For the first time in my life, I’m living in a high-rise building about 300 feet above the ground. The building’s curvature makes it feel like I live in a snow globe, with crystal-blue sky so close that the white clouds are flying magic carpets offering rides to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. But what’s really happened is that I’ve fallen in love with the Moon.
When the Moon is full, it reflects about 15% of the Sun's light onto the Earth. And as I gaze upon its shining face through my bedroom window, I’m reminded of the famous quote by Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
So I’m wondering: what if we each found a way to spread 15% more light with our creative gifts?
Let’s Answer the Call Together
I owe a debt of gratitude to our community member, Sheila Lewis. For months, she’s encouraged me to apply my teaching gifts to helping writers over 55+ navigate the Substack platform and ecosystem so that they can express their creative voices and engage in conversations as participants in shaping our lives in the AI Era.
While I don’t claim to be an expert, this much I do know: every writer, no matter their age, genre, or technical knowledge, needs a place to practice. It’s not about perfection; it’s about becoming. For instance, many of you have been with me through three name changes on this Substack(OMG!). But even in those moments when I wasn’t sure of what I was doing, I kept going. You kept reading.
And after 29 weeks, I reached the first milestone: Top 10% of publishers on Substack for consistency. Then, there was the thrilling moment of reaching the top 17% of Substack writers in the spirituality category. It was like touching the sky.
However, it’s not all been smooth sailing. I’ve shared my caregiving experiences at the hospital and home, my mother’s passing, more hospital visits, and the move to Atlanta.
You were patient. You waited until I was ready to write again. And, you kept reading.
This is why I’m opening the space to create The Writer’s Spiral—a guided learning experience for writers 55 and older who want to explore Substack as both a creative tool and a community of meaning. We are the generation that bridges the analog and digital world while figuring out how to age well, making an impact where we can to be witnesses and catalysts for future generations. There’s no reason (or excuse) for technology to be an obstacle to claiming, naming, and owning your voice.
Over six months, we’ll move one skill at a time—from concept to publication—discovering how to shape your Substack with clarity, rhythm, and confidence. You’ll learn the tools, but more importantly, you’ll learn the rhythm of your own creative tide. Each month focuses on one step: listening for your signal, building your spiral, finding your voice, extending the invitation, establishing your rhythm, and finally, weaving your pattern into the larger story.
Think of it as a moonlit apprenticeship in digital storytelling: practice, reflection, and shared discovery. We will work at a pace that honors your life, not the algorithm.
Listening Is the First Step
Before the program begins, I’d love to listen. If you’re curious, please take a few minutes to complete a short survey. Your answers will help shape The Writer’s Spiral and ensure that what we build together reflects the rhythms and realities of your creative life.
Please complete the Listening to the Signal: A Substack Exploration for 55+ Writers Survey.
The survey opens today and closes on Friday, October 24th, at 11 p.m. EST. It takes less than 2 minutes to complete. After reviewing the results, I’ll host an exploratory Zoom call where we’ll meet, compare notes, and discuss what writers in this season of life most want to learn.
If the momentum feels right, I’ll open The Writer’s Spiral as a benefit for paid subscribers of The Signal & The Spiral, the first circle of kindred spirits ready to bring their light to the page.
Closing Reflection
Tonight, the Moon will shine through my window, half light and half shadow. It’s a beautiful reminder that every creative milestone begins in mystery.
What we create together in The Writer’s Spiral may start with deciphering Substack’s tools, tricks, and posts. But, its true work is alchemical: turning experience into story, and story into shared light.
Thank you for being here, for reading, and for believing that creativity can still surprise us—no matter our age, no matter the platform, no matter how far the Moon seems from where we stand.
Let’s find that extra 15% of light and share it—together.
P.S. Check out CreatingWriteNow by Sheila Lewis. She’s off to a fabulous start!