists not just for itself but a means of grappling with important ideas, of carving out meaning via an LP record. That is something I strive to achieve with my own writing. As writers we struggle to say something that will resonate with others and believe that we can achieve this.

Q5). Your very first article on Substack "Defensive Narcissism" suggests that it is, in part, a self-justification. ie:- something that is not uncommon to the thought processes of creative people, perhaps writers in particular, would you care to comment ?

Defensive Narcissism

Writing is one way of putting oneself out there into whichever culture which speaks to you. This person might play in a band, others are writers, artists, a fashion designer, and so on. You think that you can contribute something, make a statement, stir things up. What you have is different enough that people will sit up and take notice. You hope.

But it’s also a hit, a buzz. You are writing for yourself, it is purposeful, productive and fulfilling. It could be a primal urge, I think, to create. In the defensive narcissism piece, I wrote that I created a new image of my own capability, and that narcissistic traits helped achieve what might otherwise seem impossible. I think that creative people are sensitive to the possibilities within and for themselves. They have a kind of constructivist awareness that sees its potential for creative expression. Stir a bit of idealism and fearlessness into the mix and you can create an image of oneself as a writer and you experience the thrill of stepping into that way of being. Confident enough to think, yeah, this will connect with somebody, but to affirm its value even if it fails to do so.

Q6). You then published "Smart", effectively pointing out that Artificial Intelligence may be fast and short-term-advantageous, yet as it is programmed by humans with vested utilitarian aims, it is unlikely to match exceptional human creativity. Should we worry about being replaced ?

Smart?

We should consider AI not simply as a thing in itself, but as embedded in complex networks and contexts. In our western capitalist society that depends on structures of power – social, economic, cultural, ecological – so we can expect AI to be used to strengthen and enhance these. Science fiction writer Ted Chiang said that, “Fears about technology are fears about capitalism”. Books, artwork, music can be created by AI which depends on deep mining of data. Human creators may have their work pillaged in the name of AI “learning”, but receive no remuneration or credit. So much of AI funding is tied to corporations and governments unlikely to have our best interests at heart.

Even more worryingly, Big Tech is so powerful and intrusive it can easily manipulate public perceptions and discourse. AI is a perfect example. Note the facile anthropomorphism that describes AI “learning” or “reasoning”. This mightn’t be so bad, we do this quite a lot, but AI has become so intrusive that its presence is being normalised and this inculcates the dominant culture and ideology. It has become assimilated into modern folklore and simplistic notions of sensationalism, hyperbole and infatuation. How we talk about things is how we think about them and if the dominant discourses around AI centre on threats and fear, or promise and boosterism, we lose capacity to think and talk about it in ways other than those mandated by authority.

Q7). You are a natural storyteller. My two favourite pieces are the Dystopian "Pass", and the Humorous Sci-Fi "HKM963". Any more of these to come?

I have enjoyed playing around with idea of dystopia. I’ve written a few stories in this vein because I am very wary of authoritarianism of our society. When I imagine dystopia it is not the big picture of a climate disaster or zombie apocalypse. I imagine small picture, domestic stories, where there is just a glimpse of the wider society. Even “HKM963” had a dystopian element rumbling in the background. There are probably more stories to come in this vein as I am interested in how ordinary people respond to a dystopian society, which may function very well, when it impinges upon their lives and shows its true face.

“HKM963” was a strange story to write. It kept nagging at me, suggesting that there was more narrative material in the little world I had created. So I wrote a sequel. The humour in the story just appeared spontaneously, I had no prior intention to write something like that. I doubt that I could set out to write something deliberately humorous, but I reckon it’s likely that humour will rear its head some time in the future.

There are a few stories that I have written where I think there might be another story set in the same world. I’ll just have to wait and see if they come to mind. It’s strange that I had no intention of writing fiction when I started my Substack, then one day in conversation with Lynette she suggested it.

Q8). In September 2023, you and I commenced a discussion on mental health issues, possibly, in the future launching "Mercurial Immortals" to present our, perhaps controversial, experience borne views, on Labelling / Medicalization, etc., Being still fairly new to Substack, we felt it would be best to develop our individual stacks first. Would you be comfortable revisiting the concept in, say, a few months' time ?

