I can relate! The Facebook group sounds promising, and I’ll save May 7th. I’m pretty overwhelmed with Substack, too. So much in my inbox. So many features to learn. I host a monthly Zoom of Georgia Nature Writers. There are five of us, and four are students of your Zoom and live events. It’s important to share, celebrate, and build each other up!
Just this evening I found myself fending off a wave of overwhelm as I scrolled through Notes. Mostly from posts that presented a problem (perhaps real, perhaps fabricated), then presented a solution, typically in the form of numerical lists of 'must do' things or classes. Then I noticed the pattern. I wasn't feeling those things as problems until I read the posts. I'm trying to be happily content over here in my Tennessee woods, writing consistently, bird by bird, or vulture by vulture in my case. Lol. But I hear you... Chasing the technology is maddening. Thank you for sharing about the nature group on FB! I'm excited to be part of it. 🌳💚
I have had to stop using Notes as frequently because it was too competitive, too "look at me", which was basically the same as how Instagram was operating. Now we have just another hoop to jump through here--if we want to participate in that.
I'm so glad you mentioned this. I would really love a conversation with a few of us about how this is happening. How it's changing here. I've tried to be non-competitive with Notes. Mostly I share other people's work. But even adding it on my "to-do" is burdensome.
I think you know this, but ... you are a great source of inspiration for the writing community, Janisse. You're our pathfinder. (Not to lay another responsibility on you, though ... ha!) I really appreciate your honesty and willingness to bring up hard stuff. Keep doin' that! As for buckling up (or not), I think my seat belt is completely broken. 😂
I love being a part of Rhizoshere and Journey In Place, as well as a few select other Substacks I follow. But I do find in immensely overwhelming, to the point I find myself avoiding Substack at times. I am careful how much time I spend on Substack because of this. I don't know how you keep up with it all, Janisse. I would love to join the Facebook group, but am not on Facebook and very limited Instagram. Not to add to your amount of social media load, but I wonder if there is another way for nature writers to connect? Just asking:)
Looking forward to May 7! Thank you for opening this discussion. The reading, writing and book world seems to be changing at light speed. I often wonder what will become of books, and cannot imaging a world without them. Thanks to people like you, they have a fighting chance.
Great post! Definitely feeling a bit of overwhelm and I could never motivate myself to write my own substacks, but holding space for that. ....I do reviews for SLR from time to time, but I hope someone with an audience will review your book. Either way, at the very least, I'm happy to review it on one of my platforms for my very limited audience :-)
I feel the same way, like I never do enough, learn enough, work hard enough to keep up. There's always someone out there who knows more than I do and has discovered the secret potion that -- if only I knew it -- would vault me to stardom. It is a bit wearisome, for sure.
Thanks for mentioning book reviews and Southern Literary Review. I am reading a book by a Tennessee nature writer right now and will probably write a review of it for some company or other. It a new book. I posted a preview of it here. https://rayzimmerman.substack.com/p/the-essential-mack-prichard
Janisse - I love how you turned your frustration into enterprise! I don't usually succumb to overwhelm, but I have recently here on Substack—particularly on Notes. Besides the pressure to "go viral," (entirely self-imposed), there are so many great writers, I can't possibly keep up and also attend to my own writing.
I love your idea of a group for Nature writers - so much so, that I have plans to retool my own Substack to host a monthly journal of nature writing, as well as interviews, news and creative community building. Meanwhile, I've asked to join your group on FB. I don't use it much, but this might just bring me back. Would love to cross-promote, once I get my thing going early this summer.
As for reviewing for Southern Lit Review, shall I just reach out to your contact there? If nobody has offered to review your book, I'd love to do it.
Thanks for these clear-eyed acknowledgments of both the changes in the writing world and your adjustments to them. Change is our only constant in life, it's true. But the changes in the writing ecosystem are wearing me out right now. I don't actually want to keep up! I love the idea of your FB nature writing collective, and have applied to join. And I'd be happy to review Craft and Current for Story Circle Book Reviews, the largest online book review source for books for and by women from indie publishers, if that would be helpful. (https://www.storycircle.org/book-review/)
I can relate! The Facebook group sounds promising, and I’ll save May 7th. I’m pretty overwhelmed with Substack, too. So much in my inbox. So many features to learn. I host a monthly Zoom of Georgia Nature Writers. There are five of us, and four are students of your Zoom and live events. It’s important to share, celebrate, and build each other up!
