Recognising the Unread Substack

Recognising the Unread Substack

I haven’t written here for a long time as I was up to my oxters in a project now completed. Also, and more importantly, I had nothing much to say. Ok, my darling cat died, the kids moved far way in the same month so I’m going commando in the Big Alone Forever, but that’s life.

Joining Substack I had imagined it as a “content”-free zone full of contentment. But that has turned out to be not the case at all. There is so much AI rubbish now masquerading as empathy, community, wisdom. On top of that, there is the constant push to grow your audience, make your money. And the big names have arrived. George Tsakraklides, who I read daily, will have to tell me where to find palms big enough for all the fanning. Perhaps Alon Mizrahi can find them in Mexico?

For the young women here, you go and make this work, girls. Those of us further down the road - who have survived decades of non-writing because of all ‘the miles to go before we sleep’ - are right here for you, affirming you, willing you to succeed. You are not the 30 year-old ‘life coaches’ telling grown women with the scars and glow to prove it, how to live. When said ‘life-coaches’ tell me they are sending a salon-fresh donkey as a gift, then and only then, will I be happy to hear from them.

I subscribe to many wonderful Substacks and pay for a few, but, generally, beyond a handful I don’t read them. Not because I have no interest, but because the Substack email BBQ is all you can eat and I can’t even look at another bite. This morning, as every morning, great writers and writing appear in my inbox and will remain unopened, unread. I’m sorry.

Though I have doonchie following here, so far I’ve had only one Unsubscribe message. I don’t take that as an insult, but as personal taste or general housekeeping. From my own end, for now, I’m unwilling to Unsubscribe from all the wonderful writers I am not reading because in this world of ‘Followers’ maybe the numbers matter to them? Or to someone like a publisher or a sponsor? With only the 12, the Nazarene would have been a nobody.

So please lovely Substackers, know that when we are not reading it’s nothing personal. It has nothing to do with the quality of your work or your value as an observer, writer.

It’s not you, it’s us.