This is the most encouraging thing I’ve read in a long time. I’ve come to Substack because it’s the first and only place where I can explore the strange place where my historical-romance-author world and STEM-communicator world can coexist. Keeping up the socials for everything, and erecting the barrier between the two has been exhausting. I feel free here.
I shut down both FB and insta at the end of January. I was an early FB adopter so 15 years of friends and history was gone and yet i really don't miss it. I was fascinated to see how often i reached for it though out of habit.
I was at London Book Fair last month and there was so mich hype around all the things you "have" to do on social media. One presenter even said "and don't look tired, viewers can tell when authors are tired". I nearly snorted.
This post brought me peace in weird way. It's a cautionary tale--a be careful what you wish for type of thing. I'm glad you have been there and done that to help the rest of us, but I'm also sorry that the world is such a shitty place that you can't step into the limelight and enjoy it for a while without attracting all the bloodsuckers.
Kerry, you are one badass woman yourself! I'm glad to be following you here and even more glad that you give validation to saying fuck-you to the "you must have a social media platform" gatekeepers. I'm finally writing my book. Which isn't about a real woman, but is about a badass woman. Let's give our badass women their voices, real or imaginary, and give the next generations of women some stories to inspire them.
Thank you for this, Kerry. And thank you for listening to your heart and following. A month or two ago, I canceled all streaming services, closed my X account and icky Threads, and I deleted the other social media apps from my phone. Like you, it opened up space in my life and my head. I created a Patreon page as a one-stop shop for my fiction and merch. Then I jumped on Substack, hoping to fill the SM-sized hole in my life. It has done so much more. Being here has given me new motivation to write. I've even returned to the art of creative nonfiction which I love with a passion. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Major respect for you + gratitude for your honesty. I’ve had to make big shifts in my online presence as an author, and I found myself nodding along at how you “jumped off the ride and found shapes in the clouds.” The art I want to keep making requires paying attention in my embodied life. And that requires choosing my absence elsewhere. Thanks for writing this + choosing to care for yourself (and I think, your readers) well.
This was a great read. Definitely relatable, as someone with books looking to grow that daunting "author platform". But this really put things in perspective. Thanks!
This is the most encouraging thing I’ve read in a long time. I’ve come to Substack because it’s the first and only place where I can explore the strange place where my historical-romance-author world and STEM-communicator world can coexist. Keeping up the socials for everything, and erecting the barrier between the two has been exhausting. I feel free here.
I shut down both FB and insta at the end of January. I was an early FB adopter so 15 years of friends and history was gone and yet i really don't miss it. I was fascinated to see how often i reached for it though out of habit.
I was at London Book Fair last month and there was so mich hype around all the things you "have" to do on social media. One presenter even said "and don't look tired, viewers can tell when authors are tired". I nearly snorted.
Kudos to you for prioritising your health.
That’s insanity! Like, we’re authors. We’re tired all the time. Thank you for reading ❤️
This post brought me peace in weird way. It's a cautionary tale--a be careful what you wish for type of thing. I'm glad you have been there and done that to help the rest of us, but I'm also sorry that the world is such a shitty place that you can't step into the limelight and enjoy it for a while without attracting all the bloodsuckers.
Thank you. It’s not my nature to want the limelight so it was also accepting that I wasn’t being authentic to me.
Kerry, you are one badass woman yourself! I'm glad to be following you here and even more glad that you give validation to saying fuck-you to the "you must have a social media platform" gatekeepers. I'm finally writing my book. Which isn't about a real woman, but is about a badass woman. Let's give our badass women their voices, real or imaginary, and give the next generations of women some stories to inspire them.
XO
Yes!!!
Love! Stay wild, child!♡
🔥
Great post. Love what you've done!
Thank you, Nancy!
You’re quite welcome. I’m reconsidering all of what I do on social media. What I am doing isn’t working for me, so I find your decisions inspiring.
Thank you for this, Kerry. And thank you for listening to your heart and following. A month or two ago, I canceled all streaming services, closed my X account and icky Threads, and I deleted the other social media apps from my phone. Like you, it opened up space in my life and my head. I created a Patreon page as a one-stop shop for my fiction and merch. Then I jumped on Substack, hoping to fill the SM-sized hole in my life. It has done so much more. Being here has given me new motivation to write. I've even returned to the art of creative nonfiction which I love with a passion. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Love this, Olivia! Thank you for reading.
Major respect for you + gratitude for your honesty. I’ve had to make big shifts in my online presence as an author, and I found myself nodding along at how you “jumped off the ride and found shapes in the clouds.” The art I want to keep making requires paying attention in my embodied life. And that requires choosing my absence elsewhere. Thanks for writing this + choosing to care for yourself (and I think, your readers) well.
Thank you so much! The embodied life is a wonderful way to put it. It’s a daily practice/struggle to stay present.
This was a great read. Definitely relatable, as someone with books looking to grow that daunting "author platform". But this really put things in perspective. Thanks!
Thank you, Jamie!