My Substack Survives on Stolen Time

When you start a newsletter, you have no idea in advance what an adventure you are setting out upon.

I often find myself musing on the process of writing, and indeed — of running a Substack.

While The Creative Life is very much focused on how one finds one’s way as an artist in the modern world, I wanted to create a companion section dedicated to sharing with my community my own thoughts on writing.

As such, this video is the first of my newly created “Substack Hub”. I will not be sending these posts out to subscribers, but will update when I can with a video or short letter.

These will be more spontaneous than the considered writing of my weekly Substack — more an opportunity to share what I think about writing as it surfaces.

This week’s video is a short meditation on those nightmare Substack weeks when you have absolutely no idea how you will get your essay written.

We forget it too quickly in this modern world; that writing needs energy.

In this week’s video I riff off this wonderful quote from Toni Morrison, who wrote The Bluest Eye while working full time as an editor at Random House and raising two boys alone:

“I stole time to write. Writing was my other job — I always kept it over there, away from my ‘real’ work as an editor or teacher.”

She got into the habit of waking before 5am, and then, as they got older, kept the rhythm. Or rather; the rhythm had become her.

Though we all dream of an ideal habit, what we must remember is that ultimately, a habit is most of all about the doing of the thing.

That means, sometimes: getting it written.

In Morrison’s case, the act of getting it written, over and over, worked the habit into her.

My takeaway is that we often resist our circumstances, or even feel sorry for ourselves — when in fact, our circumstances are teaching us about life.

Can we bring our best, even when it feels life is against us?

Can we find the fire, even when energy is short, or nothing seems to be helping us?

To stay consistent with a newsletter, you have to find, beyond everything — love of the thing itself.

That means, simply: learning to love writing first.

Yes, building an audience is an important aspect of that, but a readership of substance, one that stays with you, comes from the love and the value you put into your writing.

As for me, I have now published 172 weeks in a row. For much of that time my subscriber list flatlined. But what kept me going was simply this:

I wanted to become the best writer I could within the limitation of time I had. That value is what has started — very suddenly — drawing people to The Creative Life.

I’m extraordinarily grateful for your support.

Have a great week everyone, and remember: keep writing and keep the fun in it.

Isn’t that after all the easiest thing to forget — the joy!

With love,
Jim

I spent a lot of time thinking about how creatives can better promote a creative life.

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