Hi Dan, I always look forward to your words. Since I have started to follow your work the one thing that threw me a little was having to accept that my biggest audience comes from my FB feed. I actually felt mortified, as I wanted my FB page and Substack to really be big. Instead whenever I write on my feed, I normally get very good feedback, and I also know that I am building trust and respect. I know that whenever I show up there I am the gateway for older readers who may not feel confident enough to share their own voice. So I had learn to value and "see" my older audience, while I saw wanted to be one of the "big boys" on Substack for instance. The other day, one of my readers said that they don't even know what Substack is and they really like when they receive my emails via Mailerlite instead...and to be honest, this touched my heart for this lady is 72 and she is really trying to keep up with the world. Anyway, your words are like my daily boost of Vitamin C! Thank you kind sir and many wishes to your little man! x
I’m finding my biggest challenge is that both writing and its side-kick, sharing, involve periods of introversion and incubation. Substack demands continual attention (or whatever platform is engaged) but my writing process requires stepping away to understand what is brewing. I feel like it’s this uncomfortable dance that can compromise my work if I’m not careful.
Thanks for the honesty! What I always try to remember is that this is a choice. To me, Substack doesn't "demand" anything. Yes, I may feel a social pressure to share. I may feel a logical pressure that "consistency matters." But if/how/when I show up is always a choice. And to your point, so is that choice of taking a pause and focusing on other work. Thank you Eliza!
Ditto! There are times when I know I must go within and wait however long it takes to find language for what I am integrating. It is definitely a dance which needs rhythm and so much kindness to ourselves! One thing I am currently doing on my FB page now is to create reels based on my writing when I feel introvert. I choose videos on Canva based on how I feel and I love watching them...in fact I mainly do them for myself really! Going within is definitely the only way out! :) xxx
When I first started writing, I actually enjoyed sharing. There's a lot of creativity involved in communing with fans, crafting ads, etc.
My problem is the extent to which engagement has been made more and more difficult. I have a significant group of FB fans, but only a tiny number of them see what I do unless I put ad money behind it. And for me, at least, that's an investment that doesn't have a positive ROI. When I first started, I advertised new releases or something like that. But over time, I developed enough engagement that even posts I didn't advertise had a respectable amount of interaction. Then FB decided to strangle anything that looked remotely like organic growth. Most platforms are like that now.
Amazon did much the same thing, gradually changing algorithms to make discovery almost entirely reliant on ads.
That's a major reason why I'm trying Substack. I'm not reluctant to share. I'm just averse to having to feed an advertising ecosystem to get just a fraction of the visibility I used to have.
Thank you, Dan for your insightful thoughts. Focus is so important to me as is the dedicated time to my writing. I have found that i need a four hour block completely disconnected to be productive. The problem is that focus and time take commitment which is hard to do in a world distracted by email, clients, kids, etc. So I use a self defined schedule with deadlines. Maybe it is because I learned how to cram for a test in college, but I find that missing one of of my deadlines drives me to commit the time and energy to write. This also makes me respectful of committing hundreds of hours to a new book, which I am on the cusp of doing. This self discipline is even mote important when you self publish. I look forward to future posts.
This was helpful and you named a lot of my challenges. What I struggle with is feeling guilty about sharing my own work when there is so much going on in the world—shouldn’t I be posting to take a stance and engage with issues in society? I see it as my duty to use my writing to help people and make the world better in some tiny way. And my work does deal with inequities, but not always the ones in that are in the current news cycle. Maybe this is unrelated, but curious what you think of this as an obstacle to sharing. Thank you!
Thank you Michelle! Something I try to keep in mind is that what we each experience in life is unique and valid. And sharing moments from your life, ideas you have, that is a part of how we connect with others. And it's valuable.
Your letter is the best, Dan. I bought your book a few years ago, and I've been reading your letter every week since. You recently wrote about Mr. Rogers. I consider you the Mr. Rogers of modern media. Love the story about your birdfeeder! Happy birthday to the little fella!
