HeyJaredSimi Sidhu Writes: Between Worlds
Helping readers, writers and creative thinkers stay inspired through books, culture and philosophy. Critical reader, creative coach, teacher and agented novelist who lives for big ideas and meaningful conversations.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 6
- Latest publication
- Sep 30, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 5, 2026
Latest issues
In the meantime, I was writing... (opens the original)
Read excerpt
I’ve been on a Substack hiatus. Perhaps you haven’t even noticed that its been some time since my last missive, or perhaps you only registered that its been a while since you read one of my posts when this popped up on your feed.Part way through August, I realised that I would never be able to finish the drafting of my novel if I didn’t put a few things on the back burner. For those of you who are new here, this is my second novel and I’ve been working on it since July 2025. As much as I love sh
The clues were there all along, but did you know how to read them? (opens the original)
Read excerpt
A yellow scarf catches the eye.A key is placed on the mantelpiece.Someone chews on a hangnail before answering a question.The lightbulb flickers.In a novel, these details may be incidental, colour built into the scene to add depth by the writer. But not always. Sometimes these seemingly insignificant moments are essential to our understanding of the story. Occasionally they are pivotal to the plot. <a class
A Summer Letter: A Mid-Year Gathering of Books, Words, and Inspiration (opens the original)
Read excerpt
When I wrote the opening words of my debut novel, I had no idea that it would be a swift 12 months before I was ready to query, and only a few months later I would signed with my agent. I only knew that the story had erupted from deep within me, biding its time until my life was in its creative era.Once I started writing, I felt an urgent, all-consuming need to keep going, as if the story would disappear into the ether if I stepped away from the manuscript. I’d never experienced this creative ur
Why do unreliable narrators make for riveting reading? (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Love them or loathe them, unreliable narrators always make for riveting reading. Whether you know from the start that the voice is untrustworthy or only realise it at the end, leaving you wanting to re-read the whole book, they demand your attention.One reason they hook readers so effectively is that they automatically turn reading into an active process of interpretation rather than passive consumption, something we explored in <a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/simisidhuwrites/p/this-is-wh
More secret signals hidden in the first ten pages... how novels lock you in. (opens the original)
Read excerpt
If you’ve ever not finished a book, you know that sinking feeling when you realise it’s not working, and you no longer have the heart to continue.Making the decision to stop reading is not as easy as flicking between Netflix shows. No guilt, no shame.The investment of time feels more personal in reading. The ease of slipping into another TV series doesn’t compare with starting a new book. Whether it’s a just-released hardback that cost more than you wanted to spend, a library loan, or an e-book
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.