Why I started my Substack newsletter 👩💻
It's really not that deep, but...
When I launched Not That Deep back in March of this year, my aim was to write about freelancing. My career had taken quite the u-turn in 2023, and I wanted to capture my working life in a way that felt meaningful to me. Nobody was supposed to see it, except my lovely friends and family and maybe a few kind souls who follow me on Instagram.
But then I wrote about that time when I worked with Elizabeth Day, and she very kindly shared it, and suddenly I had quite a lot of people visiting my Substack page and reading the post. I connected with fellow writers for the first time and realised that there’s actually a beautiful, supportive community here, and I hadn’t even known about it.
, and were some of the first writers here to support my work and leave incredibly kind comments. I will never forget their generosity.BTS of a social media manager: how working with Elizabeth Day changed my life
Hello! This week I decided to put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard, I guess) to write about how I ended up working with Elizabeth Day as a social media manager for her podcast, How To Fail. When I texted Elizabeth to ask if she was okay with me telling this story, sh…
It occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I could reach more people than I initially thought. I continued developing my writing style through the last dregs of winter and into spring, creating Weekly Diaries and BTS of a Social Media Manager posts that focused on the ups and downs of being freelance. I wanted to give an honest account of the self-employed life, from finances and client break-ups, to the joy of being in charge of your own career path.
I’m not entirely sure when the vibe shifted from purely freelance tips to more lifestyle content, but I think my post about our stay at the Updown Farmhouse really cemented it for me as a way of writing that I just really bloody enjoy.
Travel Diary: Updown Farmhouse 🌻
Oh, where do I begin with this special, special place. I was going to include this little trip in my weekly diary, but I could honestly wax lyrical about it for days on end, so you’re getting an entire post on it. We arrived home on Monday and I am still beaming about the 24 hours we spent at
I loved putting this piece together, adding in the images and creating an online scrapbook of a very special 24 hours spent with the person I love most in the world. After that, the ideas came to me in waves of inspiration, pulling me out to sea and then sending me crashing back into the shoreline with half-realised stories like slippery seaweed in my hands. I wrote about why my writing process is much like a hill that I force myself to climb everyday; I chronicled my self-enforced no-spend summer; I talked about what happens when work is quiet.
And then…well, I wrote about my perceived failure to go on a girls’ holiday/be part of a friendship group, and as it turns out, this experience resonated. Like, in a big way. It became my most successful post to date, generating a few more subscribers and, most importantly, sparking a conversation in the comments that made me want to weep with joy.
Why I have never gone on a girls' holiday 🏝️
I have never been on a girls’ holiday. If I’m being completely honest, I’ve never been on holiday with friends full stop, apart from a hen do two years ago and a weekend in the Cotswolds with James’ friends. I’ve often wondered if this is a tad strange, but then I remember that there are several very legitimate reasons behind why I haven’t packed my bag…
I was flabbergasted. Every time a new comment or like came through, I would tell my partner James. I couldn’t believe that so many people were choosing to spend their time and energy not only reading my words, but then carefully and thoughtfully writing a comment and sharing their own friendship experiences. I replied to every single one, basking in the warm glow of connection and camaraderie among these women, feeling so seen and held within this special community.
It hit me a few days later that this is what I want to do with my writing. I want to make people feel seen. I want you to scroll past my post and think, “wow, that’s me!” or “you’ve just described exactly how I feel.” If I can quiet the critical inner voice of just one person, if I can make just one person feel less alone, my heart will be so happy.
How it started vs how it’s going? Well, it started as a comforting space for freelancers, and now, it’s a comforting space for people. That’s not to say that freelancers aren’t welcome here, because I am one, and God knows I will still be banging on about work stuff. But that’s not the only thing I want to write about. I’m just out here scouring the sands, hunting for pebbles and shells that I can fashion into stories and waiting for my words to find their merry way into the right hands. I love it here 🥰
Thank you so much for reading! I really, really appreciate it. If you’ve got this far and you are a fellow writer on Substack, link your favourite post that you’ve ever written in the comments so we can all read each other’s work. I can’t wait to sit out in my garden later and catch up on all the fabulous pieces I may have missed 💕
Lauren x
Thank you so much for the mention Lauren! I absolutely love reading about your similar career experiences + now I’m about to go and read your post about being an island friend... I can’t believe I missed that one! 🌸
It definitely seems like you've found your groove on here Lauren! I look forward to reading everything you put out, so much of your writing resonates with me so you've already achieved that goal ✨ here's to many more! ps hope you enjoy Taylor this week!!