Maybe gimmick-y but the first thought when I finished your oh-so-vital-words-today essay was, "Oh, so I'm more than a writer. I'm a Writer Artist. Make that Write-ist." Or Writist? I don't know. Weird, but works for me. Writers observe and listen, then create their own word symphonies. We're all conductors. Thanks for reading my weirdness.
I needed to hear this, after getting some criticism that I should be expanding my essays to showcase other things, when really all I want to do here is write the stuff that's most important to me. And I'm going to get rid of those silly subscribe / share / comment buttons in the middle of the text! I did that because it was advised, but it's been bothering me for awhile, and I like your advice a whole lot better.
I like my advice, too, Wendy. So much that I'm going to go back (slowly) and take out all those offending distractions. I did it for the same reasons you did: because everyone else seemed to be doing it. We were sheep. No more!
Ditto. I use them as mini-dividers between sections, the signal of a slightly longer breath between paragraphs, but they also muddle the point of where we want attention to be. I agree with you. Okay, buttons, begone!
Anyone here have thoughts on pictures added throughout a piece? I’m a visual person, so I tend to enjoy those as I think they can help enhance the experience/story being told. It seems different than a call to action, but I wonder if others find them distracting?
I think intention is so important. I’m still testing what that means or looks like for my posts, but I always appreciate a good reminder to reflect and adjust accordingly.
I think pictures are different from the buttons, which I completely agree with Ramona are hugely distracting and misplaced. I like to include pictures where a natural line break would make sense - but only if they support/comment on the story at that point. I enjoy finding photos that fit, and actually sometimes if I can’t find a photo, that tells me there’s something not clear enough in the writing. I think, well what exactly am I trying to say and if I can’t “picture” it, maybe no one else can either…
I kind of like it. There are so many ways to be creative but what we all share is an innate sense of artistry.
But does it exclude, as well? Is it a bit pretentious? I don't know. My artist friend and I have talked about it and we've decided we're both 'creatives'. We like it. It bonds us.
Thank you for sharing exactly what I have been thinking. I have written with ease and flow and then just as I press to publish I am reminded that I haven't added any buttons so off I go to find some suitable buttons and some suitable places to place them. No more. If you like what I am writing then great, hit subscribe (at the bottom) and if you don't then never mind. I will keep on writing, not creating content anyway... I always appreciate your words thankyou xx
I will join your movement. Starting tomorrow/next time I write my ease and flow will be evident in my words and in the ease and flow of my creative process. Can't wait. Lets create a new flock of sheep and follow each others guise in this way rather than the way we think we ought to behave..... Baaaaaa! PS I've always been a bit of the proverbial black sheep so I will feel right at home xxxxx
You know how I feel about "content" — so with you on that!
In my Substack posts, I do often include images, poems or quotes from others, and even videos. I only do it to enhance and illustrate what I'm saying, because they fit with what I'm writing about and I want to share them with others. I actually included two videos in my post today: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/what-to-do-with-fear
Sometimes I worry that doing this distracts from my writing, but it's like when I'm talking to someone and I want to show them a cool video or quote I saw that's related to what we're talking about — for me, it's part of the conversation that I feel I'm having when I write.
What you're describing is completely different from inserting buttons that draw away from the conversation. I'm in for quotes, pics, videos, etc. They're enhancements, not distractions.
I love everything about this. Thank you so much for reminding me that Substack can be a place for me, even if I’m not “working it” to grow my subscribers.
Thinking, thinking, thinking... On the spectrum between content creator and artist, you'll absolutely find me trying to rub elbows with folks like you and [most of] your readers, the creatives, the artists. I don't have the energy to do this any other way.
I also do not have the luxury of making a living with this endeavor, and when I acknowledge the personal sales effort that appears to be necessary for that to become even moderately possible, I become slightly less certain about how to maintain a strictly rhythm-driven approach. The two feel contradictory.
Mostly, though, I believe you are right that the only appropriate time to remind our readers that art is more than a one-way activity is at the end, when the concert is over, after they have, hopefully, been transformed by the experience and are eager to share that enthusiasm.
Not needing to sort out where to stick a "Comment" button in the middle of a story will be a wonderful relief. But, I think I'm going to have to hold onto photos and the occasional video. 😌
Yes, do need to hold onto them. As I've said, they're enhancements. They fit.
And you've said it perfectly here:
"Mostly, though, I believe you are right that the only appropriate time to remind our readers that art is more than a one-way activity is at the end, when the concert is over, after they have, hopefully, been transformed by the experience and are eager to share that enthusiasm."
I was trained to lay out a newspaper, where the constraints for storytelling really did bring out something special. A well-placed pull quote in a balanced 1,500 word story? Yum. Maybe a shorter sidebar personality feature? Chef's kiss 😘 .
