Hi, Mark. I wouldn't worry about posting material that will become part of a book. In fact, doing so helps to build an audience for your work and demonstrates that there's interest in it. You can also post what I call "adjacent" material. I'm starting to publish my second serialized memoir on Substack and I'm also publishing related material about topics that I plan to explore in more depth. For example, my sister died of polio and although I write about her experiences and my parents experiences dealing with her death, I'm planning an adjacent post about the polio epidemic and what it was like for families living with it. I hope that helps.
Hopefully Sarah Fay will chime in here, since she’s currently serializing her next memoir on Substack! I think it’s fine if your posts later become part of a book. I combined some of my best Medium articles into a “Depression and Anxiety Survival Kit” PDF download and didn’t change much.
And since you’re writing about your deconstruction journey, if you’re not already active in the Evolving Faith online community (co-founded by Sarah Bessey, who has a great Substack called “Field Notes”) I encourage you to check it out. I think the website is evolvingfaith.com.
Ooo love this! Off to read now! I’m very into “productivity” as an autistic woman rn in that I’m unlearning a lot of shit that hasn’t worked for me in order to be “good”
GRIEF- I share poems from a collection titled Bloom: A season of grief and gratitude. They’re poems I wrote after my Dad unexpectedly passed away and I became unexpectedly pregnant in the same year.
So sorry for you loss Mariah. You've crafted such a beautiful and thought provoking poem from that pain. Life has a strange way of taking with one hand and giving with the other.
Beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I love your poem - especially the delicacy with which you use short lines and line breaks... and it works so well with the photographs. I'm so sorry for your loss of your Dad. Sending you love.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your father. I am also grieving the unexpected loss of a close and beloved family member. I feel sure that art is a powerful tool for healing, and I love your poem, Mariah.
I'm sorry for your loss as well, Debra. No words can truly express the unique way grief affects us all. I hope you are able to find healing in your own way as you honor your loved one. 💗✨
Thanks for sharing, Mariah. That is a powerful and devastating combination. I experienced a different confluence of intersecting losses when two grandparents and a cousin died the same year I was preparing to resign a faculty position. I'm still recovering from that lifequake.
I'm sorry for your losses, Joshua. That's unimaginable. Sometimes it seems like life just piles up on us, doesn't it? Lifequake is a good word for it. Wishing you peace as you navigate your way forward. Thank you for taking the time to read my poem and respond.
Lifequake is Bruce Feiler's word -- from his excellent book "Life Is in the Transitions." I recommend it! I forgot to add divorce to the end of that list. Sometimes grief at that scale changes you forever. When I feel like I'm an outlier, I reread Cheryl Strayed's "The Love of My Life." If you don't know that essay or her memoir "Wild," it might help you through your grief.
Wow. Divorce is another form of death, isn't it? Sometimes I feel like it's a bit harder. I was unfortunately estranged from a few close family members after my Dad's passing and grieving that loss has taken me down a different path than mourning the loss of my Dad.
I'm familiar with Wild but not her essay, thanks for the recommendation! I'll check out yours as well.
"Divorce is another form of death" Oh, Mariah. I do understand what you mean by that. But from those ashes, a phoenix is rising! And I like what I see.
Cheryl Strayed is the tonic we all need to get through heartbreak and everything else, i agree! I have read all her work. Lifequake is a great word. I've experienced that in the past year, which is the theme of my Substack, puzzling it out in community with others.
I'm so sorry for your great losses. So understandable to not be ready to write about it. It takes time and space, if at all, to be ready. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your experience. A teammate lost her brother and Mom on the same day in 2022 (completely unrelated. Natural causes + cancer). Lifequake is a great name! Sounds like a series Joshua
Ah, it's a tough transition to experience, love and loss are so closely connected, aren't they? Thanks for taking the time to read and respond. I'm grateful it resonated with you.
Most definitely subscribing to your newsletter. I've experienced the loss of my dad and sister within a year and a half of one another. I've learned a lot about myself and how a monumental loss impacts life. Thanks for sharing your words to help others.
Thank you, Terry! I'm so sorry to hear about your losses as well. The Grief club isn't one any of us want to be part of but I'm grateful for your presence here.
Thank you, Kristoffer. Sharing the grief makes it somewhat more bearable. He left a legacy of love behind and I'm grateful for the opportunity to walk in his footsteps. ✨
Oh my as a Dad of 2 daughters I only hope I can do the same. Very special guy, clearly. He's gotta be prouda YOU! (forgive my Practical Dad Energy). lol. Great work all around. -kc
Thank you, Annette! It speaks to my fear of the losses piling up and not knowing how to survive/carry the weight of cumulative grief. But I remind myself that joy is also cumulative and we would not have loss without love! I'm lucky that in spite of my worst fears I had a healthy baby boy who's now a thriving toddler! Yet, I know I'm not exempt from future loss and living with that tension is tender.
Thank you, Stephanie! I appreciate you reading and commenting. It brightens my heart to share this poetry and hopefully make something meaningful from missing my Dad.
This is beautiful ❤️ my dad unexpectedly passed away in 2021 as COVID was wrapping up. It's never easy, but this poem is beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
I’m sorry for your loss Jennie! So many of us have lost loved ones or just gone through dramatic life changes in the last four years. I hope sharing these poems is a way to honor what we’ve been through while cultivating enough strength to look ahead. 💗
Nick, though I don't write fantasy, I find the genre of demons and dragons very compelling. Sharing your fiction on Substack is something that many of us aspire to. I'm afraid of overwhelming my readers who already read several Substacks with pieces that are too long. What are your thoughts on that?
Thank you. I respect limits, so I only want readers who welcome what I write. I would rather have a small dedicated community than a large detached community.
Length of each chapter? Yes, that weighed on me. I already cut chapters in half to suit today’s audience. Alas, it is a 300,000 word epic I am writing, so at some point the reader just has to accept that when they get to the end they will wish there was more!
I get that feeling! I'm writing on my first short novel right now and I wish I could already share all the chapters I wrote. But my first draft is a mess, so it's better not to haha.
It’s a high epic fantasy (so not our world). Women, elves, dwarves, dragons, no demons as Stephanie suggested).
It’s full of action, but character driven. It has as a key theme the futility of prejudice, and several sub-themes.
But it’s also fun, and it’s optimistic not dystopian. I just lost half my potential audience, but the rest of you just realized they will feel good when they read this 6-book epic.
Thank you for your delicious skill in writing this story. You give great 'hook.' I love how seemingly random events (books!) ignite our imaginations and inspire a lifetime passion. (I experienced a similar obsession with Japan and Samurai culture after reading Shōgun. I now believe I was a samurai in a past life, but perhaps that's too woo for you?) Thank you!
A charming tale of dreaming and visions. I subscribe to the teachings of Carl Jung who wrote extensively about the power of our dreams messages to our life. Thank you for a very engaging piece.
This is so interesting, because many years ago a school friend was laid up in bed for about two weeks with an illness, and his dad bought him a book called The Observer's Book of Art. That sparked a major passion that inspired him to teach himself. When I accompanied him to an art gallery, he was able to tell me all sorts of facts, and it all stemmed from that little book. I loved the way you told your story: I found it quite exciting. I'm glad you were able to fulfill your dream. I don't think I could ever sell a kitten though: I fall in love too easily!
