A Non-Approach to Promote
... if it helps those struggling with self promotion or “Write, Erase, Repeat” syndrome.
Do others struggle with self-promotion
While posting notes trolling Substack for likes,
Bartering subscriptions for subscriptions,
Sitting dejected while other’s count spikes?
If I clutter other’s timeline with hype
What is achieved? What value has it brought?
Promotion of my vainglory may swipe
Their time with love ones. So cancelled … for naught?
Why drain folk’s precious hours with my drivel?
Will they profit from online encounter?
Use mentor behavior and be civil!
Pleasant discourse is never a downer.
It took some years, but now I see
In sum, it is not about me, but thee.
(This image is AI generated, and nothing else in this post.)
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Hat tip to Write. Erase. Repeat. who got me twisted off on this wavelength. See the Backstory by scrolling beyond the image below!!!
If you smiled while reading then check out:
Vonnets in an Airport Lounge. Another 14 lines every Friday in this series of 36.
Other Vonnets such as … » Hemingway not! »
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Backstory to “A Non-Approach to Promote”
This is the second day in a row Substackers got me diverted into writing. Write. Erase. Repeat. No, that is not what I did, that was the poster who got me going, with a note, “Does anyone else struggle with self promotion on Substack?”
For brevity I will refer to “Write. Erase. Repeat.” as WER from now on, as it were.
I was the kitchen about to make breakfast, had taken the eggs, butter, cheese, and tortillas from the refrigerator, and thought, “Did WER notice my screed yesterday attached to my reply was in effect a non-promotion approach to promotion?”
I am not flippant in that stance. It is out of respect for my fellow humans that I don’t waste their time. Because if I am promoting myself, what of value may be in it for them? It is catholic guilt working in a way. “Treat others …”
So I left the breakfast ingredients and skedaddled to get a scrap of paper and pen.
The non-promotion promotion
Value add
Mentor story
Suggestions
Affirmation
When I reply or post, I try to vibe those attitudes.
I cracked the eggs into a bowl. Another thought, so back to the pen and scrap,
After all, it is not about me, but thee
I scrambled the eggs
It took some years, but now I see
Damn, now I have a couplet!
It took some years, but now I see
After all, it is not about me, but thee
I better …
Write while the iron is hot
I realized I had the kernels of …
An approach to promote
Scratch that, it is really
A non-approach to promote.
I delete “After all” and replaced:
In sum, it is not about me, but thee.
This is like where I ended yesterday. I composed a closing couplet … and no sonnet meat above it!
Which gets me to real time. Now I am working live as I type . Oh by the way the cheesy egg breakfast taco was quite good !
With my stomach satiated, do I quit here? Or do I persist? If so, how?
I do need three quatrains. So what are three themes?
Pressure to promote
To what end?
What is it really about?
Didn’t I cover this the other day? https://www.vonnets.io/p/due-subscribers-count?r=73jo6j?
Nope, not really. Rereading it, only tangentially. So let’s go make something new.
What was WER’s original question?
“Does anyone else struggle with self promotion on substack?”
15 beats. Straight forward. Not … poetic?
Do others struggle with self promotion?
Commotion! What else thematically rhymes? Off to RhymeZone: motion, notion, potion, devotion, slow motion. What builds on the question?
Having to troll for likes
Bartering subscriptions for subscriptions? (10 beats!)
Having to troll Substack for likes (8 beats)
Posting notes to troll Substack for likes (9)
And posting notes to troll Substack for likes (10)
While posting notes to troll Substack for likes (10)
Reordering:
Do others struggle with self promotion
While posting notes trolling Substack for likes,
Bartering subscriptions for subscriptions,
(And now what?)
Sitting like Pooh Bear, “Thinking … Thinking … Thinking …”
RhymeZone: “spikes, strikes, tikes, yikes, counterstrikes.” Yikes! Thin gruel.
Sitting dejected while other’s count spikes? (well it is 10 beats first try)
Let’s not overthink quatrain one while the other two are zeros.
Do others struggle with self promotion
While posting notes trolling Substack for likes,
Bartering subscriptions for subscriptions,
Sitting dejected while other’s’ count spikes?
To what end? Because what is it really about? Oh yeah,
The non-promotion promotion
Value add
Mentor story
Suggestions
Affirmation
And,
If I clutter other’s comments with hype
What value does it bring them?
The clock ticks on their day
Distracted from their living and loved ones
And,
Should I not leave them better for an encounter
If I share should it not have a purpose
An affirmation, suggestion, my personal journey
That they can channel for effect?
