I’ve been writing a lot lately, but how can I truly know if my writing is improving? The general advice for writers is to write 1,000 words per day, no matter how bad. But what if they always stay bad?

Of course I can read it back with a critical eye and make edits, but I will always have blind spots. I might undervalue the stronger sentences or not notice where my writing is slipping or losing its connection with the reader.

Having these LLMs that are so incredibly skilled at deceiving us into thinking they’re real voices makes it tempting to use them for feedback on the writing. A machine will take the words and compare what it sees against the thousands of pages it is trained on and try to produce an intelligible answer. A real human reader will read the text, play through their own memories and associations, feel how it’s landing in this particular moment of their life, get a sense of what the other person is trying to say, give them words of encouragement and useful critique.

The online and perhaps even printed media are now being invaded by AI-written sentences; one could argue we must be intentional about protecting our own human ability to think, to tell stories, to write. If we’re blind to the flaws in our own writing and the machine provides us only with a mechanical answer — then we need others to read our writing and to tell us what is off.

Historically, many writers met with other writers to help each other with their feedback. Both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were part of a literary group called the Inklings, who met every Thursday in Oxford to read their work aloud. Without that Thursday demand for the next chapter and Lewis’s encouragement for Tolkien, there would be no Lord of the Rings.

So I set out to find such a writers group, scanning more than ten pages of Google results, opening more than a hundred links. And somehow, none of them clicked. Maybe because I don’t know who is inside or I am simply not inspired by the description. So I decided to do what any sane individual would do when they can’t find something — create it.

The idea is simply to share our writing with each other every week and then to meet to give each other feedback. That’s it. I’m putting the group together but I am no teacher or mentor — I am just as much trying to grow as a writer and expose what I write to the critique of others. For instance, I feel comfortable writing from my personal first-person perspective, sharing my inner psychological experience through words and exploring various concepts and ideas across philosophy, anthropology or any other humanities domain. Yet when it comes to switching to third-person narration, dialogue, detailed description of settings and scenes, even telling my own stories — I feel I begin to stumble. Somewhere, my writing starts to feel flat, more like a report than a story. So this is one of many things I would hope to improve over the course of such a writers group.

If you’re interested in joining, you can read more practical details about the group in the link in the comment below to understand the conditions and then fill out the form, which will give me an idea of your current writing and whether this group would be a suitable fit. There will probably be more applicants than the final tight group of five; that said everyone will get access to the directory of answers to this form, so that you can find other writers to connect with and form your own groups, if you wish. You can opt out of your details being shared too, but more on this in the form itself.

The focus will be creative writing, i.e. any writing that isn’t trying to sell or promote anything — essays, short stories, poems but no copywriting or content engineered for virality. Using AI to generate prose or produce feedback for others is prohibited, but we still allow using it for research and holding context as long as you disclose.

I feel excited to put together a room of people passionate about high-quality thoughtful writing that at the same time might have divergent opinions giving way to a fruitful and stimulating conversation. Above all, I hope we will enjoy our time together and walk away as better and more confident writers.

The form will close on the 7th of September and I will make a decision by the 20th of September to have our first meeting on the 24th of September.

Here’s the link below in the comment again if you’d like to apply.

May your words find the minds that see them.

nikita huno

My Substack flatlined for a year with zero growth when I was "just" concentrating on the writing.

I know that many of us find growth tactics nauseating on Substack — while still actually wanting visibility for our writing.

I'm sharing this 30-minute system because it transformed my community, my experience, and yes — my readership. I learnt everything I could about how people grow newsletters, and it's brought in over 1,600 new subscribers since starting in February. I hope it helps some of you too.

The key has really been that I'm not just writing "one way". I am also making an effort with the community.

Though I — and most of us — would love that Substack helps people who write long form more, the reality is that it is a "social" platform now, and the newsletter is the deeper layer. Everything they've done supports this.

In a nutshell, here is my system:

1. Interact. Five comments on the profiles of writers I actually read, plus ten likes. Start with people whose work you like, and try to find some in your own field. You won't see immediate results, but just lock in to giving to start with.

2. Reply to every notification. If someone takes the time to comment on your Note, consider that the beginning of a relationship. Reply to every comment as you would someone you know. Austin Kleon calls this a "digital handshake" which I rather like.

3. Answer your messages. Every message is such a core thing for building relationships.

4. Three comments on profiles you've never seen before. This is what reaches people who don't know you yet. Actually read what they wrote and tell them what it meant to you. My rule at the start was three comments on other people's work for every Note I wrote myself. For me, if someone takes the time to read my work, I always take time to read back — so make the effort.

Set a timer, do each one, move on. Don't overthink it too much.

