how posting daily on Substack is helping me write a book
Three weeks ago, I began posting daily on Substack. Well, every week-day that is. I still have one week left, but after effortlessly pumping out 5,000 words today for my book, I wanted to take some time to reflect on this process — because obviously something is working for me. After a period of not feeling like anything was working. at all.
To be transparent, I didn’t choose to do this because I was trying to to find a system that helped me finish the book I’ve been working on for years now. No, I actually chose to do this because I failed to deliver what I’d promised to my subscribers: A weekly post.
Even though writing is and has been my favorite hobby—the easiest, most necessary part of my life — it became hard for me. I think somewhere during the transition of writing for myself, to writing to share with the world, my brain glitched a little bit. I’ve been adjusting. Learning. As we all do.
Every time I question if I want to go back to just writing for myself and not publishing the book, I always arrive to same answer — Absolutely fucking not. It’s a call that I cannot ignore. I’m not sure if it can be explained logically. I just feel like I must do it. Like it is part of my human journey here on earth. And this is enough for me to keep me trudging on. Even when it feels like I’m rowing in dulce de leche, as my Argentine counterparts say here.
The book process has honestly been such a wild ride, and has left me many times wondering if I’ll ever finish. If I’ll ever be able to do it. But doing this self-challenge, that actually arose from failure, has allowed me to see that I am capable of progress. That I am capable of moving forward. Of writing more. That I will not stay stuck forever.
I once heard that the only way to prove our negative thoughts wrong is by giving ourselves information to the contrary. Which means the only way to prove to yourself that you can do the thing is by, quite literally, doing the thing.
What’s ironic is that, it was never my intention to use this month to prove to myself that I am capable of writing a book. In fact, I think it was another way to avoid writing the book. Catching up on everything I haven’t finished. Re-arranging the furniture in my house. Again. Cleaning the stove. Teaching English. Learning French. Anything but, writing the book. After I catch-up on the posts I failed to give to my subscribers, I’ll be able to focus on the book. I thought.
But something different happened. When I sat down to write about whatever I wanted to write about that day, ideas for the book came to me. Sometimes. But even if they didn’t, I wrote anyway. I just wrote. Some days, the book made more sense. Other days, the book made no sense. But small progress was made. Even if a few days went by without any progress at all.
And you know what, by doing the damn thing, and keeping the promise to myself to post daily, I really feel like I can finish anything. When it comes to writing.
Maybe that feels like a stretch to you. But for me, it makes perfect sense. Because I now know it’s just a matter of sitting down and doing it. Of dedicating myself to it.
Which is the direct opposite of the information I gave to my brain when I was failing to post weekly writings.
My brain changed from saying:
Lex, if you can’t post one writing a week, there’s no way you’re going to be able to finish a book.
To…
Lex, if you can post something every day for an entire month, obviously, over time, you’re going to be able to finish the book.
And that, my friends, has made this experience super fucking valuable to me. Sorry for failing y’all for the past few months, but we’re catching up. I hope you can forgive me. Thanks so much for being part of this process. Part of this journey.
Apart from gaining confidence and proving to myself that I can… I’ve learned a lot of things.
First of all, I’ve learned that rest days are really important. Having days that are dedicated to doing nothing expect for enjoying life… that matters. When I’m not thinking I need to write. Where I can simply just be present, and go slow. Those days are important.
Second, sometimes the schedule doesn’t always go according to plan. Sometimes we want to produce something every day, but our bodies decide otherwise. Even though I’m working on a project that I really love, that happens sometimes. I just can’t. And that’s okay. I’m not one of those people, at this point in time, who makes myself sit at my desk and work on a project even though it isn’t proving fruitful. I pivot. So on the days where I feel really good, I tried to schedule other things to post to the future days. That gave me the freedom to take it easy on the days I didn’t feel up to it… Like when I was in the luteal phase of my period. Ugh, the fucking worst.
Third, that the more I care about what I’m writing about, the less I care if anyone else cares about it. If I’m writing because I’m trying to get an audience to like me, or trying to gain a following, I’m end up feeling sad when those things don’t happen. But when I’m writing to be true to myself… to get closer to my personal goal of publishing a book, it feels really fucking good. Like anything that I do in the process helps me. There is no real goal right now for these posts other than to actually post them. To finish.
Four, the more I write about the things that matter to me right now, the more the ideas for the book flow, even though the book is about events that happened in the past. When I’m in alignment with current Lex, I can understand the Lex from the time-period of the book a lot more.
Fifth and finally, everyone has a lot of advice when it comes to writing a book. Just like everyone had a lot of advice for the way to study in law school. Or the way to study for the Bar exam. Or the way to do anything, really. But the more I write, the more I find the way that flows easiest to me. My way. I don’t think it’s a common approach. And I don’t think the structure of the book will be very common either. But it’s the only way that feels right to me. And when I follow the things that feel right to me, they generally end up making perfect sense at the end.
Love y’all,
Lex
Love what you wrote and yes I thank you will finish your book love you ❤️❤️❤️💋💋