Celebrating 1 Year on Substack! + Stats + Moving Forward + Top 12 Posts + Community Shoutouts + Other Substacks I Loved This Week + Weekly Rewind
The Weekly Sweep 44
Celebrating 1 Year on Substack!
One whole year! Time really does fly. This past year of writing on Substack has been full of ups and downs, doubts and triumphs. Here are five lessons I have learned along the way:
Don’t obsess over the numbers. It will drive you crazy, make you question your skills, and lead to a roller coaster of self-doubt and accomplishment. The numbers can give you valuable information like when the best time to post is and what your readers enjoy the most, but it is not a measurement of your writing ability. Keep writing!
You are your own niche. In the beginning, I was so concerned about finding my niche. That was the number one piece of advice: Find a niche. My niche is life. That seemed too broad, but I’ve come to understand that what matters more than a niche is being genuine. Keep writing!
Consistency matters, but so does rest. The more consistently you write, the more potential subscribers will find you. That said, I gained the most subscribers at one time when I took breaks. I don’t know why, but it’s worked that way for others I follow, too. So keep writing, but don’t be afraid to take some time off.
Remember why you’re here. With the lovely set-up that Substack provides, it’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on making your Substack profitable. That is all well and good (I’m hoping to make mine profitable over time as well), but your focus has to remain on connection. You came here to write because you enjoy it and you feel you have something to say. Remember that and keep writing.
Keep writing. Celebrate other’s success instead of letting it get you down. See what they’re doing to boost their Substacks and mimic what you can, but don’t lose your unique voice in the process. Enjoy what you do, and it will come through in your writing. When you are wallowing in self-doubt, keep writing. When you are full of a sense of accomplishment, keep writing. No matter what- keep writing.
In honor of reaching our 1st year milestone, subscriptions will be 20% off for 1 year. This offer is only good until September 16, so snatch it fast! Thank you for being part of The Splendid Mess Community!
Stats
The Splendid Mess started from 0. I had no emails to move from another site, no large social media presence to pull from, and no fame to draw upon. In the past year, The Splendid Mess has grown from 0 to 102 subscribers, 8 of which are paid subscriptions. (My goal for this first year was to get 100 subscribers with 10 paid.) I am pretty darn proud of the growth I’ve seen this year! Thank you for being here and for supporting my writing. You all are seriously the best!
Moving Forward
There are a few things that will be different moving forward:
A new post will appear on Mondays or Tuesdays.
Wednesday will be a discussion thread, but it will look different than it has in the past. This new section will be called, Take A Minute. It will be a brief quote, video, song, picture, joke, journal prompt, etc. to encourage you to take a minute and laugh, relax, breathe, dance— enjoy a moment in the middle of your busy week. In the comment sections, you can share your thoughts, struggles, celebrations, or whatever you want to share. My goal for this section is to provide a reminder to all of us that we’re not in this alone. We are part of a much larger and supportive community.
The Weekly Sweep will be published on Fridays.
I’m starting a new project! I’ve begun homeschooling my preschoolers, and I would like to share what we’re doing each week. This is partly as a record for myself, but I figure it could also be useful to other parents just starting on this journey. I’ll share my lesson plans, resources, ideas for outings, and more. It’s going to be called The Splendid Mess School. Right now, I’ve been working on getting it up and running as a separate Substack. The other option is to have it as a separate page embedded in this Substack with the ability to unsubscribe from that particular section of this Substack for those who have no interest in homeschooling. I’m not sure which option I’ll go with yet, but I’d love your opinion!
I can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for all of us!
Top 12 Posts
These are the top 12 posts from this past year. I have removed the paywall from all of them so each post can be read in its entirety.
As a writer, it’s always interesting to see what resonates with people. Your views, likes, comments, and shares are so appreciated and help me know what to write more of in the future. Please, keep ‘em coming!
On The Rolling Tides
Hello again! It has been a wonderful few weeks away, though I missed the community here on Substack. Over these last few weeks, I’ve been focusing on a writ…
Things That Grow
The grass is green and growing again. My dad loved mowing the grass. Later in life, when he started writing down his thoughts, he called it “Life 22 Inches At A Time.” (Which was the width of his mower deck.) He was already very sick when my husband and I met. One of the few memories my husband has of my dad involves mowing grass.
When I Thought I Could Fly
Sunlight washed everything in a golden glow on the morning that I thought I could fly. I was seven years old and invincible. After packing my tin tea set with cheese and crackers, I struck out for the jungle airport. The grass tickled my ankles, and dew drops danced on my toes as I forged my way to the runway.