I look at sharing my work like throwing a stone into a pond: It has ripple effects in moving the world out there that I can't necessarily see. On a whim I recently shared my essay about why moving my demented mother into a group home was the hardest thing I've ever done on LinkedIn, where I rarely post, and I got the most touching email from a former colleague I hadn't spoken to in probably 20 years, telling me how much my essay resonated with her. To me that's gold, pure gold.
Thank you, Dan, for this post! I think my biggest challenge has been that balancing act between my own inate fear of being seen, the desire to express myself and be heard, and making time for everything I have going on in my life (as a solo-farmer/writer/conservationist/homeschooling-mum/single-lady). There's so many different strategies to sharing and it's easy to become overwhelmed when you're already overwhelmed with life, lol.
Since coming to Substack 4 months ago, I've tried to approach my writing/sharing from a place of authenticity. I want my growth as a writer to be organic and meaningful. I find I am less authentic when I am "pushing" myself to write or share when I am not inspired. When the farm has left too little of me to make meaningful posts, I forgive myself and free myself from that "obligation". No one is pressuring me to post, and certainly no one will miss me if I do not post for a couple few days.
It's been liberating to allow myself such freedom, but also requires repeatedly reminding myself that no one is watching and that this is my Sparkle Time.🙏
I always enjoy your FRESH perspective on writing This time I loved that you were able to help us to “listen to the music” in a meaningful way. Shutting out all the other noise is so exhausting, but as you point out a little of it is absolutely necessary Thanks😎
Great post as always, Dan! Thank you. This idea of sharing authentically without feeling gross about it is something I've grappled with...well, my entire career. But I've been more actively grappling with it since the start of this year, which led me to start a substack a few weeks ago (your video was incredibly helpful in giving me the confidence to take the leap). It's been really fulfilling and freeing, especially being able to share outside the restrictive algorithms of Instagram. So thanks for all you do! Your words are always very grounding.
Dan, thanks for this inspiring read. When I began to share my personal essays on IG and FB, I re-connected with so many people I had known only casually—in passing. Turns out they hadn’t known my true personality or much else until I was able to be brave and vulnerable in sharing. Some readers I haven’t seen in decades, yet we’ve virtually become good friends, and others are writers I’ve never met in person, yet we share a love of writing. A lot has to do with our genuine interest and appreciation for another person’s creative talent and personal stories, and not sharing mine only for the accolades. I agree with you that quality versus quantity of posts and connections is what makes what we do more meaningful.
It fortified my belief in "making as few connections as one can truly sustain", not just in the sense of relationships, but also in our interaction with content and value.
I have gotten so hooked up with work in the last 2 weeks that I haven't read any newsletter, I dedicated 2 hours of my free time to reading them and commenting on each. This post validates my decision to do so and more importantly, ideologies that led to that decision.
Love the theme of focus. I'm over one of my biggest challenges which was to choose a channel to focus on. I could have chosen a YouTube channel, FB, Instagram, X. I thought about it a million times and what I would put out there on those. But one day I woke up and said. Substack. Because I like to write and am not ready to video myself. I like no algorithms and so those who will choose to subscribe are doing so because they have an interest in actually spending time reading what I feel inspired to share. And if they stay, it is because they find it truly useful. I just launched, so we'll see how it goes. Biggest challenge now is the feeling of vulnerability that I am really sharing publicly, but embracing that what I choose to share, I share because I genuinely believe it can be very helpful to some people. If it's 3 people or someday hundreds or thousands, doesn't matter. If it helps even 1, it brings me joy.
Hi Dan, I always look forward to your words. Since I have started to follow your work the one thing that threw me a little was having to accept that my biggest audience comes from my FB feed. I actually felt mortified, as I wanted my FB page and Substack to really be big. Instead whenever I write on my feed, I normally get very good feedback, and I also know that I am building trust and respect. I know that whenever I show up there I am the gateway for older readers who may not feel confident enough to share their own voice. So I had learn to value and "see" my older audience, while I saw wanted to be one of the "big boys" on Substack for instance. The other day, one of my readers said that they don't even know what Substack is and they really like when they receive my emails via Mailerlite instead...and to be honest, this touched my heart for this lady is 72 and she is really trying to keep up with the world. Anyway, your words are like my daily boost of Vitamin C! Thank you kind sir and many wishes to your little man! x
Thank you so much Antonia! Sounds like you are learning a lot, and evolving as needed. Hope you have a great day!
