#47 One year of The Culture Worm
On the highs and lows of writing a weekly newsletter.
47 out of 52 is not bad. It’s quite impressive if you think of it. Of course, 52 out of 52 would have been the absolute goal, but weirdly enough, I’m not bothered by this imperfect achievement. I am actually content.
When I decided to start writing a weekly newsletter, I was committed to bringing a creative spark into my life after I had quit a job that made me terribly unhappy and had taken away the last grain of self-confidence that I had.
It was an act of desperation more than anything. There wasn’t much planning into what I would be writing about or whether I would have the time and/or energy to do it. All I knew was that I wanted to share my love for literature with others and show how books can help us make better decisions.
I was terrified, there’s no doubt about it. The idea of having my words and thoughts exposed on the internet daunted me, so much so that my first issue turned out to be about imposter syndrome.
In the beginning, I used to spend between 15 and 20 hours a week curating articles and videos, as well as researching the topic I was going to write about. Still, regardless of how much planning or drafting I was doing during the week, it was only the night before I was due to send out my little worm, I would do the writing and stay awake until dawn.
Not much has changed in a year. I don’t sacrifice my sleep anymore (or not every week, anyway) but it’s still the deadline that motivates me to get on with writing and stop finding excuses. Some people are disciplined – or they teach themselves how to be disciplined; I can’t do the “I’ll write every day for half an hour at X time,” but it turns out I can still deliver a weekly newsletter.
This is how I learned that more often than not, done is better than perfect and in certain circumstances, yes, I would go for quantity over quality.
“The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready; it goes on because it’s 11:30.”- Lorne Michael, creator and producer of the Saturday Night Live show .
It doesn’t mean I don’t want my newsletter to be the best it could be, it just means that sometimes, I have to give up on trying to be too precious about my writing. A word of caution, though: this has to be applied on a case-by-case basis. I would never compromise on accuracy for speed.
A year ago, I dreamed of launching a paid membership if I can prove to myself that I can write regularly and manage to grow a community. I am not sure whether I was too ambitious or I did that purposefully to motivate myself. Whatever it was, I am not ashamed to say that I’m not there yet.
At first, I was obsessed with the size of my email list; that’s why before I launched The Culture Worm, I DM’d most of my friends on Facebook and Instagram hoping they would subscribe (spoiler alert: most of them did, yay!). Throughout this process, my enthusiasm concerning growing an audience decreased: I didn’t have the time and energy to write and do a marketing strategy. I guess this is my only letdown: failing to blow my own trumpet, despite recognising that if I don’t do it, my work won’t reach far and wide enough.
I’ve accepted the fact that 365 days after launching The Culture Worm, I don’t have thousands and thousands of subscribers. What I have instead is a wonderful community of readers that makes me persevere. You are all unique and I’m learning from each and one of you. Some of you engage with the content by replying to each issue, sharing it with your friends or sending me feedback in private. Others show support by liking the heart button. And, of course, there is the vast majority of readers who prefer to live “in the shadow” – read most of the issues, but never interact with the content or the author (that’s okay, I’m the same!). Whatever category you belong to, thank you.
Looking back, it’s mind-blowing how much I’ve grown in a single year. The fact that I can actually somehow “quantify” my progress gives me immense joy. I wrote about topics I never thought I’d write about including NFTs, the Olympics or the war in Ukraine. I allowed myself to be vulnerable in sharing experiences of broken friendships or navigating life as an immigrant. I even experimented with some philosophical concepts. But above all, I wrote stories about the courage to follow your own path, rejecting convention and making history. Most of these stories are about ordinary women who lived extraordinary lives.
In the meantime, my professional life has also taken a U-turn: I am finally working in the industry of my dreams. Freelancing turned to be the most rewarding experience despite crazy, long hours and occasional 4 am starts. Soon, I will be juggling working in three newsrooms, and from answering the phones, I am now trusted to produce entire shows.
Truth be told, I am tired. I am consciously pushing myself over my limits, although I am aware that I should slow down soon. For better or worse, I enjoy how things are at the moment.
None of this would have happened if I hadn’t taken a leap of faith and said yes to what ended up being The Culture Worm.
A year ago, I was a prisoner of my own mind.
Today, I’m a radio producer, content writer, cat mum and journalist in the making. So far, so good. This is not a success story, this is about growth.
Thank you for being part of it.
Onwards and upwards,
Teodora xx
Before we say goodbye… 🥺
If you liked this issue of the newsletter, please click on the 💜 button, so I know I’m doing a good job. There’s always the option to leave a comment with your feedback. I promise I’ll always reply!
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The growth is evident. The inspiration you provide is even more valuable than the content itself. You make it look easy, and we all know 47/52 is never easy. Keep it up. Thanls for the vulnerability.
Congratulations! Wow, it's been a year! So fast and so much growth! Congratulations once again! Well done and well deserved!