reflections on six months on Substack

and a request: help me to shape the next six?

Somehow, it’s been six months since I started the london desk, sharing a newsletter every Monday morning from the 1st September onwards. At first, I was terrified, feeling so awkward about publishing (and promoting!) my writing that I only shared it with a limited number of ‘close friends’ on Instagram, before finally biting the bullet and committing to shouting about it more widely.

Six months in (and almost 150 readers later!) feels like a good time to take stock of where I am with the newsletter, and to assess where I see it going in the future. So, if you are a regular reader of the london desk and don’t mind giving up a minute or so to answer a few (literally 4!) quick & anonymous questions at the end of this post, it would be so useful as I plan for the next six months and beyond for the project.

Before that, though, here are six things I’ve learned in six short months on Substack:

1. I was worried about finding the time to put together the newsletter, but sharing my work regularly has been an unbeatable motivation to put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard?). I don’t think my writing output has ever been as high as it has in these last few months, and knowing that I’m able to commit to finding the time despite a busy schedule is a great reminder that if writing is a priority, I can make the time to do it.

2. That being said, Substack can be (and often is!) a distraction from my other writing projects, so it needs to be handled with care. Carving out time for my novel alongside the newsletter is definitely a challenge, and something I want to pay close attention to moving forward.

3. The identity shift has been huge! When I started the newsletter, I decided to have my weekly posts go out at 8am on a Monday morning, the reason being that it was a way to prove to myself that I’m a writer first and foremost. I am so, so glad that I chose this schedule! Having lovely feedback about my writing before I even log on for the work week has been a great reminder that this is who I am and what I am putting out into the world. I now feel more confident and comfortable with describing myself as a writer, something I struggled with a lot prior to starting this project.

4. Clicks and likes are nice, of course, but meaningful comments from readers mean more. I had one piece go semi-viral these last few months, a take on Lily Allen’s album release that seemed to capture the zeitgeist at just the right moment and get thousands of eyes on my writing (wild!). This was lovely, of course, and the comments and feedback on that piece in particular were so important to me, but I also recognise now that I have other pieces I’m equally as proud of that didn’t get the same attention due to the way the algorithm works, and that’s fine, too. Meaningful comments from my core group of readers has been a real guiding light for the newsletter to date, and this is why I am so keen to capture feedback from you at this point in time (more below!)

5. There are so many incredible writers out there sharing their work, but comparison truly is the thief of joy. If I find myself comparing myself to others’ work, it’s usually a sign that I need to step away from my screen, go outside, and come back when I am in the frame of mind to get inspired by others’ work, not demotivated.

6. If in doubt, go for it. You don’t need a concrete plan, or a jazzy logo, or a year’s worth of post ideas. You can figure things out as you go. That’s actually the fun of it.

As mentioned above, it would be so, so helpful if you could answer 4 short questions to help me shape the next chapter of the london desk. It’s really important to me that my posts are something that you continue to look forward to opening, and to have your input on what you’d like to see next. It’s anonymous and will only take a couple of minutes. I’ll also share the feedback in a later post as I reflect further on what my future plans are here at the london desk. Thank you!!

I’ll be back next week with the February edition of desk notes, my monthly recommendations round up. See you then! x