I love this line, “What do I do then with this new awareness? I shift gears. I focus more on the words that are there waiting and less on trying to morph them into something consumable.” Incredibly thought provoking piece. I’ve been thinking a lot about the writing vs. the audience building lately as well.
it's such a tricky, nuanced place, right? We need an audience but we also need to be true to our work. Where are you finding yourself landing in this inquiry?
so tricky, so nuanced. I try to remind myself that authenticity is my best thing, and that that's what will move me forward (both my writing practice and my audience.) I'd of course love for my words to reach more people who will connect with and benefit from my work, but not at the expense of not being true to myself.
and then this is cliche, but true - quality > quantity. Would it be great to have thousands of subscribers and eventually make a portion of my income from substack? of course. But I'm also really enjoying this beginning stage, and love connecting with so many people who have chosen to be in the Wild Cozy Free community, and I always want to prioritize that connection.
I thought a lot about Glennon Doyle when I started writing my first post, and how she views her podcast as a way to get back to her early days of writing, when she would write Momastery in the early morning before her kids woke up. I always want my reader to feel like we're having an intimate conversation "just you and me in the early morning and our coffee and the truth.", as Glennon says.
that all being said, I definitely still spend way too much time looking at my dashboard and worrying about marketing my substack, and I'm working on not fixating too much on that haha
“I write because there are words within me that long to be expressed. I write because it's the only way I've found to adequately express what goes on inside me. When I try to express it verbally, it often fails. It's only the land of metaphor that manages to come close.”
There is magic in the land of metaphors, how clearly we can see a lesson, a re-frame, and understanding.
I love this line, “What do I do then with this new awareness? I shift gears. I focus more on the words that are there waiting and less on trying to morph them into something consumable.” Incredibly thought provoking piece. I’ve been thinking a lot about the writing vs. the audience building lately as well.
it's such a tricky, nuanced place, right? We need an audience but we also need to be true to our work. Where are you finding yourself landing in this inquiry?
so tricky, so nuanced. I try to remind myself that authenticity is my best thing, and that that's what will move me forward (both my writing practice and my audience.) I'd of course love for my words to reach more people who will connect with and benefit from my work, but not at the expense of not being true to myself.
and then this is cliche, but true - quality > quantity. Would it be great to have thousands of subscribers and eventually make a portion of my income from substack? of course. But I'm also really enjoying this beginning stage, and love connecting with so many people who have chosen to be in the Wild Cozy Free community, and I always want to prioritize that connection.
I thought a lot about Glennon Doyle when I started writing my first post, and how she views her podcast as a way to get back to her early days of writing, when she would write Momastery in the early morning before her kids woke up. I always want my reader to feel like we're having an intimate conversation "just you and me in the early morning and our coffee and the truth.", as Glennon says.
that all being said, I definitely still spend way too much time looking at my dashboard and worrying about marketing my substack, and I'm working on not fixating too much on that haha
Authenticity. Yes. Such a good guiding post.
I resonate with your ideas here deeply.
I’m glad it resonates, Marina.
“I write because there are words within me that long to be expressed. I write because it's the only way I've found to adequately express what goes on inside me. When I try to express it verbally, it often fails. It's only the land of metaphor that manages to come close.”
There is magic in the land of metaphors, how clearly we can see a lesson, a re-frame, and understanding.
This is absolutely beautiful Kim!
Thank you! Yes, there is something about metaphor that hits deep.