That's exactly why I don't raise kittens anymore. It was too difficult to say goodbye, and then to wonder if they ended up having a good life. Thanks for chiming in :)
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE - I am sharing about the decades of a journey through cognitive dissonance I felt attending evangelical churches after a life of trauma, abuse, mental illness, and the suicides of family members caused me to begin attending a little church in Los Angeles in the 1970s, and how I managed to reconstruct my faith while letting go of the need to be certain about my belief systems Thanks, Sarah!
I grew up in a Mormon household and culture in northern Utah. I have seen the work of cognitive dissonance. Interested to read, Linda. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for writing and sharing this Linda. Your post was serendipitous to my recent pondering of how I might write about a similar experience in my own life!
Beautiful! A heart-wrenching/heart-warming story, so very relatable in these times where religion and politics are a little too much in bed together. And I had to chuckle at the God as in Ga-wwwd. Who knew it was a two syllable word? You're a lovely, lovely writer and you sound like a gem of a human being! Write on!
So many people are fleeing evangelical churches (and mainline Protestant and Catholic ones) these days. Like you, I’m grateful I found a truly inclusive, welcoming church. Do you know about Evolving Faith, an online community co-founded by Sarah Bessey (who also has a Substack)? It’s free and from what you wrote it sounds like you might enjoy it.
I love footnotes so much!! It's the political scientist in me. I think there's a book that has basically a second story hidden in the footnotes, though I can't remember the title off the top of my head.
And yes, save yourself the research paper but pillage the syllabus for books. That's how I've stayed caught up on what's been going on in poli sci trends and contemporary French lit for the past few years!
Thanks Helen! I’m really excited about it. I studied to be a political scientist in college, so this is the best of both worlds in combining my interests - words and politics!
A great topic, Marissa! I remember how difficult it became to teach certain works near the end of my faculty tenure. You should add Sharon Olds's entire oeuvre to your list of dangerous words!
Thanks Joshua! I’ll have to check our Sharon Olds’s work. I’m building out an entire reference document of *more* articles/novels/books that relate to the Dangerous Words theme, for better or worse there’s just so many! I got lucky that I was allowed the freedom to choose the topic of this class, and I decided to go with something that bridged both my literature and political science interests. As long as I’m teaching the writing bit (it’s a First Year Writing Seminar) I was allowed the leeway to teach on whatever I wanted. Big props to Salve Regina on that.
Olds has won nearly every poetry award on the planet. I think she broke onto the scene with SATAN SAYS. The book that made my students uncomfortable was THE WELLSPRING (such a beautiful book!). See more here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/sharon-olds
Ooh this makes sense why I’m not familiar with her then - I did my MFA in fiction. I was (and still am!) always so intimidated by the poets and their command of language. This is a great suggestion thank you! While I wait for the students to get their actual books, I’ll be doing articles and shorter pieces, so this will fit in perfectly.
I have just finished reading a book called The Book At War, which looks at book bans amongst other topics. I'll be reviewing it soon. It gives a very wide and also long-term historical perspective
Such a necessary topic. I do feel like you take a long time to get to the kernal. Maybe not so much background - which sounded like it belonged more on the About page. Thank you so much for doing this. I'm living in Iowa where banned books is a huge topic!
great post and great selection of titles....I had a 5 year stint at college teaching with my (terminal) MBA degree...teaching business to Native American art students. Had never taught an academic class before.....but teaching was in my blood, I guess...Anyway, this course sounds fabulous....makes me (almost) wish I was back in college again. And so so timely of course. Glad they are allowing you to teach this.
COMPASSION: I just started my meditation series for chronic illness folks and our allies. I’m a former yoga and meditation teacher and I loved getting back to walking people through mediations, although from my bed. This one’s about receiving compassion from the Earth. Here it is: https://madelleine.substack.com/p/chronic-illness-earth-meditation
Your meditation and voice are lovely...and thank you for writing from this perspective. This past year I spent a lot of time horizontal in bed, recovering..it has been quite an initiation. It is such an isolating, difficult journey in our able-ist culture...your messages are needed.
Last week I shared a link to a recent WRITING EXCUSES PODCAST INTERVIEW OF ABRAHAM VERGHESE, the writer of The Covenant of Water. Several weeks ago, I posted my response to his novel and thought my readers would enjoy hearing this excellent interview. This week I'll present another HISTORICAL NOVEL SET IN INDIA.
Gorgeous work. I'm so grateful that our hearts are evolving to share our trauma! We are not alone, even if others in our world can't hold it with us. Especially LOVE this metaphor:
“The earth was scorched, all life extinguished, only a barren, blackness remaining. Scorched land is remarkably fertile....From that fertile ground, I grew a new life. It was slow and laborious but I made myself a new home, a new life.”
I loved that metaphor too! I used to live in Hawaii and once walked on a trail that had hardened black lava that had killed everything in its path on one side, but on the other side new green plants were sprouting up in the cracks of the lava.
What a beautiful essay Clare. I really felt drawn into your writing and felt myself celebrate in the strength you've found inside yourself. I've subscribed to your Substack and look forward to reading more of your essays.
Great post! In some ways I had my life wiped out in an instant a few years ago. Are you familiar with the “Five Year Plan” Substack by Maddie Burton? It’s about what happens when your plans go up in flames, learning to live with uncertainty, etc.
And I’ll add that I think all of us live in the “messy middle” for at least part of our lives (though I don’t mean to minimize the trauma you’ve experienced or claim mine is similar).
Sometimes I miss the illusion of control that I used to have. Occasionally I’m envious of the people who still believe hard work and a positive attitude guarantee success in life. But I’m also grateful to have rediscovered who I am and what kind of life I want as a result of being forced out of my former career.
Hi Wendi, totally agree re: the messy middle. Not all of us will experience serious trauma, but all of us will have a moment in life when our understanding of the world collapses around us. We have so much to learn from eachother, which is a big part of what Beyond Survival is all about. I'm grateful to be connected with you!
Clare, I just subscribed to your substack after reading your introductory piece. Thank you for sharing. My story is different, but I saw myself in your words. We all have our struggles. Looking forward to reading more!
I posted the latest chapter in my serialized novel yesterday! It's a historical fantasy (attention time travel fans!) novel that takes place on a military base in 1918 right before the onset of the Spanish flu. It’s been so much fun reworking this novel and I’m excited to finally let this out into the world. This is Ch. 13 but there is a link to Ch. 1 if you’d like to start from the beginning. Thank you and may all writers find more readers!
TRAVEL - A Colombian island that's native English-speaking, devoid of mass tourism and has the third largest coral reef on earth. I was interested because of its history: the island has belonged to the English, the Dutch, the Spanish and now Colombia. https://thewritinggrove.substack.com/p/colombian-sketches-providencia-ffa
ADDICTION & CHINESE MEDICINE. I write about addiction and sobriety all the time, but feel overexposed when sharing essays like this one—which offers a window into my cocaine and naked dance party days. I’m a whole other person now and feel as though I’m writing about someone else, at a distance. But my parents read everything I write…and they don’t talk about deep, dark secrets anywhere (especially on the internet).
