Celebrating my first year on Substack

Everything I've learned over the last 12 months

It’s time to celebrate as Novel Thoughts & Wild Ideas is turning one!

What a brilliant first year it’s been on Substack. This place is a daily dose of uplift and inspiration, a respectful, playful, creative space where everyone gets to do what they love - writing, sharing stories and ideas, and finding excellent things to read. All the debates and conflicting opinions I’ve come across have been handled with calm maturity, and none of them have descended into the name-calling, vicious squabbles you find regularly on other platforms. It’s both a relief and a joy.

So far I’ve listened to and learned from some of the major players here, such as

Emma Gannon

and

Sarah Fay

, connected with old work pals like

Jeffrey Yamaguchi

, supported thinkers I love, like

Sarah Wilson

, and found literary heroes like

Margaret Atwood

as well as new people to admire - hello

Gillian & Li'l Bean

! I’m still figuring a lot of things out, so if you’re on board then you’re watching me play with and develop this publication in real time, while working around my writing deadlines and other commitments.

The twelve-month mark is a good time to reflect, so for anyone interested in Substack, whether as a writer or reader, here are some key takeaways from everything I’ve learned so far:

1. It’s okay to build slowly.

   I’d really love to be on here more, but I’ve got books to write and kids that need homeschooling (and all the never-ending daily chores!). My main aim here is to produce quality, useful articles that endure, and to thereby grow my readership steadily. I’ve achieved my one goal this year, which was to…

2. Show up and be consistent!

   I haven’t yet got to some of the bells and whistles of the platform, like video and audio, or the chat functions, but I show up every week with new ideas and things to share, and that’s why I hope readers will stick around for a while. I’m still juggling the paid options and pay-walling, and I don’t do emails that send you half a newsletter as they feel a bit spammy. Instead, I recap my posts in other ways.

3. I don’t always end up writing what I plan to write about.

   I get ideas for posts all the time, and I note them down, but just as often
   something really topical or important will leap out during the week and I’ll find myself focusing on that and going with the moment - except for my Author Notes, which I work on steadily throughout the month. I enjoy producing the spontaneous articles, but I’d also like to do some more structured work and deep dives around writing and creativity over the next year.

4. Notes are important, but I’m still figuring that out.

   I don’t want to feel like I’m on another socials site so I’m trying to use Notes as little micro blogs rather than a place to share all my random thoughts - and I’m taking it slowly there too.

5. Writing my Substack is a proper commitment.

   I’m having fun here, but I also take it seriously, because I’m looking to provide as much value as possible to writers, creative thinkers and interested readers. It takes me about an hour to write a post, but sometimes I’ve spent quite a few hours researching it, and then there will be another few hours of editing before I’m happy to publish.

6. I’m constantly tweaking things.

   I’m regularly working on my bio, about pages, the look of the site, topics of posts, etc. etc. in order to a) enhance the value I’m providing here, and b) find more interested readers. I think it’s good to regularly re-evaluate the site and presentation - and while everything is much sharper than it was to begin with, it’s always a work in progress. If you’re building your own newsletter it might help to keep this in mind, because these things to change and develop as we do, and it’s okay for us to try things and wind them back if they don’t work.

7. The unsubscribes come with the territory.

   Some people won’t stay, and that’s okay. I also run a separate newsletter just for my fiction readers which goes out every quarter or with major news, as my focus here is on those who are immersed in writing and creativity. It’s really important not to let the unsubscribes hurt too much (it’s similar to getting a subpar book review) - but I also think any trends are worth paying attention to, as sometimes you’ll gain valuable insights that can help strengthen your focus on what your readers want.

So which post have you all enjoyed the most? According to Substack, here are my top five posts for the last year:

Why I haven’t said anything online about the crisis in the Middle East

The best part of book publishing is self-promotion (said no author, ever!)

Trusting the flow of creativity

I’ve been a homeschool mum for nine years – but here are some things my kids have taught me

How I chase the first seed of a story

I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who’s supported me with shares and recommendations: a particularly big thank you to

Sasha Wasley

and

Jeffrey Yamaguchi

who have brought quite a few of you here, and whose insightful Substacks I highly recommend for those of you who haven’t yet found them. And a massive thanks to my superb group of paid subscribers who went in early with their support - it means a lot! - and you’ll be getting another article from me at the end of the week with something special for you inside.

So here’s to another great year of writing our hearts out and sharing ideas with one another. Thanks for being here, and happy reading!