If you are going to do hard things you need a plan. And maybe a street team.
Not so long ago those were all the rage in publishing. People reached out to their colleagues, to readers, to fans, to help them spread the word about their writing. I think some people still use the term. I like it. It says we are all going to do whatever we can to support this thing we believe so highly in. Plus everyone wins. Authors get support for their projects. Readers get more touch points of connection. Fans get to feel important. It’s all good.
It does seem to me that the state of the ask has shifted to the new more broader, more consistent, and subtler version of a street team in the forming of readership for Substack or any other author newsletters. This is good, too. It’s participation whenever readers want it, on their own time and in their own way. Reading and supporting someone’s newsletter can happen at three in the morning during a bout of insomnia or four in the afternoon just before dinner. It doesn’t change the level of support if you are in your jammies while you click links. We love it all.
But there’s another type of support that I’ve recently become indebted to. This one is driven by the author, for the author, and of the author.
I’m really talking about self care. Author edition.
Many writers, after having hit the jackpot either monetarily or simply prestige wise or dream fulfillment-they have sold their first book or have started their indie pub business. They start referring to themselves as authors. It’s a fantastic title.
But with it comes the weight of the wide world.
Heavy lies the head and all that.
So much is out of an author’s control. Will their book sell? Will there be another? Can they even crank more out? How do they keep one foot in the ethereal space of creation while the other anchors in the mundane world of needing to pay the bills. It’s a tough act to pull off.
I do know that a good approach to self care for creatives utilizes pretty much the same best practices for most near mortals (see what I did there?)—
Sleep: Man, I’ve been chasing sleep for as long as I can remember. I have all sorts of types of insomnia. Trouble falling asleep. Trouble staying asleep. Mind racing (and not about things that should keep a person up.) One time I stayed up all night thinking about the color blue. No, I was not painting. Or drawing. Or picking clothes. I wasn’t writing yet so it didn’t have to do with a WIP. I’ve come to believe that night was a migraine when the veins in my brain dilated and made me feel like I was getting divine inspiration. Only it was about blue things. FFS. No matter what the cause, I’ve tried so many methods of fixing my broken sleep cycle. I’m at the point now that I allow it. I wear an Oura ring and most sleepless nights or sleep impaired nights I actually get more sleep than I thought. In the end if I get enough sleep over the course of a week, I feel ok about it.
Diet: I am convinced my stomach was a serial killer in a former life. Now I try to find small ways to improve my intentional intake, without pissing off the aforementioned criminal cult biome. I’ve quit diary before and I am trying to do that again. But how to make that work? I am making my own soy milk using these soy beans. And trying these two recipes to see which one I like better.
I’ve ordered probiotics to make my own cashew based yogurt. Also not hard. Chia seed pudding used to be a staple but the stomach god has deemed it persona non grata and if that mob boss of a body part is pissed, he will burn it all down. Truuuust me.
If anyone has tips on how to replace dairy using not heavily processed substitutions, I’m all ears. And a sadistic stomach. So keep those recs easy. I haven’t given up coffee, although I understand that habit might be messing with my sleep. I am trying to drink more green tea, though. Not as a swap, but as an addition. I don’t use tea bags, though. I’ve got this adorable little teapot with a mesh infuser like this one that’s perfect for me and then I just buy loose tea. Like this recent purchase.
Hydration: It shouldn’t be that hard to stay hydrated. I mean, drink water. Done. Except that doesn’t work for me. If I get a migraine, that leads to excessive dehydration which causes more migraines. So fun. Same with my asthma. I’ve tried a ton of different electrolyte packets to no avail. If they contain stevia, the stomach oligarch goes nuclear. I’ve even made my own version of an electrolyte concoction. I used apple juice, pink salt, and water. It works ok, but a friend of mine told me about magnetized water. I tried it using this coaster. Really simple. seems to be helping. No side-effects. But also not easy to bring with you. So any other recs welcomed!
Exercise: I’ve started a new thirty day yoga routine with these videos. They are free but if you like this creator, you can definitely subscribe. I also like to run at my gym (although one might question the use of that verb since I’m super slow) and then follow with a nice dry sauna. It’s way too hot to walk in Florida right now and will be for the next few months. When it cools off, I’ll most likely do some of that as well.
Entertainment: This is a biggie for me. And also a place where I allow mind, mood, and imagination to take the lead. If I want to rewatch a season of Dollface, Gilmore Girls, or Ginny & Georgia, so be it. Or maybe try something new. It’s all up to me (and the hubs)and a game time decision. Last night we rewatched Donnie Darko. It’s a cult classic for a reason. So. So. Good.
Getting a handle on my life makes me feel more control over my state of mind which is essential for my writing. If you read my last essay about working on multiple projects, you’ll understand why I need to be ‘on’ when I need to be on.
Inspo:
This essay from Justine Batemen really hit home as many of her essays do. I also loved this one by Carrie Jones, who’ve I’ve read widely and whose Substacks I really enjoy. This particular essay featured a book by Martha Tod Dudman entitled Curio whose charms I tried to ignore since I’ve recently spent a lot of money, but who are we kidding? It’s added to my ebook library for a later perusal.
During Prime Day I stumbled upon a huuuge sale on audiobooks. I’ve had a lot of trouble with my eyes lately so listening to a book is easier for me. I picked up these gems on the big sale:
Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. I am trying to deepen my insight and process and tap into spirituality. This book seems like the perfect compliment to such practice. Excited!
Since I am now writing cozy mysteries, I need to beef up my reading in that area. I’ve always skewed towards thrillers, but I started reading cozies a few years ago and fell in love. This one looks so good. The Charity Shop Detective Agency Mysteries, Book 1 by Peter Boland
Killers of a Certain Age Deanna Raybourn. Love the reviews so far. “This Golden Girls meets James Bond thriller is a journey you want to be part of.”—Buzzfeed But it’s the tagline that got me: Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that’s their secret weapon. I’m so in.
When the queen of fairy tales herself releases a new book, you’ve got to get it. So even though I swore I’d bought enough titles at that point and my to be listened to pile was getting larger by the minute, I snatched up Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, Book 1 by Holly Black. I am a sucker for her imagined worlds. Can’t wait to read this one.
That’s it for this week. Let me know your recommendations for any of the above categories. Let me know! See you next week, but remember self care is essential, so don’t skate on it.
Speaking of small, a small thing you can do to help sustain an author is to pre-order their book. My new cozy mystery, Spellbound by Murder drops in March 2026 in case you want to add a little bit of credit to your personal Karma bank. Or why not pick up my debut novel, The Sister Pact. It’s on deep discount, so now is the perfect time!
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