I’m finding my biggest challenge is that both writing and its side-kick, sharing, involve periods of introversion and incubation. Substack demands continual attention (or whatever platform is engaged) but my writing process requires stepping away to understand what is brewing. I feel like it’s this uncomfortable dance that can compromise my work if I’m not careful.
Thanks for the honesty! What I always try to remember is that this is a choice. To me, Substack doesn't "demand" anything. Yes, I may feel a social pressure to share. I may feel a logical pressure that "consistency matters." But if/how/when I show up is always a choice. And to your point, so is that choice of taking a pause and focusing on other work. Thank you Eliza!
Ditto! There are times when I know I must go within and wait however long it takes to find language for what I am integrating. It is definitely a dance which needs rhythm and so much kindness to ourselves! One thing I am currently doing on my FB page now is to create reels based on my writing when I feel introvert. I choose videos on Canva based on how I feel and I love watching them...in fact I mainly do them for myself really! Going within is definitely the only way out! :) xxx
Love the idea of creating for yourself! Thanks Antonia.
When I first started writing, I actually enjoyed sharing. There's a lot of creativity involved in communing with fans, crafting ads, etc.
My problem is the extent to which engagement has been made more and more difficult. I have a significant group of FB fans, but only a tiny number of them see what I do unless I put ad money behind it. And for me, at least, that's an investment that doesn't have a positive ROI. When I first started, I advertised new releases or something like that. But over time, I developed enough engagement that even posts I didn't advertise had a respectable amount of interaction. Then FB decided to strangle anything that looked remotely like organic growth. Most platforms are like that now.
Amazon did much the same thing, gradually changing algorithms to make discovery almost entirely reliant on ads.
That's a major reason why I'm trying Substack. I'm not reluctant to share. I'm just averse to having to feed an advertising ecosystem to get just a fraction of the visibility I used to have.
Thanks for sharing your experience here Bill!
Thank you, Dan for your insightful thoughts. Focus is so important to me as is the dedicated time to my writing. I have found that i need a four hour block completely disconnected to be productive. The problem is that focus and time take commitment which is hard to do in a world distracted by email, clients, kids, etc. So I use a self defined schedule with deadlines. Maybe it is because I learned how to cram for a test in college, but I find that missing one of of my deadlines drives me to commit the time and energy to write. This also makes me respectful of committing hundreds of hours to a new book, which I am on the cusp of doing. This self discipline is even mote important when you self publish. I look forward to future posts.
Love hearing that you have found a process that works for you. Thanks Ed!
This was helpful and you named a lot of my challenges. What I struggle with is feeling guilty about sharing my own work when there is so much going on in the world—shouldn’t I be posting to take a stance and engage with issues in society? I see it as my duty to use my writing to help people and make the world better in some tiny way. And my work does deal with inequities, but not always the ones in that are in the current news cycle. Maybe this is unrelated, but curious what you think of this as an obstacle to sharing. Thank you!
Thank you Michelle! Something I try to keep in mind is that what we each experience in life is unique and valid. And sharing moments from your life, ideas you have, that is a part of how we connect with others. And it's valuable.
I get caught up in this also, thinking I "should" be writing about what's going on right now in society.
Your letter is the best, Dan. I bought your book a few years ago, and I've been reading your letter every week since. You recently wrote about Mr. Rogers. I consider you the Mr. Rogers of modern media. Love the story about your birdfeeder! Happy birthday to the little fella!
Thank you Emily for all of your support and kind words!
I look at sharing my work like throwing a stone into a pond: It has ripple effects in moving the world out there that I can't necessarily see. On a whim I recently shared my essay about why moving my demented mother into a group home was the hardest thing I've ever done on LinkedIn, where I rarely post, and I got the most touching email from a former colleague I hadn't spoken to in probably 20 years, telling me how much my essay resonated with her. To me that's gold, pure gold.