All The Colors In You
Every night, as I tuck in my preschoolers, I get the same request, “Tell us a story, Mama!” This request inevitably comes after reading three books, singing two songs, and telling one scripture story. There are nights when bedtime has not come soon enough, and I duck out of telling a story. Other times, it may be only a ten-second-long story. For ex: “T…
You Can't Eat The Whole Elephant In One Bite
The nights are still chilly. Cool enough that the frogs, cicadas, and crickets are tucked quietly away in their hidey-holes. Their lack of chatter leaves the night strangely still, and a different choir hums in the background. Murmuring and low. The skittering of mice in the dark recesses of the barn. Coyotes, in the distance, grumbling about being hun…
A Reason To Celebrate
It has been a week full of celebrations: My big three are finally home after 5 weeks away with their father. Since we were not together for the 4th of July (my favorite holiday), we saved fireworks to light off all together. My youngest daughter turned three.
In honor of reaching our 1st year milestone, subscriptions will be 20% off for 1 year. This offer is only good until September 16, so snatch it fast! Thank you for being part of The Splendid Mess Community!
The Tradwife Craze: An Inside Look (Part 1)
“The Tradwife Craze Is About Envy tradwifes aren't about patriarchy, white supremacy, sexual fetishism, or indoctrination — it's about women staying home, a luxury most can't afford” -Title to River Page’s post The moment I opened this post by River Page
The Tradwife Craze: An Inside Look (Part 2)
Today is my birthday! In celebration, I am lowering my subscription rates by 20% for the year. This special pricing is good for this week only! This means that a monthly subscription will be around $5.60, and a yearly subscription will be around $48 (which is $4/month if you break it down). *If I've done my math right. I'm not a math person. I'm a word …
Be Where You Are
Living in the present, in theory, seems like it should be the no-brainer default mode of humanity. But, in the true nature of humanity, we like to make things complicated. It seems that living in the present is the last, and most difficult option. Living in the Past
Rewriting the Classics
The classics need an overhaul. Yes, they are pillars of the literary world. Required reading for students around the globe. The sentinels of literary greatness that aspiring writers hope to one day stand alongside. I can’t say I enjoy them all, but I can appreciate their position as literary masterpieces. With that said, I would pay good money for them …
Even The Smallest Component Matters
First, an apology: Last Friday, a new Weekly Sweep should have been published. However, last Friday also happened to be the first day of summer vacation, and any thoughts of writing were quickly replaced by pool splashing, garden planting, and general sun soaking uping. Hopefully, you can forgive me for the missed opportunity to pop into your inbox that…
The Bond Between Old and New
I was an odd child. An "old soul." I collected candles, music boxes, and china tea sets. I spent my free time wandering around antique stores looking for WWII memorabilia, among other things. While other little girls were drawing pictures of animals or make-believe scenes, I was sketching my future store-- New and Old Ages. It was going to be filled wit…
Community Shoutouts
I love reading your comments! Every time I see a New Comment notification it makes my day. Thank you!
who writes over at left such a nice comment on my post this week. Thank you, Bryan! If you haven’t taken a ride on yet, you should! It’s always an interesting read.
If you’d rather email a comment, you can reach me at amanda.clark@amandaclarkbooks.com. You can also respond directly to any emails you receive from me. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
Other Substacks I Loved
Art Delivery 9-4-23 and Art Delivery 9-9-23 by
at . These posts are short, sweet, and full of gorgeous art!The barista took my data. All I got was coffee and slow internet by
at . This post had me LOLing! And not the LOL when you’re really just rolling your eyes and looking for something mildly polite to respond with- no - I was literally laughing out loud. You should give it a read!Books For Raising Readers Part 1 and Part 2 by
at Let me just start by saying I love every single email I get from Sarah. Each one is full of fantastic book recommendations and tips for raising readers. These two particular posts are a phenomenal place to start as you embark on the reading journey with your kids.What have you read or listened to this week that you loved?
Weekly Rewind
Thursday, I wrote a tongue-in-cheek piece about turning the classics into self-help books. If you need a chuckle, then give it a read!
In honor of reaching our 1st year milestone, subscriptions will be 20% off for 1 year. This offer is only good until September 16, so snatch it fast! Thank you for being part of The Splendid Mess Community!
Thank you so much for sharing your time and thoughts with me and for making The Splendid Mess a wonderful place to spend time. If you enjoyed this post, please hit the ❤️ button. Not only does it make my day, but it also helps other people discover The Splendid Mess.
I hope you have a splendid weekend, and here’s to next year! ~Amanda
Big congrats and hurrahs for your one-year anniversary…and 100+ subscribers! A terrific milestone worth celebrating 😊
So much to comment on here! I’m working my way through the Top 12 posts I missed (published before I subscribed) and enjoying each one. Thank you for bringing them back.
Also, kudos for your Splendid Mess School! How creative! I’d say you could go either way, either incorporating a new page in your current Substack, or starting a new one. If you could import your current list to a new Substack, it seems to me your school would be easier to find/search. Best of luck with this wonderful project!
Congratulations on the first year! I always like a retrospective- and your upcoming changes look great. The Bus Volume 3 is soon coming to a close and I’m also contemplating a few tweaks to introduce in Volume. And thanks for the shout-out! It’s really appreciated! 😎