“The only groove worth having is to love creating for its own sake”. Yep. “I think a lot of writers on Substack are stuck in the same sort of trap”. Also Yep. And pretty much Yep to it all!! I came to Substack as “not a writer”, and committed to just creating what I love and loving what I create, and for that to be enough, but I’ve ended up adopting the label and have ended up in the trap, now wondering what it is I’m actually doing here..! I enjoyed reading this very much Gareth and Eleanor.
Thank you, Emily. I think the trap is not just restricted to Substack, because it really concerns the compromises we're supposedly required to make in order to get noticed and be successful. So, it's also embedded in traditional publishing: you must write to market, because otherwise the book won't sell. And also, sadly, in indie publishing, which is more and more shaped by the same commercial imperatives - whereas it was meant to be an unregulated outlet for personal creative freedom.
What's the answer? I suspect it's related to "the groove" of doing things for their own sake. But this is nigh on impossible, psychologically, because we as creators are hard wired to seek some form of recognition - because art implies a viewer, writing implies a readership, music an audience. There's no shame in this. We just need to manage our expectations as to what form that recognition takes. 1 really positive and insightful review, 3 people who always respond to your posts, a book sale here and there. Whatever fuel you need to keep the fires burning. Except that the main fuel must always be the desire to create something that's perfectly you, that is the fullest expression of your voice as you can make it, an exploration of things you really care about, and so on.
Absolutely yes, agreeing all the more! You have written so perfectly and succinctly what I have incoherently been wrestling to come to terms with, possibly forever. As a visual artist, I escaped this trap on Instagram by just checking out, and refusing to play the game. But here, I find myself being caught in it again and again, mainly because I enjoy Substack so very much, far more so than any other platform I've flirted with. With that comes a compelling drive to find a way to more recognition for the art and writing that I have grown to love all the more since being here! (And with that, I'm off to re-write a post that I didn't send yesterday because it didn't feel perfectly me..)
Love Gareth's home truths, self-awareness and humour. "(I seem to have compared my subscribers to vermin – moving swiftly on…)" I hadn't come across him before, so will now check out his Stack. Thanks, Eleanor and Gareth.
Thanks, Wendy! Glad you enjoyed it. It feels a bit like a public confessional, but there are so many writers and intelligent media folk on here, it almost feels like sharing with a self-help group!
For me, it's revived my writing mojo, because there is the kind of feedback and community you might get in a writing group, but on a massive scale. But I get that if you are coming in as an established, current author it can be a huge distraction.
I think it's changing and there are increasingly readers here, as well as writers. Though, as you say, it is hard to work out who is definitely reading and who is lurking.
One email recipient told me (in real life) that she very much wanted to comment on a piece, but couldn't work out how to create a Substack account, because she didn't know what a "handle" was. A reminder that everyone is starting from different places!
Yes, hopefully there is a shift coming - maybe after the "gold rush" phase quietens down, and the serious longtermers find out how best to use Substack. And as I said, writers are readers too, but it does occasionally sour things a little when you suspect someone is following or subscribing just so that you'll check out their Substack.
Yes, technical hurdles - I do forget those. I had one longtime follower of my work just say, "Substack was sending me too many emails", and she quit. Some people just don't like the new or the different, or can't be bothered to overcome initial annoyances - which I can understand.
“The only groove worth having is to love creating for its own sake”. Yep. “I think a lot of writers on Substack are stuck in the same sort of trap”. Also Yep. And pretty much Yep to it all!! I came to Substack as “not a writer”, and committed to just creating what I love and loving what I create, and for that to be enough, but I’ve ended up adopting the label and have ended up in the trap, now wondering what it is I’m actually doing here..! I enjoyed reading this very much Gareth and Eleanor.
Thank you, Emily. I think the trap is not just restricted to Substack, because it really concerns the compromises we're supposedly required to make in order to get noticed and be successful. So, it's also embedded in traditional publishing: you must write to market, because otherwise the book won't sell. And also, sadly, in indie publishing, which is more and more shaped by the same commercial imperatives - whereas it was meant to be an unregulated outlet for personal creative freedom.
What's the answer? I suspect it's related to "the groove" of doing things for their own sake. But this is nigh on impossible, psychologically, because we as creators are hard wired to seek some form of recognition - because art implies a viewer, writing implies a readership, music an audience. There's no shame in this. We just need to manage our expectations as to what form that recognition takes. 1 really positive and insightful review, 3 people who always respond to your posts, a book sale here and there. Whatever fuel you need to keep the fires burning. Except that the main fuel must always be the desire to create something that's perfectly you, that is the fullest expression of your voice as you can make it, an exploration of things you really care about, and so on.
Anyway, that's my plan! :)
Absolutely yes, agreeing all the more! You have written so perfectly and succinctly what I have incoherently been wrestling to come to terms with, possibly forever. As a visual artist, I escaped this trap on Instagram by just checking out, and refusing to play the game. But here, I find myself being caught in it again and again, mainly because I enjoy Substack so very much, far more so than any other platform I've flirted with. With that comes a compelling drive to find a way to more recognition for the art and writing that I have grown to love all the more since being here! (And with that, I'm off to re-write a post that I didn't send yesterday because it didn't feel perfectly me..)
Yes, it's hard. When you find an answer, let me know!
Love Gareth's home truths, self-awareness and humour. "(I seem to have compared my subscribers to vermin – moving swiftly on…)" I hadn't come across him before, so will now check out his Stack. Thanks, Eleanor and Gareth.
Thanks, Wendy! Glad you enjoyed it. It feels a bit like a public confessional, but there are so many writers and intelligent media folk on here, it almost feels like sharing with a self-help group!
For me, it's revived my writing mojo, because there is the kind of feedback and community you might get in a writing group, but on a massive scale. But I get that if you are coming in as an established, current author it can be a huge distraction.
I think it's changing and there are increasingly readers here, as well as writers. Though, as you say, it is hard to work out who is definitely reading and who is lurking.
One email recipient told me (in real life) that she very much wanted to comment on a piece, but couldn't work out how to create a Substack account, because she didn't know what a "handle" was. A reminder that everyone is starting from different places!
Yes, hopefully there is a shift coming - maybe after the "gold rush" phase quietens down, and the serious longtermers find out how best to use Substack. And as I said, writers are readers too, but it does occasionally sour things a little when you suspect someone is following or subscribing just so that you'll check out their Substack.
Yes, technical hurdles - I do forget those. I had one longtime follower of my work just say, "Substack was sending me too many emails", and she quit. Some people just don't like the new or the different, or can't be bothered to overcome initial annoyances - which I can understand.
I found this a very lucid and insightful account of the pros and cons of the platform (and more generally the writing life). Thank you both.
Thank you, Jeffrey!
Something clever or funny or edgy.
Hopefully this phrase will go viral, and become a slogan for the resistance!