Channelling Your Pain Into Your Writing

It’s as good a place as any to put it

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People are in pain right now: emotionally drained, distraught, and disillusioned. And we need to put that pain to good use.

Perhaps more importantly we need to take it out of us and put it somewhere else. I came across this social media post this week and it struck a chord, to say the least.

Writing about your own pain may seem scary, but it can also be a deeply effective way to connect with, comfort, and help your readers.

If you don’t want to write about your own pain, you can write about someone else’s: a disaffected group, or a particular individual if you have access to them and can sit down and have a conversation.

Creating art out of pain can also be healing to the person creating it. Whether you journal out your pain in a big howl of raw emotion, or write a thoughtful, well-researched, evidence-backed journalistic piece. And remember there’s nothing to stop you starting with the first and then developing it into the second.

Don’t hold the pain inside you. Put it somewhere else. Put it in your art, and share it. Believe that sharing your pain can make someone else feel seen, understood and supported.

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Money is always tight this time of year, so I’ve extended my 50% off offer for all my Substack subscribers. Here you go (discount baked in at these links – no coupon code required):

• The Freelance Writer’s Success Kit

• The Busy Blogger’s Success Kit

• The Affiliate Marketer’s Success Kit

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Some thoughts from others I’ve been enjoying this week

• Coming To Substack From Medium? Here's What You Need To Know. by

  Linda Caroll

• What should writers do about social media? by

  Dan Blank

• I've Analyzed 75,000 Substack Newsletters — Here Are Surprising Insights You Need to Succeed by

  Kristina God
  &
  Ciler Demiralp

• If You're Trying To Grow On Substack, Don't Make The Same Mistakes As Me by

  Matt Lillywhite 🇬🇧

• Is Facebook Still Worth It for Writers Selling Books in 2025? by

  BadRedheadMedia, LLC

What else I’ve been up to this week

Listening to: Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport (I’m listening slowly - so it’s taking a while)

Watching: The UK version of The Traitors. My faith in ‘reality TV’ is restored.

Working on: New ideas. Researching new writing markets, new book concepts, and new products for my online store.

Learning about: Red light therapy. Here’s a science-backed YouTube video if you’re also interested in it.

This week’s Medium posts

(Friend links, as always, so you can read for free if you’re not a member.)

• I Don’t Have A Niche as an Online Writer: I have a community I help instead

• Books That Have Helped Me Make More Money as a Freelancer

That’s all for this week. If you’re reading this online and you’re not subscribed yet, feel free to subscribe to get future posts straight to your inbox.

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