After two years on Substack, I have found that one of its gifts is the learnings, both from others and my owns ones. I have been writing almost weekly on here, while also editing my book, and both have been such a journey of learning, of trials, errors, successes, re-evaluations, standstills and growth.
Some entries felt good when I posted them, but afterwards I had to re-think if it was something I wanted to explore again. Mulling it over and trusting my gut feeling, instead of rushing into delete or change the entry. This way, accepting that things are stepping stones to others and no path is perfect.
As I considered my journey here, I sat down one day to journal, and I started to write about the most important things I have learnt through these years of writing and I ended up gathering seven learnings that feel valuable to me, that vary from grammar, inspiration, process and purpose.
One.
First and foremost, knowing who you are writing for and to.
I write for myself first. I write what I enjoy and feel kindred with. I am not trying to people please, my aim lies in authenticity and finding home in my own words. After I have established and reminded myself that I write for myself, I can explore who I am writing to, the people and its community.
Two.
Which personal pronoun: first, second or third person?
When I first started writing, especially poetry, everything was in ‘you’ or ‘she’ form. As I started to read through them and edit them, I started to change it to ‘I’ wherever it made sense, because it was much more powerful to own my story and my truth. I do my best to apply the same rule on my entries on Substack, and I can feel how it has made my writing more personal, opening up to something deeper.
Three.
How or where do you feel held?
Find places, communities or things that make you feel held, safe, or at home, as they will help you release creativity and fill you with courage, which will allow you to go down paths you wouldn’t explore otherwise. It can change your perspective of going outside your comfort zone, instead of feeling like it is dangerous, it can feel exciting and inspiring.
Four.
Letting things lay isn’t giving up.
I can write everyday, about one thing or the other. However, some days I am trying to get something done and it feels like hitting a wall, as I can see it’s middle or ending. I have learnt to let it lay, as with a bit of space in between, the answer usually comes to me when the time it right. Breaks are productive.
Five.
Thank you’s and giving credit where credit is due.
I strive to be supportive of others, and be the community I want to see. I also let the people who inspire me to do something, to write words, who spark my creativity, or simply make me feel seen, know that they did.
Six.
An idea is always an idea, write it down.
I write all of my ideas down in my journal. Some develop, as I water them and end up turning into trees after a while. Others develop quickly and become branches of those trees. Then there are the ones that don’t come to light and become forgotten, but those are usually the roots to the ideas that became the tree.
Seven.
Starting without a clear aim or plan is still a start.
I didn’t start my publication with a name that meant something to me (and have changed it since then), I didn’t have a few posts lined up, I was unsure what I should write about. I let it unfold, slowly grow, and I am glad I did. I am a person who would never have been ready to take the leap, if I had started overthinking it. Sometimes, the plan needs to be conjured slowly, letting each turn in the path makes sense.
What is the best writing or creative advice you have ever gotten?
Is there a learning you would like to share?
These are great tips, thankyou 🙏
YES to moving forward and taking imperfect action in the knowledge that some things are stepping stones to others 💛