Richard White

THE BLACK FILE

Exploring covert operations, fractured identities, and the stories governments bury An internal dispatch for thriller writers CLASSIFICATION: Restricted DISTRIBUTION: Cleared storytellers, narrative architects, and those willing to look beneath the surface SUBJECT: Constructing espionage fiction with archival weight and psychological precision I. OPENING STATEMENT Most …

March of the writers day 14, Bookshelf stats

March of the Writers – Day 14 by Richard White Bookshelf stats 📚✨ Read on Substack Bookshelves are funny things. At first glance they look like simple furniture—wood, shelves, maybe a little dust gathering in the corners. But spend enough time around readers and …

The Shadow Directive

INTELLIGENCE DISPATCH — PUBLIC RELEASE After years of building stories in the shadows, the operation has officially begun. I’ve launched my first subscription publication on Substack: The Shadow Directive. This is where I’ll be sharing classified-style briefings on espionage thrillers, tradecraft, covert history, and behind-the-scenes …

March of the Writers – Day 11 Bookmark Flex

March of the Writers – Day 11 by Richard White Bookmark Flex 📚😄 Read on Substack Today’s prompt is Bookmark Flex, which is apparently the literary equivalent of showing off your trophy case. Some writers have entire collections—beautiful bookmarks from bookstores, conventions, Kickstarter campaigns, …

📚 Indie Authors — Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Writing Room…

Right now one of the biggest conversations in the indie publishing world is this: How much should authors rely on the big platforms vs. building their own direct connection with readers? For years many of us have leaned heavily on places like Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, …

This and That March of the Writers – Day 8

MOTW – This or That This is one of those prompts that quietly reveals how writers work behind the scenes. Our habits, preferences, and creative rhythms shape how stories come to life. Here’s where I land on today’s This or That. 📚 Physical vs DigitalI …

March of the Writers – Day 6 – Writing Tribe

Writing Tribe Writing is often described as a solitary craft. Hours alone with a blank page, wrestling with words, chasing ideas down rabbit holes only you can see. But no writer truly does this alone. Every author has a tribe—people who share the journey, offer …

The Builder Phase: Where you are and where you’re going – March of the Writers Day 4

There’s a moment in every writer’s life where you stop asking, “Am I really doing this?” and start saying, “Yes. This is the phase.” I’m in my self-publishing era—and I genuinely love it. Not because it’s easy. Because it’s a forge.

Cover Stars: Yes, You’re Supposed to Judge a Book by Its Cover

March of the Writers – Day 3 “Never judge a book by its cover” might be kind advice for humans, but it’s terrible advice for publishing. Readers judge covers instantly. In seconds. Before a synopsis. Before a review. Before a single word. And they should. …

Genre-lly Speaking – March of the Writers Day 2

I write psychological thrillers and speculative suspense. I’m drawn to stories that live in the tension between truth and perception—where nothing is entirely stable and every revelation reshapes what came before it. My work often stands in the long shadow of real historical events, exploring …