Thank you. It has been and continues to be a JOURNEY, and I have felt many things you describe here. The process for me has been to keep going, remember what MY needs are here, what MY “success” signals are, keep listening to that internal signal which so easily gets drowned out by external voices and my own fears. Create something, nurture it, offer it, believe in it, adjust, keep going.
Your honesty will always win out in the end! You have to true to what you want to accomplish! I will continue to support you, regardless of how frequent the content, because of the quality of your content. Don’t let the small stuff derail your drive to produce the best book lurking inside you. We’ll still be here cheering you on while you live your best life and craft the next chapter!
Pat, you were my very first paid subscriber, and I appreciate your ongoing support more than you can know! Also, I KNOW you understand the realities of having to "feed the content beast". It's a lot, isn't it?
Amen to all of this, my friend! This has pretty much been my experience since deciding to write here a little over a year ago. I wanted--still want--to return to the kind of writing I have loved most (and grow my writing skills in different ways), following many years of intense freelance writing, podcasting and “building a lifestyle brand,” all of which I loved but that shifted significantly in meaning for me in more recent years. I agree with you about Substack becoming something slightly different in the last several months in particular. I, too, have seen the hustle culture I desired to escape seep in here at times and with certain writers. All good for those who want to do this, but this isn’t the route I’m interested in; still, it’s hard not to notice it and to feel at times like maybe I’m doing something wrong. Thankfully, likely because similar to you I have been doing this for a long, long while, I don’t sit with that idea but for a moment.
I’m also working on a book, a novel, and have a day job as an outdoor/travel writer, too. At midlife, my priorities have shifted and my time is precious to me. Like you, I want my writing here on Substack to be well thought out and have meaning, for me and for my readers. That takes time, and that doesn’t fit into a “churning out content to attract more subscribers” model. As a reader, I truly appreciate thoughtful newsletters that don’t necessarily follow any kind of calendar or cadence. I just enjoy great writing and storytelling.
I’m happy to have found you here and I look forward to continuing to read what you share, Meagan--whenever that feels right and good to you! And I am excited about your new book and look forward to reading it. Here’s to an exciting new chapter for our writing!
"still, it’s hard not to notice it and to feel at times like maybe I’m doing something wrong. Thankfully, likely because similar to you I have been doing this for a long, long while, I don’t sit with that idea but for a moment."
One of the many benefits of being an old-timer, yes? And I hear you about the "building a lifestyle brand" thing. I actually love both the creative challenge and the potential for service in that kind of writing and creating - BUT - it gets really sticky when every single thing I do online feels like it has to be aligned with a 'brand.' Sometimes I just want to be ME, and I have to resist the piper trying to draw me back into that way of thinking.
YES!!!!! To all of this, I left social because it was too much; and I came here bc it seemed quieter, less about “buy this be this, do this!” It definitely feels like it’s gotten very “loud” and I so appreciate you sharing your perspective that the platform does not define us…I spent all last year writing my first book (well the last 3) but last year was the intense part, it took a lot of my written time and energy you spend there will be so worth it, sending you all the love on that journey!
Thanks, Kaitlin. There definitely seems to have been a shift toward loudness - but I keep reminding myself that I can choose the kind of experience I want to have here, too. It can be tempting to follow ALL the accounts that seem interesting, but is it worth it, if I wind up not able to truly pay attention to the ones I want to experience right now? Congratulations on devoting so much time to your book - it's such a different brain space to be in. Is it done?
Totally; and I think it was something I was feeling but didn’t fully realize it until you so perfectly spoke it, so thank you! It is such a different brain space as far as book work…what I found was to try very hard to not ingest a lot of NEW information…because then I kept wanting to add or update certain things in my book. I have never read one book so many times 😂🫣 I am DONE! Yes, just working on a few edits for my cover design…hoping it will be out to the world in the next month 😬😬 I’ll be sure to share! Excited to hear more about your journey as well 💕
I think social media makes everything seem like it has to happen “now!” And there’s the instant gratification, so it’s hard to save our words or take more time with our thoughts. IMO. 🤷🏻♀️
Hello Megan Francis, I just commented on the chickens post, but then I read your About Page, which makes me want to keep talking. (Besides, I am drinking tea just now.)
