Pigeons Versus Substack by Michelle Joy Teigrob

 

Sometimes I wish I lived in the days when communication over long distances involved quietly scratching a note on a scrap of paper and attaching it to the skinny leg of a homing pigeon. After checking that the note was secure, you’d lean your head back while the pigeon flapped upwards.

As you shielded your eyes against the sun’s brilliance and a light breeze brushed your cheek, you’d watch your bird head to the sky. You’d clasp your hands together, praying said bird and the note made it to their destination a few miles away by nightfall.

Now, I can take all of 30 seconds to tap a note on my phone or computer. I can trust that the note will arrive at its destination thousands of miles across country or world in the same amount of time – 30 seconds give or take a few.

I joined Substack not too long ago after fellow InScribe member, Alan Anderson, introduced me to it. A long foregoer of all things social media, I decided to make the leap after gathering that this platform is designed especially for writers who enjoy long-form material (I realize that isn’t necessarily always the case and the platform is evolving, but that’s the story I went with).

At first, I felt very anxious about Substack – as all social media tends to make me. I think it’s the wildness of it all. Like the old west, social media seems to be all about every person for herself. Rules and structure appear very minimal. And there’s a lot of noise. Hundreds of voices constantly call, read me, read me, look at me, listen to me.

Social media has always held a very different vibe from what I imagine a quiet afternoon attaching a note to a homing pigeon would be like.

But I prayed, “Lord, if I’m supposed to be on Substack, guide me and give me peace.”

And then I took a step.

And another step.

I decided that even if the system itself appeared to have little structure and rules, I could create my own. I came up with a simple, loosely structured, daily routine for sharing and engaging.

I also very quickly discovered that, based on the folks I connected with initially, the platform can be full of lovely, encouraging people! I have enjoyed more than a few deep and wonderful conversations and connections that I would never have imagined possible – especially on social media.

I look forward to scrolling through the Substack notes, an astonishing number of them Bible-aligned, encouraging, convicting, and life-giving.

Substack may not always be the platform for me. But, for right now, I’m trusting it’s where I need to be with respect to my writing ministry.

Do I still long for the days of communication over long distances when all I needed was a calm sunlit afternoon, a bird, and a writing utensil?

Of course.

But I wasn’t born in those days.

For that reason, I need to make the most of what I’ve been given now. I need to redeem the time, while I still have it.

Thus, for now at least, Substack it is.

Michelle Joy Teigrob blogs on Substack and at michellejoybooks.ca. Her mission is to share true stories and articles from a heart seared by this message after being shattered by the deaths of 3 sisters: In the end, one thing will remain above all.

Crickets by Peggianne Wright

 

Photo credit: P. Wright 2026

Ouch! I could almost feel the physical pain as I hit the proverbial brick wall.

I doubt if there's a single writer in the universe who hasn't at one time or another gotten stuck. Certainly, the level of stuck might vary depending on the circumstance. For instance, I recently sat down to write a piece that was to be focused on a particular monthly prompt. I can honestly say that over my entire writing career, my backspace key and delete buttons have never had the workouts they've experienced in these last couple of weeks. I'm sure I heard one of them scream, "Uncle!".

Sitting in front of the blank screen with just the topic written at the top, I began to go bleary-eyed. Over, and over, and over I read that blurb. Waiting for the "pop" of the light bulb. Crickets.

As I do each time I sit down to write, I say a quick prayer asking for direction, guidance, and purpose. Maybe I didn't focus the words correctly. Maybe God was busy just then. Maybe my heart wasn't in the right space. Maybe .... there were no words in my head!

Generally, I'm a pretty wordy person when I write. But wow, it's like the tap was turned off and the watermain completely dried up. Nothing.

Each attempt I made, I'd tell myself, "leave it for now" believing that, as my English teacher once said, "Inspiration will hit at the most unreasonable times so be ready." Ha, still a blank.

As I sat and stared at my four-legged colleagues, all casually lounging in their "work spaces", I'd wait, hoping for words or phrases to pop into my head. Oh...maybe this sentence. Nope, delete.

A quick glance at the internet. What to do for writer's block. Really? Change your font. Seriously? Still nothing.

My conclusion. There will be times when we simply cannot find the words to write. And, when that time comes, write the words that do flow. It may not be the piece you can submit to your group or publisher, but you've still written something.

While I have long held the belief that writing to a hard prompt is a learning experience, I have now realized that when we acknowledge that we may not be equipped to write on every topic, we'll now understand and accept the crickets.

Peggianne Wright is a published author and is the founder of the pet parent ministry Paws To Pray, blending her passion for the Lord and all-things-K9 to form this unique, faith-based community. Peggianne is an ardent Bible study student, devoted dog mom, wife of 44 years, and lover of music. Her blogs Spiritual Scribbles and Fur-Kid Fanatics can be found on her website www.PawsToPray.ca and you can follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PawsToPray/ and on IG @Sister_In_Prayer.

Whiteout, A Brother Typewriter and Technology by Bob Jones

Knowing the demographics of this group, you’ve most likely had the memorable experience of using a typewriter long before keypads were invented.

My first typewriter was a Brother. They should have called it a “bother” because that’s what it was every time I made a typing mistake and was forced to correct it using a brush stroke from a bottle of whiteout. And I spent a fortune on bottles of whiteout.

