Sitting on the couch with my laptop while Davy plays LEGO. (This is seriously a whole new level!) We haven’t taken down our Christmas tree yet and I’m still hoping to make gingerbread ornaments this week.
But we’re inching toward “normal.” I’m putting together my university courses for the spring semester, sending out messages about the Entwined anthology, and printing a planner that will fit into my locally made traveler’s notebook.
Well, I’ve jinxed myself mentioning the LEGO. My kid is now climbing all over me like a jungle gym, but let’s persevere.
I should probably also celebrate reaching 500 subscribers, which is supposed to be a tipping point. I’m told growth is easier and to be honest I’m a bit trepidatious about that.
Growth for growth’s sake is not a goal for me, but so long as the numbers represent kind humans who are engaged with the work I’m doing I’m happy that you’re here.
It’s pretty ironic that my first post was about intentional inconsistency and yet I’ve spent my entire time on Substack trying to create a consistent publishing schedule because I “should.”
I also know my own people tend to be a bit overwhelmed and overcommitted and so I keep adjusting the frequency (weekly, monthly, fortnightly) trying to get it “right.”1
But every time I try to slow down I have too much to share. So instead of being driven by time, which is not real, I’m going to try something new. Posting when I have something I must share. And embracing the fact that frequency will vary. I have a lot queued up for January, but after this month I’m hoping to slow down a bit.
(Editing Note: It’s now almost 2pm. Even this simple post, which I hoped to finish before lunch, has taken hours somehow. I can’t turn off my autistic attention to detail so I have to accept that whatever I choose to do I’m going to sink a lot of time and energy into. What I’d like to find this year is a way to show up here, but not spend hours and hours on Substack content every week. I’d like to allocate some of this focused energy toward other projects like writing a novel.)
Your Favorite Posts from 2023
I took some time this morning to look back at the work I’ve shared here over the last year and what you loved the most.2 I always love these recap posts from because I alwasy find something I missed. I’ve split them up into a few categories starting with…
Most Comments
I see comments as the biggest marker of “success” for a post. I’m not here for business really – even if I have a few paid offerings – I’m here for connection. And comments are where I can hear from you. This post “went viral” for me, but I value the conversations we had more than the eyeballs.
Most Comments (Runner Up)
You also showed up in force to support me in the comments of my coming out post. I noticed a few people disappeared after this, but the love outweighed the silence.
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Most Views
Apparently controversy gets clicks. This post had over 1k views and would have had loads of comments I’m sure if I hadn’t turned them off. More clicks also resulted in the most new subscribers.
Most Views (Runner Up)
It seems the second best way to get engagement is to host a collaborative project. The open call for my Entwined anthology was my second biggest Substack post and my highest on Instagram.
Your Favorite Podcast
I don’t seem to have the bandwidth to podcast regularly, but I’m so glad and I carved out time to chat last year.
My Favorite Posts
I thought I’d also include some of my favorite posts that flew under the radar this year.
For example, this follow up to “going viral” about artistic style and how that varies from branding.
If you subscribed to me after my HSP post you might be interested to listen to this podcast episode about sensory differences. Podcasting is a bit like shouting into the void so if you enjoyed this (or any other podcast episode) I’d love to know.
This year I stopped posting writing behind a paywall. (I have new plans of the paid tier that I’ll be announcing later this month.) Here’s a post I originally wrote for paid subscribers that is now completely unlocked. Hop in my TARDIS and come for a trip through for a decade of writing and sharing online.
Now, I’d love to hear from you!
What are you excited about making or doing in the new year?
If you’re curious about my Choose Your Adventure format it was a big flop! I spent hours writing 3 separate posts and most people didn’t click through to anything. Of the three posts I wrote only one got any real engagement. My takeaway is that this format is fine for a round up or some bonus content, but if I really want people to read something it needs to be in the body of the main post.
I scrolled through Substack stats and typed everything into a spreadsheet, but I’ve signed up for Google Analytics to make this easier next year. (If you want to know the stats for your Substack without doing the gruntwork here’s how to set that up.)
I resonate with what so much says to in this chat. Especially the bit about needing freedom of flexibility and also crafting an offering at a price that is sustainable for the energy you are putting in. This really solidified my intentions for Substack in 2024. Watch this space.
I’ve been reading two books this month I’m really enjoying.
Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham is about an actress in NYC. It’s quite a genre shift from my usual Fantasy, but was a nice light read and I really enjoyed it. The main character is so much like Lorelai from Gilmore Girls I could hear Lauren’s voice coming through (almost literally.)
I’ve been reading a hardcover copy of The Christmasaurus whilst listening to theaudiobook with Davy (and making some nerdy observations about language changes between the UK audiobook and US print edition.)
Play
We’ve been playing classics (like UNO!) and video games over holiday break.
A new holiday season means a new festival in Cozy Grove (iOS & Nintendo Switch). If I haven’t convinced you to play yet maybe these snow folk from winter festival will.
We’ve also been playing Disney Dreamlight Valley (it’s basically a farming / crafting game full of Disney characters who need your help).
And we picked up a new Starter Set to introduce Davy to Dungeons & Dragons. 🐉
Here’s what I was sharing this time last year…
That’s it for now. See you in the New Year.
Cheers,
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Something I’ve discovered recently is Comment to DM. It’s a service that will automatically DM a message if someone comments on your post or comments a specific phrase. You might say,
“Leave your favorite emoji in comments if you want me the campaign URL via DM.”
Or you can specify a specific phrase that triggers the DM. I’ve seen a few people using this and it may help people who get lost trying to find the link in the bio. The service I’ve seen is called Many Chat. They also offer other automation features.
Reaching 30% is the threshold where you’ll start to see friends of friends support your project. You’ll need your biggest supporters to pledge early and help reach that 30% to show “social proof” that your project is worth backing.
Let’s discuss.
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
Here are some screenshots of the email we sent our Launch Team for How it Feels to Me. They were really instrumental in our success in reaching our goal in a short whirlwind campaign.
(Tap the photo on desktop or zoom in on mobile to load full size.)
The BINGO game sounded fun, but nobody turned in a BINGO card (even though I’m sure some people did “make a BINGO.”)
Let’s discuss.
Share your reflections or questions about this part of the process below.
