Wow! Had no idea the impact my engagement had; I am glad that I was able to do my part. Also, shout out to Robbie for being very professional in approaching me about writing this article and how easy he made it for me to be involved in the article and get my first writing credit.
No problem buddy! We did each other a favour. Happy to include you as a guess poster.
You never do know what impact your engagement will have. That (in addition for my well known love of saying words) is why I ensure I leave a comment on every article I read that I really like. My reading tastes, just like my writing ones, tend to skew unpopular, so I never know when my like or comment may be going to someone having serious thoughts about quitting. The more writers on this platform, the more variety, and the more variety the better.
I really like a lot these personal pieces you've been writing lately, connecting your passion for writing with your passion for football and delving into the writing process itself and the mental aspects of writing. This one here really digs deep into you as a writer and it really adds a whole other layer to your substack.
You know, writing on the "internet" has huge potential for immediate responses, interaction and connecting with a wider readership that print writing pre-internet did not, but it's harder in so many ways, one being if you're writing on a niche there's a lot for people to choose from.
It seems the key in the modern era of writing is to personalize, and you're doing that quite well!
Thank you my friend! Honestly, I have a hard time telling how good these articles are. I've never specialised in writing stories without endings, so your positive words are really appreciated.
I never thought there would be such interest in my personal story. I know Substack loves and promotes writing about writing, but I promise it's not that interesting. Surely I can't be the only one who thought about quitting, but didn't. If you don't mind my asking, do you really think this one is that important? How would something like this add another layer to my publication?
I'm not sure if I share a niche with anybody. I'm not really fighting for the football audience. It's not like I take pains to be different than anybody else, it's just that nobody does what I do. I'm just waiting out the process for readers to figure out who I am and notice I'm here. Honestly, I think my main 'competition' (if I could use that word) would be humans like yourself.
Your stuff is a lot closer to mine in concept than a typical football newsletter, which is why you're on my recommend list and they're not, but our stuff is still noticeably different because you and I are noticeably different in tone, which I think is that personalisation you're talking about.
I've seen a lot of your notes about your writing process, which perhaps were a subliminal influence to write these pieces about myself, because I'd never thought of my writing process before. I'd never cognised how much of my self (two words) that I put into these pieces. I'd never taken the time to think about how I made anything. I just made it. I'm not sure it's made me a better writer to think about it, but it surely can't have made me any worse.
In sum, I'm glad you're interested in this, and interested in myself (one word). I hope I can continue moving forward with the same character I used to get here, because I do think you're right that the influence of that character is underrated, even by me.
When I said you were adding another layer with that post, I was referencing how you were further distinguishing your voice as a sportswriter with this type of personal post. You already write extremely well on your sport, covering it in a manner that I feel has appeal to ardent football fans, casual fans, and those either curious or who just enjoy good sports writing (I would fall into that category). My target audience is similar in that regard with my wrestling writing.
The other layer is the reader getting to know you, the writer, much better, which I believe in the short and long will go a long way to build your audience substantially in the football medium.
You’re sharing not only what motivates you to write, but also your challenges. Readers will gradually feel like they know you, and it builds a strong connection that can’t be there when someone is just reporting. I speak to this as a reader across many “athletic” genres.
I like to use a lot of analogies in life comparing it to the wrestling world, because I find it apt, so I’ll do here too. In wrestling, what has always historically made a wrestler get over huge, regardless of the era and going back more than a half century, is establishing a personal connection with the audience. They get over on an extra special level because the audience is emotionally drawn to them and in turn committed to them beyond just how they are presented on TV. The same applies to non-fiction genre writers in my view.
You seem to have a lot of knowledge for wrestling, and like I mentioned I like your writing style a lot. I posted last month the first guest post on my Substack, and I like the idea of further having other voices talk about what they like and why they like it in the current wrestling scene. If you’re ever interested in writing a guest post, let me know a few ideas of what you might like to write about, and I would welcome it.
I never pictured that so many would have such an interest in my personal story. Is it interesting? I've been living through it, so it's never seemed that interesting to me, although perhaps my ability to chronicle the story brings more interest than the story itself, which is what I'm starting to learn is the case when I post things about other humans.
This article idea was like an epiphany. It hit me all at once that I could write something like this. I'd never seen anybody do anything like it before. I thought it'd be a cool idea. It's always hard to convince myself I've pulled it off to the best of your abilities, but thank you for the kind words! It lets me know I've at least gotten the message across.
