Writing on Substack to find my way back…

Last updated: April 3, 2026

Several years ago, I heard about this new platform called Substack.

Honestly, my first thought was, “UGH! Another platform to build a platform.” At the time, I’d committed to showing up on Instagram for my business, and I was trying (& failing) not to feel exhausted and frustrated with the whole endeavor. 

Creating short form social media content like reels or carousels is not my preferred method of reaching people.

Like you, I’m a writer.

I want to think, come up with my ideas, and write longer pieces.

Over the past month, a few synchronicities happened that got me back to my own writing, writing that’s more than  writing for my business or for clients.  Yep, it’s on Substack.

First, I started realizing how much I missed writing for myself, for the joy of it. 

Second, last month’s newsletter on the value of writing by hand came about after I created a whole presentation on it for parents at a small local charter school. 

This reminded me how I wrote almost all of my novels by hand and how I hadn’t done much hand writing myself in way too long, especially because this is where a LOT of my thinking happens.

Third, in a conversation with a friend about how I miss writing about “whatever,” she suggested that I take a peek at Substack, a place for writers to write.

I did and dove right in. 

For several years, I had a podcast that was originally named “Dear Creativity, Let’s Play.” I still adore that name, so…..

“Dear Creativity, Let’s Play” has been resurrected in blog form! 

As my focus on my audience for my business narrowed, I changed the podcast’s name to “Dear Creativity, Let’s Write” and focused on writing and creating for writers, specifically nonfiction writers.

This decision felt good at the time. I was following the online business advice to develop and stick to a niche or audience to build a platform. 

My original blog, which I began way back in 2011 as a space to find my voice, had also turned into a business asset focused on writing about writing.

Funnily enough, I’d lost myself and my voice to my “niche.”

No more.

I’m embracing my writerly self with a new blog over at Substack, “Dear Creativity, Let’s Play,”.

My goal?  To write. To reconnect with my creativity, to play with words, and to share how I play with creativity with fabric, in my garden and on walks, noticing, observing, pondering, and sharing.

Writing to explore my own creativity as well as explore the whole concept of what creativity is and how it works in my life how it brings me joy feels so good. I’ve got one article up so far, and plan to write an article every other week.

I’d love to have you join me over there if you feel so inclined.

Finding your focus on Substack

Quite a few nonfiction book clients struggle with the whole idea of “building a platform” which is really just finding readers for your ideas. 

Having a platform is a requirement if you want a traditional pub deal OR if you want an audience to whom you can sell you self-published book.

The wisdom I can share from continually narrowing down my topic area over the past six or so years is that you don’t want to niche down before you even start. Nor, do you want to niche down too far.

If you’re playing with starting a Substack and finding an audience there, you do NOT have to start with a clear focus on what you want to write on.

You can absolutely write your way there and figure it out as you go.

When I began playing with my new blog, I considered a few options:

• Option 1 – I love to quilt. It’s a happy place. I even wrote my M.A. thesis on 19th Century short quilt fiction. My first novel is focused on a historical quilt. So, I thought maybe I’d focus on quilting, women, and history.
• Option 2 – Writing about life in mid-life, and what that means as an empty-nester with a whole half of a life in front of me.
• Option 3 – Writing about writing as I do on my current blog 

These are all great options, and even though I could talk all day about any of them, they felt limiting, and I’m honestly to the point that I don’t want to EVER hear the word “niche” again in relation to my life or creativity. 

With my business? Great! It’s crucial, and I get that.

But my own creative writing? I’m over it. 

So, my Substack is about creativity in mid-life…ish which to me, leaves it pretty wide open and free. I’m sure it will find a more solid focus as I write, but I’m not pushing for that.

I’m reconnecting with my writing and my own creative self.

Invitation to join me

If you too would like to start writing, sharing your voice, I invite you to start with me. You can follow or subscribe to my account if it sounds interesting, or start your own.

Don’t fret about a niche. Maybe you’ll find an “umbrella” under which your posts can live and maybe not. 

That’s okay.

It’s about the process of writing, getting clear on your thinking, coming up with something to say, writing it, and sharing it with an audience. 

It’s also about creating a practice of regular writing and sharing that is crucial if you want to write a book.

If you want to be an author, authority over your voice and words matters. Confidence sharing your writing matters. 

I’d love to see you there. If you do start one, let me know in the comments here, so I can follow you or shoot me a DM on Substack.