Create, Convince and Cringe: An Honest Introduction

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cringe: have an inward feeling of acute embarrassment or awkwardness.

That word isn't the most self-praising first impression, but it's the one that fits best. 

Before I scare you off—or have you avoiding my writing like the plague—let me explain! 

Hey, you! I'm Malayka [pronounced mah-lay-kah] - multi-genre fiction writer, ecommerce copywriter, creativity blogger, and angst extraordinaire! That first part is my driving reason to get started on Substack — while that last part is why I hope you'll fall in love with my work.

My stories began when I was around fifteen, right after I’d first gotten into anime.

From historical fiction like Black Butler to romantic comedies like Ouran High School Host Club—and even problematic series like Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. If you’re familiar with any of those titles, then I’m sure you’re quietly backing away from me and my writing.

It gets better, I promise! 

Quick one: Did you have an anime phase? Still undergoing that transformation? Drop a recommendation in the comments.

Once anime fully engulfed and encompassed my teenagehood, my writing only amplified from there. It started off with fanfiction—now unpublished and never, ever mentioned again—and gradually became my own original work. I jumped from genre to genre, trope to trope, and slowly morphed bits and pieces of their storytelling into my own. 

While my love for watching anime hasn't changed, I spend most of my free time—scratch that, all—dedicated to my other endeavors, too.

Enter The Creative is one of them. ETC is a blog dedicated to other Creative Entrepreneurs — People who spend their days making art /and/ making a livable income from doing so. 

I'm still on my way to full-time Creative Entrepreneurship, but I'm nothing if not an optimist. I'll get there someday; you'll get there, too.

Secondly, there's the creative endeavor that actually pays the bills: MalaykaWrites. I started my freelance ecommerce copywriter business back in early 2020 and took it full-time in 2023.

It never occurred to me that writing SEO blog content and marketing emails would make me so happy… But, of all the jobs I've ever had, this one is the most fulfilling. And, my boss (ie: me) is also such a freakin’ gem! 

Lastly, and most importantly, are my fiction stories. 

Here’s a disclaimer: I write stories with black characters in unconventionally black scenarios.

Stories that rewrite black history and paint a not-too-bleak black future.

Stories that put black characters in plotlines they’re not used to — blending urban elements with Fantasy, Historical Fiction and Paranormal Romance.

Stories with queer black characters falling in and out of love.

Stories that I wanted growing up, but never got. 

Sometimes, that’s a family of sibling assassins suddenly turning on each other. Other times, it’s a teen struggling to navigate post-segregated America with his immortal best friend. Rarely, I’ll admit, it’s just a young woman struggling with her racial identity and fake-marrying her… frenemy, because it’s all she can think of doing. 

I also write long, whimsical sentences, like this one, with few pauses and seemingly no end. And cusswords. And casts of loveable assholes and intolerable pricks. 

So, here we are. I’ve laid all my cards on the table: I’ve mentioned my cringeness. I’ve set the expectations. Hell, I shared the anime I watched. If I haven’t accomplished anything, I’m sure sharing all of this was career suicide. 

Or, was it?

But, to toot my own horn, I’ve broken down my work into three main sub-categories: Create, Convince and Cringe.

[_] CREATE: Compelling and morally-ambiguous characters, messy first drafts and tiny fanbases.

[_] CONVINCE: Online shoppers make a purchase, join an email list or support my clients’ businesses some other way.

So, where does the ‘cringe’ come into play?

You see, I create engaging stories for my readers, I convince online consumers with my copywriting and I'm cringe at anything that doesn't tick those two boxes.

In summary, all I do is /write/. Someday, I’ll master the art of cooking or craft armor out of tinfoil—or some other unfathomable hobby.

But, for now, I’ll stick to what I’m good at: Getting people to read to the very last word.