How to Write Without Words (or with fewer words, at least...)
10 Substack post ideas for when the words just won't come
Some days you can write, and some days you jst cnat/.
It happens to the best of us. And while Substack represents, to many here, newfound freedom from the tight restrictions of algorithmic social media, our brains still love to impose a few random rules: Like, all of my content must be utterly perfect. And, I have to write a whole Pulitzer-worthy essay every time I want to post.
It’s a lot of pressure to put on ourselves. Sometimes, it might work and nudge us into greatness, but most of the time, it only inspires paralysis. We sit spinning, waiting on the the words, on a voice we’ll like more than the one that we have.
It’s such an easy lie to get swept up in: Substack make no secret of their founding mission statement of making writing pay for writers, and is overflowing with incredible literary skill. What if you don’t even really consider yourself to be a writer, as such? I mean,
Of course, the answer is, we are not supposed to.
The only real mission is to keep showing up as ourselves.
If you sometimes feel like you’re ‘not a writer’ enough, take comfort in this: it is not the words and sentences that make your readers fall in love. Yes, great writing can definitely help with that, but in the end it’s really just the packaging - for our ideas, for our stories, for our thoughts.
Even Margaret Atwood, if she pivoted to writing exclusively (albeit beautifully) about plumbing supplies might find herself struggling for an ongoing readership.
If you regularly find yourself struggling to create content, it might be time to revisit the secret rulebook you’ve given yourself. A post can be anything, after all. Maybe you’re more of a talker; maybe you struggle with Dyslexia, or need to write in a language that doesn’t feel natural for you. Whatever your reasoning, you are allowed to use whatever form of delivery best suits your brain, your skills and your message. And it isn’t a compromise; it’s a strength.
Some of the the most magical Substack posts do not hang on the writing. In fact - sometimes they don’t include any words at all, like this gorgeous Video Montage by
So if you sometimes find yourself snagging on the syntax or getting tangled up in type - or if you just want to mix up your posting and vary the pace a little - here are 10 alternative things you can post to your Substack that should lighten the load.
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A Photograph, (with or without a short caption)
, This Picture of Everything shared by
In fact, if you’re missing Instagram, why not utilise your Substack as a slow, immersive ‘Substagram’ feed and send out these simple posts to your Subscribers every time you share? I’d follow it from my favourite creatives, and it would be such a delight to curate.
Inspo from the wilds of Substack: This collection of images fromA Considered List
‘s Unlikely Podcast for Illustrators, and ’s 10 Things Worth Sharing This Week.
Lists are some of the quickest ways to get high-value content out to your audience, with no great literary flare required. I’m not talking Buzzfeed-esque ‘top ten fast food fails’ type nonsense here, but instead, a gathering of your audience-specific thoughts, recommendations or likes. Your top 10 favourite podcasts; 6 movies you love to watch on a rainy day. The books you never managed to finish. The phone apps you most swear by for managing your life. Lists work really well as a regular feature, too; links to things you’ve seen in the news or on social media recently. New buys or bargains that your audience will love. In-season foods for the month, or nature finds to get out and hunt for. You get the idea.
Inspo from the wilds of Substack:A Recipe
‘s Recipe for Disappointment (and rice pudding) and ’s Recipe for Salted Lemon Shortbread.
Tried something new for dinner this week? Finally ready to share your Grandma’s secret to the perfect Victoria sponge? Maybe your work is tied to nature and you can share something seasonal each month based on what food is in bloom. Maybe you’re learning to cook, and can share a contrast between expectation (Martha Stewart’s lasagne) and Reality (a cheesy lump of something brown).
Or you could be a little less literal here: ‘a recipe for a truly terrible first date’. The recipe format is just packaging, really - you can put anything you like inside.
Inspo from the wilds of Substack:A Question.
’s weekly Open Threads ’s open call to ‘Write a Wild Poem With Me’ . Or this Trivia Post from on celebrity pet names.
For now, Substack still has differentiation between Threads and Posts (the difference it negligible, and I suspect the two will be blended at some future point). The idea of a Thread is that the comments are the content; the conversation, the community engagement, the space to be seen and heard. Prompting people to leave comments is something of an art-form (it’s time consuming! It requires us to do more than stare passively at a screen!) so choose open, compelling questions that make readers feel drawn to reply. Eg, ‘What do you wish somebody had told you about parenting?’. ‘Does anyone have any stories about losing out on a dream house?’. Or something fun and silly, like ‘the last picture you saved to your camera roll defines your personality. Show me yours’.