I’m going to check this out! What a deep and dark ride your work must be! I just wrote about going through my daughter’s belongings after she died of fentanyl poisoning in 2022. While she was struggling through her addiction I treated her to many acupuncture sessions. I go too regularly these days.
Oh, sending so much care and tenderness your way, Jennifer. Addiction takes so much from us, and from every single relationship in our lives. Thank you for sharing your story and, in this way, sharing part of hers.
Oh, man, I know that specific kind of discomfort that is having your parents read what you write when they themselves are private and, in my case, when they're undoubtedly disturbed by some of the experiences and feelings I share. Thanks for your openness.
Yeah, it's such a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I'm deeply grateful that they're reading (it has probably helped them actually KNOW me more than anything else in my entire life). On the other, I hate thinking that I'm hurting them or embarrassing them through my writing (even though I'm writing about myself, and make a point of leaving them and my sisters out of my essays). On the other (hand number 3!), writing has been more healing that just about any other practice in my life. Healing for myself...and also healing for my relationships, including that with my parents. Wishing you much serenity and steadiness on your own journey with it all, Holly.
Oh dear. I was probably at that naked dance party 🤪 Making friends with my past selves is a sweet balm for the dreaded embarrassment and shame. You are one badass for sharing this, with your parents reading over your shoulder. (I mentioned my Dad for the first time today in a gender post! Yikes!!!) Carry on, Brave Soul.
I'm so glad you share your story. I know the pain of diving deep and coming back up to write about it, too. And what I have personally found is that I end up feeling so freed - of the pain, the heartache, the stigmas, the shame - all of it. Good work, you! The best thing, to me, is how others with similar stories are inspired to move out of their own pain and self-pity and confusion into the same freedom. If we don't talk, share, speak, how will others know it's not only OK to do but in the long run ultimately freedom-creating?!?
Yes! So much. The process of writing changes the darkness, changes me, and changes every relationship in my life. Softening the shame and blame, carrying me (sometimes us) from fear to forgiveness.
And that's what counts, in the end - the transformation of the constriction of fear into the expansion of freedom. I think they call that 'enlightenment'! Not necessarily the vaunted spiritual state - altho when we are released from the fear it can feel blissful - but the simple lightening of the Load.
That has been true for me, too. I even wrote a Medium article about how writing online is the best thing I’ve done for my mental health. When we share our wounds, we help ourselves and others heal!
That's where it's at! I love it that, altho social media has made us focus on devices, it also connects us in ways we'd never have been able to before. I love having friends and fans from all over the world with whom I can have deep discussions, and play and laugh with! Now our next step is to rise out of the traumas of our early lives, and learn how to create lives that will feel fulfilled and satisfying.
? Ugh...really, C. James? Just because you "don't believe" doesn't mean it hasn't worked for thousands of other people and for thousands of years - myself as well as the literally thousands of patients at world class treatment centers that I've had the honor of helping. And besides, it's just rude to boot.
Grateful to you for sharing vulnerably, Dana! These are my favorite sorts of stories to read, because even when my experiences are different, it feels like an invitation to share my deep, dark parts too.
Thank you so much, Jenna! I appreciate your taking the time to read and to share that. I feel the same when reading other people's tender, vulnerable shares.
My post was inspired by my own experience of naively thinking that words would naturally flow from my pen on command... I was so wrong! I just started writing posts for my Substack this week (thanks to the encouragement of this community!) so I'm experiencing a huge learning curve!
Very thoughtful! I also find that the time of day of when I choose to write matters a lot in the mental "safety" of the space for me. i.e. when I write past 1 PM, it's pulling teeth! My brain just isn't able to be creative.
Love this...thank you. I have actually been blessed with safe spaces to share writing...I could not even begin to share anywhere, without them. And the encouragement of friends and clients on Facebook is how I even dared to begin on Substack. I have had words flow from my pen on command...at times. But mainly when divine inspiration hits...thus, not reliably, or necessarily timely, for publication! I too am new to Substack and it is a huge learning curve....please keep writing and sharing this super useful information.
Thank you so much for your encouragement Ellen and for describing the power of your safe spaces and friends - your experience has really enthused me! I'm very happy our paths have crossed here on Substack and look forward to write alongside you :)
ISRAEL - Not the Israel-Gaza war, but the southern border of biblical Israel, which is at least 30 miles away from modern Israel's border city Eilat on the northern tip of the Red Sea.
Researching and writing this post taught me about Judaism's nuanced relationship with the world and its wisdoms. It's not all battles and conflict, because King Solomon built here an international trading outpost here to exchange goods and ideas with the world. This, I believe, is the message of Solomon's unparalleled wisdom: the Torah doesn't undermine or supersede the "regular" human intellect, but rests upon and interacts with what man understands with his mind.
WRITING POEMS + FEELING OUR FEELINGS - this personal essay was one where the skeleton of the post I wanted to write emerged almost immediately, but fleshing it out and getting it over the finish line felt like wrestling an alligator. 😅 Proud of the result.
I loved this, Michelle! And especially related to: "My body has shown a self-protective propensity for stopping the surge by freezing over. And so I often find myself hardening almost imperceptibly, turning away from all kinds of things that threaten to crack me open . . ." Thank you for sharing 💛
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: Using the "walking technique" to learn a language. It makes so much sense -- why are we trying to learn language in static classrooms?
Oooh I love this! Especially as someone who loves learning new languages. And to answer your question, I think it may be. I personally wouldn't mind it, but that also depends on the publication, and it could feel invasive to some. <3 Maybe you can send out a lil poll!
I think tagging new subscribers who have a presence here is fine. Perhaps even better, check out their stuff and restack something of theirs you like. :)
I’ll have to read your post! I said this year that I’d learn more Japanese vocab and sentences I could say in my everyday life, if that’s what you’re referring to! Cause I wanna practice more and immerse myself more in my everyday life.
Also I think some people may want to stay in the shadows possibly though I wouldn’t mind a shoutout in that position!
What I’ve done is mention vaguely like a number of new people in our community, or if it’s a paid subbie, a quick shoutout to the newest paid subbie AND how appreciative I am of everyone who spends their time here (aka with the newsletter). And maybe you can send an email back to new subscribers thanking them privately!
Someone mentioned before making a Gmail email for your newsletter to make it easier, I just gotta learn how to do that so I can switch from personal to substack email easier!
I need all the help I can to learn Japanese, thanks for sharing this! I recently started learning Japanese sign language in hopes that it would help me learn and retain the language. What you share in your post confirms that I've made a good move! Thank you!!
Oh fantastic! I studied Japanese for three years when I was a kid and living there. I was conversational at the time, but let it drop. I like how that language feels in my mouth.
When our bodies move forward, so do our brains. I just had a flashback when I was in graduate school and had to spend a summer learning Latin; I used to go for runs with a pile of notecards in my hand so I could memorise declensions while exercising. Talk about multitasking!
MUSIC. I explore how songs about objects tell us things about the role of objects in our lives. Some of those objects are songs themselves, so I think about the role of songs in our lives as part of the process.
What inspired me: have long been interested in the topic and have been working on this as a project mostly out of public sight (i.e. confimed to my hard drive!) for several years, so wanted to test out the material in a public forum. What inspired the last post was the turning of the year and thinking about songs (and objects) that reflected that time.
