18 Comments

Clare - thank you for writing this. It's refreshing to see someone who is here for writing and for connecting. I agree there's too much of an emphasis on growth. I'm glad you have community and that you enjoy writing, that's what I'm here for too!

Expand full comment
author

Thank you Istiaq. I'm so glad it resonated 🙏

Expand full comment

Clare, I am so grateful to have found you on Substack earlier this year! I believe Rachel Macy Stafford tagged both of us in a Note she shared sometime in the winter. That's when I decided to check out the other authors she mentioned, and I'm so glad I did.

Everything you said here is exactly what I believe, too, and strive to do. It's not about metrics for me, it's about conversations and connections with real humans. That's what I aim to do with my own writing. I want everyday, ordinary people to feel seen, validated, heard, and understood. I want them to see themselves and their stories through what I write. I want them to know they aren't alone.

Far too often, I've seen these "best practices" hacks that big name influencers try to sell to those of us who have a slow-growing audience. And those never sat right with me. I trusted my gut and decided to focus on the people who show up with and for me instead, to see how we can all support each other in authentic and healing ways. That is far more powerful than simply accumulating numbers of followers or subscribers.

Followers and subscribers aren't numbers, anyway. They're people like you and me. And they aren't much different from us, either. That's what keeps me here on Substack, keeps me writing every day. Glad to be sharing this space with you!

Expand full comment
author

YES!! I so agree with this Jeannie, especially these lines:

"I want everyday, ordinary people to feel seen, validated, heard, and understood. I want them to see themselves and their stories through what I write. I want them to know they aren't alone." -> that feels like my entire mission here.

You're so right, too, that our audiences aren't "numbers". They are people who want to be seen and known and understood for who they are.

Thanks for sharing this Jeannie. I'm so greatful to have found your beautiful work too 💕

Expand full comment

Same here. Your comment is similar to what I wrote on Notes when I restacked Claire’s post.

Expand full comment

Wait, when did you change the logo of your Substack? Or was it always this one and I just noticed it today? Anyway, it's beautiful.

One of the reasons I keep reading you is precisely that you aim to connect and offer something of value that can't really be bought. I understand people's need to make money and that it's one of the appeals of Substack, but I guess as an elder millenial who has known the golden era of blogs, I see it mostly as a tool for outreach and not a money making scheme. I get very tired of reading "here's how I went from 2 to 10,000 readers overnight and you can do it to" every other day on here. Your post is different, it's obvious you are grateful to have connected with 500 people - and hey, that's not nothing!

Your slow, deliberate approach infuses your writing with a thoughtfulness that can't be achieved with lists, buzzwords and other trends meant to sell. I'm not particularly interested in trauma (meh, let's say I have my own relationship to it and that's enough) but I am interested in your take on it, in the same way I appreciate reading you on love, joy, domestic bliss - I guess, what's on the other side of trauma, because you're a good writer. Congratulations!

Expand full comment
author

Thank you Albe 💕

I'm also an elder millenial who came up through blog culture, and bring a lot of that experience to this platform. I just want to write about life, and chat with people in the comments! So glad you want to do that too!

Expand full comment

Lots of resonance with these words Clare, I agree about not focusing on 'hacks' but more on authenticity.... letting your newsletter find what it wants to be slowly over time, by listening the inner voice and the words that want to come through ❤

Expand full comment
author

Yes, that's exactly my approach. Each creative project has it's own inherent path. Our job is to stay out of the way and let our work show us the way forward. Thanks for being here Vicki - it's great to be in conversation with you ❤

Expand full comment

Hi Clare, oh that last killer line, the footnote re how many metres of Note scrolling, what a hideous visualisation that is! The vom emoji is perfect! 😂

I love Substack far more than blogging, and I also love the connection with other writers, I never met so many Irish writers through blogging. But when you see readers coming back week after week for more, then you know you're doing something right. I find it quite humbling. I agree, slow and steady wins the race. I am not a creature of routine, though, so being consistent and showing up on time is such a struggle for me. This is such a lovely post, thank you for the reminder about what's really important. It's so easy to get hung up on others people's numbers, especially when so many people on Notes keep ramming it down your throat! Congratulations on building your community, it's the connection that counts, isn't it? And that is one thing I'm grateful for in this digital age, that our community stretches right around the world and we have the means to find them. 💕

Expand full comment
author

Hi Ali, humbling is a perfect word for it. Building a community of readers around my work has been such a gift, especially given that the rest of my writing life is usually thick with pain and rejection.

It makes sense that our brains keep an eye on the metrics - we like things that can be easily measured and categorised. But the things that really matter in life are often the things that can't easily be accounted for. The things that make our hearts swell and soar, even if they would never belong in a spreadsheet.

Thanks for being here. I've loved discovering your work here, and am very excited to read your book next year!! 💕

Expand full comment

Thanks for sharing these insights Clare, having also wasted far too many hourson Canva and notes, I needed to read this!

Expand full comment
author

We need to waste a bit of time - our brains can't deeply focus all the time. But I wish I spent more time gazing fondly out the window, rather than scrolly, scrolly, scrolly.. 😉

Thanks for being here Aisling x

Expand full comment
Oct 23Liked by Clare Egan

Omg, that's so true. Or out on the beach or in the woods, anywhere but the screen!

Expand full comment

Thank you for your writing Claire. It helps me put my trauma in context, and believe that I deserve better.

Expand full comment
author

Thank you Dee 🙏

That's exactly my goal, and I'm so glad the work is resonating with you. 💕

Expand full comment

I also use my writing as a tool for healing from the trauma of my past. My Substack journey has been similar to yours - slow and steady. Just this week, I reached 400 subscribers and am closing on 1,000 followers. Still not entirely sure on the difference. But it makes me happy to know that my writing is reaching people and helping them on their own healing journey.

Expand full comment
author

Way to go, Dawn! I'm so glad that your writing is finding an audience, and have no doubt that your readers are finding resonance in your story. Keep going 🙌

Expand full comment