A Fork in the Substack Road
Help me clarify writing styles. Read a short essay about a time in life when I needed direction. Or scan down and go straight to the poll to vote for one of three story styles.
When I left the South for Seattle, back in the grungy 90s, I didn’t have plan for a home, so I stayed at a hostel under the Market. With the busy market above, Puget Sound way below, it felt like living in a cliff dwelling. The bunk room window opened onto an elevated highway so we could only glimpse the Sound. There was no air conditioning in the place but a screenless window let a summery seaweed and city breeze billow in. ‘90s Seattle offered tons of cheap housing options for a new grad student to explore. I needed direction.
Bulletin board post and newspaper adds led me through some seedy options. Until, I met Keith, via a payphone conversation and found home. Keith, a hydrangea expert, asked me to move into a nearly abandoned 17 room mansion that had once been a Krishna colony. Ferns grew all across the basement floor and up the walls, the result of a a tissue culture experiment gone bad. Creeky steps went down into fern grotto basement where I did laundy in a tiny clear spot by the washer dryer.
By fall, I needed direction for my thesis at the University of Washington too. From a Japanese inspired courtyard, glass doors opened into to the largest Horticulture Library on the West Coast. I found 10,000 thesis possibilities inside. Across campus, a wet slog away, the UW’s Gothic libary complete with huge dark tables and green bankers lamps seduced me with a world of thesis options.
I still needed direction. My advisor, Dr. John Wott, an internationally known horticulturist rejected dozens of thesis ideass. But he believed in self discovery. He’d reject, discuss and hone, then send me back to the library to find my passion.
Today, I need your help to clarify which way I should go with Substack. I’ve been all over the map with the essay styles and themes intentionally testing my likes and limits. Now I want to hone the goals. Would you read my general goals then help me with a vote on which of three ways I should focus?
My goal for the summer is to get 1000 followers. After that, I’ll set up up subscription and share stories and lessons from my life. Some will stay free to read. But some, such as a serialize novel and new book launch will be for subscribers. (FYI, my next new book, my first book in a novel form, will be published in the fall!)
Over the past months, I've fooled around with different styles. Three styles seem to rank as the most popular. Below are examples and explanations of each. (if you haven't, you can click the photo of each to read the story)
With that in mind, which of these three styles should I focus on?
Stories, Life, Ethos & A Bit of Philosophy Such as the Recent….
These post offer atmospheric, moody and sometimes nostalgic stories highlight a specific character. The stories and people are real but I take creative license. There’s often a lesson intertwined, but this creative non-fiction is mostly there for the pleasure of reading. Some upcoming ideas:
Meeting the farmers wife who sells peas on a back road at The Yellow Wagon farm stand but drives a classic black Rolls Royce.
A story of hitting a horse with a rental car near Haiti and how that led to love on a coffee farm, tree climbing through bromeliad laden tropical forest, and all night dancing in a trendy Bocha Chica disco.
That time three landscaper guys take in a Mexican teenager who’s stuck in the US without papers or prospects.
Garden Lessons with a Story Woven Through Such as the Recent….
These posts offer more concrete, how-to lessons for gardeners. A nutrient, soil care or even design tip gets woven through with a person who illustrates how to implement the lesson. Upcoming ideas include:
Rooting Roses Gloria’s Way
Grow Your Own— Pinestraw Makes Great Mulch
Time to Plant in the Heat of July
Opinions on Controversial Garden Topics
These essay delve into popular misconceptions in the horticluture world. Upcoming topics may be:
TikTok Hysteria & Gardeners
Calm Down Bradford Pear Haters
Just Say No to Mosquito Joe
I remember a story you wrote years ago about friends, kids and grass puppets into the night. Sublime. Truth is much much better than fiction. Write on what you know. About your gardening. That’s why people are here ! Good luck ! A fellow horticulturalist (retired 38 yrs).
Maybe my other comnent failed to post. I can't just vote for one and I think you can often combine the three styles in various combinations. It adds interest and does nit limit you.