What troubled me about the last post was that, shortly after posting, I found that someone else on Substack had written about two of the songs I wrote about a few days before and I suppose that got me thinking about how difficult it is to be original with so much being written all the time.
As a reader of your work, I can attest that your writing is original because it comes from your lens. All art recycles topics/themes/stories so don’t worry about that. Just tell your story and it will find its audience!
Thank you. You're right, of course, and this is something I'm always telling writers who I advise. It can sometimes be difficult to heed our own advice, though!
Cool Stack! Excited to check it out. I'm a song-catcher who wants to write songs that could change a life. Today I wrote about gender bending M/F energies for creatives - citing Prince. (I wonder what you'd think of this -- https://heartsquest.substack.com/p/what-if-everyone-is-wethey)
Interesting! I 'catch' songs on the daily, and include rough improv song sketches in my video posts. Looking forward to this post. Including physical objects in a song can help ground my woowoo ideas in the present, real time.
I also write about songs--but only super briefly. (And only once a month, as part of my wider scope of topics.) So I’m really admiring your deep dive! And i totally know that cringey feeling of questioning one’s originality when writing about music. Here my tiny approach, if you’re interested!
Thanks Sue. I really like your posts, both music-based and more general. What you say in the description of your Substack--'how the things we collect—and can’t let go of—express who we are'--really resonates with me. That's a lot of what's driving my project. Tomorrow I'm publishing the first of three projected posts about Mary Chapin Carpenter songs and I think of her as a poet of what we find it difficult to let go of, or 'the things that we are made of' as she says in one of her songs.
Tell us about your latest Substack post!
-For easy reading, give us THE TOPIC IN ALL CAPS, e.g., GRIEF, HILARY MANTEL, CATS.
-Don’t forget the URL.
→And/or ask any questions you have about posting on Substack.
And be sure to respond and check out each other's work! Mingle.
THANK YOU!
thank you so much!
This is inappropriate. You've been banned.
Apologies for the inappropriate reply you received. That user has been banned. Happy to have you!
no problem! so grateful for your work!
Hi, Mark. I wouldn't worry about posting material that will become part of a book. In fact, doing so helps to build an audience for your work and demonstrates that there's interest in it. You can also post what I call "adjacent" material. I'm starting to publish my second serialized memoir on Substack and I'm also publishing related material about topics that I plan to explore in more depth. For example, my sister died of polio and although I write about her experiences and my parents experiences dealing with her death, I'm planning an adjacent post about the polio epidemic and what it was like for families living with it. I hope that helps.
Great. I hope it goes well!
Hopefully Sarah Fay will chime in here, since she’s currently serializing her next memoir on Substack! I think it’s fine if your posts later become part of a book. I combined some of my best Medium articles into a “Depression and Anxiety Survival Kit” PDF download and didn’t change much.
And since you’re writing about your deconstruction journey, if you’re not already active in the Evolving Faith online community (co-founded by Sarah Bessey, who has a great Substack called “Field Notes”) I encourage you to check it out. I think the website is evolvingfaith.com.
Ooo love this! Off to read now! I’m very into “productivity” as an autistic woman rn in that I’m unlearning a lot of shit that hasn’t worked for me in order to be “good”
GRIEF- I share poems from a collection titled Bloom: A season of grief and gratitude. They’re poems I wrote after my Dad unexpectedly passed away and I became unexpectedly pregnant in the same year.
https://open.substack.com/pub/thebarefootbeat/p/dead-houseplants?r=1tmjxe&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
So sorry for you loss Mariah. You've crafted such a beautiful and thought provoking poem from that pain. Life has a strange way of taking with one hand and giving with the other.
It really does! Thank you for reading, Helen and sharing your response. 🙏💗
Beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I love your poem - especially the delicacy with which you use short lines and line breaks... and it works so well with the photographs. I'm so sorry for your loss of your Dad. Sending you love.
Thank you for your kind words, Sophie! I appreciate you taking the time to read and respond.
I'm so sorry for the loss of your father. I am also grieving the unexpected loss of a close and beloved family member. I feel sure that art is a powerful tool for healing, and I love your poem, Mariah.
I'm sorry for your loss as well, Debra. No words can truly express the unique way grief affects us all. I hope you are able to find healing in your own way as you honor your loved one. 💗✨
"There is no deductible for suffering - " wow. This poem is so lovely.
Thank you, Kara! I'm so glad you enjoyed it, despite it's sad undertones!
Beautiful, Mariah. I particularly loved this stanza: "The teapot boils / for a second, third time
today/ Gratitude shapeshifts / into yet more grief."
So glad you shared. And I'm sorry for your loss.
Thank you, Holly! I appreciate you taking the time to respond and share what resonated with you. 💗
Lovely.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Mariah. That is a powerful and devastating combination. I experienced a different confluence of intersecting losses when two grandparents and a cousin died the same year I was preparing to resign a faculty position. I'm still recovering from that lifequake.
I'm sorry for your losses, Joshua. That's unimaginable. Sometimes it seems like life just piles up on us, doesn't it? Lifequake is a good word for it. Wishing you peace as you navigate your way forward. Thank you for taking the time to read my poem and respond.
Lifequake is Bruce Feiler's word -- from his excellent book "Life Is in the Transitions." I recommend it! I forgot to add divorce to the end of that list. Sometimes grief at that scale changes you forever. When I feel like I'm an outlier, I reread Cheryl Strayed's "The Love of My Life." If you don't know that essay or her memoir "Wild," it might help you through your grief.
Here's one of mine, which may or may not resonate with your circumstances: https://joshuadolezal.substack.com/p/leaving-acadame-is-not-like-sabbatical
Wow. Divorce is another form of death, isn't it? Sometimes I feel like it's a bit harder. I was unfortunately estranged from a few close family members after my Dad's passing and grieving that loss has taken me down a different path than mourning the loss of my Dad.
I'm familiar with Wild but not her essay, thanks for the recommendation! I'll check out yours as well.
"Divorce is another form of death" Oh, Mariah. I do understand what you mean by that. But from those ashes, a phoenix is rising! And I like what I see.
Cheryl Strayed is the tonic we all need to get through heartbreak and everything else, i agree! I have read all her work. Lifequake is a great word. I've experienced that in the past year, which is the theme of my Substack, puzzling it out in community with others.
Have you written about this, Joshua? My sister and mother died within 5 days of each other, and I still don';t feel ready to write about it
I've touched on it a few times, but never on all of the losses at once:
https://joshuadolezal.substack.com/p/learning-to-live-with-silence?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fgrief&utm_medium=reader2
https://joshuadolezal.substack.com/p/its-time-to-rethink-evangelical-funerals
https://joshuadolezal.substack.com/p/leaving-acadame-is-not-like-sabbatical
I'm so sorry for your great losses. So understandable to not be ready to write about it. It takes time and space, if at all, to be ready. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing your experience. A teammate lost her brother and Mom on the same day in 2022 (completely unrelated. Natural causes + cancer). Lifequake is a great name! Sounds like a series Joshua
Sending you lots and lots of love and bowing deeply to you for the ways you are transmuting your grief into beauty. So beautiful!
