Behind the Scenes of Starting Perspectives

Answers to all of your questions about how and why I started writing a newsletter

Dec 22, 2021

I started Perspectives at the start of 2021. I wanted to push myself to write more, and this seemed like a good way to create a forcing function to do that. There were weeks when this newsletter was an incredible companion, especially as I took on a new role. There were other weeks when I wondered just what I had gotten myself into.

I get a lot of questions about this newsletter, so as we approach the end of the year, I want to answer some of the most common ones I get from readers.

Why did you start Perspectives?

I had published internally at Facebook every month for many years to fulfill a promise to one of my managers. In the ensuing years, I started publishing some of my work publicly, in fits and starts. I had never had the courage to put myself out there and write more regularly, and it seemed like a worthy goal for 2021.

What is your process for writing?

It starts with the ideas. I actually have a spreadsheet with two dozen ideas I haven't fleshed out yet, along with a dozen half-written posts. Sometimes it starts with a chance encounter I had during the week, or something someone said that stuck with me.

In any given week, I start one or two posts. If by Friday I haven't found the spark, I search through the archives of half-written articles, pick one, and power through. I give myself about an hour on Friday or Saturday to complete the first draft. I sit down at the kitchen table after the kids are asleep and write until it feels done. Sometimes, if I am not quite inspired, it takes until Sunday night to complete it. Once I'm finished with the draft, I send it to my writing coach for editing. After she's done, Julie Miller from Ancestry also reviews what I’ve written and shares her advice.

Once the post is finalized, I search for a great image to go with it. That sometimes takes way longer than it should since I am always trying to find the right thing to convey the feeling of the post.

How do you find the time to write a newsletter?

I remember when I was pregnant with our third child, who was a delightful surprise. I wondered how we could possibly fit her into our already hectic lives. We were in the middle of a renovation, and my father was very sick with cancer. Then Danielle arrived, and it seemed like we had been missing her from our family all along.

You make space in your life for the things you care about. I joke with David that in the time it took him to watch eight seasons of Game of Thrones, I wrote a year’s worth of posts. He spent 4,201 minutes on the show, which is 70 hours—about as much time as this entire endeavor took. This is a running joke at our house.

What is the most gratifying part of writing?

I have had many people reach out when a particular post nudged them in a specific direction, or gave them the courage to make a change they had wanted to make for some time. Some people have asked for promotions, and others have started new side hustles. Still others have quit their jobs and taken on something new after reading one of my posts.

One of my favorite pieces of feedback is when a friend says, “I was in a meeting, and someone mentioned your post. They didn’t know I knew you.” When you put yourself out there, it is hard to know what will happen to your words. They’re like seeds scattered to the wind. You hope that some of them will take root in fertile soil and grow, and when they do, it fills you with a sense of purpose and pride.

What is the hardest part of writing?

The actual writing. I am not kidding. There are days when the pressure to post feels overwhelming. I’ve run into moments when I am absolutely sure that I have no more ideas, and that nothing I do or say will change that. There are weeks when I start five posts and hate all of them. I have given myself four weeks off this year thus far, mostly around the board meetings when things are hectic.

The most difficult thing is wondering whether it matters to anyone. You put in the effort, all the while wondering, “What if no one cares?” My first week, I had 11 subscribers—all of them friends, I presume. I have had some folks comment that something I said was simplistic or not worth reading. I believe that those who have the courage to put themselves out there can and will be criticized, but the risk of criticism is better than playing it safe and staying on the sidelines.

Many weeks, writing is the easy part, and the administration is the hard part. I love writing and sharing, but formatting, editing, and reviewing the posts have become much more time than the writing itself.

How do you get over writer’s block?

The best way to get unstuck is to change your environment. Sitting down and writing is sometimes daunting and frustrating when the words won’t come. I take a walk and use the recorder app to dictate what is on my mind. It gets the words flowing when I can’t get ideas on paper.

How long will you continue this?

Honestly, I am not sure, but I have no immediate plans to stop. I have found a way to fit this into my life, so I will continue doing it as long as there is still something to share. I am hiring someone to help manage it in 2022 to make sure that I can continue this writing while also living up to my obligations at home and at work. I am adding a paid subscription to help increase the sustainability of this newsletter since the administration part takes more time than writing. My main posts will still be free for everyone, but I may add a bit of extra content for those who support this newsletter. If you want to support this newsletter, please consider becoming a paid subscriber here.

If I want to try an ambitious project like this, what’s your advice?

Start with the outcome you want. Imagine yourself a year from now, having completed a year of something—anything. How does it feel? Are you gratified? Excited? Happy? Know what you want to accomplish before you start, and then begin. A quarter of podcasts don’t post a second episode. Many blogs are abandoned after a few posts, and I’m sure you have read tales of streamers who stream for hours with only one or two viewers. Start with a clear idea of what success looks like, and what milestones you want to achieve to prove that this endeavor is meeting a need—whether for you or your audience. There will be days when it feels easier to quit than to push on, so having a clear sense of why you want this will ensure that you continue through the tough times.

How many readers do you have?

Each of my posts gets over 10,000 reads on the site. I don't have a way of tracking who forwards the emails, but I estimate that maybe a few thousand more read it via email. As of today, I have a bit over 7,500 subscribers. I don't measure my success by the number of people subscribing, however. Rather, I measure it by the feedback I hear from those who get something out of what I post every week. I think that breadth is a great metric at scale, but depth and meaning are often even more critical for writing.

Perspectives