Reading your posts is like having a conversation with your smart-assed bestie- educational while being entertaining. Amusing at the same time challenging. Thought provoking, while at other times protective of our creative art. You are a perfect student of Vonnegut💞
I’ve always held the idea that “we write for ourselves” a little suss. I get it, the aphorism is meant to represent not going for the low hanging fruit. Authenticity and all that. But I think it’s a little dishonest to say we don’t care if we have an audience.
I am, however, often fond of a pithy quote or two. lol
I’d love if there was some way to develop a community. I fear the very tendency people don’t comment and click like very much doesn’t bode well , but I’d be interested.
lol Leo. I think either one alone is kind suss, you know? Like, we can't just write for the audience but we can't just write for ourselves either. And boy, the low number of people who respond or like gets me, too. I should write about that, see if they'll answer
Perhaps what inspires/instigates/goads a writer to write may or may not be other people. First drafts may demonstrate more concern for the writer to sort his or her own psyche than it reveals concern --"rhetorical or otherwise-- about the reader. Like comedy, it's a matter of timing.
I never got that either… if the process of writing was super enjoyable maybe it would be just a fun pastime and you wouldn’t care if anyone ever saw it. But I don’t write for myself or for the sheer joy of it (is that even a thing?). I write for the same reason I breathe and eat and sleep.
Reading. Now *that* is for me and for my solitary enjoyment. Except when I corner my husband and read bits out loud to him against his will. But writing is different.
While plenty of brilliant writers never become well known it’s not because they are unworthy of an audience, it’s partly because we don’t value creativity and artistic expression enough in our society (I should know, I married a jazz musician lolsob)
If I can kvetch for a minute, I read that 46% of adults in America have not read a book this year and it makes me kind of sad. How do they not know the joy of reading? And yeah - I write for the same reason I breathe, too. Love that. Man, so true
And the rest of the reason why brilliant writers don’t get published is because of the publishing industry itself. It mimics the film industry, in that it’s a business and they are too afraid to take risks. They just want the next Hunger Games and Harry Potter.
Same with the music industry sadly. The days of a young hungry A&R guy taking a chance on an unknown musician are over. First you build your own career through blood, sweat, and tears and *then* maybe you can get representation and management. If they can’t earn a hefty commission off you from day one they’re just not interested
I always interpreted the quote to mean Wright what you like. Because if you don’t like what you write, it’s going to show in the writing and it will turn people off.
Perfect post. There are so many people swimming upstream together, trying to monetize every damned fart. **sigh** I bailed on all this in about 2010 after 10 hard years of blogging my little heart out and building value that never did anything but cost me money. The shell games all just change platforms, and the next generation that missed the last pyramid scheme approach to marketing matures onto the scene, and there's a whole new crop of suckers to be preyed upon by each other. By all means, we need some more books about how to write.
I think one could make the argument that 7 minutes spent on Notes is time better spent elsewhere. It probably nearly always qualifies as time you can imagine wishing to have back.
That said, I post Notes fairly often because they attract subscribers on the rare occasion one of them gets a lot of engagement.
Whether subscribers I get from Notes are "quality" subscribers, that's a question I can't answer. By that, I don't mean the quality of the people, but whether or not they bother reading my posts. The answer is actually available in our stats if we had more than 7 minutes to spend trying to work through a question like that.
The last Note of mine that went viral had a picture of a bird on it. True story. I don't know if the subscribers gained from that Note were mostly bird watchers or not, or if they were disappointed that I never write about birds. Or dinosaurs.
Charles, I am laughing so hard. Notes are only interesting as an observation of overall patterns, you know? Did you see that post about the woman who asked AI to analyze her substack? It lied. lol. The viral bird got me. Seriously, I need to start taking pics of these little guys at my window. omg
You should. They'll go viral and you'll get 50 new subscribers. Of course, they'll be wanting more bird photos. Maybe I should create a Substack that plugs into AI and generates AI bird art every 30 seconds. Really put that water to use!
To take this a step further: the problem might be wanting in general. Attention, approval… whatever may be meant by ‘being seen’…these things are insatiable, and therefore inevitably lead to dissatisfaction.
They are insatiable. Sometimes, anyway. But you could take that further. I would say it's human nature, but animals have wants, too. Why do we want? That could be an interesting conversation all in itself
As a psychologist, I am well aware how important it is that we have wants. Wanting what we want defines who we are, as does not wanting what we don't want. It creates that line between me and where I end and you and where you begin.
Great article. Thank you. I have started using Notes because I've found that I'm able to get some subscribers that way. I had tried for almost two years posting my normal posts, but they weren't getting any traction. As for poetry: I recently finished Emily Dickinson's book of poems and it took me months to finish, but was well worth it. I don't read poetry all the time, but I've found that poetry forces me to use parts of my brain that I don't normally use in reading fiction. And as an author, that's always a good thing.