Typewriters

In Junior High I was assigned a creative essay on the Vietnam War and used my bother of a Brother to produce a “Diary of a US Marine.” Why a Marine would use a typewriter in the jungles of Vietnam is beyond me now but that escaped my 13-year-old’s logic. The last unfinished page of the diary was smeared with red liquid, symbolizing the death of the diary keeper.

As clunky as it may sound, it was a fun exercise, and I still have the diary tucked away in a tote in our cold cellar.

How times have changed.

Technology

Now I navigate the digital world of a WordPress blogsite, Substack, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Threads, and a Mailchimp newsletter that needs feeding twice a week. Thank God there is no whiteout needed for digital.

My blogsite function is totally dependent on a paid web designer. Years ago, I taught a seminar at the Inscribe Writers Conference on using a blogsite. Maybe you were there. The first enquiry during the Q&A session was how did I build my blogsite. When I explained that I hired a web designer, the response was, “O, you can afford a guy.”

If you’re going to write, you might as well be read.

That doesn’t mean writing for applause, chasing clicks, or hoping to go viral. It means remembering that words are meant to travel.

What better way to travel to readers than through free, social media platforms. Posting on social media is an invitation: Here’s something I’ve been thinking about. Perhaps it will make you think, too.

I travel for free on Substack, Linkedin, Threads, Twitter, and Facebook.

My wife loves the digital world of Kindle, or I should say, MY digital world. My library doesn’t need to be dusted now that most of my books are on Kindle. Gone are the floor to ceiling bookshelves, traded in for a simple, dust free, iPad screen.

I'm OK with screens. I can take my entire library with me to Ukraine on my iPad. My eyes are a different story, requiring reading glasses and regular screen breaks to give them a rest.

Here's to a celebration of thinking, writing, and sharing.

 

You can find me at REVwords and on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Substack

Some of my published books are listed on www.Amazon.ca.

Technology: A Love/Hate Relationship by Lorrie Orr

 

November's Prompt: Technology vs analog. How do you handle the tension? What social media platforms or web-based tools do you use to ensure your work is read by others? Do you find it difficult to manage technology?

 

Photo by Lorrie Orr - The last bouquet of roses cut this week from my garden

Typing 9. I sat in front of a fully manual typewriter. Early technology, and faster than writing by hand. Typing came easily, and the teacher said I had strong and accurate fingers – from practicing the piano. I learned to center titles by counting the letters and spaces, dividing that number by two, finding the center of the paper, then pushing the space bar to find the correct place to begin my line of text. Whew! It was a lot of work. Technology for writers has come a long way since then!

Now technology threatens to take over so much of our lives. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Very glad for some things, not so much for others. Here are a few of my thoughts:

Love

My Surface Pro 8 computer. It's a few years old, but works wonderfully, especially after the updates are installed. I like it because:

* It’s small enough to tuck into my carryon or personal bag when travelling.

* It acts as a real computer in that it stores lots of documents and photos.

* It’s easy to pack around the house if I want to write in the living room, the kitchen, or my studio/office.

Hate

When technology doesn’t work as planned. I get so frustrated when I seem to be doing the right thing and it doesn't work the way I want it to. However, I’ve learned that, like most humans, phones and computers benefit from being turned off for awhile, then re-started. And make sure the updates are installed!

Love

My I-Phone 17. I love it because:

* It keeps me in touch with those I love, via texts – group or individual, phone calls, and Facetime.

* It has a great camera. I have a larger camera that I like to use around home, and I had a smaller digital camera for travelling. Actually, I had two of those smaller cameras, but they were kind of finicky and I decided to replace the last one with the newest I-Phone. It’s got a great zoom and takes good photos, although I think my larger camera still beats it.

* I control my notifications and have only the phone and text notifications enabled. If you email or message me another way, I check those regularly, but I don't want a barrage of interruptions in my day.

Hate

Generative Artificial Intelligence. It’s mere artificial plagiarism. I have briefly, very briefly done a few experiments with AI and I don’t like the results. They make me feel squeamish. So I’ve taken a firm stand on AI. Why?

* Because it takes away from the humanity of thinking and working through problems. Walking helps me when I have a thorny problem to work through, or an activity like dishwashing or folding laundry that keeps my body busy and lets my mind wander. Plot problems and ideas flow when my mind is in neutral and I often get my best ideas during a walk.

* Because it uses so many natural resources, like land and water. Here's a link to a Canadian Government site about the issue.

* Because human creativity is a gift from God – because creativity is part of the image of God in humans – although I struggle to draw and paint, I will not resort to AI to create images for my work. Generative AI lacks soul, whether in writing or in art.

As with all love/hate relationships, there are qualifiers and extenuating circumstances. I am thankful for the amazing abilities God has given the human mind to solve problems and make life easier and more stable. Without modern antibiotics my husband would have died of pneumonia. Without natural gas, I would be chopping wood and feeding a wood stove to stay warm in the winter. Technology is all around us, from the wooden spoon I use to stir soup on the stove to the elaborate computers used to power our world. Humans benefit from technology. But let's not lose our humanity.

Lorrie Orr writes from Vancouver Island, BC.

She is the author of one book, a memoir, Life is Short but Wide,

and has a number of other books waiting to be worked on,

as well as a vast amount of writing in her head. Unfortunately,

technology doesn't help her sit at her desk to write.

She also writes on Substack and her personal slice of life blog.