Welcome to The Old Man and the Manuscript!
Greetings, Bonjour, & Howdy, Gentle Reader!
I’m Roy, and if you’re reading these words, first, I thank you. The only thing of value I possess on this rock is my time, and I’m greedy for it. I suspect you may feel the same. I see you and appreciate your investment in me and my words.
What’s happening here?
I invite you to sneak a peek at my process of either finding a literary agent to represent my upmarket novel, THE E-POSTLE, or serializing the book (Dickens-style) on this platform from Halloween to Christmas morning, 2025. Here’s a video that shares more about my journey:
(Charlotte Rains-Dixon: A big shout out of thanks to Charlotte. In addition to being a friend, Charlotte is an author and book coach. She also leads world-class workshops and retreats across Europe. Click here to discover more!)
Note: Click here to watch me read my first published poem, “MEMORANDUM: To Whom It May Concern.” It appeared in The Louisville Review’s Issue 93, back in the summer of 2022.
The Old Man and the Manuscript is a Substack experience focused on the literary journey, not on any particular destination. I hope you’ll join me, either as a Bookworm (free subscriber) or as an E-postle (paid subscriber).
The Bookworm: Free Subscriber
FREE subscribers have “Bookworm” status and access. There’s nothing wrong with a Bookworm. Heck, I’ve been one all my life. These folks are avid readers, but they don’t necessarily want to be writers. It’s fun to participate, all the same. This free level of participation includes the following:
A weekly public post, known as the Saturday Night Message. This is a behind-the-scenes peek at what it takes to get published and what a literary life looks like on a day-to-day basis, as well as how to balance the day job, family life, and the literary experience;
Ability to comment on posts; and
A series of on-going feature stories that have a logical connection to THE E-POSTLE’s subject matter, including technology, travel, family, literature, the holiday season, and so on.
The E-postle: Paid Subscriber
Known affectionately as “E-postles,” these folks intend on writing and publishing. As paid subscribers, they will receive a return on their investment in me and my writing career in the following tangible ways:
All of the Bookworm benefits. In addition:
If Halloween night arrives with no literary agent representing THE E-POSTLE, then the E-postles receive full access to every serialized chapter of the novel. (Click here to access the publication schedule!);
Access to Community features (chat & direct message); and
Bonus Materials, including the following: 1) Creative work submission tracking templates; 2) Access to a lecture on living a proactive creative writing life; 3) a case study—tracking one of my short stories from writing prompt to publication in a national literary journal; 4) Personal examples on how to recover from literary defeat; and 5) and a whole lot more!
Note: In most cases, the phrase “a whole lot more” comes from the ancient Greek, meaning that the list is over and complete. That’s NOT the case here. There is a whole lot more to come than what is revealed above. ;-)
Click here for a more detailed breakdown of what a Bookworm and E-Postle will receive.
Oh yeah, subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.
A Tiny Bit about Me
A Kentucky native and longtime Nashvillian, I’m a writer, editor, poet, and teacher. I’ve spent the last quarter century paying my bills as a technical communicator by day, while living a creative writing life by night and on weekends.
I’m the founder and first Director Emeritus of The Writer’s Loft. Now known as MTSU Write, it’s a certificate-in-writing program at Middle Tennessee State University.
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