That's it exactly, Ron. Poetry forces us to use parts of our brain we don't use all the time. Baudelaire once said always be a poet, even in prose. And I think that's what he was referring to. Stretching ourselves to let neurons fire in a new way. Here's one that won't take months to read. Just one poem. I loved it. https://tomhirons.com/poetry/sometimes-a-wild-god
I haven't read Les Fleurs du Mal since college (many decades ago now), but I remember reading the French words and I could feel my brain changing. It wasn't too soon after then that I started dreaming in French. As an author, I've found that it's the experiences that matter and I have such limited abilities to mold the right words to capture what I'm seeing/feeling in my head. The more that I can create new neural pathways, the better! As for Sometimes a Wild God: I appreciate you sharing that. The symbolism hits nicely with what we're discussing. Maybe more of us need to be woken by a wild god and see that it's not too late. To grow, to dream, to be.
I am surprised at how much I’m enjoying Notes, to be honest. I thought it was going to be—I don’t know, tedious, I guess? But I’m blown away at how honest and insightful and supportive people are. Social(ish) media sites are an unpredictable ecosystem, but I’ve found notes to be really positive. I hope it stays that way.
Linda, once again, I think you speak truth, and you do so convincingly. I have long given up on writing as a source of sufficient income, but I will never give up my desire to be read.
Speaking of which, I am getting ready to experiment with writing short stories, and now I am going to check out Flannery O'Connor based on your declaring her the best!
Because my other thing about writing is my need to push myself into unfamiliar territory and see if I can grow my game. Sounds like I should check out O'Connor. Thank you
Flannery is my absolute favorite writer. I feel like she should be discussed more widely. I hope you love what you read. The Lame Shall Enter First is my favorite of hers.
I love the way you said that - pushing yourself into unfamiliar territory. It's how we grow. I do that by reading poetry. It forces me to think differently and I like that a lot.
Hello Reader, such a great handle u got. I love this essay and resemble all those who fall for every con. I'm new to Stack and extra duh so u saved me from those who pray on little me. Thanks - and yeah no one much reads me but I probably deserve it because I'm always taking people to the Creepy Pasta Motel. :)
"Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted." Wow, that should be a golden rule. Right up there with, "People won't remember what you said but they will remember how you made them feel."
One the best things I read in a while about writing. a perfect reset.
Hello, Curious Linda, Yes to learning from you. Intention and strategy are my primary colors. It doesn't have to be step-by-step because someone else's steps are not my steps. I appreciate direction and distance indicators, just like my golf coach provided when I learned the game. Only two things matter in golf: distance and direction. I agree with your point of view on AI everywhere.
Here's the part that always needs clarification for me: Find your people. Oh my, I know exactly who those people are, down to habits and what motivates them. My "people" are less than 5% of the adult population. They are professionals + communicators + gifted adults, all in one. The struggle for me is appearing as the destination they desire.
Back to golf: The flag stick doesn't run around chasing after the golfers. No, it stays right where it is, in the hole they want to get to in four strokes and the individual must figure out their path to the flag stick. The main complaint I've heard for 30 years is "Do you know how hard I had to look before I found you?" I was here the whole time, holding the lighted torch in my hand so you could see me. If you have the strategy for that, Linda, I would eat it up with a high-speed spoon.
I have such great conversations with you Georgia. And you're so right that your steps aren't someone else's. Neither are mine. My approach is more akin to here's 20 steps, do them in whatever order work for you, but don't miss any.
Your description intrigues me. Professionals + communicators + gifted adults. I wonder how many of your people see themselves that way. When I first saw that, I though oh - the people I wish I was. lol. And I wonder if the key to appearing as the destination they desire is identifying what they need, instead of what they are.
Love this!
Thanks Audra! :)
I could do with all the help I can get. (no point in expanding this)
lol Dave. You made me laugh with the parens :)
Well i would love that. Count me in!
Thanks, Rangga. I learn everything the hard way, might as well share lol
Hahaha you're a gem for that Linda!
Reading your posts is like having a conversation with your smart-assed bestie- educational while being entertaining. Amusing at the same time challenging. Thought provoking, while at other times protective of our creative art. You are a perfect student of Vonnegut💞
Well that felt nice. Sometimes I think Vonnegut might shake his head and say wow, that one's a slow learner. Got potential. But slow going. lol
Hardly 😄 To quote Tupac “real recognize real”
To quote Tupac - omg, that was great lol
Oh, Linda, I enjoyed this. lol
I’ve always held the idea that “we write for ourselves” a little suss. I get it, the aphorism is meant to represent not going for the low hanging fruit. Authenticity and all that. But I think it’s a little dishonest to say we don’t care if we have an audience.
