Dear writer: Advice on tackling difficult stories

The Substack Podcast

#Books #Arts #Business #Substack Blog

24:35

It’s the very first episode of The Big Pitch with Jimmy Carr and our first guest is Phil Wang! And Phil’s subgenre is…This Place is Evil. We’re talking psychological torture, we’re talking gory death scenes, we’re talking Lorraine Kelly?! The Big Pitch with Jimmy Carr is a brand new comedy podcast where each week a different celebrity guest pitches an idea for a film based on one of the SUPER niche sub-genres on Netflix. From ‘Steamy Crime Movies from the 1970s’ to ‘Australian Dysfunctional Family Comedies Starring A Strong Female Lead’, our celebrity guests will pitch their wacky plot, their dream cast, the marketing stunts, and everything in between. By the end of every episode, Jimmy Carr, Comedian by night / “Netflix Executive” by day, will decide whether the pitch is greenlit or condemned to development hell! Listen on all podcast platforms and watch on the Netflix Is A Joke YouTube Channel . The Big Pitch is a co-production by Netflix and BBC Studios Audio. Jimmy Carr is an award-winning stand-up comedian and writer, touring his brand-new show JIMMY CARR: LAUGHS FUNNY throughout the USA from May to November this year, as well as across the UK and Europe, before hitting Australia and New Zealand in early 2026. All info and tickets for the tour are available at JIMMYCARR.COM Production Coordinator: Becky Carewe-Jeffries Production Manager: Mabel Finnegan-Wright Editor: Stuart Reid Producer: Pete Strauss Executive Producer: Richard Morris Executive Producers for Netflix: Kathryn Huyghue, Erica Brady, and David Markowitz Set Design: Helen Coyston Studios: Tower Bridge Studios Make Up: Samantha Coughlan Cameras: Daniel Spencer Sound: Charlie Emery Branding: Tim Lane Photography: James Hole…

2 years ago 6:32

MP3•Episode home

She has written for The Atlantic and The Guardian and is a contributing writer for Washington Monthly and an adjunct professor at NYU’s graduate school of journalism. Lauren writes from the front line of conflict in her newsletter, , and gives a behind-the-scenes look at how dangerous investigative journalism gets made. Read on for her response.

This is the tenth in a recurring series of longform writer advice, following Holly Whitaker’s advice on writing like it matters, Lucy Webster’s advice on writing from lived experience, Scott Hines’s advice on cultivating connection in the internet age, Robert Reich’s advice on sharing your personality, Helena Fitzgerald’s advice on isolation, Alicia Kennedy’s advice on learning to listen, Kate Lindsay’s advice on creating trust with your readers, Anna Codrea-Rado’s advice on learning to celebrate how far you’ve come, and Mason Currey’s advice on creative growth.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com

56 episodes

Dear writer: Advice on tackling difficult stories

The Substack Podcast

82 subscribers

published 2 years ago

MP3•Episode home

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com

56 episodes

#Books #Arts #Business #Substack Blog

All episodes

1
Publish video posts directly in the Substack app 2:08

14 weeks ago2:08

2:08

Starting today, writers and creators can publish video posts directly from the Substack app, making it easier than ever to share videos, connect with subscribers, and earn money—all from the palm of your hand. Since launching the Substack app, we've prioritized making it a seamless tool for creators. First we introduced mobile text publishing , allowing writers to share their work from anywhere. Now, we're making it possible for video creators to publish directly in the app, opening up new ways to connect with subscribers. Previously, creators could share video posts only on desktop, limiting their ability to publish on the go. This update marks the first time they can upload, publish, and monetize video directly from their phones. Each video post reaches subscribers instantly through email, app notifications, or both, ensuring a direct connection with their audience. Here's how it works: * Tap the + icon to create a new post * Select Video and choose a file from your gallery (supports files up to 20GB) * Add a title and description * Choose whether to notify subscribers and paywall the post * Click Publish The power of video on Substack comes from the subscription model. Not only does every post reach subscribers directly, but creators can easily share their work across the Substack network, expanding their reach and finding new potential subscribers. With millions of weekly active users and 1 million posts discovered daily , the Substack app has become the leading driver of subscriber and revenue growth for publishers building sustainable, independent businesses. Political analyst Aaron Parnas had early access to the feature and has seen its impact firsthand. “The ability to publish directly from my phone has transformed how I share breaking news and analysis with my subscribers,” says Parnas. “I can now reach my audience instantly, wherever I am.” Aaron recently won Substack’s TikTok Liberation Prize , awarded for showcasing the power of the Substack model and inspiring video creators make the leap. He’s leaned heavily into video and has built a thriving community of loyal subscribers that supports his work directly. This is just the first iteration of in-app video publishing. We're already exploring features that will make video on Substack even more powerful, including trimming and editing tools, free preview options, enhanced analytics, and improved playback controls. Learn more: How to publish a post from the Substack app We're committed to making it easier for creators to share their work in whatever format they choose. While there's still work to be done, this update marks an important step toward that goal. Try publishing a video post in the app today, and let us know what you think in the comments. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
How Browns Film Breakdown hit its stride 5:52