Thank you, Patricia! I'm glad you enjoyed the poem. Thank you for reading and being present to the transmutation. 💗
Beautiful poem - love "Gratitude shapeshifts into yet more grief" - felt that shapeshifting over the years, thank you for sharing it.
Ah, it's a tough transition to experience, love and loss are so closely connected, aren't they? Thanks for taking the time to read and respond. I'm grateful it resonated with you.
Most definitely subscribing to your newsletter. I've experienced the loss of my dad and sister within a year and a half of one another. I've learned a lot about myself and how a monumental loss impacts life. Thanks for sharing your words to help others.
I'm so sorry to hear about your experiences of loss. Thank you for being here and sharing your presence.
very beautifully expressed; I love the use of dead houseplants as a vehicle
Thank you, Terry! I'm so sorry to hear about your losses as well. The Grief club isn't one any of us want to be part of but I'm grateful for your presence here.
🙂
What a stunning poem Mariah! Lovely to have found you
Thank you, Nelly! I'm eager to check out your work as well, I think we have a bit in common!
Wow. Powerful and beautiful! So sorry about your Dad.
Thank you, Kristoffer. Sharing the grief makes it somewhat more bearable. He left a legacy of love behind and I'm grateful for the opportunity to walk in his footsteps. ✨
Oh my as a Dad of 2 daughters I only hope I can do the same. Very special guy, clearly. He's gotta be prouda YOU! (forgive my Practical Dad Energy). lol. Great work all around. -kc
Lol, thanks for bringing your Dad energy front and center. It made me smile. Your daughters must be very lucky to have you as well!
Beautiful poem. I love the line "There is no deductible for suffering."
Thank you, Annette! It speaks to my fear of the losses piling up and not knowing how to survive/carry the weight of cumulative grief. But I remind myself that joy is also cumulative and we would not have loss without love! I'm lucky that in spite of my worst fears I had a healthy baby boy who's now a thriving toddler! Yet, I know I'm not exempt from future loss and living with that tension is tender.
I hear you. I've had cumulative losses and it's hard to hold the grief and still make room for joy. I do my best though. Good luck with your toddler!
This is beautiful--the way you get into the juxtaposition of hope and fear.
Thank you, Stephanie! I appreciate you reading and commenting. It brightens my heart to share this poetry and hopefully make something meaningful from missing my Dad.
This is beautiful ❤️ my dad unexpectedly passed away in 2021 as COVID was wrapping up. It's never easy, but this poem is beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
I’m sorry for your loss Jennie! So many of us have lost loved ones or just gone through dramatic life changes in the last four years. I hope sharing these poems is a way to honor what we’ve been through while cultivating enough strength to look ahead. 💗
TRANITH ARGAN 1:THE REVEALING CHAPTER TWO
https://tranithargan.substack.com/p/chapter-two
I am just starting, and the hardest part for me is doing this weekly. I’d love to share my whole book at once!
Nick, though I don't write fantasy, I find the genre of demons and dragons very compelling. Sharing your fiction on Substack is something that many of us aspire to. I'm afraid of overwhelming my readers who already read several Substacks with pieces that are too long. What are your thoughts on that?
Thank you. I respect limits, so I only want readers who welcome what I write. I would rather have a small dedicated community than a large detached community.
Length of each chapter? Yes, that weighed on me. I already cut chapters in half to suit today’s audience. Alas, it is a 300,000 word epic I am writing, so at some point the reader just has to accept that when they get to the end they will wish there was more!
Seems like fantasy is a genre that will support that kind of word count, yes?
Absolutely. When you have a large cast of characters, several lands to explore, advances, reverses, betrayals, new allies, hope, it all adds up.
I get that feeling! I'm writing on my first short novel right now and I wish I could already share all the chapters I wrote. But my first draft is a mess, so it's better not to haha.
Can I ask what your book is about?
It’s a high epic fantasy (so not our world). Women, elves, dwarves, dragons, no demons as Stephanie suggested).
It’s full of action, but character driven. It has as a key theme the futility of prejudice, and several sub-themes.
But it’s also fun, and it’s optimistic not dystopian. I just lost half my potential audience, but the rest of you just realized they will feel good when they read this 6-book epic.
And book one is FREE! Subscribe and all you can do is do it for free.
This sounds interesting! I will definitely keep an eye out.
Keep up good work and you will find your audience🍀
Please subscribe and I hope you enjoy the journey I will take you on.
A fellow fantasy writer? I write serials also, I'll check yours out, I also participate in some fantasy writing events hereon Substack.
Here's the sort of story I write; https://canadianculturecorner.substack.com/p/swift-shadow-murders-chapter-1-the
INSPIRATION FROM MANY YEARS AGO, MANY MILES AWAY--a really weird story about a lifelong dream that came true for me.
https://open.substack.com/pub/gemwriter/p/inspiration-from-many-years-ago-many?r=vyzrf&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true
Intriguing! Saved your post for my reading time. :)
Thank you for your delicious skill in writing this story. You give great 'hook.' I love how seemingly random events (books!) ignite our imaginations and inspire a lifetime passion. (I experienced a similar obsession with Japan and Samurai culture after reading Shōgun. I now believe I was a samurai in a past life, but perhaps that's too woo for you?) Thank you!
Yes, woo woo! I believe I lived in early 15th Century in Belgium. Let the magic flow :)
It helps to explain the intense resonance. I am reading a novel about remembering past lives “again and again” by Jonathan Evison.
Thank you for the recommendation! I will look up that title.
What a great story Frances. I love your subheading too: Live for the moment, but let yesterday fuel your today - I've made a note of that!
A charming tale of dreaming and visions. I subscribe to the teachings of Carl Jung who wrote extensively about the power of our dreams messages to our life. Thank you for a very engaging piece.
This is so interesting, because many years ago a school friend was laid up in bed for about two weeks with an illness, and his dad bought him a book called The Observer's Book of Art. That sparked a major passion that inspired him to teach himself. When I accompanied him to an art gallery, he was able to tell me all sorts of facts, and it all stemmed from that little book. I loved the way you told your story: I found it quite exciting. I'm glad you were able to fulfill your dream. I don't think I could ever sell a kitten though: I fall in love too easily!
That's exactly why I don't raise kittens anymore. It was too difficult to say goodbye, and then to wonder if they ended up having a good life. Thanks for chiming in :)
I'm glad I'm not the only softie around here!
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE - I am sharing about the decades of a journey through cognitive dissonance I felt attending evangelical churches after a life of trauma, abuse, mental illness, and the suicides of family members caused me to begin attending a little church in Los Angeles in the 1970s, and how I managed to reconstruct my faith while letting go of the need to be certain about my belief systems Thanks, Sarah!
.https://lindahoenigsberg.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-cognitive-dissonance
I grew up in a Mormon household and culture in northern Utah. I have seen the work of cognitive dissonance. Interested to read, Linda. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for writing and sharing this Linda. Your post was serendipitous to my recent pondering of how I might write about a similar experience in my own life!
Beautiful! A heart-wrenching/heart-warming story, so very relatable in these times where religion and politics are a little too much in bed together. And I had to chuckle at the God as in Ga-wwwd. Who knew it was a two syllable word? You're a lovely, lovely writer and you sound like a gem of a human being! Write on!