I am, however, often fond of a pithy quote or two. lol
I’d love if there was some way to develop a community. I fear the very tendency people don’t comment and click like very much doesn’t bode well , but I’d be interested.
lol Leo. I think either one alone is kind suss, you know? Like, we can't just write for the audience but we can't just write for ourselves either. And boy, the low number of people who respond or like gets me, too. I should write about that, see if they'll answer
Perhaps what inspires/instigates/goads a writer to write may or may not be other people. First drafts may demonstrate more concern for the writer to sort his or her own psyche than it reveals concern --"rhetorical or otherwise-- about the reader. Like comedy, it's a matter of timing.
Ha! How meta.
lmao right?
I never got that either… if the process of writing was super enjoyable maybe it would be just a fun pastime and you wouldn’t care if anyone ever saw it. But I don’t write for myself or for the sheer joy of it (is that even a thing?). I write for the same reason I breathe and eat and sleep.
Reading. Now *that* is for me and for my solitary enjoyment. Except when I corner my husband and read bits out loud to him against his will. But writing is different.
While plenty of brilliant writers never become well known it’s not because they are unworthy of an audience, it’s partly because we don’t value creativity and artistic expression enough in our society (I should know, I married a jazz musician lolsob)
If I can kvetch for a minute, I read that 46% of adults in America have not read a book this year and it makes me kind of sad. How do they not know the joy of reading? And yeah - I write for the same reason I breathe, too. Love that. Man, so true
I am very suspicious of that number but it may well be true
….so true.
And the rest of the reason why brilliant writers don’t get published is because of the publishing industry itself. It mimics the film industry, in that it’s a business and they are too afraid to take risks. They just want the next Hunger Games and Harry Potter.
Same with the music industry sadly. The days of a young hungry A&R guy taking a chance on an unknown musician are over. First you build your own career through blood, sweat, and tears and *then* maybe you can get representation and management. If they can’t earn a hefty commission off you from day one they’re just not interested
💯!
I always interpreted the quote to mean Wright what you like. Because if you don’t like what you write, it’s going to show in the writing and it will turn people off.
Also write what you know because it’s not going to ring true (unless you do a lot of research)
Perfect post. There are so many people swimming upstream together, trying to monetize every damned fart. **sigh** I bailed on all this in about 2010 after 10 hard years of blogging my little heart out and building value that never did anything but cost me money. The shell games all just change platforms, and the next generation that missed the last pyramid scheme approach to marketing matures onto the scene, and there's a whole new crop of suckers to be preyed upon by each other. By all means, we need some more books about how to write.
whole new crop of suckers -- god, that hits.
I'm interested in what you've got cooking.
Thanks, Daniela :)
I think one could make the argument that 7 minutes spent on Notes is time better spent elsewhere. It probably nearly always qualifies as time you can imagine wishing to have back.
That said, I post Notes fairly often because they attract subscribers on the rare occasion one of them gets a lot of engagement.
Whether subscribers I get from Notes are "quality" subscribers, that's a question I can't answer. By that, I don't mean the quality of the people, but whether or not they bother reading my posts. The answer is actually available in our stats if we had more than 7 minutes to spend trying to work through a question like that.
The last Note of mine that went viral had a picture of a bird on it. True story. I don't know if the subscribers gained from that Note were mostly bird watchers or not, or if they were disappointed that I never write about birds. Or dinosaurs.
Maybe I should use AI to do the analysis. :-P
Charles, I am laughing so hard. Notes are only interesting as an observation of overall patterns, you know? Did you see that post about the woman who asked AI to analyze her substack? It lied. lol. The viral bird got me. Seriously, I need to start taking pics of these little guys at my window. omg
You should. They'll go viral and you'll get 50 new subscribers. Of course, they'll be wanting more bird photos. Maybe I should create a Substack that plugs into AI and generates AI bird art every 30 seconds. Really put that water to use!
To take this a step further: the problem might be wanting in general. Attention, approval… whatever may be meant by ‘being seen’…these things are insatiable, and therefore inevitably lead to dissatisfaction.
They are insatiable. Sometimes, anyway. But you could take that further. I would say it's human nature, but animals have wants, too. Why do we want? That could be an interesting conversation all in itself
As a psychologist, I am well aware how important it is that we have wants. Wanting what we want defines who we are, as does not wanting what we don't want. It creates that line between me and where I end and you and where you begin.
So true Christian. It's never enough…the definition of addiction.
