Why do you write on Substack?
Musings of the morning over my coffee.....
I like to write, WHEN I LIKE TO WRITE, but I also like to step back and read what other folks like to write about as well.
This gives me an opportunity to reflect on my own thoughts and writings as well as how I can stay curious about what perspectives on life are out there in Substack land through the words of other creatives.
I joined Substack without any real idea of what and when and how I desired ‘to show up’.
I am fully aware by virtue of this being a social media platform, that there will be individuals using it to promote a business, a service, a membership, and so on.
However, there are also folks out there who really just like to share and find Substack to be a ‘safe place’ from which to pour their ideas and feelings into the written craft. This last statement brings me to the crux of today’s post.
If writing and sharing through writing feeds your passion, or satisfies a desire to ‘get it out there’, then do it, but I ask you to ask yourself a few questions to be sure you are really clear as to why you’re doing what you’re doing.
Do you write with an ulterior motive of drawing potential viewers and clients to your page, product or service? If so, fabulous, be sure to be kind and offer value beyond possible future dollars to your writing.
Do you write with some unspoken expectation or attachment to the response you may or may not receive to your writings. (I see many posts mentioning followers, volume of followers, being seen etc.) This observation makes me wonder if one is writing purely for expression, or if there is some unspoken need/want/desire to be externally validated through viewership?
Do you feel driven to ‘show up’ in a consistent and timely manner with anything to write, even if it means digging to ‘come up with something’? This last point had presented itself to me last week. I was pretty busy with work, home obligations, weather events and so forth. The idea of having to make additional time to write was just off the table. When I opened the computer this morning, I realized it’s been almost 2 weeks since my last post. In the business building world, that lack of presence and consistency can be a deal breaker. BUT, that’s not why I decided to join Substack - so I GAVE MYSELF PERMISSION to just chill, not write until I felt the push, enjoy the moments (moving snow, stacking wood, moving hay, blanketing horses, walking the dog, cleaning the ice/snow off the vehicles to get to work).
So, this brings me to my last observation for today’s post. Even in the tough moments, the challenging moments, the ‘hard’ moments, I am able to take a deep breath, observe what’s going on, and MAKE A CHOICE as to whether I want to whine about it or maybe ask myself this question and stay curious ~ “What can I learn from this”?
Peace out peeps until the next post. I’m loving this Substack thing - I can share ideas, read responses, tickle my curiosity, and decide how and when I feel like expressing and being creative without an attachment to ‘what does this mean’?
