Celebrating my first year on Substack

On committing to a writing project and what it means to me

This time last year, I sat down at my writing desk and wrote first my Substack post, welcoming readers to Midlife Without a Map.

My intention was to write a weekly post, publish it every Sunday and try to develop a community of readers. After a 25-year career writing about various subjects from bath taps to irritable bowels, I wanted a small corner of the internet to call my own.

My plan was to write about the trials and tribulations of being a forty-something woman, with essays about life and loss, books, mindset, and anything else that took my fancy. It was an opportunity to experiment with a new platform and to see what happened.  

Years ago, when blogging was a thing, I’d always struggled to be consistent in publishing content. My slapdash approach meant my blogs never did as well as I’d hoped. This time, I promised myself, I would commit to doing a weekly post no matter what. It was the perfect chance to put my writing first, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy.

Life is hectic. I work full time, have a menagerie of geriatric pets to care for, and then there’s home and family commitments and also beauty maintenance (not for vanity reasons, more so I can leave the house and not look frightening), all of which take a lot of time and energy.

From the off with Substack, I was determined to succeed. Nothing was going to stop me from publishing my weekly post.

And I’ve done it!

I have written in the early mornings (5am club, anyone?), evenings, weekends and even on holiday. I’ve written at the hairdressers, in various car parks between appointments and on trains. I’ve used the Pomodoro technique, writing in 25-minute bursts, and also enjoyed longer sessions where I can really get into flow. Sometimes I’ve given full weekends to creating my content, just to get a post out every week.

Photo by Lauren Mancke on Unsplash

Has it been worth it?

Absolutely.

Not for financial rewards, I might add, but rewarding because writing is what I love to do and also what I have to do. Without it, I get very upset and down. So long as I write, I’m okay.

Substack has been a great platform to get my work out into the world, and a wonderful way to connect with readers and other writers. It’s been fun.

This past year I have written around seventy thousand words on here, becoming a one-woman writing, editing, publishing and marketing team. If nothing else, I am proud of myself for showing up, taking consistent action and believing in myself. Slowly but surely, I’ve been building an audience for my work and creating a portfolio of which I’m proud.

There have been lots of challenges along the way—coping with loss, managing perimenopausal hormones, and juggling other writing projects alongside my Substack. But I’ve found a way.

I’m a firm believer that good things come when working outside of the comfort zone. So, I want to push beyond the limits of mine. I’m committing to another year on Substack. I want to continue writing about the mess and magic of midlife, always trying to find the funny side, and I’m on a mission to make things happen in my writing career.

I once read a quote that said something like, ‘tiny drops of effort soon lead to waves of momentum’. I can’t remember where I read it or who said it, but I love the sentiment. Substack has given me the momentum I needed and I’m excited for what’s next.

Thank you so much for being part of my Substack community, for allowing me to drop into your inbox every Sunday. Thank you for reading, liking, sharing and commenting on my words. It really does mean such a lot to me.

Thank you for all your support.

Liz xx

If you would like to catch up on any of my posts, you can read them on my Midlife Without a Map homepage here.