Wow! Had no idea the impact my engagement had; I am glad that I was able to do my part. Also, shout out to Robbie for being very professional in approaching me about writing this article and how easy he made it for me to be involved in the article and get my first writing credit.
No problem buddy! We did each other a favour. Happy to include you as a guess poster.
You never do know what impact your engagement will have. That (in addition for my well known love of saying words) is why I ensure I leave a comment on every article I read that I really like. My reading tastes, just like my writing ones, tend to skew unpopular, so I never know when my like or comment may be going to someone having serious thoughts about quitting. The more writers on this platform, the more variety, and the more variety the better.
I really like a lot these personal pieces you've been writing lately, connecting your passion for writing with your passion for football and delving into the writing process itself and the mental aspects of writing. This one here really digs deep into you as a writer and it really adds a whole other layer to your substack.
You know, writing on the "internet" has huge potential for immediate responses, interaction and connecting with a wider readership that print writing pre-internet did not, but it's harder in so many ways, one being if you're writing on a niche there's a lot for people to choose from.
It seems the key in the modern era of writing is to personalize, and you're doing that quite well!
Thank you my friend! Honestly, I have a hard time telling how good these articles are. I've never specialised in writing stories without endings, so your positive words are really appreciated.
I never thought there would be such interest in my personal story. I know Substack loves and promotes writing about writing, but I promise it's not that interesting. Surely I can't be the only one who thought about quitting, but didn't. If you don't mind my asking, do you really think this one is that important? How would something like this add another layer to my publication?
I'm not sure if I share a niche with anybody. I'm not really fighting for the football audience. It's not like I take pains to be different than anybody else, it's just that nobody does what I do. I'm just waiting out the process for readers to figure out who I am and notice I'm here. Honestly, I think my main 'competition' (if I could use that word) would be humans like yourself.
Your stuff is a lot closer to mine in concept than a typical football newsletter, which is why you're on my recommend list and they're not, but our stuff is still noticeably different because you and I are noticeably different in tone, which I think is that personalisation you're talking about.
I've seen a lot of your notes about your writing process, which perhaps were a subliminal influence to write these pieces about myself, because I'd never thought of my writing process before. I'd never cognised how much of my self (two words) that I put into these pieces. I'd never taken the time to think about how I made anything. I just made it. I'm not sure it's made me a better writer to think about it, but it surely can't have made me any worse.
In sum, I'm glad you're interested in this, and interested in myself (one word). I hope I can continue moving forward with the same character I used to get here, because I do think you're right that the influence of that character is underrated, even by me.
When I said you were adding another layer with that post, I was referencing how you were further distinguishing your voice as a sportswriter with this type of personal post. You already write extremely well on your sport, covering it in a manner that I feel has appeal to ardent football fans, casual fans, and those either curious or who just enjoy good sports writing (I would fall into that category). My target audience is similar in that regard with my wrestling writing.
The other layer is the reader getting to know you, the writer, much better, which I believe in the short and long will go a long way to build your audience substantially in the football medium.
You’re sharing not only what motivates you to write, but also your challenges. Readers will gradually feel like they know you, and it builds a strong connection that can’t be there when someone is just reporting. I speak to this as a reader across many “athletic” genres.
I like to use a lot of analogies in life comparing it to the wrestling world, because I find it apt, so I’ll do here too. In wrestling, what has always historically made a wrestler get over huge, regardless of the era and going back more than a half century, is establishing a personal connection with the audience. They get over on an extra special level because the audience is emotionally drawn to them and in turn committed to them beyond just how they are presented on TV. The same applies to non-fiction genre writers in my view.
You seem to have a lot of knowledge for wrestling, and like I mentioned I like your writing style a lot. I posted last month the first guest post on my Substack, and I like the idea of further having other voices talk about what they like and why they like it in the current wrestling scene. If you’re ever interested in writing a guest post, let me know a few ideas of what you might like to write about, and I would welcome it.
This is such a nice article, I’m really glad you stuck with it.
Thanks Aaron!
I never pictured that so many would have such an interest in my personal story. Is it interesting? I've been living through it, so it's never seemed that interesting to me, although perhaps my ability to chronicle the story brings more interest than the story itself, which is what I'm starting to learn is the case when I post things about other humans.
This article idea was like an epiphany. It hit me all at once that I could write something like this. I'd never seen anybody do anything like it before. I thought it'd be a cool idea. It's always hard to convince myself I've pulled it off to the best of your abilities, but thank you for the kind words! It lets me know I've at least gotten the message across.