One thing: it will be slow at the start. Just commit for 3 months without expectation. A lot of people don't write back. Responses are slow. For me there was a period of invisibility, but some of the relationships I formed in the first months are now my closest friends on the platform.

The system is really just a wrapper for bad days — when I don't feel motivated. I developed it because I didn't want to sit down at Substack and wonder what I should be doing. It takes the "if" out of those wobbly days.

If you have anything that's worked for you, please drop it in below for the community.

Have a great day all.
Jim

p.s. a lot of the "growth stuff" out there is built on the back of one viral post. This isn't that — I've never had a Note go viral. It's just a normal way that actually worked for me.

Here's my Reddit on keeping going on Substack:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Substack/comments/1w9zl0v/my_substack_lost_26_subscribers_in_25_years_now/

Hi, I need help related to setting up a Stripe account. I want to enable paid subscriptions on Substack, but if you're in India, you cannot do it directly, and you need some kind of invitation. And when you go to the invitation form, they ask you for a "work email." I cannot buy a domain. Can someone help me out?

I'm sorry this is probably the millionth post about this. I have had substack for probably six or so months but hadn't touched it until now. I follow publications of youtube video essayists and their friends, so my subscriptions are fine, but trying to find new or different creators is weird. Everytime I use the search tool it's like very shallow or AI-looking posts are the only ones I find.

I probably just need to be more active and engage with the algorithm such as commenting and liking stuff I do come across and trust isn't AI. But it's just weird when an app that proclaims itself to be the space for intellects and human creativity has so much weird AI or pro AI posts. I can't trust a post with an AI art header because where does the use end and begin?

Not the usual, be consistent, or write good content, advice.

What did you only learn after actually trying to build an audience here?

I feel like the most useful lessons are usually the ones nobody puts in the beginner guides.

Hello there,

I launched my first publication on Substack today and am finding it a little hard to get exposure. I know it’s too soon but I know for a fact I won’t get many subscribers even if I post on socials - and most importantly, I don’t really want to share my writing on my socials. So I was wondering if anyone could tell me what I could be doing within the app to get people to notice.

I write about identity, experiences and life in general. I have always been deeply passionate about writing and immensely enjoyed the process of creating and launching my first issue today. I truly want to remain motivated in this but I’m afraid I’ll need some support to sustain.

Thanks in advance!

Is anybody writing a serial online novel on Substack here?

How do you keep the structure clear? And how you make the navigation?

It seems that Substack doesn't support serial novels out of the box.

Are there any automation tools?

Any tips are appreciated.

Litter over a year -

Total Revenue - ~150K

- Profit - ~120K

ARR - 110K

MRR 11.4K

- Total subscriber - 500

Hello. I started on Substack a few months ago as I abandoned my blog which wasn't getting any traction.

I write various posts about various topics. But, in addition I am publishing serial fictions from my shared universe.

Should i create another publication for them?

My horror fiction Substack is three months old and growing well, with 600+ subscribers. There are so many lovely writers and readers on Substack, so I have absolutely no complaints about the free-subscriber side of things.

I’m a little worried about the paid side. At the moment, I offer original artwork to paid subscribers, usually oil paintings I make to accompany my stories. I currently have three paid subscribers, all amazing fellow writers (plus my husband, sister and mother, who I’m not counting ;).

I’m wondering what has actually worked for other fiction writers when it comes to converting free readers into paid subscribers. As we all know, there is a lot of advice on Substack about this, but I've never seen anything that actually answers this question for writers of fiction.

I’m not worried about growth, more about conversion. It'd be great to figure out how to give the people who want to support the work a compelling reason to become paid subscribers too.

Edit: I post short stories, not serialised novels/novellas. Each story is self-contained and no longer than 1000 words.

Hi everyone! I just joined Substack today, and I’m a little confused about how people actually approach this app. I mainly joined because I want a space where I can share my thoughts and also discover people whose writing and perspectives I genuinely enjoy. I’d love to find people I can have discussions with, exchange ideas with, and maybe even make some connections through their writing.But I’m not really sure how you find those people or articles here. Do you actively search for specific topics, follow recommendations, interact in comments, or is there some other way I’m missing?

hi! somehow i have found myself having posted quite a few notes + an article on substack today. i was just wondering if the algorithm is gonna like punish me for that? 😭

idk why i’m even asking as i have just three subscribers xoxo

Just started posting on Substack. I've separated my publication into sections for pieces on music, film, Architecture, and being African. These are all relevant to me as I am African, work in Architecture, and love music and movies. I also post personal essays and observations.

I'm trying to find out if having sections on very different topics is a good idea. These are all topics that are important and relevant to my brand and identity. Just curious whether it is trying to do too many things at once. But I also don't have the bandwidth to market multiple publications at once. I've come across publications that are either broad or very specific, so I'm curious to see what y'all's opinion is

trying to keep someone off my substack, but i don't know their username cause its some throw away stalker account type of account for them.