You've said that your aim is to create and environment that prioritizes human connection over all else. Since you are the author of the "Happiest Mom" book and the "Happiest Home" blog I am going to acknowledge that you know how to create connection.
You also mention years of actively steering through upheavals, which I assume is a given while raising 5 children. This I cannot know about because I am not a parent. I should read some of your parenting writing to find out not only about you. Parenting, mentoring, and what young people envision as the world, is the future unfolding before our eyes. It is probably a most important subject that seasoned people are concerned about.
What do your children ask? What do you tell them? What do their peers tell them?
I'll just point to one more quote where you said; "Maybe we’ll talk about cheerful, light, and fluffy topics; perhaps we’ll delve into difficult, or even tense, conversations. Probably it’ll be a little bit of both." Then your mentioning, "polarizing times".
I think that all of our blogs are seeking a key to a more cooperative environment. Probably if the world were stable, our inner existence can become more stable. The way I see the human psyche, is that which can't be understood has to be blocked out for sanity, (or for less emotional upheaval). Then that uncontrollable factor becomes a ghost always lurking. Any deep dive into the truth of polarizing times, also invites in that ghost. So block that out too.
Personally, we can define something that we don't prefer, like Substack is making me "run-too-much". No it isn't. It is you, wanting to "keep up with the Joneses" (a phrase from 1910). It is the comparison with other writers. It is up to you on that one. I couldn't be touched by it.
I will be drawn to the more meatier conversations. I accept the immense challenge to discover something productive without the temptation to extrapolate. In other words if I claim to know some trajectory, it robs you of your discovery. Then it becomes an inert assertion.
I wound up here through your comment on Erin's blogpost and wanted to say thank you.
I really appreciated your gentle, thoughtful pushback for those of us who might not have the "scaffolding" you mentioned -- who are finally getting their feet under them writing and or publishing.
I mean... I'm nearly forty. I lived through the blog days, but I never built anything much with it or social media than what I needed to keep a local photography business going and keep some family member and friends up to date with the inner workings of my head, our family, and maybe what books I was reading.
Now, as a novelist trying to engage with readers while keeping space for solitude, maintaining the craft while pursuing publication -- all while entirely over every other brand of social media -- this space is the only that feels right. But as you mentioned, even it has started to take on a "something too similar," at times, to everything else I've eschewed.
This was such a great post and I appreciate the candor and example!
Thank you for weighing in, Kristine. I do feel for writers just getting their feet wet in this digital world today - I mean, it's tough for ALL of us, even those who've been "very online" for a long time. Many of us don't have the luxury of just saying "Peace out" to the whole thing and disappearing - not if we want to keep blending our creativity with our livelihoods. I appreciate your comment!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm new to Substack (sending my first LifeSoup newsletter from it soon), and while it has so many wonderful bells & whistles, I also need to stay focused on my novel WIP, front and center. Glad to "meet" you here!
Glad to meet you too, CherieDawn! The bells and whistles are so useful and tempting at times, but staying focused on our priorities is the only thing that will help us figure out which ones to use and when.
These are THE ABSOLUTE BEST WORDS. I hate that age (+ all those dang mistakes) makes us wiser. But it does. So let's at least be smart enough to do the learning.
YOU DID IT. You learned.
Even better, you shared with us so we can learn, too.
You is so smart. You is so kind. And you is doing work that is so much more important than you could ever know. Thank you.
Maybe it’s a midlife realization of my limitations and reorganization of my priorities. Or maybe I’ve just been around the block enough times to realize that platforms, even the best ones, won’t ever love you back. That sooner or later you’ll run up against the limitations of what it can do for you. The platform changes, or the audience, or your goals. What’s left when that happens? Hopefully, your art.
Well done, Meagan!! Thank you for sharing so honestly and thoughtfully.
Thank you, friend. I've always admired how you show up here!
It’s $&@ humbling, I tell ya.