16 weeks ago5:52

5:52

Ahead of a big weekend for football, Substack’s Austin Tedesco went live with Peter Moses to discuss Browns Film Breakdown , a multimedia publication that covers the Cleveland Browns in depth. Here are a few highlights from their conversation, including insights on providing value across multiple mediums, determining the right publishing cadence, and finding your niche. On the decision to start a Substack Peter Moses: We’re breaking down films of the Browns so you can understand the why and the how of what they’re doing, and relate to them better as a fan and understand what’s happening on the field. [It’s a way to] feel better connected to the team and the community. We’re trying to kind of be antithetical to the hot takes on socials or call-in radio, things like that. So we looked at a bunch of different places and options and then found our way to Substack. We really found everything we needed in one place, so we could launch this thing within a matter of weeks before the season went live. [There were] plenty of things that we learned this year, things that went well and did not go as well. But doing it on Substack gave us an opportunity to launch something that we think has legs for, hopefully, seasons and years to come. On finding the right cadence Peter: In an early conversation that we had, you were like, “Don’t overload the amount of content you’re putting out.” Jake [Burns]’s experience, coming from a digital print site, was pumping out four or five articles a day. And so for us, what we learned over the season and how we’re moving forward with our content, is one newsletter every morning. And “newsletter” and “article” for us are now becoming synonymous. We have something coming out every morning that also has a link to the podcast. And then video will come out on the site as we see fit. But I think we really tried to come out of the gate [with a lot of content]. And some of the feedback we got from people who jumped in and out of subscribing was, “There’s too much content here for me. I don’t feel like I’m able to fully maximize my subscription, because I can’t keep up.” So, not that less is more, but just kind of understanding what the cadence should be, where it doesn’t feel like you are being overwhelmed, and also making it accessible for people who want to plug in in different ways. Austin Tedesco: You don’t want the notifications or emails to start to feel like homework to people, right? Like, you get meaty, you get in-depth—that’s so much of the value prop of what you do. You’re like, “You’re going to understand what’s happening in some sort of defensive or offensive set in a way you never would, by listening to Jake or watching Jake or reading Jake” or any of your other contributors. But if you miss two, and then the third one comes and you’re like, “Oh man, I still don’t have time for this,” then people get less excited than if it’s digestible or less voluminous. On providing value across mediums Peter: Browns Film Breakdown, the podcast, is our best marketing tool at this point. It’s been around for almost eight years and it comes out every day, or almost every day, year-round. We’re exploring pulling sections of some of those podcasts to Substack only. So if someone loves the podcast, doesn’t want a newsletter, doesn’t want to see the film, but wants to support Jake in the podcast, they feel as connected as someone who wants to watch every offensive snap from their Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and have Jake break that down over video. So that’s the biggest thing we’re trying to learn. How can we make everyone feel like their level of involvement is worth that subscription, even when those involvement levels vary? On starting a niche publication Austin: If someone is interested in starting this kind of thing themselves—and I think especially in the kind of thing we’re talking about, where it’s like, “I think I could be an expert in a niche and build community around it”—what’s one piece of advice you have for them? Peter: That’s a great question. I think it’s very basic, but I would say, you know, be the content that you’re interested in consuming yourself on a daily basis. And so for us, first and foremost, we love this team, we’re obsessed with it, and we want to provide community for people who are like us, who want to relate to this team in a way that feels different from what’s out there. And I also think, something that I’ll say specifically in sports, is just because someone is doing something that you’re interested in doesn’t mean that there’s not space for you to pursue it as well. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
How TikTok creator Aaron Parnas found success on Substack 8:09