Thanks, Stephanie!!
WOw. I love stories like this. I'm always interested in how people lose and regain their faith! Can't wait to read it!
I'm looking forward to reading this. Saved.
Thank you for writing about this Linda! I'm often curious about this journey of faith.
You're welcome. I added another post today..."A Cage Door Swings." This is free content so feel free to check it out!
So many people are fleeing evangelical churches (and mainline Protestant and Catholic ones) these days. Like you, I’m grateful I found a truly inclusive, welcoming church. Do you know about Evolving Faith, an online community co-founded by Sarah Bessey (who also has a Substack)? It’s free and from what you wrote it sounds like you might enjoy it.
Thanks, Wendi! I’ve been a member from the beginning! It’s great!
I love your story. Thank you for sharing here!
Thanks, Angela!
DANGEROUS WORDS - the books I am teaching as part of my university course on book bans, censorship, and disinformation in a digital world.
https://open.substack.com/pub/marissagallerani/p/dangerous-words-book-bans-censorship?r=52201&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
I love footnotes so much!! It's the political scientist in me. I think there's a book that has basically a second story hidden in the footnotes, though I can't remember the title off the top of my head.
And yes, save yourself the research paper but pillage the syllabus for books. That's how I've stayed caught up on what's been going on in poli sci trends and contemporary French lit for the past few years!
Great post! Have a good semester.
Thank you! I’m excited for class next week.
What a great topic, Marissa. Excited to check this out.
I spent a brief time in Providence years back, by the way, and absolutely loved it. Keep meaning to visit again.
Thank you Holly! Providence is definitely a cool little town, come say hi sometime!
Great topic Marissa!
Thanks Helen! I’m really excited about it. I studied to be a political scientist in college, so this is the best of both worlds in combining my interests - words and politics!
Wow - it sounds perfect for your interests! Wishing you every success and lots of fun as you share your skills with your students :)
Thank you!!
A great topic, Marissa! I remember how difficult it became to teach certain works near the end of my faculty tenure. You should add Sharon Olds's entire oeuvre to your list of dangerous words!
Thanks Joshua! I’ll have to check our Sharon Olds’s work. I’m building out an entire reference document of *more* articles/novels/books that relate to the Dangerous Words theme, for better or worse there’s just so many! I got lucky that I was allowed the freedom to choose the topic of this class, and I decided to go with something that bridged both my literature and political science interests. As long as I’m teaching the writing bit (it’s a First Year Writing Seminar) I was allowed the leeway to teach on whatever I wanted. Big props to Salve Regina on that.
Olds has won nearly every poetry award on the planet. I think she broke onto the scene with SATAN SAYS. The book that made my students uncomfortable was THE WELLSPRING (such a beautiful book!). See more here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/sharon-olds
Ooh this makes sense why I’m not familiar with her then - I did my MFA in fiction. I was (and still am!) always so intimidated by the poets and their command of language. This is a great suggestion thank you! While I wait for the students to get their actual books, I’ll be doing articles and shorter pieces, so this will fit in perfectly.
Love Sharon Olds!
ugh so important to share! book bans are a big part of why i just launched my own substack
no need to be a woman! just my perspective & lived experience :)
Ooh subscribing right now!!
Dangerous Words! How exciting and timely! I'm looking forward to reading your Substack!
Thanks Cherie!
Great topic! Thanks for this window into what it's like to be on the front lines!
I have just finished reading a book called The Book At War, which looks at book bans amongst other topics. I'll be reviewing it soon. It gives a very wide and also long-term historical perspective
Ooh I’ll give it a look! Thanks for the suggestion.
Such a necessary topic. I do feel like you take a long time to get to the kernal. Maybe not so much background - which sounded like it belonged more on the About page. Thank you so much for doing this. I'm living in Iowa where banned books is a huge topic!
Thanks for the feedback Suzan! I appreciate it.
great post and great selection of titles....I had a 5 year stint at college teaching with my (terminal) MBA degree...teaching business to Native American art students. Had never taught an academic class before.....but teaching was in my blood, I guess...Anyway, this course sounds fabulous....makes me (almost) wish I was back in college again. And so so timely of course. Glad they are allowing you to teach this.
Thank you Ellen! Me, too. And I thought a MBA was a terminal degree, too, thank you for confirming it for me!
COMPASSION: I just started my meditation series for chronic illness folks and our allies. I’m a former yoga and meditation teacher and I loved getting back to walking people through mediations, although from my bed. This one’s about receiving compassion from the Earth. Here it is: https://madelleine.substack.com/p/chronic-illness-earth-meditation
i got this in my inbox this morning and look forward to doing the meditation later today!
I’m so happy to hear this 🌸
I love gathering compassion from Mama Earth! Inspiring.
Yay! 🌸
Love this! Beautiful. I speak often in my talks about how the reservoir of compassion is endless if we look to the earth and universe. Thank you.
Wow that sounds like great talks 🌸
Your meditation and voice are lovely...and thank you for writing from this perspective. This past year I spent a lot of time horizontal in bed, recovering..it has been quite an initiation. It is such an isolating, difficult journey in our able-ist culture...your messages are needed.
Thank you so much 🌸🌺
Last week I shared a link to a recent WRITING EXCUSES PODCAST INTERVIEW OF ABRAHAM VERGHESE, the writer of The Covenant of Water. Several weeks ago, I posted my response to his novel and thought my readers would enjoy hearing this excellent interview. This week I'll present another HISTORICAL NOVEL SET IN INDIA.
https://lausanne.substack.com/p/writing-excuses-podcast-interviews
Hi everyone, Happy Friday :) I'm a new subscriber to Writers at Work so I wanted to share an introductory piece. It's called: BEYOND SURVIVAL: A REINTRODUCTION. Here's the link: https://clareegan.substack.com/p/beyond-survival-a-reintroduction
I'm excited to read all your wonderful posts!
I loved your piece. It nearly brought tears. Dare I say we are likeminded. I felt this line particularly ...
“Welcome to the knowledge that your entire life can be wiped out in an instant”, I thought, rather ungenerously.”
And this ...
“Survivors, as a cohort, have developed a skill set that is very useful in a world of chaos.”
Thank you so much for sharing. I look forward to following your writing.
Thank you so much Marychris. I've signed up to follow your writing too.
Gorgeous work. I'm so grateful that our hearts are evolving to share our trauma! We are not alone, even if others in our world can't hold it with us. Especially LOVE this metaphor:
“The earth was scorched, all life extinguished, only a barren, blackness remaining. Scorched land is remarkably fertile....From that fertile ground, I grew a new life. It was slow and laborious but I made myself a new home, a new life.”
Thank you Christine. I laboured over that metaphor so I'm very glad to hear it resonates!
I loved that metaphor too! I used to live in Hawaii and once walked on a trail that had hardened black lava that had killed everything in its path on one side, but on the other side new green plants were sprouting up in the cracks of the lava.
What a beautiful essay Clare. I really felt drawn into your writing and felt myself celebrate in the strength you've found inside yourself. I've subscribed to your Substack and look forward to reading more of your essays.
Thank you Helen! Welcome to Substack. I'm looking forward to diving into your work here.
