Sally is a great neighbor on Substack. I love this line she said it. “My audience is gracious, open-hearted, curious, and willing to read what I share at face value…” Sally’s attracts great people because she is an all around gracious, open hearted, curious person herself.
I related to soooo much here!! The finding of a rhythm, the space being ripe for evolution of voice, along with readership, after other less blossoming outputs. Love your overall vibe!!
So lovely to read Aunt Sally's answers. I love all the Ferris Island stories. It's my second favorite island (I live on the island next door!)
I couldn't possibly leave without commenting on Sally's positive presence on notes. I try to read each note she writes, and they never fail to brighten my day.
Sally: You touched on your transition from Wildroot Parables to Talebones (two fabulous titles). How has it been maintaining both publications since Ferris Island took off? Some people recommend only having one Stack and bringing all sides of ourselves together, but your two seem well differentiated. Do you ever feel burdened by maintaining two different titles? How do you divide your time between them?
You are such a bright light of Substack, with your delightful stories and your community spirit. I modeled my first community activity a year ago on one of yours, and took off freely from there.
Ah, Tara, you're too kind! Thank you for reading. ❤
Let's see. From the get-go I never intended the two newsletters to be connected at all, which I think has helped. Their goals, strategies, audiences, and topics are very separate. I was somewhat inspired in this model by Madeleine L’Engle, who wrote both her more famous speculative fiction and somewhat lesser-known spiritual prose.
Candidly, my focus as a writer is on fiction. So I knew that as soon as Talebones started gaining an audience I wanted to put the bulk of my strategic attention into that newsletter. While this means that Wildroot grows slower and occasionally falls by the wayside when things get too hectic, I’ve tried to cultivate a tone over there that allows for a slower schedule and more margin. My readership seems okay with that cadence, and I’m grateful for it.
I do have to do a reset every six months or so, taking stock of both schedules and making adjustments where necessary, but so far the two newsletters work quite well together in this way: one is a soft place to fall where I stick to a “slow and sacred same”, the other a more finely-tuned publication that allows for creative experimentation and growth.
Long answer, but I hope that sheds some light on your questions!
What an insightful interview. One of the best people on here. I'm so glad she got featured, as she's someone I look up to and admire a lot for her encouragement and community-building. Substack and the fiction community would not be the same without her. Thanks Eleanor and Sally!
Sally has been one of the generous and celebratory contributors who make this place - and the fiction corner, in particular - so welcoming as we all find our feet. Also, of course, she’s a fine writer. While we worry about how many/how often/how long … Sally reminds us that it is the quality not the quantity. Really useful answers. This is a great series, Eleanor.
Aw, thank you. We’ve been pedalling for all of July - and still on the road but back in France and gently heading home - so we’ve been quiet. Lots to catch up on when we’re home sometime at the start of August. 💛
So many great points. When I first started on Substack 3 months ago, S.E.’s restack of one of my notes received so many likes. I thought that was so generous and was part of the reason I started a review Section on my Substack to hopefully help others get more eyes on their work. Thank you for sharing this and thank you @sereid
So many parts of this resonate for me. OF course, each writer's journey is different. But we can all learn from each other, and some of our experiences are definitely going to overlap.
Too true, Bill! There's something powerful about realizing that we all have more similarities than differences, especially in a creative space. Thank you for reading. ❤
Fabulous! S.E. puts things in such a great, easy to follow perspective. A lot of her thoughts roam around in my head, too, but in my case it’s such a jumble. Her answers to these questions smooth it all out and give it breath. And she’s absolutely one of my favorite writers! Great interview!
I remember S.E. from Office Hours. She is one of those voices who helped keep Substack classy at the start. I'm sorry that we don't have those community gatherings anymore, because her upbeat reminders were a highlight. So it's refreshing to hear her take the floor again.
We all play the comparison game, but increasingly I ask myself if I would want the life/identity of the person I'm comparing myself to. The playbook that accelerates growth on this platform is typically not one that jives with the life and identity I prefer. So I wake to sleep and take my waking slow.
This was such a pleasure to read!
Sally is a great neighbor on Substack. I love this line she said it. “My audience is gracious, open-hearted, curious, and willing to read what I share at face value…” Sally’s attracts great people because she is an all around gracious, open hearted, curious person herself.
Marc, would you like to sit in the 8 Questions chair? It would be a delight to have you. DM me if you’re up for it…
I’m not able to DM you! I’ll send you an email!
👍🏻
It’s been a beautiful discovery of how much Sally is loved, what a great neighbor she is to so many.
I related to soooo much here!! The finding of a rhythm, the space being ripe for evolution of voice, along with readership, after other less blossoming outputs. Love your overall vibe!!