Thank you. It has been and continues to be a JOURNEY, and I have felt many things you describe here. The process for me has been to keep going, remember what MY needs are here, what MY “success” signals are, keep listening to that internal signal which so easily gets drowned out by external voices and my own fears. Create something, nurture it, offer it, believe in it, adjust, keep going.
Your honesty will always win out in the end! You have to true to what you want to accomplish! I will continue to support you, regardless of how frequent the content, because of the quality of your content. Don’t let the small stuff derail your drive to produce the best book lurking inside you. We’ll still be here cheering you on while you live your best life and craft the next chapter!
Pat, you were my very first paid subscriber, and I appreciate your ongoing support more than you can know! Also, I KNOW you understand the realities of having to "feed the content beast". It's a lot, isn't it?
Amen to all of this, my friend! This has pretty much been my experience since deciding to write here a little over a year ago. I wanted--still want--to return to the kind of writing I have loved most (and grow my writing skills in different ways), following many years of intense freelance writing, podcasting and “building a lifestyle brand,” all of which I loved but that shifted significantly in meaning for me in more recent years. I agree with you about Substack becoming something slightly different in the last several months in particular. I, too, have seen the hustle culture I desired to escape seep in here at times and with certain writers. All good for those who want to do this, but this isn’t the route I’m interested in; still, it’s hard not to notice it and to feel at times like maybe I’m doing something wrong. Thankfully, likely because similar to you I have been doing this for a long, long while, I don’t sit with that idea but for a moment.
I’m also working on a book, a novel, and have a day job as an outdoor/travel writer, too. At midlife, my priorities have shifted and my time is precious to me. Like you, I want my writing here on Substack to be well thought out and have meaning, for me and for my readers. That takes time, and that doesn’t fit into a “churning out content to attract more subscribers” model. As a reader, I truly appreciate thoughtful newsletters that don’t necessarily follow any kind of calendar or cadence. I just enjoy great writing and storytelling.
I’m happy to have found you here and I look forward to continuing to read what you share, Meagan--whenever that feels right and good to you! And I am excited about your new book and look forward to reading it. Here’s to an exciting new chapter for our writing!
"still, it’s hard not to notice it and to feel at times like maybe I’m doing something wrong. Thankfully, likely because similar to you I have been doing this for a long, long while, I don’t sit with that idea but for a moment."
One of the many benefits of being an old-timer, yes? And I hear you about the "building a lifestyle brand" thing. I actually love both the creative challenge and the potential for service in that kind of writing and creating - BUT - it gets really sticky when every single thing I do online feels like it has to be aligned with a 'brand.' Sometimes I just want to be ME, and I have to resist the piper trying to draw me back into that way of thinking.
YES!!!!! To all of this, I left social because it was too much; and I came here bc it seemed quieter, less about “buy this be this, do this!” It definitely feels like it’s gotten very “loud” and I so appreciate you sharing your perspective that the platform does not define us…I spent all last year writing my first book (well the last 3) but last year was the intense part, it took a lot of my written time and energy you spend there will be so worth it, sending you all the love on that journey!
Thanks, Kaitlin. There definitely seems to have been a shift toward loudness - but I keep reminding myself that I can choose the kind of experience I want to have here, too. It can be tempting to follow ALL the accounts that seem interesting, but is it worth it, if I wind up not able to truly pay attention to the ones I want to experience right now? Congratulations on devoting so much time to your book - it's such a different brain space to be in. Is it done?
Totally; and I think it was something I was feeling but didn’t fully realize it until you so perfectly spoke it, so thank you! It is such a different brain space as far as book work…what I found was to try very hard to not ingest a lot of NEW information…because then I kept wanting to add or update certain things in my book. I have never read one book so many times 😂🫣 I am DONE! Yes, just working on a few edits for my cover design…hoping it will be out to the world in the next month 😬😬 I’ll be sure to share! Excited to hear more about your journey as well 💕
This is all so good, Meagan! Lots of good reminders. Especially the part about showing restraint with our writing! 💛
Showing restraint is perhaps the hardest thing I've had to re-learn! (It was easy for me before social media, weirdly.)
