You asked about…becoming a writer

Answers to your questions

Jo March (Winona Ryder), the ultimate writer dream

Hello you gorgeous creature,

The Q&A is back because I still have a stack of your questions to get through, and no woman will be left behind on my watch.

For context, if you’re new to this party, last month I dedicated Sunday’s sermon to you, and told you to ask anything you want (full recap here), and I’d answer it. So, for a little while longer, I’ll be arriving slap, bang in the middle of your inbox most days, not just Sunday morning.

So, my sleeves are rolled up, my tea is piping hot, and my heart is full. Let’s get into it.

*All names have been changed to keep it delightfully anonymous

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Dear Salma,

I love to read your newsletter every week and you are an inspiration to me (and probably many other women). I can’t wait to read your new book. A friend recommended your first book and since then you have a huge fan from a tiny town in the south of Germany in me. I hope it brings you joy how far your words reach.

You sometimes say, that you wouldn‘t recommend becoming a writer. I was a journalist and would love to become a writer though. I just don‘t know where to start. At the moment I am just writing for myself. I struggled with addiction and am sober for almost three years now. I am discovering life in a new way and it‘s not always great. Reliving my memories, realising how badly I was treated not only by men but by society.

You and many other women helped me see how girls and women are still wronged today. It helps me find my strength. I am angry and tired at the same time. And I want to do something about it. I want to tell the world why there is a need for yet another raging feminist. I feel my creativity coming back and I finally have a clear mind.

I was thinking about starting my own substack for now. Do you think that is a good start? Or do you have any advice on what else to do with my thoughts? How I could make money off them? I would love your advice. Many thanks in advance.

xoxo

Jo

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Dear Jo,

Let me start by saying it brings me the most amount of joy EVER, to know that in a tiny town, south of Germany, my words get to curl up with you. What an honour.

Now, onto your question. Yes, I do often say that I wouldn’t recommend being a writer because it is a job so full of angst and despair. You sit and pull the words out of you, often filled with doubt as to whether they’re any good or not, and then you release them into the wild and try to make a living off them, and it is historically a job that is exceptionally difficult to make a living from.

However, that being said, if you feel the urge to write, whether that’s a big, bold, internal, wild scream or just a tiny, gentle whisper inside of you, then you must absolutely, unequivocally, write.

You see, storytellers are the real magicians of the world, and to be a writer is to be a storyteller. It is to be a witness to history. A weaver of worlds. The gatekeeper of escapism. The ferryman to wonder. You tell stories that teach, inspire, transport, and make people feel something. In a world so fractured, it is the writers who will document not just what happened, but how we felt while it was happening.

In any place in the world, with just the tips of your fingers, whether flying over a keyboard or clutched around a pen, you get to take people places. Make their heart soar. You can transform their face into a river of salt. You have the unique ability to make people think about something, or someone, differently. And what a goddamn privilege that is.

So yes, writing is hard, but if it comes knocking for you, then you must answer the door. You must write. You have no other option. With great bravery, you must steel yourself, harden your backbone, and accept the turmoil and strife writing will be, all safe in the knowledge that you have immense power. You are a storyteller, and there is nothing more powerful than telling your story, or someone else’s, whether in fiction or non-fiction.

So, now that we’ve cleared that up, onto the more practical advice. Yes, I think a Substack is a wonderful way to start. You see, the thing about writing is you can’t just write and leave it to gather dust in a notes app or a notebook. You must give it to the world. It’s also the only way you get better. I started by writing a blog many years ago, before social media was a thing, and WordPress still ruled online. The blog was terrible, some of the posts were awful, but publishing them every single week, being accountable to an audience, even when it was only an audience of one at the beginning, made me a better writer.

Write, and let it go into the world. You can do that on Subtack. On social media with long story-led captions. On an email list. Anything you like, but just let it fly from your fingers out into the world.

If you’d like, start writing a book, but make sure you’re still writing online and publishing as well. Start one chapter at a time. Then see if you can sell it because why the hell not? You can make money from your art. It’s really, really hard, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. After all, we’re women; we are accustomed to doing hard things.

Plus, your story sounds fascinating. It also sounds like it might help a lot of people. Pick up your pen, my dear, or settle your fingers over your keyboard. It is time to tell some stories. After all, the best is yet to come.