Anatomy of a newsletter after three months
A meeting with fellow Substackers prompts reflection
If a piece of writing is on my to-do list, it gets written. As a longtime freelancer, it’s one of my core vows/values. And although this newsletter sometimes gets bumped down the queue to be completed after client work, somehow on most Fridays since June (I took a week off at the cottage), I've been penning a missive about feisty freelancing.
This week, it's time to look back. Fortunately, my reflection found a sense of occasion when I got to meet a bunch of fellow Substack writers this week in downtown Toronto (shoutout to my friend Linda for the alert). Among several at my end of the networking table I met (and now subscribed to) a few new-to-me writers, including https://elderberries.substack.com and https://www.regs2riches.com to a reunion with one Substacker I already knew and subscribed to, https://budgette.substack.com. That's right, please only refer to us by our newsletter titles. You can call me Feisty.
Consulting with the rest of the writers, predictable topics emerge: why did you decide on that subject? how often are you writing? how do you come up with topics? As newsletter writers, we may have varied interests and layouts, but these are all shared struggles: to keep it interesting (for the readers and ourselves), to generate ideas, and to keep it consistent.
For me, the topic focus came because it's not only a subject that I know well from 20+ years of independent writing, but also borne of my conviction that sometimes feel like we freelancers (or entrepreneurs or consultant, regardless of title) have to make noise to be heard. While work-from-home has legitimized and even glamourized the home office lifestyle, other issues remain to be advocated for, from shrinking content budgets to lousy contracts to the need to stand with common voice even as we work independently.
In terms of generating ideas, as with all my platforms I keep a running list that sometimes gets bumped by breaking news (see: reflections on covering the Queen's passing last week). Turns out this is a shared interest, as is the fear of running out of things to say (okay, not really...)
A regular deadline is good for any writing, and I was interested to see the various formats in our newsletters, from differing publishing schedules (I have biweekly envy) to more complex assembly that involves interviewing and more heavily researched articles (someday, maybe...) Like any creative endeavour, it's fun to gain inspiration from what others are up to.
For now, I'm just happy to be on issue 13 and still have lots to share...
PS - I just extended my discounted price for the 8-week Feisty Freelancer course starting September 28 - know anyone who wants to start freelancing? Send them to www.feistyfreelancer.com/courses/intro-freelance