Hello again!
I’ve not been posting much on my blog this last year or so. I started posting on Substack with the idea it might become a good teaching or community space, but I’ve come to realise – duh – that Substack also has an algorithm and I don’t have the time or commitment to keep feeding another social media platform. And: some of the company was dubious. Also: just about *everyone* who engaged with me on Substack was someone I knew from elsewhere.
And do I have to be so needy or craving about getting that sort of engagement and building a following? Most of my work takes place one on one or in small groups in person or on Zoom, and I’m very happy with that. Writing I share online is in fact often created for writers I work with.
This summer my website had a lovely makeover. I’m still tidying up various posts and pages, and in rereading that writing my instinct told me my voice feels most authentic and direct on my blog.
And it’s quieter here on my blog. My own space! And there’s no place like home. Maybe I should spend less time on social media, and more time, e.g., learning Italian and reading Henry James and Edith Wharton. And writing for myself on my blog.
Social media can be fun. I’ve made some good friends, especially on Instagram. I really enjoy certain writers on Substack, e.g., generous and funny critics such as Lincoln Michel and Brandon Taylor. But social media is also a lot of noise and performance, and in places a lot of disagreement and violence too.
Any noise I add might only be occasional, but I’ll be doing it here. To start I am going to import more recent posts I made on Substack, starting with one on literary style, which is the subject of my next masterclass (yes, blogs can grift too).
