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Nov 19, 2024
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Sarah Fay, PhD's avatar

You're so welcome!

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Nov 19, 2024
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Yasmin Chopin's avatar

Yes, agree, this writerly approach feels very comfortable.

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Fairtheewell's avatar

Thank you for the (hand waving "look at me" notes out of my face) clarity and the sensitivity

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ProfessorTom's avatar

I don’t really get what’s changed on Notes. Still feels like a popularity and likability contest.

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Sarah Fay, PhD's avatar

It is. It just didn't start out that way.

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Sarah Allen's avatar

Very interesting to look at Notes as a genre. That makes sense, and also makes it feel more like a creative challenge. Great advice, thank you!

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Yes, this was a huge takeaway for me, too. To consider Notes its own genre shifted how I view it now. And how I’ll participate.

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Sarah Allen's avatar

Exactly! And it honestly unlocks some ideas...

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Allison Deraney's avatar

Yup, same!

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Yasmin Chopin's avatar

Yes, this makes sense. Makes our time on notes more worthwhile.

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Andrei Atanasov's avatar

Smartly put, yeah. Notes has changed so much in the last six months. I feel like I missed out on a lot, since I took a break to work on my first book exactly when all this was happening. I’m glad this post got me up to speed.

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Andi Penner's avatar

Thank you for making the PDFs available, Sarah. I keep resources in a Substack file folder to return to when I just want to read/study/think without engaging online. Today is a "work on the book" day, not a "work on substack" day, so I appreciate being able to file things away for later.

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Sarah Fay, PhD's avatar

I'll try to do it more often.

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Yasmin Chopin's avatar

So important to have non-internet time. 😀

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Erin Henderson's avatar

Wow!!! This is OVERFLOWING with value! Thank you, Sarah! 🌟

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Pamela Leavey's avatar

I think one of the reasons Notes has changed is common sense, more users, but I see Notes that I would not have expected to go viral suddenly going viral and I have been curious as to why. Thanks so much for this Sarah!

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Lorraine Sawicki's avatar

Thank you Sarah. I went through all the emotions you did just reading your post, and really appreciated your download as I've been on Substack 4 years. I'm still focused on growing as a writer more than anything else!

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Sarah Fay, PhD's avatar

Wonderful, Lorraine. We're in it together.

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Marcela Senise's avatar

For some unexplained reason I cannot find my own notes….

I skipped two weeks and a lot has changed.

Can any of you lovely substackers kindly help me out please?!

Oh cats here say hi back

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Sarah Fay, PhD's avatar

Hi, Marcela—The easiest way to access your Notes section is to go to your Substack homepage and, in the URL address bar, add: /INSERT YOUR HANDLE HERE/notes. For example, mine is substack.com/@sarahfaywritersatwork/notes. Be sure to bookmark it for easy access later!

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Marcela Senise's avatar

Yay! Thank you so much for your help Sarah! And did bookmark just in case :)

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Sally Doran's avatar

Per the Substack Note that garnered 20,000 subscribers: if there are 20,000 of you out there that are 50+ and really feel a connection to my writing on living an ageless mindset and pursuing these "later years" with gusto, please click into my profile and subscribe! If engaging with content that makes you think less about being too old and more about "why not?" isn't for you, it's ok if you don't subscribe.

Like other social media platforms with followers, I'm ok with getting subscribers from a Note in lower numbers who are also a good fit for my message and my content.

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Patricia Ross's avatar

Sarah! You have a great voice! So many times when I listen to podcasts or people narrating their own work, I'm put off by their voices, but yours is perfect: not shrill or whiny or breathy or whispery. And I love your writing too! I'll subscribe to SW&W (I have two niches on Substack: "Trauma Drama" about things psychological, and "From There To Here: The Alphabet Memoir.")

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Sarah Fay, PhD's avatar

Yay! And thank you!

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Anie Bear's avatar

Need to read and re-read this. Thank you!

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Jess Mujica's avatar

Yes. Together, we will course correct the notes algorithm.

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Cici Sullivan's avatar

So grateful for you, Sarah.

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SleepyHollow, inK.'s avatar

How to go virile - be a neuroscientist…

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Sarah Fay, PhD's avatar

Exactly.

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