8 Questions for... John Halbrooks
Personal Canon Formation
Personal Canon Formation (abstract noun): the process of discovering, interacting with, responding to, and assimilating into one’s consciousness works of art and other cultural artefacts of merit… In which , a life-long learner, posts regularly about literature and music, as well as the other arts more occasionally.
1. Why Substack?
As an academic, I felt frustrated with the publication process: we are expected to publish within a narrow framework for tenure and promotion purposes, to “advance the field” in some way, a notion borrowed from the sciences, and which is a sort of incompatible approach to the humanities in my view. Furthermore, it can be really hard to publish, and it takes ages. In one case, it was four years after I submitted an article that it finally appeared in print. And when the article finally does appear, very few read it. Substack, on the other hand, offered a platform that allowed me to explore my wide-ranging interests in music and literature. It offered engagement with an appreciative readership, which, while small in my case, is still much more substantial than I am used to. Milton hoped Paradise Lost would a “fit audience find, though few”—not that I’m equating myself with Milton!
Of course, no promotion committee will ever consider my Substack relevant. But that’s fine: I’m writing for myself and for those who may share my interests, not for university administrators.
2. How long did it take you to find your groove?
My first major piece, “Tolkien and Vaughan Williams Meet on a Train,” was an idea that had been floating around in my head for many years, and I finally decided that I needed to write it. I was pleased when it garnered a pretty positive response, and then it was off to the races. In fact, I probably went much too fast out of the gate, because in the long run I couldn’t keep up the initial pace. Not that I burned out—far from it; but the obligations of my family and my job asserted themselves, as they will.
It did take a couple of months before I came to understand something obvious: my three decades of teaching in English departments provided a nearly endless range of topics for me to write about but that would not be suited for academic publication. Writing about literature (and music) for an educated but non-specialist audience used to be common, but it seems less so now, and there is clearly a hunger for it among those of us who still read books.
3. How has it changed you?
I’ve always known that I am a good teacher; it’s the one superpower that I have. I have been less certain of my writing, but my work on Substack has inspired my confidence. I also have found that I have a lot more to say to the world than I realized before. Also, for the first time in years, I actually enjoy writing and look forward to it. Academic writing can wear you down and rob you of your voice in that search for an impossible objectivity. I feel that I have found my voice once again.
4. What mistakes have you made?
I read Simon Haisell’s 8 questions that you published recently, and I completely identified with his realization that he overpromised at first. I keep overpromising, and then I hit a busy patch at the office and fall behind. I need to stop doing that. I keep making schedules for these reading projects (like the current Chaucer Reading Challenge), and I can’t keep up with them. In the future, I’m going to make it clear to readers that the writing will happen when it happens. It can’t be rushed, and my family and my job have to come first.
Also, I made the mistake of putting the app on my phone, which turned it into the kind of social media experience that I had tried so hard to avoid for the past few years. I have mostly withdrawn from Notes for this reason as well, which has hurt my readership and lessened my engagement with the community. But I found that it was necessary for me to step back. Apologies to anyone who thinks that I have ghosted them; I haven’t. Just trying to keep my head above water.
5. To pay or not to pay?
I had a paid tier from the beginning, but I have recently pulled back from paid-exclusive writing. I still feel obligated to do it sometimes for the subscribers who have so generously supported my work, but I think going forward that I’m going to phase it out entirely, while perhaps finding some other perks for paying subscribers: perhaps the occasional live roundtable on a certain book or something like that. I want the main work to be available for all. This à la carte paid-subscription model is actually what makes me worry about the longterm health of Substack; I’m just not sure that it’s sustainable. But what do I know? If they introduce advertising to offset losses, it will destroy the platform. It’s a good thing I’m not their business consultant.
6. What artistic and technical choices have you made?
It seems to me that the beauty of Substack is that I don’t have to make that many technical choices. On the artistic front, I have branched out: for years I have written poetry (and have published a bare handful of poems), but Substack has given me the courage to publish some more of it. Also, thanks to people like you, I have started writing some fiction again, which I haven’t done in over twenty years. It’s not yet ready for the light of day, but I am working on it, quietly, slowly, and I plan to publish some of it here when the time comes.
7. What’s been the effect on your writing?
Having a platform has set me free. I feel that my writing is more fluid and natural than it has ever been, and I am writing more than I ever have. I seldom suffer from the dreaded writer’s block any more: I set my topic and turn on the tap. And then revise, revise, revise. (That last part slows down my publication schedule, but it is totally necessary; no one wants to read my first drafts.) Also, writing for a non-academic audience has been liberating.
8. In it for the long haul?
I think so. I may adjust my pace, but I have a lot more to write about, a lot more to explore here. Substack is not perfect, but I’m pretty sure that it’s the best thing going for independent writers at the moment. Though there are exceptions, you are unlikely to make a living here (despite what some of the self-help writers on Substack may tell you), but you may find your voice. And to me that’s worth a lot more than money. I won’t be quitting my day job any time soon.
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Lovely interview. Agree with what you say here about "going paid" -- Have to admit how much I miss you as a reader .... Love to you, ~ Mary
Poetry (how'd I miss it?), fiction by John Halbrooks? Out with it, man!