15 Comments
User's avatar
sabrina's avatar

thank you thank you for your thoughtfulness!!!! this is amazing advice. not starting a substack yet but will be remembering this for my student newspaper articles 😁😁

Expand full comment
MJ Mayes's avatar

So happy to hear this!! Can’t wait to read your Substack 😉

Expand full comment
K.M.Wikaryasz's avatar

Thank you for these tips! Definitely going to bookmark this post :)

Expand full comment
MJ Mayes's avatar

So glad it was helpful! Can’t wait to see what you write 👀

Expand full comment
Ben Y. Faroe's avatar

I love your last point in #3 - if nobody's reading this yet, it's free to be not as good / just for you / whatever frees you to finish and publish it. I've used this so many times to flip the script from "Why bother, barely anyone's going to read this" to "This is awesome! I can write whatever I want!"

Expand full comment
Lanesha Shanell's avatar

Just read this and wow. I felt so seen. The way you broke down overthinking into something workable instead of shameful was such a relief. It’s like permission to write as a human, not a machine.

Expand full comment
Nessa Lewis's avatar

Hi! great post. Helpful. Can you write about anything and everything at first (while no audience) and later delete some earlier posts as you hone and find your niche? Would you recommend this to better streamline your publication? thanks

Expand full comment
Lianna Fang's avatar

Yes, yes!!! My first post was not edited to be honest… but was proud of it nonetheless. Hahahaha

Expand full comment
Julia's avatar

Thank you I will definitely use this to write from now on 🙂 about… finding my values in life, what living on autopilot feels like to me, and the tricks I learnt on the way to get out of it ! Maybe ? 😊 to be continued…

Expand full comment
Terri Hankinson's avatar

Thanks for this. After listening to you on the Internet People podcast talking about The Artist Way (I got to week seven!), I stated 'Travel Writer' on my Substack profile and published my first travel writing piece. The best thing is knowing that I have put my creativity out there and knowing that that is enough. Whether any one reads it or not doesn't really matter, I am now out of the shadows.

Expand full comment
Lillie 🐝's avatar

thank you for this! I've been hesitating starting my own substack but this might have just encouraged me.

Expand full comment
Danielle's avatar

I love this! I think I'd like to get better about the editing part - I usually write, edit quickly, and publish before I can overthink - but I think there's a balance somewhere in there lol

Expand full comment
Cari's avatar

This is so good, MJ!

Expand full comment
Jamie Murray's avatar

A lovely encouraging description and guide thanks

Expand full comment
Love, Politics, And Salmon's avatar

Don’t think about it too much!

Expand full comment