🎉 We’ve changed the time of the events from AM to PM, so more folks can join us!
I always love getting together with my friends in the writing sphere and talking shop. Thee is such an abundance of talent on Substack, which, IMHO, is THE best place on the internet to share your writing and develop your career.
Tonight, we talked on the subject of:
The Fiction Cartel members:
Panelists Ann Kimbrough, Scoot and Jaime Buckley, discuss what gatekeepers are, how they function and how they affect you as a writer. The panel shares definitions, perspectives, and personal experiences on this important topic…
Make sure to follow them on their substacks!
Subscribe to Ann’s Tell Me A Mystery
Subscribe to Scoot’s Gibberish
Subscribe to Jaime’s Life of Fiction
Highlights of the chat…
A) said:
Brief plug for
here on Substack for audio readings. He’s done recordings for two of my stories and he’s fantastic!
(I listened to “My Brother’s Second Burial” and enjoyed it. Recommend you have a listen - Jaime)
B) mentioned a project did…called ‘The Headquarters’.
From his post:
I thought it would be fun to do a satirical day at the office for Substack HQ. Let me be absolutely clear: THIS IS SATIRE INTENDED FOR HUMOR. This is not real and while names and likenesses have been used, any resemblance to the real people is unintentional and a coincidence. I don’t know any of them personally and I don’t even know the location of their office. The whole reason I find this funny is because it feels like the opposite of what the people and company are like. Again: THIS IS SATIRE INTENDED FOR HUMOR.
Here are the 2 parts:
SESSION NOTES: Gatekeepers
Fiction Cartel Session: October 7, 2025
Here are the questions created to ask during this session. We got through most of them, but this is posted to help you continue this conversation in your own writing circles.
1. What does the word “Gatekeeper” mean to you personally as an author?
Examples:
Is it an agent, editor, publisher, reviewer — or the algorithm itself?
Have you ever realized you were the gatekeeper holding your own story back?
Can a gatekeeper also protect quality rather than block it?
💡 Follow-up Pivots:
“Do you think gatekeepers still matter in today’s creator economy?”
“If you could define a good gatekeeper, what qualities would they have?”
“What gate would you want to guard — and why?”
2. Tell us about a time a gatekeeper blocked or redirected your path.
Examples:
A rejection that shaped your direction or resolve.
Someone saying, ‘This will never sell’ — and you proved them wrong.
Defying an industry expectation or cultural ‘rule.’
💡 Follow-up Pivots:
“Did that experience make you more resilient or more cautious?”
“Looking back — were they wrong, or just early?”
“How did that moment change the way you write or market your work now?”
3. How have digital platforms changed the nature of gatekeeping?
Examples:
Have Substack, Kindle, or Patreon removed gates — or just replaced them with algorithms?
Is audience validation more freeing or more restrictive?
How do you balance writing for yourself vs. the data-driven machine?
💡 Follow-up Pivots:
“Would you trade algorithmic reach for editorial integrity?”
“Who’s the bigger gatekeeper today — tech platforms or readers themselves?”
“If you could rewrite the algorithm to reward something, what would it be?”
4. What role should gatekeepers play in the creative ecosystem — if any?
Examples:
Do we still need filters to maintain craft and cultural literacy?
Are editors and curators vital guides or outdated barriers?
Can mentorship serve as the evolved form of gatekeeping?
💡 Follow-up Pivots:
“Can we have freedom and standards — or do they naturally clash?”
“Would you ever want a gatekeeper for your own work now?”
“If quality control disappears entirely, what happens to fiction as an art form?”
5. Have you ever been a gatekeeper yourself?
Examples:
Editing, mentoring, choosing submissions, or curating anthologies.
Realizing your own taste influenced who gets seen or heard.
Balancing honesty with compassion in critique.
💡 Follow-up Pivots:
“How do you keep personal bias from becoming creative censorship?”
“Did that experience make you more empathetic toward your own gatekeepers?”
“What’s harder — breaking through the gate or guarding it?”
🎬 Closing Prompt (for reflection)
“If you could speak directly to the gatekeeper who most shaped your journey — whether human, corporate, or internal — what would you say to them now?”
NEXT TIME
On October 21st 2025,
has volunteered to join us to ask the panel his own questions!
What Do YOU Want To Know?
Do you have questions you’d like us to answer?
Do you have something else you want to know that The Fiction Cartel can discuss next time?
🧭 About The Fiction Cartel
A bold new idea where writers come together live to talk craft, challenge conventions, and grow as creators. No scripts. No filters. Just raw, real writing minds sharing insights.
➡️ Want to join live next time? The link is ALWAYS THE SAME =)
Pull up a virtual chair at: https://gobrunch.com/fictioncartel
Hope you enjoyed the video. Drop a comment below and let me know!
Have a great day. Have a great week!
Remember:
You are MORE than you THINK you are!
Until Next Time,
Jaime *the-creative-addict* Buckley