18 weeks ago8:09

8:09

Aaron Parnas is an independent journalist and attorney who built a following on TikTok by providing a Gen Z perspective on the news. After winning Substack’s TikTok Liberation Prize , Aaron went live with Substack CEO Chris Best to talk about bringing his community to the app, why Substack is different from the other guys, and how to build a multiplatform content strategy. Here are a few highlights from their conversation. On the decision to start a Substack Aaron Parnas: I always wanted to do a text-based newsletter-type thing, and I’ve tried out other platforms like Medium and Mailchimp and all this other stuff, but nothing was intuitive enough for me to do the work that I wanted to do. Substack was a mix between an email newsletter and a social media platform, so it offered the best of both worlds. And it also now offers all these video capabilities, whether it’s the long-form videos that I put out daily, or I can repost my short-form content in the Notes feature. It has Notes, which is like Twitter or Bluesky; it has the videos, which are like YouTube or TikTok; and then it has the tech space, which none of the other platforms really have. So it’s kind of the best of all three worlds. And I’ve been loving it. Chris Best: Yeah, we sometimes say that other platforms are built around some media format, and Substack is built around you . It’s a place where people can subscribe to you and get everything you make, whether they like long live videos, or short-form video, or quick text-based things, or long text-based things. You can publish any kind of thing that you want. On concerns over other platforms Aaron: A lot of people are looking for a platform that isn’t owned by a billionaire or a foreign adversary, right? Like [one] that can’t necessarily be manipulated. And Substack really is that. I have full editorial control—you don’t control what I put out. There’s no censorship. The algorithm doesn’t push my content down if it doesn’t like it for whatever reason. And what I like about [Substack] is that it’s not a partisan platform. You have Republicans, you have Democrats, you have Independents, you have everyone on this platform, all pushing out content, and it’s working. And that’s what social media should be, in my opinion. Chris: It’s really good to hear you say that, because it’s something we’ve worked pretty hard to do. We have a strong commitment to freedom of the press. This is all we do. We don’t have entanglements, political commitments, agendas, beyond making this tool work for people. So I’m glad that that comes through, because it’s something that we put quite a bit of effort into. On bringing a community to Substack Aaron: I feel like we’ve been able to build a community here on Substack of people who may not have their own newsletters, but they’re excited to read mine and others on here. We’re talking in the threads, we’re communicating every day. They’re communicating with one another as well. It’s not just me communicating with folks, it’s the people who read my stuff communicating with one another too. So it’s been really cool. It’s been a great experience. And I’m excited to see where the platform goes between now and the end of the year, like the growth over the next year, because I think there are some really cool things that could be added and could be changed and can make it even better. So I’m excited. Chris: That’s great. Well, now you’re a creative advisor to Substack after winning this prize, so you can tell us all the things we need to do to make it great. On posting jitters Chris: When you first started your Substack, was there a moment where you wondered or worried whether people would subscribe, whether they would pay, whether it was going to work? I think a lot of people I’ve talked to who have launched Substacks have this fear—not even the fear of failing, necessarily, but this fear of putting yourself out there and having this spot where you have this direct relationship. And then what if nobody shows up? What if it doesn’t work? Did you have that at all? Or did you know that it was going to work? Aaron: I always thought it was going to work, because I love my followers and I love all the people that support my work. And the community we built on the other platforms, I really thought would shine through even more on Substack. So I thought it was going to work for the content that I do. But I will say that I think the number one thing for social media generally is just doing it, right? Not being afraid. Just putting your face behind a camera, putting content out, and just seeing what happens. Trial and error. And ultimately, not everything’s going to work, not everything’s going to go viral. A few things will! But if you don’t try, you’re not going to succeed. So I get the fear. But I personally didn’t have the fear, because I know my audience. And I think if you know your audience, they’ll go with you wherever you are. On building a multiplatform content strategy Aaron: I’m a huge believer in diversifying the platforms you’re on, because, like TikTok, anything can go away at a moment’s notice. Chris: Right. Aaron: So I think what I loved about Substack is that the long-form content that I’ve been able to produce, like the five-, six-minute videos that I put out once or twice a day, they’re automatically posted to my YouTube. So folks who don’t necessarily see my Substack every day, they see my YouTube. And I am able to take clips from those and put them on my Instagram or my TikTok, right? So it’s given me a tool to really be able to diversify my platforms even more. On barriers for creators Aaron: I hate video editing. I don’t know how to do it well. I’m not good at it. Like, I don’t edit any of my videos. So I’ve always been hesitant to start a YouTube channel or even do long-form content. And Substack’s really opened that door for me, even though I’m not really editing my videos still. It’s just being able to push out my content in ways that I haven’t been able to do before. Chris: That’s very cool. One of my hopes for this feature that we’re using right now actually is that, over time, we can make the tools smarter and smarter so that you can show up, have an interesting conversation, say something, talk to the camera, make the thing in a natural way. And, as much as possible, we help automatically edit, process, and format it. You know, it’s never going to be quite the same as having, like, a really talented editing team go through and do it. And some people will still do that. But I think the number of people—like if you, as an amazing, famous video creator, are someone who feels like heavy video editing is a barrier to you succeeding on YouTube, to making long-form content, it makes me feel like there must be a lot of people in that position. Parting words Aaron: I think the only thing left is, if you guys are watching this and you don’t have your own Substack newsletters, start them. There’s no better time than now to start them. And DM me if you do—I’d love to check them out. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. For more from Chris and Aaron's conversation, including their predictions on what's next for TikTok, click here . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
‘Get a dose of sanity’: How Dan Harris found success with live videos 3:51

