Tips for starting Substack

oh god. am I really going to do one of THOSE posts

First of all I would say yes it is a little bit scary or an emotional roller coaster to start here. And it may not be the best place. My cheese, cooperation, and grief writing friend Gordon says Patreon is more ethical. Check out his site as a great example. My quilter friend Ian, Quilty Nook gang, says these times we are going to have to change platforms quickly at times. But regardless, the point is you want to write somewhere. And it’s your birth right to write. IT IS! you know it is. We need to communicate, share, ponder, create, document, and more. Some of us are drawn to words. And we need to practice our words. Not all our words are going to be great. There will be learning curves. This IS scary. But it’s good scary - it’s growth.

SO, let’s get to it!! Ask me questions- in any format or place- and I will continue to update this “Tuesdays Quilts and Writing” column. It will be send out as a newsletter. But you can go look at chinamartens.substack.com and see the updating tips if new questions come in.

1. Do you have to publish as a newsletter? (I.E. is goes to people’s email inboxes.) No you don’t. When you write it will save drafts. When you're ready to publish you push the blue continue button at the top right side. Then in the next page that pops up, at the bottom of the list of check off box’s it says: “Delivery Send via email and the Substack app”. It has a check in that box. Uncheck it and it won’t.

   I would like to share from my experience however, when I unchecked that box I got many many-many less reads. People just don’t go browsing this website to see what you have read, for the most part. People do open their emails, in my case, about 50-65% of the time. It seems an email is a good reminder to read your essay! And like Zak Foster told me, people can always ignore your emails!!! It’s OK. We want you to be doing stuff. I don’t expect anyone to read every one of my columns. Even my favorite prolific writers, I often read a small amount of their essays. But some of them I have followed for YEARS. I love being able to do this and dip in and dip out as I feel. Although it was uncomfortable at first (and I did start by just sending out one newsletter a week) I decided to send out all my columns eventually, even when I was writing three times a week.

   The important thing is to do what works for you! And to play and experiment and see how it goes. This website has a lot of bells and whistles which can make it fun and also a bit of something to research to use in the beginning. Like they say, if I can do it, you can too- I think? And if it turns out you can’t. Thats OK too. The point is to do something and to try things and see what will work for you.

2. Do you have to spell right? or Do I actually have to edit and post sparingly? My opinion on this is there are many ways to go. If your way of writing works for you to share that way, it’s probably good to keep working that way. I would add an introduction to explain your intentions with your substack.

   Personally it is a bit nerve-racking to write in a truly public format. I always think paying members only could be a way to create those safer spaces for sharing. I think of this place as a little more of a newspaper, anyone can pick it up. I have worked with my friend Sara editing things I wrote and that felt like such a beautiful learning experience. I would drive to her farm in the summer, and swim in the pool or walk in the fields, retraining my brain that writing isn’t isolating torture but full of sensuous rewards. Then after editing on paper we would sit and she would talk to me of her edits and what I wanted to say. I learned so much from this time. (“Do you know that you use “And” and “But” as sentence starts all the time and it takes away power.” “I don’t think you have anything to apologize for and apologizing makes people think you have done something wrong.” Some memorable lessons.) It was incredibly special and rare. I’m not sure your editing process or support but it might be good to look into. In the end I have grown more comfortable JUST WRITING, the way I do, fresh off the bad spelling wagon from me to you.

   This substack essay Writing and Reading Zines as Resistance made me feel more comfortable in this way at the start and was just what I needed to read. Maybe it’s what you need to read too?

3. I have another writer friend who wanted to know if there was any good tutorial on how to use this site. I am not aware of one to recommend. Our Wayward Writer comrade and vampire substack mother Camille zoomed twice with Mandy and I to help us get into it. That felt really great! Just some small showing you around can help in a journey of exploring a new place. Thank you Camille

   In Closing

   Best wishes in writing!! It feels really worthwhile. A training of some kind of muscle we have been losing. I would also warn you the interaction here, the “likes” for example are wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy less than other social media places and that can feel very daunting to put yourself out there that way. But thats how it used to be with media. Less response. But the response you got, meant so very much. Also then you have your own site or bibliography of the things you have been writing. You can never tell, really, the things that will touch another or not. But just doing this, has been personally rewarding, and most of all for the support- editing, comments, paying subscriptions, contact with writers I had been out of contact with. Especially Maegan E. Ortiz (Mamita Mala!) and Cecile have meant so much to me, with their ongoing encouragement. It’s hard to do something all alone. Take the steps that feel right on the journey of courageousness and self expression. It does make a difference. Your words do matter. (And they don’t all have to be profound LOL. A writing habit can be working through all kinds of things you want to write.) xo