Your post here points out how many of those tools we can use in Substack, but the effective application of them is pretty limited. There's just not room to make art and symmetry here. We're probably best to stay in touch with this rhythm (concert) of good storytelling and using our spidey senses to decide if an intrusion makes sense. Much of the time, visually, it doesn't enhance anything.
Especially when there's so much room at the end to do the inviting after the enticing. It just makes so much more sense than stopping all the action to insert an advertisement.
I'm glad to see others are going to stop doing that, too. Now I'm going to need to go through my oldies but goodies and throw out all those buttons!
Perspective and focus. I appreciate your words and reminders. I won’t interrupt my flow anymore🙌🏽. Being new here and a new career writer, I definitely adopted other “successful” writers’ habits without even fully solidifying my own first or identifying my why, what, and how. Just because a feature exists doesn’t mean I need to use it. Just because others do it, I don’t have to.
A compromise could be a Subscribe button at the top and bottom of a post, since I believe Sarah Fay's data today that most people don't read to the bottom. But the buttons can come out of the middle. Someone reading the whole post in a voiceover at the top should put a Subscribe button up top after the audio, for those who aren't scrolling.
You're welcome. I really hope you find your missing post!
Lovely
Thanks for sharing! 🧡
👍🏻👌🏻
This is excellent content. :)
Boo!! 😝
😂 😂 👿
Maybe gimmick-y but the first thought when I finished your oh-so-vital-words-today essay was, "Oh, so I'm more than a writer. I'm a Writer Artist. Make that Write-ist." Or Writist? I don't know. Weird, but works for me. Writers observe and listen, then create their own word symphonies. We're all conductors. Thanks for reading my weirdness.
Weird is unique! All good! (And not gimmicky at all if it's who you are...)
I needed to hear this, after getting some criticism that I should be expanding my essays to showcase other things, when really all I want to do here is write the stuff that's most important to me. And I'm going to get rid of those silly subscribe / share / comment buttons in the middle of the text! I did that because it was advised, but it's been bothering me for awhile, and I like your advice a whole lot better.
I like my advice, too, Wendy. So much that I'm going to go back (slowly) and take out all those offending distractions. I did it for the same reasons you did: because everyone else seemed to be doing it. We were sheep. No more!
Ditto. I use them as mini-dividers between sections, the signal of a slightly longer breath between paragraphs, but they also muddle the point of where we want attention to be. I agree with you. Okay, buttons, begone!
Whenever I read your words, I feel seen... 🥹
Anyone here have thoughts on pictures added throughout a piece? I’m a visual person, so I tend to enjoy those as I think they can help enhance the experience/story being told. It seems different than a call to action, but I wonder if others find them distracting?
I have no problem with pictures inside of text if they don't detract from the rhythm and if they're there to highlight or enhance the text.
I think pictures are great, but they can be a balancing act, too. Give them a reason for being there.
I think intention is so important. I’m still testing what that means or looks like for my posts, but I always appreciate a good reminder to reflect and adjust accordingly.
It'll be right when it feels right. I think that's part of the process, as well. Trust your instincts!
💛
I think pictures are different from the buttons, which I completely agree with Ramona are hugely distracting and misplaced. I like to include pictures where a natural line break would make sense - but only if they support/comment on the story at that point. I enjoy finding photos that fit, and actually sometimes if I can’t find a photo, that tells me there’s something not clear enough in the writing. I think, well what exactly am I trying to say and if I can’t “picture” it, maybe no one else can either…
Thanks for chiming in with your thoughts, Robin! I like what you said about a natural line break. Makes sense!
Great stuff, Ramona. I absolutely view what I create as art, not "content" (although I've made plenty of the latter over the years too).
Yay! I'm so glad! And welcome, Andrew.
How do you feel about the noun "creatives"?
I kind of like it. There are so many ways to be creative but what we all share is an innate sense of artistry.
But does it exclude, as well? Is it a bit pretentious? I don't know. My artist friend and I have talked about it and we've decided we're both 'creatives'. We like it. It bonds us.
How do you feel about it?
It irks me a little. It feels fake somehow. And yes, pretentious. but if people want to self-identify as creatives, bless their hearts. :-)
Ouch!
I wuz kidding! Hence the smiley face.
Yeah, right. I know that whole 'bless their hearts' thing. 😉
I should have added that my friend and I like to use 'Creatives' as a way to explain away our weirdness. I mean, what else could it be?
I know it too, that's why I added the smiley face, because without one, it's snark. I was not hunting the snark.
Perfection in every word. Thank you for reminding us. Sometimes we need a spanking!
