49 Comments

I loved this post! As someone who has set up a publication “from scratch” as you said, but is still working towards a launch date, this made me feel a whooooole lot better about how long it’s taking me to pull everything together ❤️

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I'm so glad, Carolyn. 🥰 It is definitely a process, and each of us works through it on our own timescale. I will say, however, that there's also a magic to just going for it ... even a little before you feel fully ready. (Who ever feels ready?) Good luck with the launch! Try to have fun with it.

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Hi Jamie, it’s good to find you here. What an encouraging piece to read.

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Hello, Michela - provider of small, beautiful pockets of sanity! 🥰

Thank you so much! "Encouraging" is exactly what I hoped this piece would be. You've made my day. 💜

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☺️

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Okay, this makes sense. I've been at the Substack party for almost two years, but I've rarely broken out of my wallflower-at-a-party tendency to wait to be noticed... Thank you for making it clear to me how to proceed. Little by little... Very reassuring!

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So glad you found it reassuring, Elizabeth. And just so you know, I totally relate to the wallflower-at-a-party tendency. That's me to a "T." I am 100% the person that spends the entire evening with the resident dog (or cat, if no dog is available). 😉

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“You want to create a little group of folks who are hanging out in the kitchen, on the porch, by the fireplace, or around the piano.” Yes, this is what I love about Substack. Thanks for sharing, Jamie.

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Hello, Rachel! So nice to see you here. 😁

I'm so glad you like that too.

It's so easy to fall into the trap of feeling like you have to be everything to everyone, when all you really have to do is be your own self in a smaller group of "your" people.

That makes things seem much less overwhelming.

Thank you so much for commenting and restacking. 💜

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Hurrah! And it is the small stuff that matters most.

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Right? You just never know how a small gesture of kindness might change someone's day, or even their plans for the future. We can do so much good in the world, even if we're only doing little things.

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Little things become study things over time.

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I, too, have been a bit misty-eyed while getting my bearings here on Substack. It's been a lovely reminder of ye olde blogging days, for sure! So nice to find others who feel the same way & to start finding community again.

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Thanks so much for being here, Melonie, and for sharing! Putting this piece together was a long walk down memory lane 😆 - it really was a simpler time back then, wasn't it? I love seeing some of the old ethos here on this new platform.

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What a lovely way to get us out of our shells and take small risks by reaching out to others. My experience on Substack has been similar in terms of how friendly and gracious everyone is. This such a huge change from Facebook and what was once Twitter. I try to comment every day on others’ posts and welcome every comment and like on my posts. I just started a weekly newsletter in August and still have less than 100 subscribers, though pickup one or two each week. I enjoy and appreciate every new connection as I introduce others to my writing. I write military political Technothrillers and I’m trying to get my first book published.

Your description of people interacting at a party was perfect. I thought of my favorite parties as people in different rooms having interesting conversations vs beer bashes with music so loud I couldn’t hear myself think or hear anyone else.

Thank you for such a positive and eloquent message.

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Hello, Bruce. We writers can be notoriously slow to come out of our shells, as you say. Sometimes we need a little extra nudge. 😉

I'm glad to hear that you've had a positive experience here so far. (Also - welcome!!) I hope you continue to find your people here, and enjoy the "party."

Thanks for being here.

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beutiful......And the only way to make progress on our Big Dreams is to take one small step at a time. Every book is written one word at a time. Every relationship is built one moment at a time.

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Thank you, Diana. It’s an easy truth to forget when there are so many Big Things to distract us, but small things are really where it’s at. 😉

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YES! 💗

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This was a lovely, inspiring essay, Jamie. Loved it!

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Thank you so much, Chris. I really appreciate that.

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This makes such beautiful sense - and reminds me that I’ve always loved casual house parties and gatherings at home more than big venue events where I feel I need to perform somehow. Which is so obvious when my Substack is all about the meaning and resonance of home and the life we create there.

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I'm so glad this made sense to you, Andréa. I love how you chose the word "perform" to express the feeling you are NOT after. I sometimes start slipping into that space, and I immediately have a sense that something is not right. It's very easy to get sucked into that way of being, but so much better when we can retain our footing and be our real selves as much as possible. Thanks for being here!

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a beautiful essay about why we are all here. Small kindnesess are the way forward

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Hello, Kate! I absolutely loved that photo you posted about a week ago of one of your favorite wild places. SO gorgeous! I wish I could have stepped right into the photo. Thank you for your kind words on this piece. It was a joy to write, and I'm loving meeting so many others who believe in the value and magic of small kindnesses.💜

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"Small kindnesses are the way forward." That feels really profound, especially right now. Beautiful!

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What a lovely, uplifting post! I'm glad I've read it first thing in the morning. A great way to start the day with a smile on my face. Many thanks, Jamie!

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Good morning, Ramona!

I love the alliteration in both your publication name and your bio. (Word nerd reporting for duty!)

I'm delighted that you found this uplifting, and that I, in a way, shared your morning with you (even though we are quite far away and in different time zones). Thanks so much for being here, and for taking the time to leave a comment. Good to meet you!

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Loved this piece. I’m someone who came here with no following. Through slowly building relationships and collaborating, I now have a solid group of subscribers who regularly read and interact. It’s still a bit mind boggling to me that people show up to read what I write.

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It's a pretty amazing thing, isn't it? It's amazing that any of us has the courage to put the words down, never mind share them ... and never mind ask people to read them. And then it's equally amazing that some people say, "Yes!" And that they say it over and over again. Thanks for taking a minute to say hello here. Glad to meet you!

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"There are so many great writers on Substack. You can let that intimidate you or inspire you." This comment leapt off the page at me! Not only on Substack, but in the world at large. I love how beautifully you put the ball right back in our court - we get to decide if we want to be intimidated or inspired by the beautiful language of others. YES! Thank you. 🌻

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Thanks so much, Stephanie, and nice to "meet" you. I see by your activity that you're a fan of Grant Faulkner and Brooke Warner. I'm doubly delighted by that because I did not know they were hanging out over here, and now I will go look them up! I'm guessing you're going with inspired over intimidated, so - yay! And sounds like you're helping others find that path as well. Double yay! Thanks for being here.

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Nice to "meet" you too! And yes, I love them both. They actually came to a conference up here in Washington this past summer and they were great!

I choose inspired over intimidated intellectually, but it isn't always easy to FEEL it, if you know what I mean. I think that's totally normal, though! :-)

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Oh ... I know EXACTLY what you mean. 😉💜

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Jamie you are magic. I’m so glad I met you here.

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You are the sweetest. Thank you. I'm glad we met too!

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This feels so much like me! I have just posted my second newsletter and I feel like I’ve just poured my heart out to the void, with no interactions so far but knowing that writing it was very worth it. Thank you for writing this!

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The writing is always worth it, Jen. 😉 So glad you're giving yourself this opportunity and experience. Here's to pouring your heart out to the void. It's where we all start. Thanks for being here!

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