Beginnings are hard.
In all honesty though, I’ve been beginning this project in my head for a very long time - and I’m excited and nervous to finally release it into the real world!
First a little about me if we’ve not already been acquainted. I’m Nicola, a London-based freelance writer, HR professional and music podcaster at Pause and Play it Forward. I help publications, businesses and creatives find a way with words by writing articles, press releases, social media and website copy and much more.
I also like to ‘just write’ though, if that makes sense and… no, scrap that.
I LOVE to write!
I feel prickly if I don’t write at least once a day in some shape or form, and let all the words that spin around my head tumble out onto paper or screen.
It’s beautiful and cathartic and it’s where I can get lost, blissfully occupied, in words.
So, why Substack?
I wrote a post on Instagram called, “God, it’s brutal out here”, explaining why I felt the time I took to write considered, long-form captions was being overlooked for a quick scroll and a cheap peek at a photo. I had some lovely responses; kindness, reassurance and feedback - but also some great tips about what I could do differently. To bring some joy back into writing; the thing that brings me so much joy.
I was galvanised. I realised I was posting my work in the wrong place, and that character restrictions, the dreaded algorithm and, and well generally the whole Insta vibe at times, was just not working for me. I did used to blog (‘A Collection of Thoughts’ and then, ‘Material Whirl’ - a kind of wannabe Carrie Bradshaw from south London, which was fun if not slightly cringe) and although no one needs that any more, I miss how liberating it was and the comments and conversations it created.
I needed to refocus, to be true to myself and to aim for quality of work, not quantity of likes (yuck) - and Substack seemed a really, really good place to start.
I’d love to create a community. A readers retreat, if you like...
The formidable Nora Ephron, one of my favourite writers, mined content and experiences from her own life to create brilliant essays, novels and screenplays. Sylvia Plath also once said, “…everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.”
I like to think I have a bit of both. I’ve been told that my work comes straight from the heart. That it’s passionate and giving. Relatable. That my words have made people laugh as well as cry, and also made them want to shout, “Yes! that’s what I think, too!”.
This is, truly, music to my ears.
So by starting my own newsletter, I’m creating a space to publish my articles, stories and personal essays and giving myself my own writer’s retreat.
In turn, I hope my Substack will provide my subscribers with their own readers retreat. Something to immerse yourself in, when you’ve finally slipped away from work, from the chores, from THE LIST.
I’d love to create a community of like-minded people who are curious and inquisitive; who want much more than a doomscroll through Instagram to feel nourished. Who are friendly, kind and fun and love being with good people.
What can you expect from Retreat?
OK, I’m going to be honest here. This is work in progress.
I’ve just moved to Substack, so please bear with me as I unpack all the boxes and settle in.
I’m still figuring out how to truly make it my own, find my voice, do something fancy with the visual elements, seek out my audience and nail down what kind of content will work best. Therefore, although I do offer a paid subscription, I’m going to give it some thought about what you’ll enjoy as a paid reader before I start talking about that bit more.
In the meantime, I’ll aim to write once a week, maybe once a fortnight if the other elements of my life become too noisy. You can expect content about about life, books, music and popular culture and my own personal essays and articles on these topics and more.
Before I go…
Thank you so much for reading this and for being curious about my writing and Retreat.
It means an awful lot. I’m very excited to be writing again.
Nicola x
Photo by Ella Jardim on Unsplash