LOL. Hopefully not too often!
Thank you for sharing exactly what I have been thinking. I have written with ease and flow and then just as I press to publish I am reminded that I haven't added any buttons so off I go to find some suitable buttons and some suitable places to place them. No more. If you like what I am writing then great, hit subscribe (at the bottom) and if you don't then never mind. I will keep on writing, not creating content anyway... I always appreciate your words thankyou xx
Thanks, Hayley. We could get a movement going here! I hope!
I will join your movement. Starting tomorrow/next time I write my ease and flow will be evident in my words and in the ease and flow of my creative process. Can't wait. Lets create a new flock of sheep and follow each others guise in this way rather than the way we think we ought to behave..... Baaaaaa! PS I've always been a bit of the proverbial black sheep so I will feel right at home xxxxx
Woohoo! I'm IN!!
P.S., I'm learning how to be the Black Sheep. Feels good!
You know how I feel about "content" — so with you on that!
In my Substack posts, I do often include images, poems or quotes from others, and even videos. I only do it to enhance and illustrate what I'm saying, because they fit with what I'm writing about and I want to share them with others. I actually included two videos in my post today: https://flowerchild.substack.com/p/what-to-do-with-fear
Sometimes I worry that doing this distracts from my writing, but it's like when I'm talking to someone and I want to show them a cool video or quote I saw that's related to what we're talking about — for me, it's part of the conversation that I feel I'm having when I write.
What you're describing is completely different from inserting buttons that draw away from the conversation. I'm in for quotes, pics, videos, etc. They're enhancements, not distractions.
They make the page look purty.
Oh, I'm glad to hear you think that — thanks!!
You're welcome!
I love everything about this. Thank you so much for reminding me that Substack can be a place for me, even if I’m not “working it” to grow my subscribers.
Any time, Robin. We need to keep these conversations going!
Thinking, thinking, thinking... On the spectrum between content creator and artist, you'll absolutely find me trying to rub elbows with folks like you and [most of] your readers, the creatives, the artists. I don't have the energy to do this any other way.
I also do not have the luxury of making a living with this endeavor, and when I acknowledge the personal sales effort that appears to be necessary for that to become even moderately possible, I become slightly less certain about how to maintain a strictly rhythm-driven approach. The two feel contradictory.
Mostly, though, I believe you are right that the only appropriate time to remind our readers that art is more than a one-way activity is at the end, when the concert is over, after they have, hopefully, been transformed by the experience and are eager to share that enthusiasm.
Not needing to sort out where to stick a "Comment" button in the middle of a story will be a wonderful relief. But, I think I'm going to have to hold onto photos and the occasional video. 😌
Yes, do need to hold onto them. As I've said, they're enhancements. They fit.
And you've said it perfectly here:
"Mostly, though, I believe you are right that the only appropriate time to remind our readers that art is more than a one-way activity is at the end, when the concert is over, after they have, hopefully, been transformed by the experience and are eager to share that enthusiasm."
Thank you!
Thank you! You haven't spent most of a lifetime honing your craft without learning a thing or two, that's for darn sure. :)
Yup. That's how it works if we're at this long enough. 🥰
I was trained to lay out a newspaper, where the constraints for storytelling really did bring out something special. A well-placed pull quote in a balanced 1,500 word story? Yum. Maybe a shorter sidebar personality feature? Chef's kiss 😘 .
Your post here points out how many of those tools we can use in Substack, but the effective application of them is pretty limited. There's just not room to make art and symmetry here. We're probably best to stay in touch with this rhythm (concert) of good storytelling and using our spidey senses to decide if an intrusion makes sense. Much of the time, visually, it doesn't enhance anything.
Especially when there's so much room at the end to do the inviting after the enticing. It just makes so much more sense than stopping all the action to insert an advertisement.
I'm glad to see others are going to stop doing that, too. Now I'm going to need to go through my oldies but goodies and throw out all those buttons!
Perspective and focus. I appreciate your words and reminders. I won’t interrupt my flow anymore🙌🏽. Being new here and a new career writer, I definitely adopted other “successful” writers’ habits without even fully solidifying my own first or identifying my why, what, and how. Just because a feature exists doesn’t mean I need to use it. Just because others do it, I don’t have to.
Exactly! That's what makes you unique.
Welcome, Sage. Come back any time.
Well said! Now excuse me while I go move some buttons in some drafts! 😳
A compromise could be a Subscribe button at the top and bottom of a post, since I believe Sarah Fay's data today that most people don't read to the bottom. But the buttons can come out of the middle. Someone reading the whole post in a voiceover at the top should put a Subscribe button up top after the audio, for those who aren't scrolling.