Hi friends,
Yesterday, I had the joy of hosting a live conversation with the brilliant A. J. Van Belle writer, agent, and lovely human being who shared so much wisdom. We talked about writing, creativity, Substack, and showing up authentically on the page.
A.J. spoke about the evolution of their voice through fiction, the healing nature of storytelling, and a golden piece of advice from their mother — one I’m replaying like a mantra.
I also reflected on my own writing journey—how Substack (Wannabe Wisdom) became a permission slip to write, despite being afraid to share myself, and to publish when I didn’t feel “good enough.”
Here’s the heart of it:
“Even if what you write isn't polished, your voice right now matters. Who you are today will never exist in this exact form again.” — A.J. Van Belle
We explored a lot in just over an hour.
* The power of writing from what excites you!
* Honoring your current voice, not waiting for mastery.
* Fiction as a place to safely rewrite the past.
* Substack as a web of meaningful, slow connections not vanity metrics.
And some of my favorite takeaways:
"Fiction lets us heal like children heal through play. It's a form of adult play where we can re-narrate the past and see ourselves more clearly." — A.J.
"I don’t want to be a trauma story with a ring light… but I do want to share myself." — Me
"Write your stories. Tell the truth. Don’t be silenced." — A.J.’s Substack mission
“Hard times are coming […] We’ll need writers who can remember freedom – poets, visionaries – realists of a larger reality.”—Ursula LeGuin
We closed with this reminder:
✨ You don’t need to be anyone else. Your weird little garden of thoughts is enough.
More to come soon. In the meantime:
Question: What’s your weird little garden growing these days?
Reply in the comments or message me directly. I’d love to hear from you!
Thank you Mary Crayston, Discover with Dina, Hal Gill, Katie Moran, Alexander Oakley and others for tuning into my live video with A. J. Van Belle! Join me for my next live video in the app.
With love + rebellion,Ashley
