Hello! I made you something.
In which I introduce Inner Wilderness Unlimited, give you a little tour of Substack, and invite you to join the community
You clicked! Thank you. I know time is precious, and I appreciate you spending some of yours here with me.
Welcome to my Substack: Inner Wilderness Unlimited.
Let’s start with the basics, like what the heck a Substack is.
What the heck IS Substack?
Substack is kind of a mashup of old-school newsletters and blogs, but on a much nicer platform that was built by and for readers and writers. I’m still learning, but here’s my current understanding of the different elements that come together to make this online space so exciting to me:
The Substack Publication - Each Substack publication is like a blog (in that you can visit it via a web browser or the Substack app) and an email newsletter (in that, when you subscribe, it’s delivered right to your inbox).
The Substack Platform - One way to think about the Substack platform is as a collection of publications, but it’s so much more than that. While you could categorize Substack as a kind of “social media” platform, it has a very different feel and flavor than places like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok. For one thing, the people behind Substack built it specifically for readers and writers. It feels like there’s a slightly slower pace here, and that people take more time with what they consume and also how they engage in actual conversations. It also doesn’t hurt that there are some seriously talented writers on here, and even the ones you haven’t (yet) heard of are producing very high-quality pieces that are a pleasure to read.
Notes - You can think of Notes as Substack’s internal social feed. This is where people share links to their new works, “restack” (share) other people’s work, and post all kinds of other things. You can interact with someone’s note by liking or commenting and so forth.
Chat/Threads - The easiest comparison I can make to describe the Chat feature is to liken it to either a really fun group text or a Discord. It’s basically a series of conversations, each of which is called a thread. A lot of Substack writers have subscriber-only threads where their “inner circle” can converse in relative privacy.
And … what is Inner Wilderness Unlimited?
My Substack publication is called Inner Wilderness Unlimited. And you’re here right now!
This is a project I’ve been thinking about for literally years. I finally started actually putting pen to paper and fingers to keyboard about six months ago, and — now — here we are. I’m really excited about it.
I am sure things will evolve as we go along, but to begin with, here’s what I’ll be publishing:
Monday Moxie - A short weekly post that goes out — you guessed it! — Monday morning. These posts will feature an upbeat bit of inspiration, usually a song, to help you start the week with good vibes. The first Monday Moxie post features a Coldplay song that I thought I just discovered, but which apparently everyone was dancing to in 2015.
Thursday Essay - Thursdays will feature my main post of the week, which will include an audio voiceover as part of the free subscription. Recording these is WAY outside my comfort zone, BUT I know that it’s hard to find time to read and I also love audio content myself, so … I decided to go for it. Please be kind. While you’re waiting for this week’s essay, here are three “starter” posts that will give you a little feel for what Inner Wilderness Unlimited is all about:
An invitation
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What was one thing you wished for more than anything else when you were a kid? I wished for unicorns. … and dragons. … and faeries. As a kid with a love of fantasy stories and a runaway imagination, I had little trouble believing in the impossible. There were days when it s…
Inner wilderness what now?
“Where do you get your ideas?” Author Neil Gaiman refers to this as “the question that must not be asked,” and it’s true that most writers dread having to answer it. They will evade with humor and change the subject as quickly as possible. But I’d actually like to s…
None of this is new, and I am not an expert.
I’m not saying these things to be self deprecating. It’s just true. And I like to set expectations up front because I don’t want to disappoint anyone. None of this is new, and I am not an expert. There. I said it. That’s a load off. I’ve done a fair amount of public writing in the last seventeen years. I…
That’s the free stuff, but — wait!! — there’s more! (If you’re willing & able to shell out $1.03 a week.)
In addition to my weekly essay and Monday Moxie posts, paid subscribers will also get access to some additional essays and opportunities to connect with what I’m hoping will grow to become a vibrant and welcoming community:
Saturday Side Quest Thread - This subscriber-only thread will offer inspiration and nuts-and-bolts ideas to help you kickstart your own, non-icky self discovery. And, because it’s a thread, it’ll also offer a semi-private place to share your experience and connect with others who are on their own inner wilderness journeys.
Behind-the-scenes and Other Bonus Pieces - In a past life, I spent ten years writing on a blog about writing. I don’t see why I should stop now. I’m already itching to share stories and details about what it’s been like to launch this Substack. I may also occasionally write random pieces like book reviews and such.
Subscriber-only Chat Threads - I also hope to have random chats once we get our little community up and running. No idea what we’ll talk about, but I know we’ll make it fun.
TBD - Total Transparency: I have a whole bunch of ideas for how things might evolve here at Inner Wilderness Unlimited, but I want that evolution to be a collaboration with readers like you. Instead of putting us in a corner, I’ll just say: There will be more. (Think co-working sessions, movie nights, book club, guest posts, Q&As, etc.)
What can YOU do to help?
You’re so kind to ask.
Of course, I’d LOVE it if you’d subscribe:
But if that’s too forward on a first date, I would also be delighted just to have you read/listen to some of my work. (See handy links above.)
And if you like it, some love in the form of likes (that little heart at the bottom of each post), comments (so I know you’re there!), and shares would be ever so appreciated. [Note: You will need to create a free Substack account to like and comment, but I swear that doesn’t put you on any mailing lists or anything.]
My dream for this project is to create a space — our own little corner of the web — where we can come together to encourage and inspire each other as we explore our unique inner wildernesses, and maybe even come to learn where they meet.
I am the author of this Substack, but it’s not really about me. It’s about you. Or, rather, it’s about all of us, and the magic that can happen when we make time to really get to know ourselves. You never know … we might just end up saving the world.
So exciting!
I love it :)