I think social media makes everything seem like it has to happen “now!” And there’s the instant gratification, so it’s hard to save our words or take more time with our thoughts. IMO. 🤷🏻♀️
Hello Megan Francis, I just commented on the chickens post, but then I read your About Page, which makes me want to keep talking. (Besides, I am drinking tea just now.)
You've said that your aim is to create and environment that prioritizes human connection over all else. Since you are the author of the "Happiest Mom" book and the "Happiest Home" blog I am going to acknowledge that you know how to create connection.
You also mention years of actively steering through upheavals, which I assume is a given while raising 5 children. This I cannot know about because I am not a parent. I should read some of your parenting writing to find out not only about you. Parenting, mentoring, and what young people envision as the world, is the future unfolding before our eyes. It is probably a most important subject that seasoned people are concerned about.
What do your children ask? What do you tell them? What do their peers tell them?
I'll just point to one more quote where you said; "Maybe we’ll talk about cheerful, light, and fluffy topics; perhaps we’ll delve into difficult, or even tense, conversations. Probably it’ll be a little bit of both." Then your mentioning, "polarizing times".
I think that all of our blogs are seeking a key to a more cooperative environment. Probably if the world were stable, our inner existence can become more stable. The way I see the human psyche, is that which can't be understood has to be blocked out for sanity, (or for less emotional upheaval). Then that uncontrollable factor becomes a ghost always lurking. Any deep dive into the truth of polarizing times, also invites in that ghost. So block that out too.
Personally, we can define something that we don't prefer, like Substack is making me "run-too-much". No it isn't. It is you, wanting to "keep up with the Joneses" (a phrase from 1910). It is the comparison with other writers. It is up to you on that one. I couldn't be touched by it.
I will be drawn to the more meatier conversations. I accept the immense challenge to discover something productive without the temptation to extrapolate. In other words if I claim to know some trajectory, it robs you of your discovery. Then it becomes an inert assertion.
.
I wound up here through your comment on Erin's blogpost and wanted to say thank you.
I really appreciated your gentle, thoughtful pushback for those of us who might not have the "scaffolding" you mentioned -- who are finally getting their feet under them writing and or publishing.
I mean... I'm nearly forty. I lived through the blog days, but I never built anything much with it or social media than what I needed to keep a local photography business going and keep some family member and friends up to date with the inner workings of my head, our family, and maybe what books I was reading.
Now, as a novelist trying to engage with readers while keeping space for solitude, maintaining the craft while pursuing publication -- all while entirely over every other brand of social media -- this space is the only that feels right. But as you mentioned, even it has started to take on a "something too similar," at times, to everything else I've eschewed.
This was such a great post and I appreciate the candor and example!
Thank you for weighing in, Kristine. I do feel for writers just getting their feet wet in this digital world today - I mean, it's tough for ALL of us, even those who've been "very online" for a long time. Many of us don't have the luxury of just saying "Peace out" to the whole thing and disappearing - not if we want to keep blending our creativity with our livelihoods. I appreciate your comment!
Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm new to Substack (sending my first LifeSoup newsletter from it soon), and while it has so many wonderful bells & whistles, I also need to stay focused on my novel WIP, front and center. Glad to "meet" you here!
Glad to meet you too, CherieDawn! The bells and whistles are so useful and tempting at times, but staying focused on our priorities is the only thing that will help us figure out which ones to use and when.
These are THE ABSOLUTE BEST WORDS. I hate that age (+ all those dang mistakes) makes us wiser. But it does. So let's at least be smart enough to do the learning.
YOU DID IT. You learned.
Even better, you shared with us so we can learn, too.
You is so smart. You is so kind. And you is doing work that is so much more important than you could ever know. Thank you.
Maybe it’s a midlife realization of my limitations and reorganization of my priorities. Or maybe I’ve just been around the block enough times to realize that platforms, even the best ones, won’t ever love you back. That sooner or later you’ll run up against the limitations of what it can do for you. The platform changes, or the audience, or your goals. What’s left when that happens? Hopefully, your art.
I'm still learning, but always happy to share as I go :) Thank you for being here!
Indeed it is!