Why you (as a writer) need a newsletter.

Seven years ago, I sat at my kitchen table and I decided to start something called the Monday Morning Email Club.

I didn’t have much of a big vision. I honestly didn’t even know if the idea would work. But I had a problem I wanted to solve and so I did what I’ve always done in that case: I created something.

You see, I was sick of demonizing Monday. Sick of the anxiety that shows up on a Sunday night as you plan out the week. Sick of how we take one of the best days of the week and we morph it into this monster. I wanted people to get pumped for the start of their week. Pumped for their own existence and all that could happen in the seven days ahead. Pumped to show up for their lives and the lives of others. I created a Google Form, signed up for a newsletter service, and started building this passion project of mine.

This month, I’ll send out the 300th Monday Morning Email.

To me, this a huge milestone. It symbolizes dedication, consistency, and a willingness to keep show up and keep growing even when parts of the growth were slow.

Maybe you don’t feel ready to start a blog just yet. Maybe you’re thinking, “I think I have something to say but I don’t really know where to start.” Maybe it’s your dream to become a writer or a content creator and you just need to start building that vision out— brick by brick. A newsletter may be the perfect place to begin.

I wanted to spell out some of the benefits of building a newsletter for the ones who are on the fence when it comes to just starting:

A newsletter is a gateway to a lasting, connected readership.

Too many people get caught up in the lie that Instagram or Tik Tok is their actual platform. Technically, you don’t own any of the content that you put out there on other social media platforms. You can’t control if those platforms shut down tomorrow. These platforms are amazing and they can help you build a robust clan but what about a dedicated readership? This is where a newsletter is key. Notice that I’m saying “newsletter” as opposed to “email list.” I know way too many people who create an email and then never actually use it or only use it when they want something from the people on it. What would it look like to show up and serve your list with amazing content? With consistency? With words that matter?

When my first book came out in 2015, I had my first book signing at Barnes & Noble in SoHo, New York. I was shocked (utterly shocked) by the number of people who came up to me and squealed, “I am a part of your Monday Club!” I couldn’t believe it. I’d started the Monday Club just one year earlier and already so many people were connected with it. They were a part of a real-life club and it was awesome to meet them in person. The Monday Club has been the largest and most impactful tool in building my readership. It has led me to so many beautiful connections. It allows me to meet my readers on the page and write content they actually need.

A newsletter makes (and keeps) you accountable to a writing habit.

Nothing will push you to be accountable in your writing discipline more than a newsletter that has a set schedule. Whether you send it out once a month, every other week, or once a week— this accountability of knowing people are waiting on this content will be good for you. I can tell you it is never fun to be sitting at my desk on Sunday night writing a Monday Club email that is set to go out in 12 hours. For that reason, I choose prep work. I write the emails in advance. I schedule them in advance. The newsletter keeps me accountable to make sure I sit down several times a month and write the emails. It’s one of my favorite forms of content to produce but I can honestly say that was never the case until I started planning out the content + sitting down to write it weeks and months in advance.

If you’re looking for a good kick in the pants when it comes to writing, a newsletter could be it.

A newsletter is a productive way to develop your voice.

If you’re not sitting down to write, you don’t actually know what you have to say. It’s as simple as that. Your voice is not something you stumble upon. It’s not something you accidentally bump into on Instagram. It doesn’t evolve overnight. Your voice is created and cultivated from hours in the writing room. The only way to really develop your voice is through faithful practice. I sometimes wish you could order a writing voice off Amazon and have it shipped quickly to your door but honestly? That would rob you of the experience and beauty that comes from practicing. From engaging in the secret hours. From embracing the slow magic that I think is the gold of this lifetime. If you desire to be a writer then I want those secret hours for you.

Knowing you have people who are waiting for your newsletter is a way to keep showing up to hone your voice and figure out what it is you have to give to this big, wide world. Here’s the thing: the goal is consistency, not perfection. You’re going to stumble. You’re going to lose your words or inspiration from time to time. You’re going to mess up and have all sorts of grammatical errors. But will the lack of perfection keep you from taking that first, necessary step? I hope not.

There’s so much more up ahead in this series and I can’t wait to dive into it with you.

001. (photo cred)