Five Hundred Friends!
Reflections and Questions
In this Substack we celebrate the art and craft of Place Writing. Do you want to be inspired? Join our band of readers and writers who love everything about place and home. Subscribe now and get fortnightly posts delivered to your in-box for free.
Starting a Substack
This publication has brought people together who care about home and the natural environment, and the fellowship here is truly awesome. My first post went out in August 2022. I had no expectations, no existing mailing list to import, and no blog texts or website copy to reproduce. I think you could say that growth has been organic as subscribers, most of whom are in the UK and US, have increased steadily from zero to five hundred. My son-in-law Christian, AKA
, introduced me to Substack and I’m thankful because this has been a delightful journey so far.Developing my Substack
During this gentle growth period I’ve tried to develop good practice as a Substack writer because I want you to benefit from your time here and, importantly, I want to maintain a stress-free environment so that being on Substack continues to be an enriching experience for all of us. I’ve learned so much.
This is a good time for me to pause and recognise a few people who have made a positive impact on my journey:
continues to prove that academic research can appeal to a wide audience; demonstrates with his slow reads that fostering a community is simply the best thing we writers can do, and that Substack is the ideal platform for this; and, keeps me up to date with Substack developments whilst prompting me to step back occasionally and consider what I’m doing and how I’m doing it.Why ‘Place Writing’?
Place Writing is a niche topic and, having gained a PhD in Creative Writing with my thesis grounded in this genre, I want to spread the word and empower others. You all have different reasons for being here, and by showing you new ways to think about ‘place’ this Substack becomes a resource that can inspire you and help solve some of your writing problems.
I want to:
share my knowledge so more people can learn about Place Writing
practice and develop my craft, and experiment with the nuances of this genre
participate in a community of like-minded individuals who read, write, and appreciate creative non-fiction
The Place Writing community
I gather that you like to be challenged and enlightened. Am I right?
I’d like to know more about you. Please take a few seconds to complete the survey below, your answers will help me finesse my work. Tell me:
Free and Paid Subscribers
I appreciate every one of you who subscribes, free and paid. Thank you for your hearts, comments, and re-stacks. If you’re a free subscriber I hope you’ll consider taking out a monthly or annual subscription.
Writing is my full-time occupation and I’m grateful to those of you who contribute financially. It is hard to make a living as a writer and your encouragement and financial support is invaluable. Please note, there is now an additional level of support—Patron of the Arts—available to those who have the means.
Composing a Substack Post
I find that each post takes me three days to put together: the first, to gather my thoughts and explore the purpose of the post; the second, to produce a rough draft and choose a suitable visual; and the third, to edit it, transfer it into Substack, and schedule. I use my own images as often as possible, and I always schedule because I can guarantee that when I sleep on it, I wake up with a minor revision… a word, a heading, or perhaps a sentence. Thank goodness this platform allows edits at all stages of publication!
Wednesday is delivery day
Subscribers can expect posts to drop into email in-boxes on Wednesdays, and I’ll continue with the current pattern of fortnightly posts as I think this frequency ensures readers get reliable and consistent content without overwhelm.
Work with me!
I’m a researcher and a writer, and alongside my current projects I give presentations and talks, and I mentor new non-fiction writers. Prompted by
, I recently posted a ‘Work with me!’ page which you can find on the tabs at the top of my Substack. You’ll see that I work with individuals and groups, and each project is bespoke to the client.Substack Notes
I’m enjoying Notes—I pop in every now and then to see what’s going on. It’s like being at a party with a drink in hand and a plate of tasty nibbles. And then to meet people in real life after first seeing them on Notes is a bit special. Recently, I went along to two events held in Cambridge, UK: one was with
and the other was with .Cambridgeshire, for those who don’t know, is a county situated in the East of England; on the map it sits north of the Greater London area, and Cambridge is about sixty miles distant from the city of London. In March 2024, I started a photographic diary. My ‘PicNotes’ document Cambridgeshire—I aim to show what this part of England looks like day-to-day, from picturesque cottages to railway tracks and shop windows, from flower beds to fields. Around 800 new homes are going up near where I live so there’ll be occasional PicNotes to record the progress of this significant building project.
Recommended Books
My Recommended Books series began in January 2024; it has been well received. To my knowledge, no shelves exist in libraries or bookshops labelled Place Writing. I’m choosing titles that, in my opinion, are good examples of the genre and, over time, these will develop into a specialised reading list for you. I hope that these books, among others, will one day gain recognition as epitomising the genre and can be categorised as such.
Win-win-win!
I like the way Bookshop dot org supports independent bricks and mortar bookshops by passing on a percentage of sales to help them keep their doors open. The company also offers an affiliate scheme which I have joined. If you buy books via my curated bookshelves, I also get a percentage of sales. In both cases it’s around 10% of the cover price. Every little helps!
And there’s something for you!
Bookshop dot org have just launched Bookloop, which is a scheme that gives customers the chance to get credit for pre-owned books. You just scan your books and a value will be offered. If accepted, your book will be recycled, and you’ll receive credit to spend on new books!
Going Forward
Whilst continuing to produce posts that stimulate conversation, I’m keen to try out new things with Substack. I intend to post videos on a regular basis. These will be personal musings on place and writing, and I’ll document my writing journey as it progresses. These videos will provide a peek ‘behind the scenes’ for paid subscribers.
Finally
Thanks for your responses to the survey above.
Thanks for your support of Place Writing—I particularly appreciate your contributions in the comments section of each post.
Don’t forget to ❤️ and re-stack this post. Let’s all welcome the next five hundred to the party!
Credits & Links
Top photo taken by me on one of my walks in Cambridgeshire. Headshot below is a selfie.
Hi Yasmin, I clicked on the link for recommended books but it just takes me to a list of your posts - is it hiding in there somewhere? Thanks.
What a lovely, clear introduction and statement of intent. I’ve got a feeling I subscribed ages ago with a university email that is now defunct, so here I am again on my personal one.