Okay, I think I have a narrative! A narrative is way more important than a meandering rhyme-schemed sonnet with no reason to be. Putting the narrative in order,
Do others struggle with self-promotion
While posting notes trolling Substack for likes,
Bartering subscriptions for subscriptions,
Sitting dejected while other’s’ count spikes?
.
If I clutter other’s comments with hype
What value does it bring them?
The clock ticks on their day
Distracted from their living and loved ones
.
Should I not leave them better for an encounter
If I share should it not have a purpose
An affirmation, suggestion, my personal journey
That they can channel for effect?
.
It took some years, but now I see
In sum, it is not about me, but thee
Time to craft? Actually, shouldn’t I say to myself, “Time to craft!”
Hype. RhymeZone: gripe, stripe, stype, swipe, tripe, type, wipe
My tripe online, time from loved ones swiped (9)
My tripe online, their time from loved ones swiped
If I clutter other’s timeline with hype (10)
Does my tripe online their time from loved ones swipe? (11, clumsy)
What is achieved? What value does it bring? (10)
My tripe online their time from loved ones swipe? (10, clumsy)
Their time from loved ones by online tripes swipe?
Time from loved ones by vain glory is swiped
Bring: wring? Brought? Naught? “… has it brought”
My promotion of vainglory will swipe (10)
Their spending time with love ones will be rendered naught. (12)
Their time with love ones will be cancelled, naught. (10)
Their time with love ones, be cancelled, for naught. (10)
Onto Quatrain 3:
Encounter: downer!!! Why look further in the list from RhymeZone?
Should they not be off better for online encounter? (13)
Should they not be off better for online encounter? (13)
Hey, I forgot about WER!!!
Would it be better to write, erase, repeat
Than to drain their soul with drivel?
Should they not be off better for online encounter? (13)
Than to drain their soul with drivel?
Would it be better not to repeat write & erase
An affirmation, suggestion, my personal journey
That they can channel for effect?
Not repeat cycle of write & erase (10!)
Why should they not profit from online encounter? (12)
Why not profit from online encounter? (10)
Not drain their precious time with drivel? (9)
Versus drain their precious time with drivel? (10)
Mentor an observation, suggestion not a downer (14)
Mentor a suggestion not a downer (14)
Not do a cycle of write & erase (10!)
Erase: base, brace, case, chase, face, race, lace, mace, pace, place, trace, vase. More syllables: debase, deface, disgrace, displace, efface, embrace, fuckface (?!), headcase, headspace, just in case, in place, misplace, outpace, outplace, outrace, showcase, test case, worst-case
Drivel: civil, shrivel, swivel, incivil, uncivil
Why drain folk’s precious time with my drivel? (10)
When they can profit from online encounter? (11)
Can they profit from online encounter? (10)
Stealing time is behavior most uncivil (11)
Mentor a suggestion not a downer (14)
Another pass:
Why drain folk’s precious time with my drivel (10)
Can they profit from online encounter? (10)
Use mentor behavior to be most civil (11)
Use mentor behavior and be civil (10)
So interaction for them is not a downer (12)
So our discourse is not a downer (9)
So pleasant discourse is not a downer (10)
‘Cause pleasant discourse is not a downer (10)
Pleasant discourse is never a downer (10)
Phew!
Does that all work? Let’s try assembling it all together:
.
A Non-Approach to Promote
.
Do others struggle with self-promotion
While posting notes trolling Substack for likes,
Bartering subscriptions for subscriptions,
Sitting dejected while other’s count spikes?
.
If I clutter other’s timeline with hype
What is achieved? What value has it brought?
Promotion of my vainglory may swipe
Their time with love ones. So cancelled … for naught?
.
Why drain folk’s precious hours with my drivel?
Will they profit from online encounter?
Use mentor behavior and be civil!
Pleasant discourse is never a downer.
.
It took some years, but now I see
In sum, it is not about me, but thee.
.
Final thought. It matters not that the vonnet is not great. I have to build my skills by spending the time, doing the grind. It takes more diligence to sculpt the sculptor than a statue.
Final-final thought. Damn, it would have been cool to have imbedded “write, erase and repeat” in there somewhere, but that is not where the journey led. So be it.
I like how you are sharing your process
I love this!! How cool to see my words act as your inspiration, and I really appreciate the way you break down your writing process. It’s non-linear, messy, full of half-thoughts, but eventually something forms that feels worth sharing!