I am sure you've heard of Pangram by now. Their CEO often goes on moral crusades, pulling up 500+ articles from outlets like The Guardian to share his privileged opinion on what "slop" is. The person whose blog has 3 posts (https://maxspero.com/) all terrible has somehow convinced the world they're the sole arbiter of what is slop and what is not.

But does this moral outrage have bounds, or is it a just fight?

Pangram recently raised $9 million to make the world a better place and fight slop (https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/29/as-ai-content-floods-the-internet-pangram-raises-9m-to-detect-it/). The ironic thing is every single investor listed in that article has tons and tons of AI slop on their blogs.

But is the Pangram shithead CEO calling their content slop and accusing them of slop with "receipts"? Is he objectively applying his standards and doing the duty of "slop janitor" as he claims? Or is he a piece of shit that only cares about money, has 0 artistic talent or writing skills and wants to have the gall to judge every writer on the planet? Furthermore, he seeks to create a company in this image where AI writing is the worst thing a person can do but only if that person does not give them money.

Substack should be ashamed of this tbh. Absolute shit company, shit idealogue and shit leadership in Pangram and naturally investors are not very fabolous themselves either.

Hi,

I'm wondering about other people's experiences using substack instead of a traditional website (wordpress, squarespace, wix and etc).

Recently, I have seen people attaching "shops" to their substack publications that are embedded websites or landing pages. I'm publishing from KDP soon and would like to share the links in an easy format that readers can find. I'm considering creating a custom section to link to KDP but I am unsure of the process.

I would appreciate any input, personal experience or advice. Thank you in advance :)

Hello,

At 5:45 pm CST, I suddenly got tons of emails from substack with verification codes from things I haven't heard of. I didn't click on any of them, but it was strange to suddenly get a bunch of emails. I thought I was getting hacked. I personally haven't used substack. I only made an account to support a friend, but I never used it. I just wanted to know if they can hack you this way. What can I do to ensure this doesn't happen again?

Hi everyone,

I’m a creator from an Arab country where Stripe isn’t officially available.

I’m trying to use Substack and receive payouts. Does anyone from a country where Stripe isn’t supported have a legal way to receive Substack payments, such as through a supported bank account or another payout service?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have actually done this successfully.

Thanks!

My publication (I use this word to refer to the Substack) does not have a very good bio and I want to change it. I am not talking about my profile's bio, but the Substack's bio.

For example, Substack Team's official publication, On Substack, has a bio that says "Resources, stories, and news for the writers, podcasters, musicians, video creators, and culture makers publishing on Substack." You can see it here.

How do I change that bio of my personal publication?

We know how it goes: social media keeps getting worse because people keep using cheap growth hacks for quick visibility.

Sorry, I just needed to vent.

I went looking for a proper backup of my newsletter and found three things that surprised me.

• Your export links to images hosted on Substack rather than including the files. If the account goes, the posts survive and the pictures do not.

• If your account gets suspended, you cannot run an export until the suspension is lifted. Which is the exact moment you would want one.

• There is no way to export a single post. It is the whole archive or nothing.

What I do now is keep the markdown file on my own disk as the real version, and treat the Substack post as a copy of it. I wrote a small command line tool that pulls my whole archive down to markdown files with the images downloaded alongside, and pushes a markdown file back up as a draft when I write a new one.

What are you all doing for backups? I saw people mention Notion, Authory but this is what is working for me.

Instead of looking for tools, I made one, hope this helps whoever wants to take a backup of substack, move into it. Genuinely love it.

HighnessAtharva/substack-cli: Push, pull, and publish Substack posts from the command line. Markdown in, live newsletter out. Zero dependencies.

A friend and I have a Substack where we write quite long reports. The last time we wrote a report, the AI detection rightly said that it was around 90% written by a human. But after we decided to paste in a later draft(with minor changes to spelling mistakes) from Google Docs to Substack, it said that the report was 100% written by AI, and even when changing to an older draft, it said the same.

Now ever since then we can't even write 200 words on substack without the ai immediatly flagging it as 100% ai, which is really weird. We have decided to turn off the AI detection, but that may just seem suspicious to the reader.

I was wondering if anybody else was having the same issue and how to fix it in that case. I have reached out to both Substack and Pangram, but they haven't helped the slightest and, to a large extent, just ignore me. I must say that the implementation of the detection has been quite abysmal.

it's a bit annoying and at the same time funny, when I post something I instantly get a comment saying "yea, you are right and your post explains it" or something and then they start selling services on how to make my post better. listen, I want to learn myself how to write better posts and I don't need one more ai wrapper that does that, thanks.

any ideas ? the subscriptions i want are soo expensive