HWF is Two—Lots Learned

The start of a Substack newsletter and how it grew

Happy Birthday Health Wise Friday—we are turning two!

On January 27, 2023 I nervously hit Send after weeks of making tiny revisions in my first HWF. It was a stretch of time far exceeding the needs of the story but definitely not the needs of my nerves. I admit, I was intimidated about planting my flag for a Substack newsletter. I am happy to say it has proved to be an extremely interesting, gratifying, and fun adventure. Along the way I have also learned a lot about how all this works.

Indulge me now as I go behind the scenes to share some of it with you.

My work experience included decades of covering health and wellness topics as editor in chief of magazines and as a freelance writer of hundreds of articles for national magazines. In short, I was comfortable and well-oiled in the demands of producing magazine content. It made sense to me when I started HWF that I should write in a magazine-reporting style. Even then, though, I was aware of and awed by the freedom a Substack newsletter offers writers—that is writing how they see fit rather than in line with a particular publication.

Gradually it became apparent to me that with this freedom I could consider writing HWF with a broader, fresher approach. I began to evaluate the differences between magazine articles and newsletters. The responsibility of a magazine writer is to create well-crafted, mostly impersonal information. Newsletters, on the other hand, flourish when they are the voice of the writer speaking directly to the reader.

This started me reshaping some aspects of HWF stories. Magazine writing calls for telling the reader pretty much everything about the subject at hand. (Perhaps you have noticed how with the freedom of digital rather than the old-fashioned newspaper-column story length, features now sprawl in dismaying length as reporters tell you much more than you want to know.)

The key for a newsletter, at least to me, is keeping the focus on what my readers need to know about the subject at hand. With the tighter concept in mind, I trimmed most HWF stories from 1000-1200 words to somewhere between 750-900. Not only does this sharpen content of individual stories, it also honors readers’ busy lives.

Interestingly, I assumed that writing shorter pieces in a conversational voice would be simpler and so faster. Not so, I soon discovered. As you have likely noticed, the name Health Wise Friday should have been Health Wise Weekly in keeping with my oft-delayed weekend appearance. I am here to explain that this is not procrastination on my part but rather the time it takes to craft “easy-going” chatty stories. I hope to get speedier as I move forward, but if not, keep in mind Health Wise Weekly.

Tuesday Tidbits …

Finally, a few words about Tuesday Tidbits, occasionally dubbed Tuesday Talk (thank you, Adam). Ah yes, how this has morphed and continues to do so. My original plan was for it to be a sort of mini-HWF—health-news items in a shorter format for all readers, not just paid subscribers. In time I felt readers didn’t really need a mini-HWF, plus it was a growing burden for me to produce it. This is when TT started drifting toward a variety of purposes, landing eventually as a lead-in promo for the week’s HWF. I’m not sure if readers actually care about this version of TT, but for now it will continue … or maybe not. We shall see.

And finally, before we move on, a BIG thank you to all of my readers! I love and appreciate you!

Now for some reporting [winking emoji] …

Gradual hearing loss is a problem people are often loath to admit—witness the many who deny it even when it’s obvious. (“Wha-jah say?”) Missing out on conversations goes beyond turning up the TV; people sacrifice socializing when silence around them becomes too stressful. Given that socializing is known to help prevent dementia, it’s not surprising that hearing loss is considered a dementia risk factor.

Now that I have scared you, I have news that can help. Admittedly it is in sort of a roundabout way, but here it is: Johns Hopkins is offering an APP called “Hearing Number” for a free, fast, and easy hearing test. The reason for the odd name is that it is part of a Hopkins-designed program using numbers to identify where hearing is faulty and the degree of loss. The idea is to keep track of your hearing number, much as you monitor your cholesterol count—so you can flag when it’s time for professional help.

Available for IOS and Android, in English and Spanish, the test takes about five minutes per ear. You will need headphones or ear buds to use it.

Reminder: Paid subscriptions give you full story content—no paywall, yay!—plus access to all past issues, plus my gratitude for supporting my work!

Health Wise Friday—Good stuff to know for a stronger, healthier, happier you!