Why write Letters?

I am not good at keeping up with social media, personally or professionally, but I fully enjoy the emails I receive from a handful of quality sources, like a blog from an effective North Carolina pastor, or updates and prayer requests from a family of overseas missionaries.

I like those emails because they feel so much quieter than social media. There's no spam, no ads, no comments full of strangers' opinions stealing my attention before I can form my own thoughts. I can just enjoy the content at my own pace. If I click through to their websites, when they have them, there are still no comments, no signs of catering to others’ tastes or clamoring for ad revenue. Everything feels authentic to me.

If I like a quieter world, a slower pace, and authentic content that’s not centered on monetizing ads, maybe my audience includes people who feel the same.

So instead of being someone I'm really not, posting to Facebook (or whatever network) because that's what you're “supposed” to do, I'm trying this.

What should I know about your Substack publication?

I plan to send something out once a month through 2023, and then see what happens. If it turns out there’s more worth sharing, I might increase frequency to twice a month. Or I might quit next year! I don’t want to “make content” for its own sake. I want to write words worth reading.

Comments and likes are not available on the web version, because this is specifically a step away from social media and the noise and distraction associated with such.

I believe subscribers can reply to my Substack email address, but non-subscribers cannot. You need the barest minimum of skin in the game to send me your opinion.

The content I’m planning is a mix of well-written thoughts, personal and professional updates, and links or other content that I think others would find useful or beautiful. It should feel like letters. Think of the links and photos as paper ephemera and Polaroids (or Instax prints).

Sounds great! What’s next?

First, subscribe if you haven’t!

I’m doing pretty much zero in the way of advertising it, except for letting people in my life know it exists, so if you love this publication and want to promote it, share it with anyone you think would find it useful or interesting! You can forward the emails you receive as a subscriber or just hit this big button:

Share Letters from Rae Botsford End

What is Substack?

If you’re curious about the platform, you can get all the info you want and more by visiting Substack.com! You can even start your own.