Introducing Substack Writers Meetup
Workshop Member and pro-Substacker Kate Jones tells us more about her brand new Substack Writers Meetup…
I have always been a participant in groups, but never run my own. Setting up a Substack Writers’ Meetup has been on my wish-list for quite some time, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready.
Winding back a little, I set up my Substack publication almost four years ago, just coming off the back of a Masters in English Studies at the University of Sheffield. The MA had been something I had wanted to do since completing a BA in English Literature as a mature student around ten years ago. I had been in something of a writing rut for a while - the pandemic hadn’t helped - and as I was nearing the end of writing my twelve thousand word dissertation on women’s war narratives, I began to worry that I needed some kind of deadline to work to or I would drop back into the passive writer who waits around for inspiration to strike.
Hearing many podcasts about the Substack platform, I decided to dive in - and I have honestly never looked back!
Initially starting with just my three family members and no social media on which to promote myself, I thought I might get a tiny handful of niche readers. What I found was that there are so many people online who want to read longform writing that makes them think. My Substack publication is all about the literature of women and their literary lives. I can’t think of a more interesting topic to write about, and it turns out that lots of other readers felt the same way!
Towards the end of last year, I finally decided I wanted to share my enthusiasm and skills around writing a weekly Substack with other writers in my community. Undertaking a short workshop facilitation course, I quickly realised that I would like my own group to be a collaborative space with room for plenty of conversation, and for the group to evolve into what the community needed.
Co-ordinating the first session towards the end of May was a little nerve-wracking, but I needn’t have feared - everyone was so generous with sharing their own experiences and ideas, and after just a few minutes, it felt like being in the middle of a group of writer friends, sharing a coffee and chatting about writing - one of my favourite things to do 😀 It was lovely to see some friendly faces from other groups I’ve attended at the Workshop, as well as meet some brand new members.
I am now planning for my next Substack Writers’ Meetup, buzzing with ideas on how to best point the group’s members in the direction towards finding their own joy through sharing their writing online.
Kate Jones is a writer sharing weekly essays on the literature and lives of literary women on her Substack, ‘A Narrative of Their Own.’ She also runs the Substack Writers’ Meetup bi-weekly, and offers 1-1 Substack Mentoring for writers looking for extra support and accountability.
