What I'd Rather Be Talking About

What I'd Rather Be Talking About

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What I'd Rather Be Talking About
What I'd Rather Be Talking About
Hey, what you’re reading is almost a year old!

Hey, what you’re reading is almost a year old!

If you like flashback episodes on TV... you'll like this edition.

Abbey Algiers's avatar
Abbey Algiers
Dec 02, 2023
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What I'd Rather Be Talking About
What I'd Rather Be Talking About
Hey, what you’re reading is almost a year old!
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Seasons Greetings from my Dog Nephew, Boomer.

Happy Saturday & Happy December,

It’s December already.

(Cliche acknowledgment…)

I know, everyone is saying it, but I can’t resist…

Where has the year gone?

And, of course, I ask that every year.

But this year, it feels like time has passed faster than the speed of light, which again is normal, but I’m referring to this in a different sense.

Since launching What I’d Rather Be Talking About last December, I’ve witnessed time and the year passing in terms of Thursdays and Saturdays when I release new issues.

Looking back, when I released the first issue last December, I was as green as a freakin’ Christmas tree.

I had no idea what I was doing.

three green Chrismas trees
Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

I had all the doubts that accompany a new venture:

  • Would anyone want to read my newsletter?

  • How would I come up with new topics each week?

  • How would I promote it?

(Plus about a million other things.)

But, thanks to the encouragement from Substacker & consultant extraordinaire

Jessica Murnane
, I forged ahead into Newsletterland.

And I’ve NEVER LOOKED BACK.

I’ve fumbled. And experimented. And gone through all the growing pains that come with being a newbie.

Yet, you awesome readers continued to show up, give me feedback, subscribe and support, and share What I’d Rather Be Talking About with your peeps.

So, first, I want to say… THANK YOU!

To show my appreciation, I curated a collection of newsletter highlights from the past year.

My favorite is the last one, as it marks another important date I want to address… so be sure to stick around until the end for that.❤️

Before I get too sappy, let’s hop in my Substack time machine to revisit the year.

See you back in December, 2023…

Abbey


How it all began…

In early November of 2022, I hired consultant & creative Jessica Murnane (of

Semi-Important Things with Jessica Murnane
) to help me with my website and freelancing game plan. I told her I really wanted to start a newsletter but wasn’t sure which platform to use. She encouraged me to give Substack a try. When I hesitated, she said, “Seriously, just go for it. What have you got to lose?”

Well, as you know, I did go for it… in early December of 2022.

When I went back to the archives to read that first newsletter, I was a little nervous. I thought reading it would feel like looking at a school picture from grade school. Kind of creepy, if you know what I mean. Would it sound like a third-grader wrote it? Or, sound sophomoric? (Editor’s note: sophomoric is one of the hardest critiques for a writer to stomach.)

Actually, my 8th-grade picture is much scarier than that first newsletter.

But when I looked back at the first issue, I wasn’t embarrassed like I thought I’d be. To be sure, it wasn’t rock star writing, but while reading it, I could tell it came 100% from my heart. I remembered how excited I was to launch and how psyched I was to curate content for that first issue.

Take a look at that first newsletter - it includes some holiday tips, podcasts, and some great advice/books if you’re missing a loved one this holiday season. Click below for that first issue.

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