Great article. Thank you. I have started using Notes because I've found that I'm able to get some subscribers that way. I had tried for almost two years posting my normal posts, but they weren't getting any traction. As for poetry: I recently finished Emily Dickinson's book of poems and it took me months to finish, but was well worth it. I don't read poetry all the time, but I've found that poetry forces me to use parts of my brain that I don't normally use in reading fiction. And as an author, that's always a good thing.
That's it exactly, Ron. Poetry forces us to use parts of our brain we don't use all the time. Baudelaire once said always be a poet, even in prose. And I think that's what he was referring to. Stretching ourselves to let neurons fire in a new way. Here's one that won't take months to read. Just one poem. I loved it. https://tomhirons.com/poetry/sometimes-a-wild-god
I haven't read Les Fleurs du Mal since college (many decades ago now), but I remember reading the French words and I could feel my brain changing. It wasn't too soon after then that I started dreaming in French. As an author, I've found that it's the experiences that matter and I have such limited abilities to mold the right words to capture what I'm seeing/feeling in my head. The more that I can create new neural pathways, the better! As for Sometimes a Wild God: I appreciate you sharing that. The symbolism hits nicely with what we're discussing. Maybe more of us need to be woken by a wild god and see that it's not too late. To grow, to dream, to be.
“started using Notes”
I am surprised at how much I’m enjoying Notes, to be honest. I thought it was going to be—I don’t know, tedious, I guess? But I’m blown away at how honest and insightful and supportive people are. Social(ish) media sites are an unpredictable ecosystem, but I’ve found notes to be really positive. I hope it stays that way.
I’m so glad I subscribed to your Substack you’ve hit the nail on the head yet again.
Thank you Javier - I'm really glad you're enjoying my writing. For me, it's like breathing :)
Well, as you know I worship at the church of Vonnegut.
Right? It's a good church. Knew there was a reason I love you to bits :)
Linda, once again, I think you speak truth, and you do so convincingly. I have long given up on writing as a source of sufficient income, but I will never give up my desire to be read.
Speaking of which, I am getting ready to experiment with writing short stories, and now I am going to check out Flannery O'Connor based on your declaring her the best!
Because my other thing about writing is my need to push myself into unfamiliar territory and see if I can grow my game. Sounds like I should check out O'Connor. Thank you
Flannery is my absolute favorite writer. I feel like she should be discussed more widely. I hope you love what you read. The Lame Shall Enter First is my favorite of hers.
I love the way you said that - pushing yourself into unfamiliar territory. It's how we grow. I do that by reading poetry. It forces me to think differently and I like that a lot.
Hello Reader, such a great handle u got. I love this essay and resemble all those who fall for every con. I'm new to Stack and extra duh so u saved me from those who pray on little me. Thanks - and yeah no one much reads me but I probably deserve it because I'm always taking people to the Creepy Pasta Motel. :)
Lmao Zee. God, there is work of yours I want to comment on but every time I try to read, my clients need something. The audacity lol
I like being the thing you almost read—even if it lives somewhere between silence and suspense. :)))))
https://youtube.com/shorts/D7F17Qpa5Ek?si=40LL90BYDq8fKp2m
"Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted." Wow, that should be a golden rule. Right up there with, "People won't remember what you said but they will remember how you made them feel."
One the best things I read in a while about writing. a perfect reset.
Thank you, Craig. It's a powerful one, that's for sure.
Hello, Curious Linda, Yes to learning from you. Intention and strategy are my primary colors. It doesn't have to be step-by-step because someone else's steps are not my steps. I appreciate direction and distance indicators, just like my golf coach provided when I learned the game. Only two things matter in golf: distance and direction. I agree with your point of view on AI everywhere.
Here's the part that always needs clarification for me: Find your people. Oh my, I know exactly who those people are, down to habits and what motivates them. My "people" are less than 5% of the adult population. They are professionals + communicators + gifted adults, all in one. The struggle for me is appearing as the destination they desire.
Back to golf: The flag stick doesn't run around chasing after the golfers. No, it stays right where it is, in the hole they want to get to in four strokes and the individual must figure out their path to the flag stick. The main complaint I've heard for 30 years is "Do you know how hard I had to look before I found you?" I was here the whole time, holding the lighted torch in my hand so you could see me. If you have the strategy for that, Linda, I would eat it up with a high-speed spoon.
I have such great conversations with you Georgia. And you're so right that your steps aren't someone else's. Neither are mine. My approach is more akin to here's 20 steps, do them in whatever order work for you, but don't miss any.
Your description intrigues me. Professionals + communicators + gifted adults. I wonder how many of your people see themselves that way. When I first saw that, I though oh - the people I wish I was. lol. And I wonder if the key to appearing as the destination they desire is identifying what they need, instead of what they are.