A Toolbox for Writers: Substack Edition
Continued Professional Development - on a budget
Hello there, this is a post about using the wealth of information and advice on substack to help hone your skills as a would-be career writer. It is a slightly less light hearted post than I intended because a lot of stuff in the art world makes me a bit cross.
Occasionally, I like to put posts together with practical, usable information for writers. Think of this post as a jumping off point. I would encourage anyone interested in becoming a writer to explore what’s on offer on substack - do so with an eye on how it may be beneficial to your career.
As a mentor and facilitator, I often work with adults coming to their writer life from non traditional routes - they might have come back to writing after putting years aside to bring up families or care for parents, they might have not had the opportunities, or not felt they had the opportunities, to develop a career in the arts. They might have come to the arts from a cultural background where art wasn’t seen as a job, and had that impression repeatedly enforced by not seeing people with they appearance or accent working in the arts. They might be coming to their own writing journey on an unfeasibly low budget. There is so much more to becoming a writer than just being able to write. There are so many blocks to becoming a writer that aren’t seen.
Developing as a career-writer, that is someone who actively aims to make a living from (usually a portfolio of ) writing activities, is not just about building skills in your writing, it is about building skills in structuring your career journey. Things like promotion, pitching, learning the language of the arts world environment, will allow you to move forward in your career, whether that’s in poetry or prose.
Want to get a book of poetry published? Then you’ll need to know how to put a cover letter together and build your profile in magazines and competitions. Want to get an agent for a novel or a non fiction book? Then you’ll need to know what an agent is looking for and how to pitch to them. Want to move careers and start working only in the arts? Then you are going to need to know how to make money in the arts. Want to not lose your mind by comparing your work to other writers? Then you are going to want to find ways of countering psychological blocks like imposter syndrome.
This is important to all writers, but is particularly important if you come from a non traditional route into your career, and perhaps don’t have contacts or friends and family at hand to help you build your profile and get a foot in the door.
Practical Skills for Writers from Non Traditional Routes are Essential in Levelling the Playing Field
I wrote an article a while ago for The Guardian about the experience of dropping out of a PhD because I couldn’t fit in. A lot of the not fitting in was about my terrible social anxiety and imposter syndrome, but a lot of that not fitting in was about a situation in which working class people had been encouraged to apply for particular type of higher education that is traditionally middle class dominated, in order to facilitate a greater diversity within the academic environment, but the structural necessities needed to support people from that background were ineffective, or missing. Most likely this was because there were few working class voices in the organisation of this push for more class diversity, and therefore less understanding of the lived experience of working class creatives.
It is essential that alongside the highlighting of problems with lack of representation, we are also providing the ways in which people can access the skills they need to even begin their journey to the creative arts in a way that is practical and affordable.
You are Going to Need to Put the Work in
Like it or not, writers have a huge amount of work to do if they want to go from diddling in notebooks to seeing a book of their own on a bookshop shelf. It’s good to be armed with the knowledge of exactly what it takes to get to where you are going, and thankfully substack is an excellent resource for building that skill set, that toolbox of knowledge.
I follow all sorts of accounts on substack: some just for the sheer pleasure and joy they bring me (bea stitches, dirtbags through the ages) some for what I call my CPD - my Continued Professional Development - as an author. The good thing about substack is that most accounts who are offering advice or services will offer the basics for free, but for a small amount of money you can access more detailed advice. Some substackers are even generous enough to work one to one with clients, run in person workshops and create opportunities for the small monthly fees. This makes it much more accessible than, for example, going all in and paying hundreds for mentoring or courses that you don’t 100% know will be suitable for you.
Here is a non exhaustive list of substack accounts that can help you with things like promotion, navigating the publishing world, building pitch letters and all the nitty gritty skills you’ll need to progress. Please add your own recommendations in the comments section.
All writers need to promote their work. Having at least some basic knowledge of how social media works is more and more necessary these days. But it doesn’t have to be a chore, it can also be fun. I love my little instagram account. I’ve started to use it in a more creative way recently, and feel like it is starting to be more than just a diary for my day to day activities. All social media has its problems and for now I’ll be staying on instagram, but there may be other platforms that you prefer. After I left Facebook and twitter (still feeling the sting of losing about 8000 followers on twitter - weeping emoji) I wanted something that I could learn new skills on and have fun in different ways. If you want help in working out how to attract followers and build an author instagram profile,
‘s account is brilliant.
The writing and publishing world is probably one of the most opaque industries. Especially poetry. One person bucking this trend is
who is transparent about her work practices, income and how she makes money as a writer. She also posts regular lists of writing opportunities.
I’m so pleased to see agents and editors joining substack and offering advice on, not just how to get an agent, but the role of the agent in publishing. For insider information on how to find and work with an agent, including brilliant courses for non fiction writers Caro Clarke at Portobello Literary is doing amazing work. I’m not just championing them because
is my own agent! They are exceptionally good at de-mystifying the agenting and publishing world.
Sometimes what you want to see is authors who have made it and are willing to give advice and interviews about what did it for them. For me, genuine interviews with thoughtful insights into motivation and perspective are often bum-kick I need to pull me out of the rejection doldrums. The Royal Literary Fund is very good for this.
And to make sure you are managing your imposter syndrome and all the weird pressure that writing brings
at Gather and Grow is holding space for you.
Coming up for paid subscribers of Notes from the Margin in May
Dawn, Lunchtime and Dusk write-Along sessions
Thursday 8th May 2025 - 7am to 8am UK Time - Breakfast Write Along
Thursday 15th May 2025 - 12.30pm -1.30pm UK Time - Lunch Time Write Along
Thursday 22nd May 2025 - 5.30pm - 6.30pm UK Time - Tea Time Write Along
Join me on zoom for an hour of communal writing. We’ll begin with a reading, an optional prompt and then we’ll settle down to some writing in the zoom room. Feel free to bring along a long term project, or use the space in another creative way. This is a place to be creative together, a gentle accountability to your creative self. If you are a paid subscriber to Notes from the Margin, you don’t need to do anything, your zoom link will appear in a paywalled substack post just before the event. Not a paid subscriber? Rectify that here:
And finally…
My nature-landscape memoir, The Ghost Lake is now out in paperback. You can buy it from excellent bookshops, or online. And if you have already bought and read it, or my new poetry collection, Blackbird Singing at Dusk, please think about leaving a review somewhere, even on Amazon. It really helps bring the books to the attention of potential readers.
Until next time
x
Thank you so much for including me here Wendy, I feel very honoured!
Thank you for these insightful thoughts Wendy and for such helpful recommendations.