Hi Clare, after reading just a few sentences of your essay, I've subscribed and I look forward to reading all of your work. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Cherie. That means a lot.
Great post! In some ways I had my life wiped out in an instant a few years ago. Are you familiar with the “Five Year Plan” Substack by Maddie Burton? It’s about what happens when your plans go up in flames, learning to live with uncertainty, etc.
And I’ll add that I think all of us live in the “messy middle” for at least part of our lives (though I don’t mean to minimize the trauma you’ve experienced or claim mine is similar).
Sometimes I miss the illusion of control that I used to have. Occasionally I’m envious of the people who still believe hard work and a positive attitude guarantee success in life. But I’m also grateful to have rediscovered who I am and what kind of life I want as a result of being forced out of my former career.
Hi Wendi, totally agree re: the messy middle. Not all of us will experience serious trauma, but all of us will have a moment in life when our understanding of the world collapses around us. We have so much to learn from eachother, which is a big part of what Beyond Survival is all about. I'm grateful to be connected with you!
ooh and thank you for the tip! Will check out Maddie's work.
Beautiful essay! Claire how glad I am to discover your writing. I've subscribed.
Hi Amy, I'm so glad! I love this line from your description too: "this is not where the story ends". What an empowering sentiment!
LOVED it!
Clare, I just subscribed to your substack after reading your introductory piece. Thank you for sharing. My story is different, but I saw myself in your words. We all have our struggles. Looking forward to reading more!
Thank you Serena. I'm so glad to be connected with you.
I posted the latest chapter in my serialized novel yesterday! It's a historical fantasy (attention time travel fans!) novel that takes place on a military base in 1918 right before the onset of the Spanish flu. It’s been so much fun reworking this novel and I’m excited to finally let this out into the world. This is Ch. 13 but there is a link to Ch. 1 if you’d like to start from the beginning. Thank you and may all writers find more readers!
https://open.substack.com/pub/thedastimemachine/p/murder-in-the-zone-historical-fiction?r=e338n&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Time travel nerd alert! 🙌🏼 I forward to this!
Thank you Christine!
GRIEF - a poem I wrote in the very early days of bereavement, and my reflections on it now, 4 years later
https://jackiedaly.substack.com/p/life-jacket
"and then the matches get damp and it takes half the box to relight the candle." Beautifully put. Grief is exhausting. Thank you for this offering.
Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I'm so glad my words resonated with you.
thank you for sharing
Thank you 😊
TRAVEL - A Colombian island that's native English-speaking, devoid of mass tourism and has the third largest coral reef on earth. I was interested because of its history: the island has belonged to the English, the Dutch, the Spanish and now Colombia. https://thewritinggrove.substack.com/p/colombian-sketches-providencia-ffa
A beautiful introduction to Providencia - I loved the photos too! It looks like the perfect place for a writer to spend some quality time.
ADDICTION & CHINESE MEDICINE. I write about addiction and sobriety all the time, but feel overexposed when sharing essays like this one—which offers a window into my cocaine and naked dance party days. I’m a whole other person now and feel as though I’m writing about someone else, at a distance. But my parents read everything I write…and they don’t talk about deep, dark secrets anywhere (especially on the internet).
A Scattered Spirit: Joy on Drugs vs. Joy While Sober >> https://danaleighlyons.substack.com/p/scattered-spirit-joy-on-drugs-vs-sober
Thank you for this invitation, Sarah! Looking forward to reading other people’s shares!
I’m going to check this out! What a deep and dark ride your work must be! I just wrote about going through my daughter’s belongings after she died of fentanyl poisoning in 2022. While she was struggling through her addiction I treated her to many acupuncture sessions. I go too regularly these days.
Oh, sending so much care and tenderness your way, Jennifer. Addiction takes so much from us, and from every single relationship in our lives. Thank you for sharing your story and, in this way, sharing part of hers.
Such Soul-burnishing suffering! Deep sigh... You are not alone.
Hearts to you, Christine!
Oh, man, I know that specific kind of discomfort that is having your parents read what you write when they themselves are private and, in my case, when they're undoubtedly disturbed by some of the experiences and feelings I share. Thanks for your openness.
Yeah, it's such a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I'm deeply grateful that they're reading (it has probably helped them actually KNOW me more than anything else in my entire life). On the other, I hate thinking that I'm hurting them or embarrassing them through my writing (even though I'm writing about myself, and make a point of leaving them and my sisters out of my essays). On the other (hand number 3!), writing has been more healing that just about any other practice in my life. Healing for myself...and also healing for my relationships, including that with my parents. Wishing you much serenity and steadiness on your own journey with it all, Holly.
With you on all three hands! Peace and steadiness to you too.
I'd like to shake that third hand one of these days! Brava.
🙏
Oh dear. I was probably at that naked dance party 🤪 Making friends with my past selves is a sweet balm for the dreaded embarrassment and shame. You are one badass for sharing this, with your parents reading over your shoulder. (I mentioned my Dad for the first time today in a gender post! Yikes!!!) Carry on, Brave Soul.
Thank you from my heart, Christine. I'm glad we've found an alternative to that particular sort of dance party! Cheering you on.
🙏🏽 I still dance naked, but in the ocean 🌊 singing...
I'm so glad you share your story. I know the pain of diving deep and coming back up to write about it, too. And what I have personally found is that I end up feeling so freed - of the pain, the heartache, the stigmas, the shame - all of it. Good work, you! The best thing, to me, is how others with similar stories are inspired to move out of their own pain and self-pity and confusion into the same freedom. If we don't talk, share, speak, how will others know it's not only OK to do but in the long run ultimately freedom-creating?!?
Yes! So much. The process of writing changes the darkness, changes me, and changes every relationship in my life. Softening the shame and blame, carrying me (sometimes us) from fear to forgiveness.
And that's what counts, in the end - the transformation of the constriction of fear into the expansion of freedom. I think they call that 'enlightenment'! Not necessarily the vaunted spiritual state - altho when we are released from the fear it can feel blissful - but the simple lightening of the Load.
That has been true for me, too. I even wrote a Medium article about how writing online is the best thing I’ve done for my mental health. When we share our wounds, we help ourselves and others heal!
That's where it's at! I love it that, altho social media has made us focus on devices, it also connects us in ways we'd never have been able to before. I love having friends and fans from all over the world with whom I can have deep discussions, and play and laugh with! Now our next step is to rise out of the traumas of our early lives, and learn how to create lives that will feel fulfilled and satisfying.
Yes! That's my experience too (well, at least with writing—not always online). Hearts to you, Wendi!
Solipsism from a snake oil peddler.
? Ugh...really, C. James? Just because you "don't believe" doesn't mean it hasn't worked for thousands of other people and for thousands of years - myself as well as the literally thousands of patients at world class treatment centers that I've had the honor of helping. And besides, it's just rude to boot.
*whines
more like *truth....keep writing your fictions...
Will do, Randy.
Grateful to you for sharing vulnerably, Dana! These are my favorite sorts of stories to read, because even when my experiences are different, it feels like an invitation to share my deep, dark parts too.
Thank you so much, Jenna! I appreciate your taking the time to read and to share that. I feel the same when reading other people's tender, vulnerable shares.
