The Sudden Walk

The Sudden Walk

Share this post

The Sudden Walk
The Sudden Walk
A Subsection of the Sub-Industry

A Subsection of the Sub-Industry

Hamish Kavanagh's avatar
Hamish Kavanagh
Aug 30, 2024
∙ Paid
2

Share this post

The Sudden Walk
The Sudden Walk
A Subsection of the Sub-Industry
Share

A while back I made mention of the sub industries in the literary world that exist only to feed of people’s dream to be a writer.

Within this category, I lump in all those retreats, workshops, mentoring series filmed in hi-def or a heavily filtered lens, and now a good number of Substack pages. All of which promise to make you a better writer, but are more often an avenue to indulge the dream, let you “feel” like you’re doing it, but are really offering you something closer to a cos-play of the real thing. Closer to a “pretend to be a cowboy for a weekend” type of thing than any type of genuine education.

You can read the more cynical version of that post here:


The Sub-Industry of Dreams

Hamish Kavanagh
·
September 8, 2023
The Sub-Industry of Dreams

If I was a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, I wouldn’t be filming seminars on how to get rich quick. I’d be drinking Columbian coffee on a Columbian mountain top. Likewise, if I was a successful author, I wouldn’t be hosting weekly workshops on how to “make it.”

Read full story

But today I want to discuss the lighter side of this subindustry.

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to The Sudden Walk to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Hamish Kavanagh
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share