Creative Conundrums #15: To Note Vs Not to Note?
A Writer's Corner series dedicated to challenges and worries throughout the creative process, doubts, queries and everything in between.
Substack Deliberations, Creative Writing Courses and Past Instalments of Creative Conundrums
In the past week or two, I have been considering Substack, and what purpose it has served since my return in late 2023.
The experience now is very different to the experience when I first created my newsletter, wrote consistently, and interacted with the readership of Writer’s Corner and fellow writers. With no certainty, I put my finger on why that may be but, it is highly likely, I am wrong (and overthinking). A shift in attitude on my part may be needed to cope with what I perceive as ‘negative’ or ‘not good enough’, and just be.
At the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, the buzz and excitement, which surround a newcomer to anything and anywhere, was real. All-consuming. I was partaking in Writer Office Hours on Thursdays as much as I could and saw a slow but steady growth in subscribers. The stats told me peeps were opening and reading the blogs. They used to comment, too, on a relatively frequent basis. I did not receive many two-digit comments but, equally, I never had even close to a hundred subscribers.
While I did not lose (m)any subscribers during my hiatus, I did not gain (m)any either, and that is totally understandable. But since I have come back, meaningful engagement appears to have reduced. I asked, on Writer Office Hours in fact, a few weeks ago if anyone else was experiencing a similar drop. One author said the platform had grown exponentially over the past twelve months. These days, writers are subscribed to hundreds of Substacks and they do not have the time to read, let alone comment and engage, with all of the newsletters.
But does that not defeat its point? It is still a place for anyone to publish whatever their heart desires, but is it not the sense of community we value in Substack? I know it has been and continues to be a driving factor for me. Quite frankly, though, I do not think of myself as part of a community on Substack at the minute. It is playing on my mind and making me question whether I should stay, posting twice a week, but speaking to no one about it.
P.S. I am also finding it difficult to read and comment on everyone’s articles. Pot. Kettle.
The alternative to leaving is lingering and simply being. Writing for the sake of building a portfolio (and the love for it) and seeking the community aspect of writing elsewhere.
‘Nuff complaining pondering.
For any of you that may be interested, below I have linked old Creative Conundrums entries. They can be consumed in whatever fashion you wish apart from Post #1 & Post #2 and Post #11 & Post 12; I would suggest reading those in their respective order.
Creative Conundrums #2: Individual Publications or Publication Sections?
Creative Conundrums #4: What Are the Substack ... Things Called?
Creative Conundrums #8: Creative Writing Courses Vs M(F)As in Creative Writing
Creative Conundrums #9: First Draft Exposure Vs First Draft Secrecy
Creative Conundrums #10: Literary Competitions Now Vs Literary Competitions Later
Creative Conundrums #11: Corporate Jobs Vs Creative Jobs (Or Both)?
Creative Conundrums #14: Self-Publishing Vs Traditional Publishing
What is Creative Conundrums?
“What is Creative Conundrums”, you ask yourself. It is a series – if someone has a finer term for it, I would steal it in a heartbeat – dedicated to questions of creative nature, worrisome thoughts, plaguing insecurities, and day-to-day challenges that I wrestle with.
Over the years, I have realised that much of what we often consider to be unique to our personalities, for example the tendency to be indecisive, or circumstances, say, our education background or job, resonates with others louder than we have ever imagined.
Creative Conundrums will, therefore, serve two purposes:
Aid me in un-baffling myself through endless rambling and mind backflips, and
Provide solace to you in the realisation that you are not alone in your troubles (Fingers crossed, sound practical advice will be a welcome by-product).
With pleasure, I present you Creative Conundrum #15!
Creative Conundrums #15: To Note Vs Not to Note? Context
Everyone (exaggeration, as will be exemplified by this very Creative Conundrum) is writing Notes. They post them at regular intervals or, as and when. Some respond well to this shorter medium, firing responses between making a drink and offski to their office desks.
But I do not read Notes (I used to skim but no longer). They remind me of Twitter (or whatever it is called now) and Instagram. The brevity of their narrative so apt in a world of fast cars, fast fashion, coffees on the go. They are rather suitable to the 21st century human whose attention span is not anything to boast about.
Notes are not considered a new feature on Substack, but I was new to Substack itself when they were introduced. Getting to grips with the main functionality of the platform was my focus, and I had no time to pay attention to improvements and other launches.
Before you know it, it has been more than a year (and, yes, I was gone but this has no bearing on my Note knowledge or lack thereof), and I am still none the wiser.
In the meantime, everyone else is Noting.
Photo by Aleksandr Popov on Unsplash
Creative Conundrums #15: To Note Vs Not to Note? The Actual Conundrum
Shall I Note? It may be that Notes supply the interaction I covet. Notes may provide the answer, or resolution, to reduced readability of Writer’s Corner (and reassure me that it is not the content, strictly-speaking, that is rubbish or at the core of the problem but how I package it).
But let me outline my reservations about Notes.
Adding them to the offering of Writer’s Corner means extra time, glued to a screen, which I am for much of the day. My ruined eyes can vouch for it. It has not been particularly successful, but I am trying to switch off and turn to analogue (I write in notebooks a lot as it is, but it would be great if I can further minimise screen staring). This will not help.
Notes are not the form I think I will enjoy given their restrictive (in my opinion) nature. I believe I wrote one Note, and that was it. Not very superstitious I am, but this might be the sign (clear and unambiguous) that I am looking for.
But does not Noting mean I am not moving with the times? Am I stuck in the not-so-old old ways of Substack? “This is the way we have always done it” springs to mind.
Evolution is at the centre of humanity (Supposedly! We would like to say that going forward is what our species is about) and its dominance over the planet. The fact that most Substack users Note should signify to me not only that it is where we are headed, but also that it is a beneficial tool that I can employ right here, right now. I can test if it will increase people’s interest in this newsletter.
Considering the less significant, upfront effort involved in constructing a Note (vs a long article), the feature may result in lesser sense of guilt when I do not manage to post. A quick win.
The analytical minds out there will call me out for being a hypocrite. “How can you claim you do not like something if you have admitted that you have only written one and not read (m)any?” You are right. And this, my friend, may have to be what I do next. Where are your Notes, folks?
Creative Conundrums #15: To Note Vs Not to Note? Thoughts
If you Note, or not, it would be great to hear from you (despite my rant about non-existent engagement).
A few questions to spur you on below:
Do you use Notes as part of your Substack ‘offering’?
How does the use of Notes differ from your main articles or posts on Substack?
Do you find your interaction with your readers has improved since the introduction of Notes?
If you do not Note, what are some of the reasons behind that decision?
Have you considered Noting and how it may enhance your own Substack experience as well as the experience of your readers?
Thank you for your time and effort!
Cards on the table, I LOVE Notes. I flit in and out but I post regularly. I use it to share the pathways my curiosity has followed ... it might be an article (about anything that's interesting - there are readers for all the interests we have - food, photography, architecture, books, adventure, well, the list goes on). I hope our interactions offer a bit more insight to us as humans but also they give us a chance to deepen connections with folk. I binned Twitter and that freed up time. My feed is curated in the sense that it is filled with folk we admire, respect and follow ... so there is nothing sharp-edged, nothing Twitter-like. Big fan. And, it has grown our community, which is a nice by product. It's a great place to celebrate others and spread some ripples of positivity. Barrie