19 weeks ago3:51

3:51

Dan Harris is a bestselling author, the host of the 10% Happier podcast, and a former ABC news anchor. He went live with Substack CEO Chris Best yesterday to share the creative ways he’s been using live video in the Substack app, and offered recommendations for others hoping to take advantage of the feature. Here, we’re sharing a few highlights from their conversation. Learn more about going live on Substack: On getting creative with live videos Chris Best : This feature that we’re using right now, Substack Live, it’s a new thing for us. It’s something that we’ve developed relatively recently. And you have been one of the people who is using it not only very successfully but, in my view, very creatively. And I’d love to hear from you, how are you thinking about it? And what is the live piece of what you’ve been doing on Substack? Dan Harris : Essentially, it’s 10 minutes of guided meditation, and then I take questions. And so what we’ve been doing recently, for example, is a series of live guided meditations starting on Sunday, running through Wednesday, to help people deal with the tumult around Trump’s inauguration. No matter where you stand, people have strong feelings. And so we’re creating a place where people can come, get a dose of sanity in the form of a meditation from me, and then ask questions. On the benefits for paid subscribers versus free Dan Harris : One of the benefits that we’ll be providing to our paid subscribers is we’ll create a chat very soon where only paid subscribers can submit their questions in advance, and those will get preferential treatment. We do a mix of live events for paid subscribers and for everybody. So [these] inauguration [meditations] will be for everybody. We [also] did a bunch of stuff around the election. We did a series called Election Sanity that was free for everybody. And I also do a monthly paid-subscriber-only AMA, and I’m probably going to up the cadence on that to much, much more [frequent] because the response has been so good. On the value of posting a live video after it ends Dan Harris : What we’re seeing is that we get a certain amount of people who tune in live, but we get sometimes 10, 20, 30 times that [number] watching it asynchronously later. On when to promote a live video Chris Best : So do you tell people, like, “Hey, this is coming up today. Tune in at this time.” And just give them a little taste of it? How do you promote on [the different] platforms? Dan Harris : It really depends on the platform. On Substack, we’re trying to give plenty of notice. So today, we sent out an email to all of our subscribers saying that starting on Sunday, we will be doing Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday—four days of programming around the inauguration. So we gave some heads-up and we gave times, so people can put it in their calendars. On Instagram and on Notes, it’s more like, “Hey, this is happening right now. You should come check it out.” On using collaborative live video to grow Dan Harris : I have found that working with fellow Substackers has been really helpful. I mentioned I’m doing a series of lives around the inauguration— Sharon McMahon and Van Jones will be participating in those lives with me. And I’ve done joint posts with Susan Cain . And I just got an email this morning from Elizabeth Gilbert , and we’ll do a thing. And so I actually think if you’re looking to grow, partnering with these other amazing people on the platform is a great opportunity. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Dear writer: Advice on creating a sacred writing space 4:28