Great to hear that! Thank you Annette.
Thank you, Dan, for this post! I think my biggest challenge has been that balancing act between my own inate fear of being seen, the desire to express myself and be heard, and making time for everything I have going on in my life (as a solo-farmer/writer/conservationist/homeschooling-mum/single-lady). There's so many different strategies to sharing and it's easy to become overwhelmed when you're already overwhelmed with life, lol.
Since coming to Substack 4 months ago, I've tried to approach my writing/sharing from a place of authenticity. I want my growth as a writer to be organic and meaningful. I find I am less authentic when I am "pushing" myself to write or share when I am not inspired. When the farm has left too little of me to make meaningful posts, I forgive myself and free myself from that "obligation". No one is pressuring me to post, and certainly no one will miss me if I do not post for a couple few days.
It's been liberating to allow myself such freedom, but also requires repeatedly reminding myself that no one is watching and that this is my Sparkle Time.🙏
Love hearing about this sense of freedom and forgiveness around expectations! Thank you Samantha!
I always enjoy your FRESH perspective on writing This time I loved that you were able to help us to “listen to the music” in a meaningful way. Shutting out all the other noise is so exhausting, but as you point out a little of it is absolutely necessary Thanks😎
Awe, thank you Lally!
Great post as always, Dan! Thank you. This idea of sharing authentically without feeling gross about it is something I've grappled with...well, my entire career. But I've been more actively grappling with it since the start of this year, which led me to start a substack a few weeks ago (your video was incredibly helpful in giving me the confidence to take the leap). It's been really fulfilling and freeing, especially being able to share outside the restrictive algorithms of Instagram. So thanks for all you do! Your words are always very grounding.
Love hearing this! So glad you are finding fulfillment in this process. Hope you have a great day Lance.
Thank you, Dan, great points: Intention and focus are a great way to set the tone for your day!
Thanks Robin!
This is so helpful! Thank you!! 😁
So glad it resonated with you April -- thanks!
Dan, thanks for this inspiring read. When I began to share my personal essays on IG and FB, I re-connected with so many people I had known only casually—in passing. Turns out they hadn’t known my true personality or much else until I was able to be brave and vulnerable in sharing. Some readers I haven’t seen in decades, yet we’ve virtually become good friends, and others are writers I’ve never met in person, yet we share a love of writing. A lot has to do with our genuine interest and appreciation for another person’s creative talent and personal stories, and not sharing mine only for the accolades. I agree with you that quality versus quantity of posts and connections is what makes what we do more meaningful.
Love hearing that! Thank you Leslie.
Good stuff Dan my friend.
Thanks Jordan!
Hi Dan Blank,
I am very big fan of this letter.
It fortified my belief in "making as few connections as one can truly sustain", not just in the sense of relationships, but also in our interaction with content and value.
I have gotten so hooked up with work in the last 2 weeks that I haven't read any newsletter, I dedicated 2 hours of my free time to reading them and commenting on each. This post validates my decision to do so and more importantly, ideologies that led to that decision.
Thank you for sharing.
I look forward to learning more from you.
Thank you!!!!
Love the theme of focus. I'm over one of my biggest challenges which was to choose a channel to focus on. I could have chosen a YouTube channel, FB, Instagram, X. I thought about it a million times and what I would put out there on those. But one day I woke up and said. Substack. Because I like to write and am not ready to video myself. I like no algorithms and so those who will choose to subscribe are doing so because they have an interest in actually spending time reading what I feel inspired to share. And if they stay, it is because they find it truly useful. I just launched, so we'll see how it goes. Biggest challenge now is the feeling of vulnerability that I am really sharing publicly, but embracing that what I choose to share, I share because I genuinely believe it can be very helpful to some people. If it's 3 people or someday hundreds or thousands, doesn't matter. If it helps even 1, it brings me joy.
Love hearing about your process here! Thanks Angela.