Letters by Burk #136: How Writing Affects Your Mood & Life

Also, labor of love, Substack for beginners, reminders, facts about writing and mood, and more

Jul 30, 2024

heart-shaped red and beige pendant — Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Hi friends,

Writing is a labor of love.

In fact, it doesn’t really matter how good of a writer you are, or think you are, writing is one of those skills and talents that benefits a wide variety of people in so many different ways.

Writing can be a simple diary entry each day, a poem, a weekly routine, a newsletter issue, a blog post, a short story, a novel, or a scientific paper.

It’s all art.

I fell in love with writing in my teenage years. First with short stories, then poetry, and finally blogging. I was blogging when the social media wasn’t even a real thing yet, back in 2007.

Since then, I moved from German blogging to English blogging, from platform to platform, from blog to newsletter and back. I was using WordPress in 2007 and I still am in 2024.

Writing has always been my first love.

And I’ve never been one to wait for inspiration to hit me. I learned to sit down to write. To blog for a living. And for fun.

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” — Jack Kerouac

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#1 Main Story:

Why Substack Is The Best Writing Platform For Newbies With 0 Followers

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent countless hours staring at your computer screen, wondering how to kick-start your newsletter writing career.

No, just me then?

After months of trial and error (and more than a few sleepless nights), I’ve come to a now obvious conclusion: Substack is the best darn platform for newsletter newbies with zero subscribers.

I’ve dipped my toes into pretty much every newsletter platform out there — ConvertKit (or Kit, as they’re rebranding), Beehiiv, MailerLite, MailChimp, you name it.

They’re all solid choices with their own perks (except for MailChimp, let’s be honest).

But for zero-subscriber rookies? Substack takes the cake, and I’m about to tell you why.

There’s a flip side, though. For more experienced creators with a large audience in place, Substack might not be the best place.

Read the rest

#2 Essay:

How I Run My Side Hustle with Apple Reminders

Let’s face it – running a side hustle can feel like herding cats while juggling flaming torches.

I’ve been there.

But after years of trial and error (and more than a few face-palm moments), I’ve finally cracked the code on staying organized without losing my mind.

With Apple Reminders.

Now, before you think “Seriously? That basic app?”, hear me out.

Yes, that simple app.

The Building Blocks of Side Hustle Success

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of my system, let’s talk about what actually makes my side hustle tick.

In my experience, it boils down to five key things:

Read the rest

#3 Facts

Here are 10 lesser-known facts about writing and how it affects life:

Handwriting can influence mood: The act of writing by hand has been shown to have a calming effect and can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Writing fiction increases empathy: Studies suggest that reading and writing fiction can enhance a person's ability to understand others' emotions and perspectives.
Expressive writing boosts immune function: Research has found that writing about emotional experiences can lead to improved immune system functioning. (Crazy right?)
Typing and handwriting activate different brain regions: fMRI studies show that handwriting engages more areas associated with memory and learning than typing does.
Writing can accelerate wound healing: Patients who wrote about their thoughts and feelings before a medical procedure showed faster wound healing than those who didn't.
Bilingual writing enhances cognitive flexibility: Regularly writing in two or more languages can improve mental flexibility and problem-solving skills.
Journaling can improve sleep quality: Writing down worries and to-do lists before bed can help clear the mind and lead to better sleep.
Writing goals increases achievement: The act of writing down specific goals makes a person 42% more likely to achieve them.
Poetic devices in writing can alter brain activity: Reading or writing text with poetic elements like alliteration or rhyme activates reward centers in the brain.
Writing by hand improves idea generation: Studies show that people tend to produce more ideas when writing by hand compared to typing on a keyboard.

Something to think about

Best,

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