2 years ago4:28

4:28

We asked , who writes on Substack, for advice on making her new Substack sustainable, slowly and steadily cultivating a sacred space for exploring writing and ideas, and building her community. Jamie is an author, designer, digital course creator, and creative consultant living in Los Angeles. Her debut novel, Main Character Energy , was published in September 2023 by the HarperCollins imprint Park Row Books. Her previous nonfiction memoir, Radically Content , is currently being developed into a feature film, and her digital course, Live with Intention , has helped over 1,300 people live more intentional lives. Her work has appeared in the HuffPost, Teen Vogue, and POPSUGAR and been shared by millions online. Read on for Jamie’s advice, or listen to her read it aloud in this episode. This is the latest post in a recurring series of longform writer advice. To see more advice from Substack writers, take a look at previous posts here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Why Doomberg left Twitter (okay, X) to go all in on Substack 14:48

2 years ago14:48

14:48

In early August, Doomberg, the leading publication in the finance category on Substack, announced that they were opting out of X (fka Twitter) and putting all their focus on Substack. The Doomberg team had built much of their brand and reach on Twitter through a strategy that leaned on getting their goggle-eyed green chicken avatar in front of as many people as possible through timely tweets, threads, and storytelling around their Substack posts. They coupled this active Twitter presence with appearing on as many podcasts as they possibly could to deepen their relationship with finance-minded readers (listen to our interview with Doomberg for The Active Voice for more on that strategy). Shifting their focus entirely to Substack, with an emphasis on Notes, was a bold move by the green chicken, but they say the decision was ultimately straightforward. They came to feel that X was operating against their interests, while Substack was directly aligned with them. “We settled on Notes because the team at Substack has been our partner from the beginning,” Doomberg wrote . I got on a Zoom call with the green chicken to dive deeper into their thinking behind the move and explore what it says about long-term thinking. I hope some of these takeaways are useful for all independent writers. You can listen to the interview above, read the full transcript attached to this post, or enjoy a condensed version of the discussion below. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Introducing new audio transcription tools for Substack 4:01

2 years ago4:01

4:01

We’ve just shipped some new features that make podcasting on Substack even better. You can now use a special AI tool to create a clean transcript of your podcast episode or narration without having to do anything more than click a button. The whole transcription process usually takes about a minute. Once you’ve created the transcript, you can go in and edit it to make it just how you like it, and you can publish it in its own tab on the episode post page. Then, you can select a passage that you can then use to generate a special audiogram that you can share to social media. An audiogram is like a little static video with text and the audio playing over top. It’s a really neat asset to share to show off your podcast episode. (See the example below.) We’ve done this all using cutting-edge AI tools, and it reflects our philosophy of not thinking that this AI stuff is ever going to take the place of work done by writers and creators—but instead we think it can give writers and creators super-powers. In fact, this thing you’re reading right now is a transcript that we generated from the audio tool. I’m basically speaking off-the-cuff into a microphone and we’re using this as our announcement post. (Hopefully this technology can handle my New Zealand accent.) To use these tools, you: * Go into your dashboard * Create an episode post * Then, when you’re in editing mode, you upload your audio, and you’ll pretty quickly be presented with an option to generate the transcript. * You click the “Generate Transcript” button and you wait a second, or maybe a minute, and then in very short order you have a beautiful transcript to work with. * You can go in and review that transcript in the backend before you publish it, and you can edit it. * When you publish it, there’s a default-on toggle that will make sure that the transcript will show up in the post alongside your episode. (You can also turn that off if you need to.) * Once the transcript is published, you can select a passage and then click “Make audiogram” to generate the social sharing asset. All of these tools are in their very early stages and they’re only going to get better and better. Stick with us for a while, because while they may not be perfect at first glance, they are going to rapidly evolve. We want you to have fun with them though, so we want to get this out to you sooner rather than later. We already are getting great feedback from writers who are having a great time with this new tool. For instance, Tony Mecia , who publishes The Charlotte Ledger , said the following about using the podcast tools: “The transcripts of the podcast are really, really good! Surprisingly good.” He’s used other mainstream tools to do podcast transcriptions and found them not as fast and not as accurate. And Bill Bishop , who publishes Sinocism , a China newsletter, the first ever publisher on Substack, he got early access to these features and he’s tried them with two podcasts, his Sinocism Podcast and his weekly Sharp China Podcast . He said he has tried several outside services for transcripts, both machine and human generated, and the Substack service, this one, was much better already than those other services he’s used. So, go to your dashboard now, create an episode post. You’ll see the options to generate a transcript and you can start having fun. We’re really interested in your feedback. As I said, these are the early days, so please leave a comment or send us an email or—you know—send us a podcast episode and link to it on Substack Notes . Thanks everyone. Enjoy these new tools. Add a podcast to your existing Substack or start a new one . Visit the Help Center to learn more about podcasting. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Dear writer: Advice on conjuring good ideas 6:07

