This was a great pep talk and helpful guidance, thanks, Jana. Creative paths have ebbed and flowed for me, and the journey definitely has been a reminder to be grateful and enjoy, especially in the insecure times.
I’m glad it resonated, and you found it helpful 🧡 there are a lot of insecurities that come with it, yet I think engagement and connecting with others outweigh it. Thank you for reading and engaging with my post ☺️
Oh I am so pleased I found you - via Musings from Mika - and wondered how I'd missed you before. Coffee and writing are two of my favourite things. I definitely needed to read this today. Life has been busy and I haven't spent as much time writing as I'd like. As a result my numbers here have plateaued and it's easy to get caught up in the trap of looking round at what everyone else is doing. Rather than on looking inwards and doing the work you need to do - writing, being yourself, telling people about it in an authentic way that they can relate to. Thanks for the reminder 🧡
Louise, your kind comments made my day! They mean a lot. I am glad I was there when you needed me. A lot of Substack writers mention plateauing at some point in the journey. Even Mika, whom you found me through, wrote about it; now her musings are inspiring. So many people I've connected with struggle to balance writing and busy lives. I've come across an interview with Steven Pressfield by Marie Forleo, which changed my outlook on time or lack of time. I'm adding the link so you can watch it: https://www.marieforleo.com/blog/put-your-ass-where-your-heart-wants-to-be. My lightbulb moment came in at about 22 minutes in. It might help you as it did for me. I am glad you resonated with my post and decided to comment; at least I discovered you and signed up. I loved a more playful week' and will read more 🧡
Jana, this all makes sense to me! I felt very insecure after my first batch of unsubscribes - and more than that, I felt offended because the first unsubscribes came with a post about my mom. I really had to work to not take it personally, but now I have a couple every week and like I read somewhere here on Substack, I just tell myself they are just helping me refine my tribe, and that's a good thing. Thanks for this thoughtful post!
You're very welcome. Cherie. I am glad it resonated. I hear you. Sharing your most heartfelt, painful, often intimate feelings with the world to be met with unsubscribers brings up hurt and may leave us feeling offended. What helps me is to think, well, this is not for them, and I have yet to find readers for whom this post is meant. The fantastic part about Substack is that the post can be out for months, and people are still finding it. It may be the same for you. If it does help, I love your writing and what you share. Thank you for reading and thoughtfully commenting.
Yes, that has been my experience with Substack as well. I love getting a comment weeks or months later! Oh, thank you, Jana, I appreciate your kind words. I love your writing as well and the connection we are making!
Loved this, Jana. I fret over my writing quite a lot, but I am pushing myself to publish every week, no matter what. I am always glad that I did. :) (currently working on my Thursday post right now… on Thursday. 😅 It’s not midnight yet!)
Courtney, don't fret. I know your writing! I look forward to your posts; your writing voice is impressive, for the lack of a better description on my part. I can relate to the last-minute writing; I've done that with my previous two posts. Its not midnight yet, you've got this.
Yan-Min, your time and engagement mean the world to me; thank you so much for thoroughly reading my work. To answer your question, I am going to break it down into two:
How do I view the relationship between my publication, myself and my readers? I've been writing online for a few years but only took it seriously here on Substack. By that, I mean becoming aware of how I write, working at the craft and building a regular writing habit. Your dream vocation comes to you at a young age (that is my belief, but it's also a debatable point that could expand into a whole post). At 11, I started to write the lyrics to my favourite songs, and then at 15, I dreamed of becoming a journalist. Both of these came true in Substack. Creating my publication means I can make those dreams come true. With readers, I have some, but I am still on the search for others. That's tricky; finding people who are alike and with whom my writing would resonate is tough. I write about personal experiences; for example, I started with productivity and time management because I genuinely find those two topics fascinating, and because of the lack of time, I must maximise both areas to carve out time for my publication. Then I wrote about burnout because that is genuinely where I found myself mid-through last year. Now, I am interested in redefining success based on the research, using my coaching training and doing it over coffee with my community. Thank you for your thoughtful questions. I am curious; I know you also have a couple of publications; what would be your answers?
Substack is amazing, isn't it? Haha, I am genuinely happy for you because you have found your true calling and a platform to realize your dreams! I think we started off on pretty much the same journey: searching for a better way to become productive, then experiencing burnout. However, I've always been fascinated with spirituality topics. Liao-Fan's Four Lessons inspired me a lot, and I knew that I would be able to learn and internalize the essence of the book more through writing. Posting it on Substack means I can share it with more people. So, I decided to start a publication around that topic since it also resonates with the calling I felt when I was 16. I'm writing more to myself than to others, so the numbers don't really matter to me. I enjoy reading others' personal experiences, and the "you must do this... you must do that..." writing styles don't resonate with me. Hence, I enjoy reading yours a lot.
I agree; this is an incredible platform that allows people like us to realise our dreams. What's more, it allows us to have conversations with like-minded people, which adds to the awesomeness of the platform. I've enjoyed your first publication, which provides easily applicable tips on productivity. I love your second publication; it is a very in-depth, fascinating topic and well-written. I feel the same way; I am not a big fan of 'do this and that' advice. Everyone is different, everyone has different circumstances, so it's better not to box people up.
This was a great pep talk and helpful guidance, thanks, Jana. Creative paths have ebbed and flowed for me, and the journey definitely has been a reminder to be grateful and enjoy, especially in the insecure times.
