Having only known you for two months, I will say it's hard to wrap my head around who you once were when who you are now seems so very YOU! Your Dr Seuss quote said it better. Also, never having been much exposed to the world you are referring to, I was stunned and eye-opened when you brought up that your posts (and those of many others) were never accurately reflective of the way you may speak in a pub with your mates. That was a stellar observation which will prove as a secret metric I use when assessing any "advice" and such I may come across. Also, my tired eyes and pleasured ears are so grateful to you for the audio option.
Ah got it! I guess what I was trying to convey is that the Twitter you would've seemed foreign to me - but I get it that you were you, just not on the platform. Either way, kick ass piece.
Feels like a 'Contentaholic' version of the sharing that people do in AA.
And as they say in AA 'keep coming back', 'take it a day at a time' etc.
This has also made me realise that the STSC is like a rehab centre/halfway house for the artist who has been lead astray by the algorithms and current internet culture.
Great piece, this, Craig. The crying into a bulletproof coffee line in particular tickled me.
That was the original idea for the piece, after I decided I didn’t want to preach to people that “content is shit and you shouldn’t make it”. Those prescriptions can stay on Twitter.
I'm definitely going to write a thread that starts with "I overcame a minor inconvenience". And thank you for the Dr Seuss quote. That's actually 66% of Twitter, right there.
Many seemingly smart people fall for it. I know I did. Not to take any real credit but I think my own 'What the hell am I doing?' moment subsequently helped Craig to see the light/stop ignoring the alarm bells that were going off in his own mind.
But he's taken that baton and ran with it as this great piece shows.
P.S. I've just subbed to 'Mostly made up'. Always pleased to see substackers who primarily focus on fiction. Eager to see how your serialised novel experience pans out.
I had a similar epiphany; I spent a large portion of my free time promoting my writing/concepts on Instagram when I could have just - you know - spent my time improving my writing. We’re following the much more fulfilling path now.
PS, it feels like the STSC has more or less become a shit content rehab community 😂
Well this post has made me feel a whole letter better. Several years ago I decided I couldn't be arsed to tweet out my stuff, because the received wisdom is that you "have" to tweet out 9 things that aren't to do with you for every 1 of yours. Well I couldn't be arsed to do that either, especially as most of the time I couldn't find much worth tweeting. So I automated the tweeting out of new articles, pretty much stopped engaging on Twitter -- and noticed no difference at all. I keep thinking I should do more self promotion, but (a) I just want to write and (b) I hate self promotion. So I'm pleased I read this post!
You’re not missing much these days, particularly over on twitter. Although I have to say I do still enjoy logging in on there a few times a day and having a laugh with people.
Having only known you for two months, I will say it's hard to wrap my head around who you once were when who you are now seems so very YOU! Your Dr Seuss quote said it better. Also, never having been much exposed to the world you are referring to, I was stunned and eye-opened when you brought up that your posts (and those of many others) were never accurately reflective of the way you may speak in a pub with your mates. That was a stellar observation which will prove as a secret metric I use when assessing any "advice" and such I may come across. Also, my tired eyes and pleasured ears are so grateful to you for the audio option.
I was still me, but I didn't portray it on Twitter very much (apart from occasionally). So it wasn't so much of a transition 😀
Ah got it! I guess what I was trying to convey is that the Twitter you would've seemed foreign to me - but I get it that you were you, just not on the platform. Either way, kick ass piece.
Yes, it’s foreign to many I think. But it’s the only Twitter I’ve ever known! At least I never went down into Politics Twitter…
Feels like a 'Contentaholic' version of the sharing that people do in AA.
And as they say in AA 'keep coming back', 'take it a day at a time' etc.
This has also made me realise that the STSC is like a rehab centre/halfway house for the artist who has been lead astray by the algorithms and current internet culture.
Great piece, this, Craig. The crying into a bulletproof coffee line in particular tickled me.
That was the original idea for the piece, after I decided I didn’t want to preach to people that “content is shit and you shouldn’t make it”. Those prescriptions can stay on Twitter.
I'm definitely going to write a thread that starts with "I overcame a minor inconvenience". And thank you for the Dr Seuss quote. That's actually 66% of Twitter, right there.
I would like to see medium hyperbole on Twitter instead. Just minor wins and half-failures.
I think you’ll find it’s 98% 😉. And here’s what they don’t know (etc.)
🧵
Amen Craig. I recently had the same epiphany. I also bought my share of Twitter courses :)
Bizarre isn’t it? I kept thinking that the “reason” I was posting all that shit would eventually become clear. But there is no reason.
It’s a Ponzi scheme really. Snake oil. Seductive.
No more!!!
Btw, do you follow Rob Hardy?
It never became clear to me. So I just write about it now instead haha.
Yes, I follow Rob. We converse occasionally and have Twitter battles.
You're fighting the good fight. Both by preaching about how shit twitter is *on twitter* and by trying to act like a human over there.
Many seemingly smart people fall for it. I know I did. Not to take any real credit but I think my own 'What the hell am I doing?' moment subsequently helped Craig to see the light/stop ignoring the alarm bells that were going off in his own mind.
But he's taken that baton and ran with it as this great piece shows.
P.S. I've just subbed to 'Mostly made up'. Always pleased to see substackers who primarily focus on fiction. Eager to see how your serialised novel experience pans out.
Cheers, Mark.
Thanks Thomas! I hope the novel doesn’t disappoint :) (It’s almost like I’m making it up as I go along!! 😀) Very happy to have you there.
Also signed up for STSC - looks great!
Great news. If nothing else the group has helped to inflict, er promote, Craig's essays and podcasts on a wider and unsuspecting public.
Haha. Good name for a newsletter that...
I had a similar epiphany; I spent a large portion of my free time promoting my writing/concepts on Instagram when I could have just - you know - spent my time improving my writing. We’re following the much more fulfilling path now.
PS, it feels like the STSC has more or less become a shit content rehab community 😂
Haha. Yes, I think that’s a fair assumption of STSC 😀
Well this post has made me feel a whole letter better. Several years ago I decided I couldn't be arsed to tweet out my stuff, because the received wisdom is that you "have" to tweet out 9 things that aren't to do with you for every 1 of yours. Well I couldn't be arsed to do that either, especially as most of the time I couldn't find much worth tweeting. So I automated the tweeting out of new articles, pretty much stopped engaging on Twitter -- and noticed no difference at all. I keep thinking I should do more self promotion, but (a) I just want to write and (b) I hate self promotion. So I'm pleased I read this post!
You’re not missing much these days, particularly over on twitter. Although I have to say I do still enjoy logging in on there a few times a day and having a laugh with people.