The "Dada" Supplement

Turning on paid, establishing the end of Season 1, and (re)introducing my recurring guest.

Kickin’ Up Starshine

In between One Word documentaries, I offer a supplement — a dose of insights, ideas, and bits that constellated during last month’s word.

This supplement follows the word “Dada.” If you haven’t watched it yet, do so here.

Today, I’m introducing a paid tier and letting you know what to expect for the rest of One Word’s first season.

Paid Subscriptions and Going All In with Substack Video

At the end of April, I set up One Word’s paid tier. Pricing is in Canadian dollars (CAD) and is as follows:

• $7/Month

• $70/Year

• $150/Founding Membership

Although we now have a paid tier, nothing is going behind a paywall.

There are as many ways to offer paid subscriptions as there are shades of green, and for my purposes, I’d like to leave it up to all of you to decide if what I create is worth the subscription.

Substack is a platform that creators can shape to their purpose, and my goal with One Word is to offer ad-free, short memoir documentaries, championed and supported by the people who enjoy them.

Support One Word and get a discount at the same time with the button below.

Along with paid subscriptions, I’m going all-in with Substack video. It’s not the best video player — it lacks some key features of YouTube and Vimeo — but it’s our video player.

Starting with May’s word, for the first week you can only stream the new One Word on Substack. If you would prefer to watch on YouTube, you’ll have to wait until the 7th (ish) of the month.

I believe in the value of offering short, perhaps even meaningful, documentaries directly to a subscriber’s email. It’s not something I see very often, and I don’t want to sully its potential by giving priority to YouTube, a platform so devoted to third-party advertising I often feel exhausted before I watch anything.

Your support, whether it’s by liking or restacking, chatting with me in the comments, sharing the video with friends, or paying a few bucks, is so, so appreciated. I believe that as we grow together, we’ll discover more paths for us to explore.

So thank you.

Red Rubble

Season One Ends September 2023

If I’m opening paid, I believe it’s important that I unravel the celluloid and let you know my plan.

The primary goal of One Word, since I published Stone last September, is to complete 12 words. We’re more than halfway through that goal. I’m calling the initial 12 words a “season.”

The next 5 words in this season will be videos; I know what the words will be, and the last of which I’ll publish in September. After I hit that milestone, I plan to take a few months off to celebrate, recoup, and consider my goal for season two.

I’m very excited for the rest of this season. We’ve got some incredible collaborations, twists and turns, and challenging words for me to explore. This brings me to my next topic…

In Transit

(Re)Introducing My Recurring Guest

Recurring guest is my name for grief, for loss. It arrives at the strangest times, triggered by a smell or sound or laugh, and then it’s there, marching, lurching in the periphery, begging to be acknowledged.

Since I started this project, my dad’s death has been the recurring guest. I’m not sure there is a word I’ve written about that doesn’t mention him. And, if I’m honest, One Word is the first time in my life I’ve been able to successfully express how I feel about his death.

Talking with a few of you in the comments, I realize that I have an opportunity in season one to bring the feelings and memories of my dad to a new medium. I’ve written about him over and over again. I’ve tried poetry and journaling and song. But video, that’s a new frontier.

So, for the rest of this season, I’m allowing myself to make creative choices that lean into these feelings, rather than touch on them as I move from one idea to the next. When the recurring guest knocks, not only am I letting him enter, he’s going to center stage.

I know that including him in the documentaries won’t dispel how I feel. Grief is not a spell, it doesn’t vanish when I find the right sentence or trinket or drug. But grief can be better understood. When held in the crucible, it can transfigure.

So, if we start seeing more of my recurring guest in the docs… that’s why.

The Power of Engagement

The comment section of One Word has become very important to me. There’s an honesty to the conversations, and a consideration, that has provided moments of realization and growth. I did not expect this.

Here are some highlights from Dada’s comment section.

I talked with

Spencer Orenstein Lequerica

about my two major influences: How to with John Wilson and Anthony Bourdain. John Wilson in particular inspired my initial idea for One Word.

I was heartened by

weedom

early on in the comments, asking people to take the time to watch the video. It was a simple request, but said with an honesty that made me tear up. It also made me realize how many people read the essay rather than watch the video.

Cierra

chatted with me about her mother’s recent passing. She isn’t the only one. I’ve had emails from subscribers about their loss, and that inspired me to give my father’s passing more time. She also wrote a lovely piece on Mother’s Day about the first year without her mother that I found incredibly moving.

Nathan Slake

has been a real one in the comments. He's been doing deep dives into my older words, Stone, Path, and Chicken. In Dada, he brought up my dad and in the conversation that followed, I discovered that I need to be more intentional with my time in season one, that if I’ve given myself this space to work on the loss of my father, I shouldn’t waste it.

And last, d.w., who writes

One Could Argue

, stopped by the comments last week to mention a documentary filmmaker, Ross McElwee. I’ve since watched one of his films, Shermon’s March, and... wow. I'm grateful. There's a kinship to my work, and I believe I can learn a lot about the craft of "Memoir Documentary" through McElwee.

I bring these examples up to prove that comments in One Word provide nourishment — a place where ideas get churned and prepped. I didn’t expect this.

So any thoughts you have, please share them. Write whatever comes to your mind, and I promise that I’ll take the time to read, reply, and possibly, incorporate your sentiments into One Word.

April in Notes

Notes is a new way for creators on Substack to connect and share ideas, articles, and resources. Here are a few recent notes I think are worth your time.

Books on Writing, Suggested by Substack Writers

I asked writers in my network about their favourite books on the art of writing. I tried my best to include a review or blurb about each book in my reply.

Click on the note below to explore over 50 books on writing fiction and non-fiction.

Music for Writing, Suggested by Substack Writers

I’m a big fan of ambient music for writing, but sometimes I deplete my library. So I asked other Substack writers what they listen to, and the response was tremendous — hundreds of hours of music.

Click on the note below to find new music for your next creative session.

Thank you.

Next One Word releases May 31st.

See you then.