2 years ago6:07

6:07

We asked , who writes on Substack, for advice on finding great ideas. Brian is a social scientist and professor of global politics at University College London. He is the author of four books, including Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, which includes interviews with torture victims, CEOs, cult leaders, and more. Brian’s Substack explores the mystery and marvel of the world we live in, and how evolutionary biology, history, neuroscience, anthropology, and philosophy relate to challenges we face today and our possible futures. He writes for The Atlantic, created the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, and is a self-professed “history nerd,” offering guided tours in his local southern England. Read on for his advice, or listen to Brian read it aloud above. This is the 13th in a recurring series of longform writer advice, following Kristen Hawley’s advice on facing the behemoths, Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell’s advice on prioritizing your to-do list, Lauren Wolfe’s advice on tackling difficult stories, Holly Whitaker’s advice on writing like it matters, Lucy Webster’s advice on writing from lived experience, Scott Hines’s advice on cultivating connection in the internet age, Robert Reich’s advice on sharing your personality, Helena Fitzgerald’s advice on isolation, Alicia Kennedy’s advice on learning to listen, Kate Lindsay’s advice on creating trust with your readers, Anna Codrea-Rado’s advice on learning to celebrate how far you’ve come, and Mason Currey’s advice on creative growth. Could you use some advice or inspiration from a fellow writer about creativity, motivation, and the writing life? Submit your question for consideration for a future advice column by leaving it in the comments below. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Dear writer: Advice on facing the behemoths 5:38

2 years ago5:38

5:38

We asked for advice on thriving as an independent writer, even when your competitors loom large and attempt to swallow you whole. Kristen’s first newsletter—covering how technology was changing the restaurant industry—launched in 2013, was sold to a media company in 2016, and was killed in 2019. Five months later, she launched on Substack, where she writes about the future of hospitality. Kristen writes for Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Eater, and Insider, is a regular speaker at industry events, and has been featured as a restaurant expert in the New York Times, NBC News, and CBS News Radio. Read on for her advice, or listen to her read it aloud above. This is the 12th in a recurring series of longform writer advice, following Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell’s advice on prioritizing your to-do list, Lauren Wolfe’s advice on tackling difficult stories, Holly Whitaker’s advice on writing like it matters, Lucy Webster’s advice on writing from lived experience, Scott Hines’s advice on cultivating connection in the internet age, Robert Reich’s advice on sharing your personality, Helena Fitzgerald’s advice on isolation, Alicia Kennedy’s advice on learning to listen, Kate Lindsay’s advice on creating trust with your readers, Anna Codrea-Rado’s advice on learning to celebrate how far you’ve come, and Mason Currey’s advice on creative growth. Could you use some advice or inspiration from a fellow writer about creativity, motivation, and the writing life? Submit your question for consideration for a future advice column by leaving it in the comments below. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Dear writer: Advice on prioritizing your to-do list 2:58

