What is your why for writing? Is it the joy of creating something? The magic of putting words together in new ways? Is it about the experience itself?
I’ve been asking myself this question for a while—why do I write? And I think I’m discovering the answer.
My mom ended life so well. She lived to be 95, and up until the very end of her dementia, she was resilient, hopeful, and positive. In 2020, at the age of 90, she survived COVID and shared so many tips with me and my Facebook followers.
Thinking about her and my current stage of life, it hit me—I’m in a new phase. I’ve always felt like the youngest person in the room, but now I’m realizing that, in many rooms, I’m one of the oldest.
This past year, I turned 61, and I feel like I’m having my seventh-inning stretch. It’s time to look back, look forward, and ask myself how I want to finish life well. And I have learned so much about so many things that I’d love to share.
I’ve come to the conclusion that, for me, writing is about the reader and making connections.
Twenty years ago, I started blogging back when blogging wasn’t cool—before it became a tool. You didn’t need a fancy website or a professional headshot. It was simply a space where people interested in your life could follow along.
And wow, was my life interesting! I was in the throes of parenting, and my readers were almost all foster and adoptive parents. My kids did all kinds of interesting things, and my best friend once said, “Your blog is like a bad car accident. You know you shouldn’t gawk, but you can’t help yourself.”
We had a good thing going—a bunch of us writing, reading, commenting, and forming a community.
I went on to write five books—three nonfiction and two fiction. I loved writing them. I hated marketing them. I self-published, and the ones that are still in print are currently taking up storage space. I think some of them helped people—at least, I hope so.
Eventually, I transitioned to Facebook as blogging changed. I posted and gathered about 3,000 friends and followers. I loved the interactions. I shared daily devotionals, funny things my grandkids or husband said, and my thoughts and ideas. It has been a great 15 years.
But with Facebook becoming more polarizing and flooded with ads, Substack is where I’m pulling it all together.
I’d love to create a community of readers who are striving to integrate everything they’ve learned so that our best years are ahead of us. I envision a space where we can have real dialogue—whether we’re boomers with only a decade or two left or younger generations looking to live intentionally now so they can end well.
Making money isn’t my goal, but I do plan to give away half of everything that comes in to families in crisis in my community. I guess I’m the TOMS Shoes or Bombas of Substack.
Here are some of the topics I hope to cover as I share what I’ve learned:
Wisdom from my late mom, shared during her last five years of life
What I’ve learned as an adoptive and foster parent and as a child welfare professional
What I’m learning about healthy living and weight loss (I’ve lost 80 pounds in the last six months!)
How to form good habits—and stick with them
The power of Vision Boards and intentional living
Funny stories and snippets from my life, featuring my somewhat sarcastic and warped sense of humor
Devotionals and spiritual wisdom from my worldview
How self-awareness can help us become the best version of ourselves (Enneagram, Working Genius, 5 Voices, etc.)
Stories that may resonate with those in ministry or married to someone in ministry
Leadership tips for those navigating leadership in this weird world
And whatever else happens to float through my head at any given time
So, welcome to my world. Subscribers will receive 1-2 emails a week. Paid subscribers will receive additional content.
Either way, I’d love to hear your feedback—which topics from the list above would be most meaningful to you?
Here we go… As one of my favorite people once said, “Put on your seatbelt and get ready for a ride!”
Claudia, stumbled upon your post while simply searching for "Why Substack", as I'm trying to analyze and learn the ropes of this app / social network that I'm betting on (I think, as you mention, other social networks such as Facebook have pivoted into something else, while Substack seems to remain a writer's app at its core)...
This said, I loved what I read, coming from a 30 year-old who thinks life is happening very, very fast, but who also knows I'm just 1/3 in, if I'm lucky enough to live as long as your mother.
Thank you, and hope to read more from you.
I really like how you summarize to purpose of your substack. You have lots of wisdom to share. I pray this format will be a place where that wisdom is chronicled, shared, and archived.