A HUGE hug from Christine Wolf. Thank you for your subscription to Writers' Haven on Substack
Your support means more than you know.
Hello, you.
I just wanted to take a moment to reach out and send you a HUGE virtual hug.
First, thank you for seeing me and thank you for reading my work.
When I started writing on Substack a few months back, it was literally “from scratch”.
I’ve been building a professional writing career for years — first on Wordpress, then with Patch, then with Pioneer Press (The Chicago Sun-Times and The Chicago Tribune), then Medium — but during Covid, I found myself desperately searching for a way to connect more deeply, immediately, and authentically with my readers.
Without a doubt, each of those previous platforms served an important purpose in my writing journey.
A Quick Look Back
My first Wordpress blog pushed me to put my (unpaid) work out into the world, while Patch helped to thicken up my journalistic skin just in time for my two paid opinion columns with Pioneer Press. And nearly all the while, I was publishing on ChicagoNow, the official blogging site of The Chicago Tribune.
Without a doubt, the most important part of my journey was with ChicagoNow. Though my first viral article appeared on Patch, ChicagoNow is where I won my first writing award, built a loyal following, learned how to create digital content and optimize SEO, found a lifelong community of fellow writers, and discovered the value of sharing my work consistently.
Last month, when the Trib decided to shut down the ChicagoNow site without warning, thousands of posts were erased — including hundreds of my drafts. Thankfully, I managed to save my 147 published posts, and they mean more to me now than ever.
The ChicagoNow experience reminded me that I, alone, must be the steward of my own content, and that my work is more valuable than I sometimes even realize. Looking back through the ChicagoNow posts I wrote between 2012 and 2019 — before my divorce, before my sister died, before George Floyd was murdered, before Trump was elected, before Covid hit — I’m stunned by the perspective my writing offers, reminding me how quickly the world can change and how much I take for granted on a daily basis.
As a writer, when I hit “publish” and send my work into the world, I never know how it might land or if the tone will touch someone at just the right time. It’s a constant gamble, and I’ve never considered myself a gambler by nature. What I’ve come to learn during my writing journey, though, is that I do have an entrepreneurial spirit (who knew?), and it’s been an invaluable asset that helps me adapt with this ever-changing publishing landscape.
Whenever I’ve put my work out there without any expectation for compensation, I’ve told myself I’m investing in my future as a professional writer. I’ve known I won’t get anywhere in this field without establishing a solid body of work. And, I’ve known it would take time to build the skills and an archive I am proud of. I’ve had to have a marathon mentality, I suppose, knowing I can’t cross any publishing finish lines without putting in the work, bit by bit, day by day.
Though it was maddening to see how the Tribune sprinkled ads throughout my ChicagoNow posts (thereby making money off my unpaid writing), I chalked it all up to “paying my dues”. God I was naive. I was so insecure. And, I was unsure if my skills merited compensation.
And then, when the powers-that-be at the Trib dumped ChicagoNow without warning, I couldn’t believe the audacity — or the heartlessness with which they acted. The Trib didn’t warn us the site (and our content) would disappear. They didn’t give us a chance to back up our years of work. They just shut it down without a word. The. End.
On the bright side, in late 2018 I saw the writing on the wall at ChicagoNow and left the platform. In 2019, I moved my writing to Medium. The platform seemed to offer so much more than ChicagoNow ever did (it was ad-free, the user experience was sleek and streamlined, and best of all, they paid their writers!).
At that time, it didn’t even occur to me to strike out on my own and write on my own website. I figured I needed to write somewhere that had an established “name”. And it was at Medium that I spent two years doing a LOT of things WRONG, like comparing myself to other Medium writers, obsessively checking my stats, and writing pieces about how to make more money on Medium — rather than pieces from my heart. It was a deeply dissatisfying two years of writing, but once again, I gained valuable perspective on what I do — and do not — want in my professional writing career.
On Medium, I could not make a liveable wage. A big part of that’s on me; after all, my content wasn’t authentic. Still, a bigger problem was with the platform’s ever-changing and secretive subscription and compensation algorithms. I couldn’t reach out directly to my followers, and I was compensated in ways that involved mysterious formulas that honestly left me spending more time on math than writing. For the writers who did “hit it big” on Medium, I congratulate you for somehow cracking the code. I tried, I failed, and, once again, I moved on.
YAY for our Writers’ Haven COMMUNITY!
Now that I’m on Substack, so many things thrill me:
• I never, EVER expected to make money on this platform, yet here I am with a solid community of awesome subscribers and a shockingly generous portion of them paying to read my words. Thank you. THANK YOU.
• Paid subscribers receive excerpts from my memoir-in-progress and have their names featured on a dedicated page of the book. I love that I can tailor this newsletter in such specific ways, offering something tangible to my paid subscribers.
• Paid or not, I can drop this newsletter directly into your inbox, and you get to make the call whether to open it or not.
It’s been quite a journey to get this far, and I often feel like I’m just getting started.
Exciting News On The Horizon
• I’m delighted to report that my forthcoming biography about two former members of the U.S. Congress will be published soon. You’ll be the first to know the launch date and how to get a copy.
• My in-process memoir is coming along, albeit slowly, but as I tell my memoir coaching clients, the act of writing a book takes the time it needs.
• I’ve applied for a writing fellowship at Ragdale and hope to hear back from them this month. Chances are low that I’ll get it (this was the first time I’ve applied for anything at Ragdale), but still, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
• I’m applying for a spot in the pilot of America’s Next Great Author, sharing the first 10 pages of my memoir-in-process and hoping the producers find it compelling enough to learn more about my story.
• I’m working nonstop with my amazing memoir clients, coaching them in ways that serve their projects best, be it outlining, developmental editing, copyediting and line editing, querying agents and publishers, or promoting their work. Sometimes, I take the manuscripts and read them while sitting on the shore of Lake Michigan (near my house) and marvel at the fact I get to do this job for a living.
• I’m currently planning a Write to Heal retreat at Civana Wellness Resort and Spa in Carefree, Arizona. The dates will likely be the week after Mother’s Day, in May 2023. Writers new and established will gather for several days in the Sonoran desert to rest, write, meditate, and participate in numerous soul-nourishing activities.
• I’m also playing with dates/times to offer free, virtual write-ins. So many of my clients struggle with making time for their projects, and I, myself, crave structured writing time as we head into the colder months. Let me know if you’d be interested in learning more about Writers’ Haven Virtual Write-Ins here.
I hope you’re enjoying the very best of these end-of-summer days. In many ways, I feel like I’m starting a new school year. Between establishing this newsletter, working on my memoir, coaching my clients, updating my website, and working on a Fall/Winter itinerary for Writers’ Haven LLC, I’m slightly overwhelmed but nonetheless grateful to juggle so many projects near and dear to my heart.
Writing is my haven. Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter, and please let me know if there’s a subject or topic you’d like me to expand (or do a deep dive) on. As always, I value your input, and I’m committed to making this a community you’re excited to be a part of.
THANK YOU!
Awesome to learn of your journey and all it takes to achieve as a writer. You inspire me!
Well done for all your achievements and consistency