2 years ago2:58

2:58

We asked the cartoonist, comedian, and author Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell for her advice on prioritizing growing to-do lists. Hilary is the author of Murder Book , and her forthcoming book What Did I Do Today? is a guided journal for daily accomplishments. On her Substack, Cartoons by Hilary , she publishes illustrated advice columns, sketchbook dumps, and a podcast with Derek Boeckelmann to ask friends What did you do this weekend? Hilary is also a contributor to and the New Yorker. Read on for her illustrated response, and listen to hear her read her words aloud. Dear writer, how do you prioritize all the things you want to do? This is the eleventh in a recurring series of longform writer advice, following Lauren Wolfe’s advice on tackling difficult stories, Holly Whitaker’s advice on writing like it matters, Lucy Webster’s advice on writing from lived experience, Scott Hines’s advice on cultivating connection in the internet age, Robert Reich’s advice on sharing your personality, Helena Fitzgerald’s advice on isolation, Alicia Kennedy’s advice on learning to listen, Kate Lindsay’s advice on creating trust with your readers, Anna Codrea-Rado’s advice on learning to celebrate how far you’ve come, and Mason Currey’s advice on creative growth. On Friday, January 6 at 7 am PST / 10 am EST we’re hosting a chat with Hilary On Substack . Hilary provided a prompt from her new book, What Did I Do Today? , for the writer community to respond to. Download the prompt via on.substack.com, write your response, snap a photo, and tune into the chat via the Substack app on Friday! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Dear writer: Advice on tackling difficult stories 6:32

2 years ago6:32

6:32

We asked for her advice on tackling heavy subject matter while keeping her audience engaged. Lauren is an award-winning journalist and photographer of more than 20 years. She spent more than a decade reporting from war zones in which women and girls are violated and, before that, five years documenting violence and the suppression of journalists globally. She has written for The Atlantic and The Guardian and is a contributing writer for Washington Monthly and an adjunct professor at NYU’s graduate school of journalism. Lauren writes from the front line of conflict in her newsletter, , and gives a behind-the-scenes look at how dangerous investigative journalism gets made. Read on for her response. This is the tenth in a recurring series of longform writer advice, following Holly Whitaker’s advice on writing like it matters, Lucy Webster’s advice on writing from lived experience, Scott Hines’s advice on cultivating connection in the internet age, Robert Reich’s advice on sharing your personality, Helena Fitzgerald’s advice on isolation, Alicia Kennedy’s advice on learning to listen, Kate Lindsay’s advice on creating trust with your readers, Anna Codrea-Rado’s advice on learning to celebrate how far you’ve come, and Mason Currey’s advice on creative growth. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Dear Writer: Advice on writing like it matters 5:51

