A friend On The Wing is getting started here on Substack and asked for some thoughts on ‘how to’.

I suggested this for Jemima but you might be starting out too:

This is a great place for reading and writing. Spend time reading and writing. It is, essentially, social media (well, the Notes part is) so be social. You know my nonsense 80/20 rule … 80% on other folks’ stuff, 20% on your own allows you to be seen, appreciated and trusted. Don’t assume anyone knows who you are, what you do in other spaces, what you have done in the past. Have a brilliantly clear ‘About’ page that tells folk what they’ll be getting. It is okay to take your time. If, for example, you want to hone your writing craft, write some stuff and share it (not necessarily the bits you’ll put in your book … but possibly some of that too). But also, read other people’s stuff.

I suggested Jem could do worse than follow Eleanor Anstruther, Mark Diacono, Sally Reid and Beth Kempton (okay, there are loads of others BUT these guys ‘get’ Substack and contribute wholeheartedly to it).

I also mentioned …

 … don’t be one of those folk who just keeps throwing all their stuff into the mix without pausing to celebrate others, reply to all the comments folk offer you, share the writing you love, plus all the other things that offer ‘community’ as well as (yuk word) content.

Finally, I said:

Be you, of course, Jem … but if you want to be here as a writer, share your prose and your poetry as well as your personality.

An old fella’s thoughts on this place.