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 wrote something once a month through 2023, but I’m planning to be less regimented through 2024. I don’t want to “make content” for its own sake. I want to write words worth reading. I’m aiming to keep that monthly pace in 2024, but I won’t always make it.
When I do send these, each letter 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. They should feel like letters, with links and digital images instead of paper ephemera folded in.
Specific topics often relate to communication, humanity (and the Imago Dei), story, art, and Christian life.
Sometimes I’ll send out a beautifully written essay on a topic that’s important to me, like this one on freedom from September 2023, or the one on what it means to be a human from July 2023.
Other times I’ll elevate other stories and voices, like what I’ve been reading or watching or playing. My August 2023 post was a good example of that.
Someday, I plan to use this email list to advertise my novel, and the client’s novel I’ve been editing, when those are publicly available. Those things won’t supplant the other purposes of these letters, but should work alongside them.
Finally, I’ll add this disclaimer: All the views I express within this publication and on social media are my own, and do not necessarily match the views of any person or institution associated with me.
Who are you, anyway?
I’m Rae Botsford End, a freelance writer and editor in Indianapolis. I’ve written technical white papers, local news, and aerospace news professionally, but I prefer reading and writing speculative fiction, including science fiction. I’m happily married and have great friends, good family, and almost too many plants. You can learn more about me and my writing at raebotsfordend.com.
Can I reply to your letters?
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.
Subscribers can reply to my Substack email address, but non-subscribers cannot.
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If you enjoyed any of my writing and think other people might, too, simply share it with anyone you think would want to read it! You can forward the emails you receive as a subscriber or just hit this big button:
Hey, 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.