3 years ago5:51

5:51

We asked Holly Whitaker to share advice on her writing practice. Holly writes Recovering , a newsletter that looks at recovery as a way of living that is accessible to everyone. Holly started blogging in 2013 after going sober, which turned into a sobriety school, a digital recovery startup, and New York Times bestseller Quit Like a Woman . She is also working on her second book and a podcast . Read on for her advice, or listen to her read it aloud. Dear writer, how does your Substack fit into your wider writing practice and online presence? Before I knew I was a writer, I was an accountant. My job title was Director of Revenue Cycle Management Operations, and the only essays I wrote were soul-destroying emails I cc’d your boss on. If you would have told me back then that one day I’d be explaining how something called a “Substack” fits into my “writing practice” and “online presence,” I would have done what I did the other night at a comedy show, which is spit on someone. Because of laughing. But that’s where it started. I was wearing lots of Ann Taylor Loft and formatting spreadsheets by day, and by night—because I was newly sober and exploding inside and having to pretend everything was normal over here, and there was nothing to see, folks—I wrote for a WordPress site, anonymously. I start my answer there because that’s where it counts and what I want you to get from this answer. I didn’t start writing to build an online presence or even to have a writing practice, but because I needed to write. I had to write. I didn’t know what else to do. I was lost. I was alone. I was stuck in the wrong life. I had a lot to say and I didn’t know who to say it to. That was 2013. “I didn’t start writing to build an online presence or even to have a writing practice, but because I needed to write. I had to write.” In 2021, by then a New York Times best-selling author and someone who had been featured in Vogue multiple times and had sold hundreds of thousands of books and counted among her assets a very loyal and large social media following, I grabbed a Substack handle for the same reasons I secured that WordPress domain way back when: I was lost, I was alone, I was stuck in the wrong life. I had a lot to say and I didn’t know who to say it to. What I mean to tell you, fellow writer, is that I didn’t start a Substack as a strategy, as a way to hone my writing chops or build a brand or make a living. I started it out of desperation, as a lifeline. Much like 2013 and the now-defunct littlemisssurrendered.com, Substack was the only thing that made sense, and even that makes it sound like it was more planned than it actually was. When I say I was lost (in 2021), I mean I was not sure what I stood for anymore. I’d recently been squeezed out of an organization I founded; I’d lost many of my friends; I lived alone in the woods on a dead end road, and my cat was who I talked to the most, and my identity was hanging in a closet somewhere. My head was a soupy mess of ideas, and my thought loop was nihilistic, and everything I believed in felt fraught, and I was scared I’d written myself into a corner or that maybe I had peaked and it was all downhill from there. Back then, the thing that felt so great about Substack was that it wasn’t some blog people might attend or even a Mailchimp that might turn into a sales pitch. Substack was a place where readers had to figure out how to sign up, a place where they had to agree to get your emails on a regular basis, a place with barriers to entry, (in some cases) a cover charge, and those things were not available on social media or a blog site. People had to want to read me, effort to read me, and in some way all that made my writing holy again. It created a boundary, a haven, a netting between myself and the scant few that might follow me here from places where I was more well known and my art was consumed in the blur of a scroll. Here, I started to experiment with a different voice that felt closer to my own. Here, I started to test out what it might feel like to write instead of catch eyes. Here, I got honest in a way that I don’t think I’d been anywhere else. Here, I started charging for my words, daring to believe that my writing wasn’t some side project but the main event. In 2021, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life, I thought “maybe writer.” Some 50 Substack essays later, I think “writer.” What has been so delicious about writing on Substack is that it isn’t something that fits into my wider writing practice, like some piece of a puzzle—it is my writing practice. Writing here also isn’t something that fits into my wider online presence, because in being here, I have learned that an online presence isn’t something I care to curate the same way I once did, if at all. Read more: #1 Being All Of It I think we ask people things like I am being asked because we want to know the formula, the juice, how to replicate or establish or build. We are conditioned to believe that it doesn’t matter unless there are clicks, impressions, likes, comments, engagement; that our work doesn’t matter unless we’re known. I’ve been successful in the measurable ways because I followed those playbooks, but that has always left me miserable. Here, I have not followed the playbooks, I have done a lot of it wrong, but I have written like it matters, like what I have to say matters. If there’s any advice I have to give, it’s that. Sure, pay attention to the technical bits, the hacks and the best practices, and drive your engagement and whatever. But write like it matters and like what you have to say matters. Write like it’s 2013 and no one knows who the hell you are or cares what you have to say, and do it anyway. Sincerely and truly yours, Holly Glenn Whitaker Subscribe to Recovering on Substack, and you can also find Holly on Instagram and her personal website. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Introducing The Active Voice, a new podcast about writing and the internet 4:03

3 years ago4:03

4:03

Welcome to our new podcast, The Active Voice. It's about how great writers are reckoning with the challenges of the social media moment, how they find the space for themselves to create great literature and journalism despite the noise, and how to make a living amid the economic volatility of the 2020s. In the first episode, Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie talks to George Saunders , one of America’s greatest living writers (and author of the wonderful Substack Story Club ). You can listen to it and subscribe at read.substack.com . This podcast is called The Active Voice because we enjoy the double entendre, and because it is about the writer in the arena: the writer who, despite the pressures of the social media moment, has the courage to say what they believe needs to be said; the writer who finds a way to speak truth to power; the writer who seeks understanding over takedowns. This podcast is for those who know that what you read matters and that great writing is valuable. I can’t wait to share all these conversations with you. The Active Voice is produced and shared using Substack for podcasts. Find out how Substack makes a richer podcasting experience, supporting multimedia and subscriptions, and fostering a direct relationship with your listeners here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Dear Writer: Advice on bringing your unique skills together 5:32

3 years ago5:32

5:32

We asked Robert Reich to share his advice on learning to use his writing and drawing skills to illustrate his Substack. Read on for Robert’s advice, or listen to him read it aloud above. This is the fifth in a recurring series of longform writer advice, following Alicia Kennedy’s advise on learning to listen , Embedded ’s Kate Lindsay ’s advice on creating trust with your readers , Lance’s Anna Codrea-Rado ’s advice on learning to celebrate just how far you’ve come , and Mason Currey’s advice on creative growth . Could you use some advice or inspiration from a fellow writer about creativity, motivation, and the writing life? Submit your question for consideration for a future advice column by leaving it in the comments below. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit on.substack.com…

1
Dear Writer: Advice on writing through isolation 6:38

3 years ago6:38