The musician Brian Eno invented the concept of “scenius”, where intelligence and creativity embodied in cultural scene inspires individuals to create works drawing on the collective brilliance of like-minded peers. I think that “Mercurial Immortals” will embody this same kind of creativity and originality, where writers draw on each others’ ideas with a clear group purpose. This has become more intelligible to me recently. It’s a concept that should encourage lively participation and exchange of ideas. We can differentiate it from other similar endeavours here on Substack, as it will be a communal endeavour, distinct from one that is centred on a particular person’s vision.

Q9). More recently, we had a brief conversation on writing stories & articles about your experience in education in the more immediate future. Perhaps some of the posts could have a leaning towards such health considerations in education - inviting other writers to contribute. Could you share with us, your thoughts on this ?

I spent many years writing about education for professional journals, so when I started on Substack I resolved to not write about education. So much for resolutions, as classroom experiences were at the centre of a couple of other pieces I wrote, on Compassion, and on Critical Theory. So I am reconciled to writing about my teaching experience if required. One caveat, however, is that I can’t write the kind of stereotypical “days of the old school yard” type of yarn; I am no raconteur. My writing on schooling has always had a critical edge as I engage with my perennial concerns with language and literacy. I’ve never written like an academic. Anyone out there who’s had to read an academic thesis or article will understand the pain. I’ll try to take readers into classrooms, the students, the institutional context, the political, social, economic and cultural worlds wherein we have these encounters.

Q10). Finally Douglas, for the benefit of Newer Substackers, what's the best tips you can offer to anyone wishing to establish their authorships, here on this most caring, sharing platform?

Subscribe to some of the Substack gurus. There’s Amanda B Hinton, who does superb work, and another favourite of mine is Moon Arica, who is similarly prodigious in output and whose work is likewise informed by intelligence and humanity. These people will give you a wealth of ideas, and deep understanding of what you are doing.

Amanda B. Hinton

Moon Arica

It’s a community, so dive right in. Hit the ground running with some interesting posts, and keep them coming. Like, comment and subscribe to as many posts as feasible. Interact with people through their comments section. Let people know who you are and what you’re about.

Thankyou Douglas for sharing your thoughts and time. I am certain that our readers look forward (as I do myself) to enjoying further inspirational enlightenments. Kind regards to Lynette…

Tipsheet, Following vs Subscribing.

Since Substack introduced “Following” many writers have become unhappy at their (often) huge drop in new “Subscribers”. It seems new Readers coming over from other platforms are not aware of the differences ie;- 1). “following” only entitles them to read what writers put on Notes which can be nothing like their regular newsletters. 2). Subscribers (both Free and Paid options) Do receive said newsletters.

So what can writers do about it ? It’s more complicated than one would think…. for now then here’s five suggestions :

A). Write on Notes what bears a closer relationship to one’s articles.
B). Add to one's Notes messages that bring awareness of the issue.
C). Add a similar message to one's About page, under "Why Subscribe"
D). When Substack notifies One that xyz has Followed, Then consider Following back, which may open a conversation.
E). Encourage one's writing community to do likewise.

A more in depth article next week. Whilst some posts will remain Free to read, This one will a Paid article, However here’s a ONE-OFF Special Offer: A whole Year of Paid Articles for the cost of Just One Month ($5). This Offer will Never be repeated, and is only open until Midnight Friday 17th, Central European Time.

F.Y.I; Midnight Friday C.E. Time = 1600hrs in San Francisco, 1800 in Washington D.C., 2300 in London, 1000hrs Saturday 18th in Sydney.

NeXt on This Creative Adventure, every Friday.

T.C.A. #15, (PAID), Jan 24th. “Why Subscribe, Why Follow” + “A Writing Competition with Prizes”.

T.C.A. #16, (FREE), Jan 31st. “Trike Trek & The Boulevard Updates” + “Interview Forecast”

T.C.A. #17, (FREE), Feb 7th. “Choosing a Guru, Why & How”.

NeXt on

Yes, I Author !

Most Wednesdays & Free.

A, B, C + D #10, Jan 22nd. “Frida’s Dragon” (By Jack Watson).

Thanks again Folks, Great to share growth with you all. Respect, Maurice.