If you’re stuck for ideas, try browsing popular posts on sites like Reddit to see what’s getting people talking the most.
Inspo from the wilds of Substack:A ‘Joy Snack’
or or gorgeous Mood Board here from
My late friend and colleague Su used to send out what she termed as ‘joy snacks’ to her lucky friends and family; short, delightful bits of content that she found, made or forwarded on. They could be anything: a screenshot of a funny tweet; a quick and shaky video of the tide coming in. A handful of rainbow skittles. A snippet of overheard conversation on the bus.
Inspo from the wilds of Substack: This picture from the Inspiration Folder of
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A Playlist or song
live from Madison Sq Garden; Annotated Playlist by who creates a playlist for every book she writes. This Meditation Music by
Substack lets you embed media from Spotify, Soundcloud, BandCamp, YouTube and Apple Podcasts directly into a post, meaning the recommended content is immediately visible on your page to your audience. Share the tracks you love to run to, or the podcasts that start your day. Curate a list of 90s nostalgia. Lean into your niches and inside jokes; ‘10 songs for my fellow dramatic bitches’. ‘A playlist for when your deadline is an hour away’.
Inspo from the wilds of Substack:A Voice Note
I’ve seen people use these for nice little messages of support and affirmation, but of course the possibilities reach far beyond this. Chat to us over your morning coffee; take us along on your dog walk each day. Bring us to your home renovation site or to your production line and let us hear some of what’s going on. Ask for reader questions and answer them verbally, if that’s more your jam.
Sit in a meadow and describe the sights, scents and sounds. Send out a 3-minute meditation that we can lock ourselves in the bathroom with to re-centre, while the kids shout outside the door. Check in as you would with friends over WhatsApp or iMessage - noise in the background, dog barking, occasionally losing your train of thought.Inspo from the wilds of Substack: Madam Luna and the Acrobat Mice, read by the author
,; Snail Mail poem/voice message byYour Recent IRL Creative Work
Illustrations, sketchbooks, ceramics, jewellery, knitting, interior design… Sometimes the urge to pad out our sharing of our more visual creative work with words comes down to a secret fear that it might not be enough on its own. Let it shine. Add some context, as needed - share the story, if it helps. But be willing to let your work do the talking sometimes, and trust that people will appreciate it too.Inspo from the wilds of Substack: This Fairytale by Grant Snider of
; Title Cards from , The Jellyfish Picture Book Process by ,A Quote, Prompt or Affirmation
So often, the most effective messaging is short, sharp and simple. And sometimes, it’s already been said by somebody else! As an obsessive hoarder if impactful quotes I would sincerely love to sign up to a curated Substack of well-sourced quotes to give me pause and fresh thoughts at semi-regular intervals. Or, perhaps you’ll send out a prompt of some kind: a daily photo challenge, a new word to try and use in a conversation (I hope not sporadically!). Maybe you’ll send out a word a day for people learning a language, or a gentle thought of self-love for people whose brains might be struggling to offer one for themselves.
Even when the words are hard, we can write a sentence, right? And then maybe, we can build from there.Inspo from the wilds of Substack: A simple quote with image from
; Love Notes from
This one’s a bit longer… click here to see how it ends!
An Informal How-To
If it’s the creative side of writing that’s tripping you up at the moment, turning to the solid and fact-based word of tutorials might be just the way in. Taking your readers through a step by step walk through of a skill, task or technique you use regularly is so incredibly valuable, and because we all just want to get to the finished result quickly, there is zero requirement to get fancy with words. You still can, if you want to, obviously - but you can trust that the wisdom you’re sharing will be more than enough.
’s ‘A Picture With Your Eyes’, complete with a downloadable viewfinder, this wonderful advice on Photographing Fog by
Inspo from the wilds of Substack:
Do you have some creative, less-verbal posts on your Substack?
Got recommendations for some more brilliant examples we can share?
We’d love to hear all about them in the comments below!
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Such good ideas (and delightful inspiration!). Thanks for the inclusion too - I was just sitting here wrapped up in my dastardly perfectionism wringing my hands about my next post, so this was more timely than you could know 🍃
This is brilliant! Thank you for the inspiration. I’m still very much at the stage of figuring out what I want breadcrumbs of joy to be. So this it brilliant. I love the idea of a ‘joy crumb’ of the week and embedding playlists and readings of quotes. I’m always recording the forest sounds so that’s an obvious starter for ten for me. Off with pen and paper to brainstorm ideas…