It’s tempting to skip a blog for August given the heat and the holiday season, but as I contemplate doing so there is something that simply nags in my body – this is simply one of my practices. I have found something to share for the first of each month for many years and there’s almost a sense of letting myself down if I defer or avoid altogether. Given I also have a daily writing practice, how hard is it to divert from the usual avenues and simply jot down a few interesting lines to share?! And because it is August, I’ll limit myself to just a few.
I’ve been down Substack and Medium rabbit holes recently. Both platforms have well-known, interesting writers and it seems they tend to choose one or the other but not both (although I found the wonderful Elif Shafak on both). Beyond the instantly recognisable names they both have a plethora of other contributors and it’s easy to get lost there. Hence the rabbit hole description. Read one article and stay for a million more. Indeed, research suggests Substack has more than 20 million monthly active subscribers and 5 million paid subscriptions; Medium’s figures show around 1 million paid subscribers/members. I just can’t get along with the mood of rampant commercialisation of the former, seemingly less in-my-face with the latter. So I’m still experimenting.
I often wonder if there’s really anything left to say? The overwhelming amount of information there is now – everything before the internet as well as everything since its inception – vast isn’t a big enough word somehow. And yet writers still keep writing and readers keep reading.
Rabbit holes are enticing yet time consuming and as I come to final full stop I make a commitment to myself to be vigilant about spending too much time there. Outside in nature, hearing birdsong and seeing trees, my creative soul needs that even more.