A Letter About Letters

After blogs, feeds, funnels, and experiments, I’m returning to the format that’s always felt like home. Why letters still matter to me — and why I’m centering this space around writing to you.

Dear friend,

Recently, my book club read The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, a lovely story told entirely through letters and emails.

It got me thinking about how much I love writing you letters.

When I first started out, I wrote individual letters to my readers! It was lovely.

Since I was a kid, I’ve loved writing letters. I was that girl who passed notes in class and had pen pals around the world. So when I started my creative career, letters were central to how I connected with readers.

Through the years, I’ve tried many different forms of correspondence with you:

• MySpace blog,

• educational newsletter,

• Queerie Bradshaw sex blog,

• marketing sales funnel emails,

• Because Fat Girl Insider Squad physical mailers (you can still get them!),

• Facebook groups,

• LinkedIn updates,

• Instagram photos,

• and that one brief six-month period where I tried, and failed, to understand TikTok.

And every time I keep coming back to letters, from me to you, as friends.

As of January 14, 2026, there are 1,269 of you getting these Substack emails of mine. Historically, about half of you read them.

That’s … pulls up calculator because I’m horrible at math … 634 and a half people reading this right now.

Shout out to that half person. You know who you are.

I do not take your attention for granted.

I have in the past and I’m sorry for that. I’d send out mass emails with crap content because that’s what a class I took or conference I attended told me I had to do to make money.

And it turns out, I like money.

It pays my mortgage, allows me to support causes I love, and pays for my sensitive stomach to have the food it needs (have you seen the price of gluten-free bread?!).

But I don’t like money at the cost of my own values.

And I value quality over quantity. I value creativity and connection. I value you and the time you give me to read what I write.

If you’ve been here a while, you know I’ve taken a lot of twists and turns to try to find my footing on Substack.

• I wrote SEO-centric content to try to go viral on here.

• I launched Plot Twist, a collaborative novel we wrote together.

• I brought back Queerie Bradshaw, my queer kinky sex blog.

• Maybe you even remember that video podcast I did where I just talked to you about whatever topic I felt like from my sofa late at night (I blame the drugs I was on after surgery…).

None of it really took hold.

Every time I sit down to write, I just want to talk to you like a friend.

Which you are, to me.

I want to obsess with you over the things I’m loving right now (um hello, HEATED RIVALRY anyone?!).

I want to share that life is friggin’ hard and depression has had its hooks in me for months, but I’m also full of joy and love at the same time.

I want to talk to you about my dream to win an Oscar and the plans I have to get there.

And I want to ask you questions.

Like what are you obsessed with these days? How are you holding up? What’s bringing you joy right now? How are you still dreaming in the face of it all?

Seriously, though, I want to know. Let me know in the comments.

None of us need more content these days—but we all could use more connection.

Which is why I’ve decided to focus my Substack on letters from me to you.

Yes, that means Plot Twist is going away. I am sorry to the three of you who read it each week and I promise to reach out to you individually to keep helping me write it going forward!

But the other 1200+ of you seem to enjoy it much more when I write you letters.

To be honest, so do I.

So let’s give the people (aka us) what they want.

More letters.

I’m excited to write you more intimate, honest, and hilarious (if my joke writing class pays off) letters here on my Substack.

And I hope you’ll write me back.

With love,

Lauren

P.S. Letters are more fun as a dialogue, so reply to this email or leave a comment and let me know what you are obsessed with these days and what’s bringing you joy in the face of all that’s happening in the world!

P.P.S. Did you see that I have a voiceover of this post now?! You can listen to it above. Let me know if you like that format.

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Sharing Is Caring

Here are some relevant resources that you might find helpful if you liked today’s letter:

• A newsletter is one of the most important ways a writer can build a following of loyal readers. Check out my Mailing List 101 Guide to find out how to start one.

• Want to build confidence, recover from rejection, and share your work with joy – all using a one-page sticker chart? Check out my 33 Asks® program.

• Sign up to get physical letters from me. Yes, like from the post office!

• Grab a copy of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans from an independent bookstore or on Kindle. It was a short but powerful read.

• Creating a values-aligned career isn’t always easy, but Laura Eigel’s book Values First: How Knowing Your Core Beliefs Can Get You the Life and Career You Want has helped me significantly over the years. Laura was a client of mine and we worked on this book together, along with the sequel Values First Teams. Both books shaped a lot of how I run School for Writers and my life in general and I highly recommend them for both business owners and corporate professionals.

*Some of these links might be affiliate links, but I only share resources I love, regardless of affiliate status.