Nice dream
Noise Reduction has been going for a year. It's been an interesting experiment. What happens next? The usual links to fun, inspiration and guidance within.
I started this Substack last March. I had just published my third book, but the first with a major, mainstream publisher: Penguin Random House. Things were looking good and my writing mojo was rising. I wanted to see if I could make a living out of writing by connecting directly with you, my audience. Because you sure can’t make it out of writing books. Not the majority of mere mortals anyway, without mega-fans built through a string of successful books.
A regular newsletter on the publishing platform that Substack was providing seemed like a good idea. Substack were supportive, even giving me a place on one of their accelerator programs.
All was going well until it didn’t. It started going off track when I took time off to visit family in the UK in October 2022. I took a trip earlier in April / May and I kept writing during that one. But I needed more uninterrupted time to connect with family and friends in that October trip.
My readership metrics never recovered from that time off.
When I returned to writing, readers started to leave in droves. I’m not sure why. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure that out and understand what I need to do. But now that I’m a year into this experiment, I’m accepting the result that it’s not possible for me to make a living out of writing. Not in this form, anyway.
I tried. I really did.
But I can’t afford to continue this experiment any longer. I need to reallocate my time to different projects and consultancy work. I need to pay the bills.
So, my publishing cadence for newsletter is changing.
It’ll now be about once a month-ish, with the occasional bonus post or issue. It will also be free, but with an option for people to donate or subscribe if they wish to support my writing. I hope you can understand my reasons for this change.
Thank you to all my paid members. I’m emailing you separately with a special gift to show my appreciation of your support in the next day or two. I hope you can use it.
Enjoy this month’s issue!
The rule of 3
Here’s the recipe for public speaking: make no more than three points, explain difficult ideas in three ways, and repeat key points three times. Mix this with a genuine desire to connect with people and you have the magic formula. More from science communicator and actor, Alan Alda, here, including audio and YouTube video too.
Kung fu nuns and environmental activism
Ms. Lhamo and the other members of her religious order are known as the Kung Fu nuns, part of an 800-year-old Buddhist sect called Drukpa, the Tibetan word for dragon. Their time has come in this great photo essay.
Today, Drukpa nuns not only practice Kung Fu but also lead prayers and walk for months on pilgrimages to pick up plastic litter and make people aware of climate change.
Every year for the past 20, except for a hiatus during the pandemic, the nuns have cycled about 1,250 miles from Kathmandu to Ladakh, high in the Himalayas, to promote green transportation.
Along the way, they stop to educate people in rural parts of both Nepal and India about gender equality and the importance of girls.
Why Gen Z faces workplace ‘tech shame’
They may be digital natives, but young workers were raised on user-friendly apps – and office devices are far less intuitive, and the structural components tend not to change as fast as apps do. Printers, right?
Dell used its own survey of respondents between the ages of 18 and 26 to find that 56% of respondents said “they had very basic to no digital skills education.” A third of them said their education had not provided them “with the digital skill they need to propel their career”. What they know comes from the apps they use on their own time, not the tech supplies at Office Depot.
How are you doing?
Click through for a powerful and interactive journey of emotional awareness, where you uncover the power of naming and visualizing your feelings. Who knew– you can feel more than one feeling at once?
Kia ora Sarb,
I've appreciated the times your writings or links have helped when I've been struggling to find motivation or direction.
I always feel a bit sad when some one of high calibre in my opinion, has to let go of a dream they worked hard for. Practicality gets us all sometime.
The monthly newsletter will be good.
Kia ora Sarb
You tried and I have enjoyed the diversity of your columns and the ability to reflect. No problem with it switching off either as every other part of life feels fluid at present too. Best wishes on your next adventure! Shaun