Wonderful. Let's incorporate. Yes to building each other up. That's my motto.
Just this evening I found myself fending off a wave of overwhelm as I scrolled through Notes. Mostly from posts that presented a problem (perhaps real, perhaps fabricated), then presented a solution, typically in the form of numerical lists of 'must do' things or classes. Then I noticed the pattern. I wasn't feeling those things as problems until I read the posts. I'm trying to be happily content over here in my Tennessee woods, writing consistently, bird by bird, or vulture by vulture in my case. Lol. But I hear you... Chasing the technology is maddening. Thank you for sharing about the nature group on FB! I'm excited to be part of it. 🌳💚
I have had to stop using Notes as frequently because it was too competitive, too "look at me", which was basically the same as how Instagram was operating. Now we have just another hoop to jump through here--if we want to participate in that.
I'm so glad you mentioned this. I would really love a conversation with a few of us about how this is happening. How it's changing here. I've tried to be non-competitive with Notes. Mostly I share other people's work. But even adding it on my "to-do" is burdensome.
Ooh, I think you hit the nail on the head---it as a "to-do". I like to share other works as well...that's probably where the joy is in using Notes.
I also find Notes problematic. The comments section in Substack posts is where I find joy though. I don't get much traction on Notes anyway.
I've noticed the same. It's definitely a strange algorithm.
I think you know this, but ... you are a great source of inspiration for the writing community, Janisse. You're our pathfinder. (Not to lay another responsibility on you, though ... ha!) I really appreciate your honesty and willingness to bring up hard stuff. Keep doin' that! As for buckling up (or not), I think my seat belt is completely broken. 😂
Literally LOL at your seatbelt being broken.
I love being a part of Rhizoshere and Journey In Place, as well as a few select other Substacks I follow. But I do find in immensely overwhelming, to the point I find myself avoiding Substack at times. I am careful how much time I spend on Substack because of this. I don't know how you keep up with it all, Janisse. I would love to join the Facebook group, but am not on Facebook and very limited Instagram. Not to add to your amount of social media load, but I wonder if there is another way for nature writers to connect? Just asking:)
Looking forward to May 7! Thank you for opening this discussion. The reading, writing and book world seems to be changing at light speed. I often wonder what will become of books, and cannot imaging a world without them. Thanks to people like you, they have a fighting chance.
Great post! Definitely feeling a bit of overwhelm and I could never motivate myself to write my own substacks, but holding space for that. ....I do reviews for SLR from time to time, but I hope someone with an audience will review your book. Either way, at the very least, I'm happy to review it on one of my platforms for my very limited audience :-)
Brandy! You are the best. Thank you so so much. I'll be back in touch.
I feel the same way, like I never do enough, learn enough, work hard enough to keep up. There's always someone out there who knows more than I do and has discovered the secret potion that -- if only I knew it -- would vault me to stardom. It is a bit wearisome, for sure.
Thank you for saying this, Jim. WEARISOME is the word for me today.
Thanks for mentioning book reviews and Southern Literary Review. I am reading a book by a Tennessee nature writer right now and will probably write a review of it for some company or other. It a new book. I posted a preview of it here. https://rayzimmerman.substack.com/p/the-essential-mack-prichard
Ray, send it to the Southern Lit Review. I bet Donna Meredith will love it.
Janisse - I love how you turned your frustration into enterprise! I don't usually succumb to overwhelm, but I have recently here on Substack—particularly on Notes. Besides the pressure to "go viral," (entirely self-imposed), there are so many great writers, I can't possibly keep up and also attend to my own writing.
I love your idea of a group for Nature writers - so much so, that I have plans to retool my own Substack to host a monthly journal of nature writing, as well as interviews, news and creative community building. Meanwhile, I've asked to join your group on FB. I don't use it much, but this might just bring me back. Would love to cross-promote, once I get my thing going early this summer.
As for reviewing for Southern Lit Review, shall I just reach out to your contact there? If nobody has offered to review your book, I'd love to do it.
Thanks for these clear-eyed acknowledgments of both the changes in the writing world and your adjustments to them. Change is our only constant in life, it's true. But the changes in the writing ecosystem are wearing me out right now. I don't actually want to keep up! I love the idea of your FB nature writing collective, and have applied to join. And I'd be happy to review Craft and Current for Story Circle Book Reviews, the largest online book review source for books for and by women from indie publishers, if that would be helpful. (https://www.storycircle.org/book-review/)