MINDFUL WRITING - SETTING UP SAFE SPACES FOR WRITING
https://open.substack.com/pub/helenerrington/p/creating-a-safe-space-for-writing?r=10rfv4&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcome=true
My post was inspired by my own experience of naively thinking that words would naturally flow from my pen on command... I was so wrong! I just started writing posts for my Substack this week (thanks to the encouragement of this community!) so I'm experiencing a huge learning curve!
Love the title of your Substack, Helen.
Thank you Sophie!
Great topic!
Thank you Jen!
Very thoughtful! I also find that the time of day of when I choose to write matters a lot in the mental "safety" of the space for me. i.e. when I write past 1 PM, it's pulling teeth! My brain just isn't able to be creative.
Thank you Jennie. Oh, that's a great point re the afternoon brain fog - I'll remember to include that in future :)
Love this...thank you. I have actually been blessed with safe spaces to share writing...I could not even begin to share anywhere, without them. And the encouragement of friends and clients on Facebook is how I even dared to begin on Substack. I have had words flow from my pen on command...at times. But mainly when divine inspiration hits...thus, not reliably, or necessarily timely, for publication! I too am new to Substack and it is a huge learning curve....please keep writing and sharing this super useful information.
Thank you so much for your encouragement Ellen and for describing the power of your safe spaces and friends - your experience has really enthused me! I'm very happy our paths have crossed here on Substack and look forward to write alongside you :)
This was such a thoughtful and actionable read, Helen — thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this generous feedback Jenna; it's really appreciated!
ISRAEL - Not the Israel-Gaza war, but the southern border of biblical Israel, which is at least 30 miles away from modern Israel's border city Eilat on the northern tip of the Red Sea.
Researching and writing this post taught me about Judaism's nuanced relationship with the world and its wisdoms. It's not all battles and conflict, because King Solomon built here an international trading outpost here to exchange goods and ideas with the world. This, I believe, is the message of Solomon's unparalleled wisdom: the Torah doesn't undermine or supersede the "regular" human intellect, but rests upon and interacts with what man understands with his mind.
https://thehealthyjew.substack.com/p/is-eilat-relevant
WRITING POEMS + FEELING OUR FEELINGS - this personal essay was one where the skeleton of the post I wanted to write emerged almost immediately, but fleshing it out and getting it over the finish line felt like wrestling an alligator. 😅 Proud of the result.
(Not technically my latest, but a recent favorite!) — https://michellelacroix.substack.com/p/turning-toward-the-ache
I loved this, Michelle! And especially related to: "My body has shown a self-protective propensity for stopping the surge by freezing over. And so I often find myself hardening almost imperceptibly, turning away from all kinds of things that threaten to crack me open . . ." Thank you for sharing 💛
I really appreciate you reading, Jenna! Thank you.
“Wrestling an alligator” - a great metaphor!
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: Using the "walking technique" to learn a language. It makes so much sense -- why are we trying to learn language in static classrooms?
https://bilingualbridge.substack.com/p/the-walking-method-for-learning-language
Is it invasive to people's privacy to make a Note tagging new subscribers and giving them a "thank you" for subscribing?
Oooh I love this! Especially as someone who loves learning new languages. And to answer your question, I think it may be. I personally wouldn't mind it, but that also depends on the publication, and it could feel invasive to some. <3 Maybe you can send out a lil poll!
Love this idea! Walking is how I memorize poetry, so why not?
As for tagging new subs, I find them on Substack (not all have a presence here) and tag away! I see no reason not to. (I believe Sarah encourages it.)
This is amazing!
Love this language learning technique!
I think tagging new subscribers who have a presence here is fine. Perhaps even better, check out their stuff and restack something of theirs you like. :)
I’ll have to read your post! I said this year that I’d learn more Japanese vocab and sentences I could say in my everyday life, if that’s what you’re referring to! Cause I wanna practice more and immerse myself more in my everyday life.
Also I think some people may want to stay in the shadows possibly though I wouldn’t mind a shoutout in that position!
What I’ve done is mention vaguely like a number of new people in our community, or if it’s a paid subbie, a quick shoutout to the newest paid subbie AND how appreciative I am of everyone who spends their time here (aka with the newsletter). And maybe you can send an email back to new subscribers thanking them privately!
Someone mentioned before making a Gmail email for your newsletter to make it easier, I just gotta learn how to do that so I can switch from personal to substack email easier!
I need all the help I can to learn Japanese, thanks for sharing this! I recently started learning Japanese sign language in hopes that it would help me learn and retain the language. What you share in your post confirms that I've made a good move! Thank you!!
Oh fantastic! I studied Japanese for three years when I was a kid and living there. I was conversational at the time, but let it drop. I like how that language feels in my mouth.
That's such a cool description!
When our bodies move forward, so do our brains. I just had a flashback when I was in graduate school and had to spend a summer learning Latin; I used to go for runs with a pile of notecards in my hand so I could memorise declensions while exercising. Talk about multitasking!
MUSIC. I explore how songs about objects tell us things about the role of objects in our lives. Some of those objects are songs themselves, so I think about the role of songs in our lives as part of the process.
Latest post: https://songstudies.substack.com/p/a-song-for-every-season
What inspired me: have long been interested in the topic and have been working on this as a project mostly out of public sight (i.e. confimed to my hard drive!) for several years, so wanted to test out the material in a public forum. What inspired the last post was the turning of the year and thinking about songs (and objects) that reflected that time.
What troubled me about the last post was that, shortly after posting, I found that someone else on Substack had written about two of the songs I wrote about a few days before and I suppose that got me thinking about how difficult it is to be original with so much being written all the time.
As a reader of your work, I can attest that your writing is original because it comes from your lens. All art recycles topics/themes/stories so don’t worry about that. Just tell your story and it will find its audience!
Thank you. You're right, of course, and this is something I'm always telling writers who I advise. It can sometimes be difficult to heed our own advice, though!
Cool Stack! Excited to check it out. I'm a song-catcher who wants to write songs that could change a life. Today I wrote about gender bending M/F energies for creatives - citing Prince. (I wonder what you'd think of this -- https://heartsquest.substack.com/p/what-if-everyone-is-wethey)
This is right up my alley! I'll check out your 'stack!
Lovely. But now I'm nervous cause you are the bomb-diggity! (My weirdest improv-ish imperfect looping song featuring a Monkey posted wednesday.)
Interesting! I 'catch' songs on the daily, and include rough improv song sketches in my video posts. Looking forward to this post. Including physical objects in a song can help ground my woowoo ideas in the present, real time.
I also write about songs--but only super briefly. (And only once a month, as part of my wider scope of topics.) So I’m really admiring your deep dive! And i totally know that cringey feeling of questioning one’s originality when writing about music. Here my tiny approach, if you’re interested!
https://suemell.substack.com/p/this-song-as-it-was
Thanks Sue. I really like your posts, both music-based and more general. What you say in the description of your Substack--'how the things we collect—and can’t let go of—express who we are'--really resonates with me. That's a lot of what's driving my project. Tomorrow I'm publishing the first of three projected posts about Mary Chapin Carpenter songs and I think of her as a poet of what we find it difficult to let go of, or 'the things that we are made of' as she says in one of her songs.
Thanks so much Richard! I’ll be looking forward to your Mary Chapin Carpenter posts.