In my coaching business, people ask me what is “authentic writing.” To me, creative authenticity is when you chase your assumptions of truth through your writing, trying to capture a moment in time for others to maybe read. It is an act of giving testimony to your interpretation and imagination.
I have been devoting quite a bit of time to developing my authentic voice as a Christian writer. I started writing my devotions for my own spiritual development about five years ago.
Through that practice, I have amassed quite a bit of long-hand material spread across five beautifully feminine journals and a journaling bible. I have completed a typed manuscript of a spiritual memoir, which reads more like a book of devotions. I feel this latest manuscript, completed at just 40,000 words, is the best, most authentic prose I have put to the page. Therefore, I am seeking an agent for this work.
However, few people know who I am, so it’s going to be exceedingly difficult to get an agent! One stated I needed 50,000 follows before I could be considered. That’s more people than live in my entire hometown. I have to branch out. Fortunately, the internet allows us to find our tribe anywhere Wi-Fi exists!
Therefore, about three months ago, I started a Substack to see if I could find connection with a Christian audience for my work. I have gained so much in my time publishing a weekly newsletter there. More about that later.
I have been getting questions asking what is this Substack all about. It is free to use, both as a reader and as a writer! In short, it is a sharing ideas platform connecting readers with writers. It allows for longer-form journalism, cartoons, satire, poetry, how-tos, etc. It’s a library of stories that is accessible worldwide for sharing ideas and connecting with one another.
It is far cleaner, freer from ads, than social media platforms I have tried. It has a bigger potential for reach than I have experienced in my past ten years blogging with first Blogger and later WordPress. I encourage writers to check it out for publishing their work. I encourage readers to go there to follow some of their favorite writers! Two of my favorites are Elizabeth Gilbert and Sherman Alexie, both of whom put out authentic copy.
Full disclosure, there is a money component to the platform. Much is free, but there is an option to charge readers for your content. This is a tiered-subscription system, where a writer could, for example, give their newsletter for free, but access to private messages or comments is a paid product that people can upgrade to. For example, I have upgraded and pay a monthly subscription for my favorite author, Elizabeth Gilbert.
I do not charge readers to subscribe for my Substack. My aim is not to make money on this platform, but to make connections, to get feedback, and to find some people who share a similar world view and enjoy my expression of it. Full access to all my content is completely free, and this is not a gimmick that will expire. I intend to continue to put my work into the world.
My Substack is a weekly newsletter that shares one devotion. A devotion is a simple teaching that God has shown you that you want to show to others. In writing these now for an audience rather than for my private longhand pages, I am learning to trust my authentic voice and respect the value my voice adds to the collection of Christian writing.
In my time at Substack, my work gets about 500 views a month and I have 49 people who subscribe to receive the weekly newsletter via email on Tuesday mornings. So, the road to 50,000 is long, but I have won in other ways by engaging on Substack. I have had the opportunity to comment on threads with Elizabeth Gilbert’s fans and her! I have been able to follow and exchange comments with Sherman Alexie. And, I have connected with emerging writers as well.
My work there is a bit of a mixed bag as I’m still gaining my footing to see what works on this new-to-me platform. In addition to the potential this platform offers, I have enjoyed the weekly, self-imposed deadline that is strengthening my sense of discipline.
I recommend to those of you looking to find your tribe to give Substack a look. You might just connect with me or someone else.
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