Thanks to you both for a wonderful interview.
So lovely to read Aunt Sally's answers. I love all the Ferris Island stories. It's my second favorite island (I live on the island next door!)
I couldn't possibly leave without commenting on Sally's positive presence on notes. I try to read each note she writes, and they never fail to brighten my day.
This was so good and affirming to read!
Sally: You touched on your transition from Wildroot Parables to Talebones (two fabulous titles). How has it been maintaining both publications since Ferris Island took off? Some people recommend only having one Stack and bringing all sides of ourselves together, but your two seem well differentiated. Do you ever feel burdened by maintaining two different titles? How do you divide your time between them?
You are such a bright light of Substack, with your delightful stories and your community spirit. I modeled my first community activity a year ago on one of yours, and took off freely from there.
Ah, Tara, you're too kind! Thank you for reading. ❤
Let's see. From the get-go I never intended the two newsletters to be connected at all, which I think has helped. Their goals, strategies, audiences, and topics are very separate. I was somewhat inspired in this model by Madeleine L’Engle, who wrote both her more famous speculative fiction and somewhat lesser-known spiritual prose.
Candidly, my focus as a writer is on fiction. So I knew that as soon as Talebones started gaining an audience I wanted to put the bulk of my strategic attention into that newsletter. While this means that Wildroot grows slower and occasionally falls by the wayside when things get too hectic, I’ve tried to cultivate a tone over there that allows for a slower schedule and more margin. My readership seems okay with that cadence, and I’m grateful for it.
I do have to do a reset every six months or so, taking stock of both schedules and making adjustments where necessary, but so far the two newsletters work quite well together in this way: one is a soft place to fall where I stick to a “slow and sacred same”, the other a more finely-tuned publication that allows for creative experimentation and growth.
Long answer, but I hope that sheds some light on your questions!
Very helpful - not long at all. :-)
Loved this! S.E. Reid was one of the first encouraging voices I found on this platform when I was starting out just over a year ago...
Great interview!!!
What an insightful interview. One of the best people on here. I'm so glad she got featured, as she's someone I look up to and admire a lot for her encouragement and community-building. Substack and the fiction community would not be the same without her. Thanks Eleanor and Sally!
Oh, well, wow. 😭❤️
Thank you, Tiffany! Watching you get stuck in and build your path here has been such a delight. Can't wait to see more!!
Grateful for people like you who make the way for newbies like me easier!
Sally has been one of the generous and celebratory contributors who make this place - and the fiction corner, in particular - so welcoming as we all find our feet. Also, of course, she’s a fine writer. While we worry about how many/how often/how long … Sally reminds us that it is the quality not the quantity. Really useful answers. This is a great series, Eleanor.
Thank you so much, Barrie! To be fair, it's easy for me to be a good neighbor when the neighbor is as kind and generous as you are. 😁
Aw, thank you. We’ve been pedalling for all of July - and still on the road but back in France and gently heading home - so we’ve been quiet. Lots to catch up on when we’re home sometime at the start of August. 💛
So many great points. When I first started on Substack 3 months ago, S.E.’s restack of one of my notes received so many likes. I thought that was so generous and was part of the reason I started a review Section on my Substack to hopefully help others get more eyes on their work. Thank you for sharing this and thank you @sereid
I'm glad you're here, Lori! And I love that you're passing it on. ❤
So many parts of this resonate for me. OF course, each writer's journey is different. But we can all learn from each other, and some of our experiences are definitely going to overlap.
Too true, Bill! There's something powerful about realizing that we all have more similarities than differences, especially in a creative space. Thank you for reading. ❤
Fabulous! S.E. puts things in such a great, easy to follow perspective. A lot of her thoughts roam around in my head, too, but in my case it’s such a jumble. Her answers to these questions smooth it all out and give it breath. And she’s absolutely one of my favorite writers! Great interview!
Thank you so much for reading, Liz! ❤
I remember S.E. from Office Hours. She is one of those voices who helped keep Substack classy at the start. I'm sorry that we don't have those community gatherings anymore, because her upbeat reminders were a highlight. So it's refreshing to hear her take the floor again.
We all play the comparison game, but increasingly I ask myself if I would want the life/identity of the person I'm comparing myself to. The playbook that accelerates growth on this platform is typically not one that jives with the life and identity I prefer. So I wake to sleep and take my waking slow.
Such wise words, Joshua, about identity. Thank you for that.
And while I love the way the platform has evolved, I certainly miss those Office Hours days, too! ❤
I can’t recall if I’ve asked you already, Josh, but would you like to sit in the 8 Questions chair? DM me …
That's the way!
❤❤❤
Now is an aces poker
Wise words and an interesting story!
Thank you so much for reading, Kathleen! ❤