I’m glad it resonated, and you found it helpful 🧡 there are a lot of insecurities that come with it, yet I think engagement and connecting with others outweigh it. Thank you for reading and engaging with my post ☺️
100%, Jana, new to your work, great to engage and connect with you!
That's great to hear, Robin. Likewise.
Oh I am so pleased I found you - via Musings from Mika - and wondered how I'd missed you before. Coffee and writing are two of my favourite things. I definitely needed to read this today. Life has been busy and I haven't spent as much time writing as I'd like. As a result my numbers here have plateaued and it's easy to get caught up in the trap of looking round at what everyone else is doing. Rather than on looking inwards and doing the work you need to do - writing, being yourself, telling people about it in an authentic way that they can relate to. Thanks for the reminder 🧡
Louise, your kind comments made my day! They mean a lot. I am glad I was there when you needed me. A lot of Substack writers mention plateauing at some point in the journey. Even Mika, whom you found me through, wrote about it; now her musings are inspiring. So many people I've connected with struggle to balance writing and busy lives. I've come across an interview with Steven Pressfield by Marie Forleo, which changed my outlook on time or lack of time. I'm adding the link so you can watch it: https://www.marieforleo.com/blog/put-your-ass-where-your-heart-wants-to-be. My lightbulb moment came in at about 22 minutes in. It might help you as it did for me. I am glad you resonated with my post and decided to comment; at least I discovered you and signed up. I loved a more playful week' and will read more 🧡
Jana, this all makes sense to me! I felt very insecure after my first batch of unsubscribes - and more than that, I felt offended because the first unsubscribes came with a post about my mom. I really had to work to not take it personally, but now I have a couple every week and like I read somewhere here on Substack, I just tell myself they are just helping me refine my tribe, and that's a good thing. Thanks for this thoughtful post!
You're very welcome. Cherie. I am glad it resonated. I hear you. Sharing your most heartfelt, painful, often intimate feelings with the world to be met with unsubscribers brings up hurt and may leave us feeling offended. What helps me is to think, well, this is not for them, and I have yet to find readers for whom this post is meant. The fantastic part about Substack is that the post can be out for months, and people are still finding it. It may be the same for you. If it does help, I love your writing and what you share. Thank you for reading and thoughtfully commenting.
Yes, that has been my experience with Substack as well. I love getting a comment weeks or months later! Oh, thank you, Jana, I appreciate your kind words. I love your writing as well and the connection we are making!
Loved this, Jana. I fret over my writing quite a lot, but I am pushing myself to publish every week, no matter what. I am always glad that I did. :) (currently working on my Thursday post right now… on Thursday. 😅 It’s not midnight yet!)
Courtney, don't fret. I know your writing! I look forward to your posts; your writing voice is impressive, for the lack of a better description on my part. I can relate to the last-minute writing; I've done that with my previous two posts. Its not midnight yet, you've got this.
Thank you for the encouragement ☺️
You're very welcome. I've seen you managed to meet the deadline. Awesome post.
Your publication is one of the few that I read word for word until the end. Your writing is amazing, Jana!
I'm curious about how you view the relationship between your publication, yourself, and your readers. What inspired you to start writing?
Yan-Min, your time and engagement mean the world to me; thank you so much for thoroughly reading my work. To answer your question, I am going to break it down into two:
How do I view the relationship between my publication, myself and my readers? I've been writing online for a few years but only took it seriously here on Substack. By that, I mean becoming aware of how I write, working at the craft and building a regular writing habit. Your dream vocation comes to you at a young age (that is my belief, but it's also a debatable point that could expand into a whole post). At 11, I started to write the lyrics to my favourite songs, and then at 15, I dreamed of becoming a journalist. Both of these came true in Substack. Creating my publication means I can make those dreams come true. With readers, I have some, but I am still on the search for others. That's tricky; finding people who are alike and with whom my writing would resonate is tough. I write about personal experiences; for example, I started with productivity and time management because I genuinely find those two topics fascinating, and because of the lack of time, I must maximise both areas to carve out time for my publication. Then I wrote about burnout because that is genuinely where I found myself mid-through last year. Now, I am interested in redefining success based on the research, using my coaching training and doing it over coffee with my community. Thank you for your thoughtful questions. I am curious; I know you also have a couple of publications; what would be your answers?
Substack is amazing, isn't it? Haha, I am genuinely happy for you because you have found your true calling and a platform to realize your dreams! I think we started off on pretty much the same journey: searching for a better way to become productive, then experiencing burnout. However, I've always been fascinated with spirituality topics. Liao-Fan's Four Lessons inspired me a lot, and I knew that I would be able to learn and internalize the essence of the book more through writing. Posting it on Substack means I can share it with more people. So, I decided to start a publication around that topic since it also resonates with the calling I felt when I was 16. I'm writing more to myself than to others, so the numbers don't really matter to me. I enjoy reading others' personal experiences, and the "you must do this... you must do that..." writing styles don't resonate with me. Hence, I enjoy reading yours a lot.
I agree; this is an incredible platform that allows people like us to realise our dreams. What's more, it allows us to have conversations with like-minded people, which adds to the awesomeness of the platform. I've enjoyed your first publication, which provides easily applicable tips on productivity. I love your second publication; it is a very in-depth, fascinating topic and well-written. I feel the same way; I am not a big fan of 'do this and that' advice. Everyone is different, everyone has different circumstances, so it's better not to box people up.