Good on you! I have had the same experience- mainly from following Sarah Fay - if I worry about how to work Substack then I lose the reason I came here to write in the beginning
Hi I know that I'm not your typical reader, because I'm a (air quotes) "CIS man" in my early forties, But I like your spirit, and I download a lot of wisdom from your weekly missives!
I've gone through a lot of what you described here, and every time I think I'm in the other side, some new endeavor starts to encourage me to go back, so reading this really helps me to stay on the other side, where I'm happy, and I hope we both remain there!
I absolutely agree with you. Even though I've built up a nice community of Instagram I needed to spread my creative wings and write about what's important to me in between publishing my first mystery novel and editing my second. Brand new here, no clue what I'm doing and feel a little late to the party where I don't know anybody. But - that being said, I came here to write what moves me, what I can hopefully share a little knowledge of and connect and not to stress about trending (I could never trend if I tried!), it's always lovely to get that authentic connection, people simply just enjoying what you write and finding the same in other's, isn't it? Thank you so much for sharing.
Well put! As a budding author at 53, I feel this, and it is bewildering. But knowing that others are finding their way out of the same pickle somehow makes it sweeter. (Sorry, not actually advocating sweet pickles.)
yes yes yes, my friend. To your audience (us), YOU are the magic. We just want you. Also, feel free to adopt my word for the year, which I'm finding to be the just-right reminder in every way.
Catherine, just being yourself IS the product. Trust me, readers want to to follow journeys that contain successes AND failures! Sometimes the failures more than anything because it makes us real and human. This was awesome and honest...keep it up! 👏
Good on you! I have had the same experience- mainly from following Sarah Fay - if I worry about how to work Substack then I lose the reason I came here to write in the beginning
This headline is comic gold! I enjoyed your daughter’s perspective. My daughter sounds similar. :-)
Hi I know that I'm not your typical reader, because I'm a (air quotes) "CIS man" in my early forties, But I like your spirit, and I download a lot of wisdom from your weekly missives!
I've gone through a lot of what you described here, and every time I think I'm in the other side, some new endeavor starts to encourage me to go back, so reading this really helps me to stay on the other side, where I'm happy, and I hope we both remain there!
Thank you!
Loved this line “sharing my best life with strangers and collecting followers like a midlife pied-piper”!!
Enjoyed reading this and appreciate the honesty….i’ll be back for more.
Trust the process! It may be slower by comparison but we all have different mountains to climb. Good put to building a community!
I absolutely agree with you. Even though I've built up a nice community of Instagram I needed to spread my creative wings and write about what's important to me in between publishing my first mystery novel and editing my second. Brand new here, no clue what I'm doing and feel a little late to the party where I don't know anybody. But - that being said, I came here to write what moves me, what I can hopefully share a little knowledge of and connect and not to stress about trending (I could never trend if I tried!), it's always lovely to get that authentic connection, people simply just enjoying what you write and finding the same in other's, isn't it? Thank you so much for sharing.
Well put! As a budding author at 53, I feel this, and it is bewildering. But knowing that others are finding their way out of the same pickle somehow makes it sweeter. (Sorry, not actually advocating sweet pickles.)
"I didn’t join Substack to BE a writer. I came here to DO writing—to explore, to converse, to connect."
I can relate, but the allure of 'being' is palpable...
Play
("other side" = comparison is the thief of joy...) :)
yes yes yes, my friend. To your audience (us), YOU are the magic. We just want you. Also, feel free to adopt my word for the year, which I'm finding to be the just-right reminder in every way.
Catherine, just being yourself IS the product. Trust me, readers want to to follow journeys that contain successes AND failures! Sometimes the failures more than anything because it makes us real and human. This was awesome and honest...keep it up! 👏
Alarmingly familiar... Thank you.
"a midlife pied-piper" ☠️ this is hilarious — I'm so glad that little note struck a chord. Thank you for including me in this delightful story.