On the Journey

Share this post

My Personal Writing Workshop

sarahstyf.substack.com
Writing the Journey

My Personal Writing Workshop

Using my blog to workshop my ideas and see what sticks

Sarah Styf
Feb 13, 2023
7
Share
Share this post

My Personal Writing Workshop

sarahstyf.substack.com

In Writing the Journey, I write about writing. I share my travel and personal experiences through writing in a lot of contexts, but I also strive to achieve more as a writer. This is where I reflect on that process.


I’ve always loved the writing process. Because we moved several times in my childhood, I regularly wrote letters to friends. I have old notebooks in which I tried my childish hand at poetry and short stories. I kept multiple journals. I loved writing papers in college.

But I didn’t really see myself as a writer until I was in graduate school and one of my professors challenged us to answer the question: What makes someone a writer?

After a long discussion, I finally realized that I had been a writer nearly my entire life. I knew a lot of writers, most of us just hadn’t been published, at least not yet.

Shortly after taking that class, I started a blog. I really started blogging to share with friends, family, and strangers the journey of home renovation, but over the course of several years, it evolved into a space where I could write about anything and everything I needed to get down on the page. I blogged, but I could never truly call myself a blogger. My blog was simply the avenue I used to share my writing with others.

On the Journey
On Being a Writer Who Blogs
In Writing the Journey, I write about writing. I share my travel and personal experiences through writing in a lot of contexts, but I also strive to achieve more as a writer. This is where I reflect on that process…
Read more
3 years ago

Instead of seeing myself as a blogger, I came to see my blog as my writing workshop for ideas. It was a place where I could improve as a writer outside of my work as a writing teacher. Over the last ten years I have written about everything: home improvement, politics, travel, parenting, faith, getting older, grief, etc. Nothing has been off of the table, although I’ve certainly censored myself over the years. But if I wanted to write about it, I did. I didn’t worry about niche because that wasn’t me. I just wanted to write, and I wanted people to read what I wrote.

Writers' Haven by Christine Wolf
Forget About Being Niche. Just Be You.
I just discovered a super cool new feature on Substack and wanted to share it with you, since it gave me some fascinating (and very encouraging) insights into how my writing is landing in the world and who the Writers’ Haven by Christine Wolf Substack community is…
Read more
4 months ago · 2 likes · 2 comments · Christine Wolf

And what happened as a result? I had enough material to dip my toes in the waters of self-publishing with a short book of essays. I have enough material for at least two more books about travel, which I’m excited to start sharing news on in the coming months. I have plans to do more processing here on Substack, in hopes that the processing will give me additional material for more books in the future. I am reflecting and learning as I go. This is my fourth blog space and I love watching it grow with me, both as a writer and as a person. As

Ramona Grigg
said in
Writer Everlasting
, it's all about the writing.

Writer Everlasting
Exploring the Mysteries of Substack #3: It's All About the Writing.
Now that you’ve played with the mechanics of a Substack newsletter in Part #1 and Part #2, let’s talk about the really important part: the writing. Getting it down so it reads well and looks good and you’re happy with it. You’re going to be writing a newsletter. You’re inviting anyone who’s interested to sign up for re…
Read more
4 months ago · 8 likes · 15 comments · Ramona Grigg

In the era of social media and a virtual public square, I am creating a place where I can write about my ideas, converse with others about those ideas, and work towards a better understanding of my world. And as I figure out how to best deal with social media, I now have other decisions to make, such as deciding whether it is time to start a private Substack just for friends and family. (And I will gladly take anyone’s thoughts on whether they are considering doing that for a healthy move away from too much social media.)

Substack Reads
Start your private Substack
Today we’re making it easier than ever to start a Substack. Our new-and-improved private publications work much like private Instagram profiles. Curious readers can now request to subscribe to a private Substack, and the writer can choose to approve or decline each subscription request…
Read more
4 months ago · 584 likes · 100 comments

Regardless, I can’t, and won’t, stop writing anytime soon. And I will continue to use this space as a workshop for ideas and a place to hone my craft.

Order my new book!

I’ve written a memoir collection of essays based on several of my blog posts from the past seven years. It is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Order Embracing the Journey

And if you do purchase, please give it a favorable review on Amazon and Goodreads, or any other book tracking app that you might use.

Start writing today. Use the button below to create your Substack and connect your publication with On the Journey

Start a Substack


Please “like” by clicking on the ❤ and share this post with your friends so that others can join me on the journey.

On the Journey is a reader-supported publication. To never miss a post and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

7
Share
Share this post

My Personal Writing Workshop

sarahstyf.substack.com
Previous
Next
Comments
Top
New
Community

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Sarah Styf
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing