By Christopher Harris The Rights of Fans
Each week the new weekly excerpt can be found here:
This week marks Week One of my attempt to expand my writing beyond a remote, niche football blog about Lewes FC and into the dizzying, grown-up world of self-publishing, platforms, and social media.
Why? Because I’ve realised two things:
- I’ve never really tried to grow as a writer beyond my comfort zone.
- More importantly, I’ve never truly persevered.
It’s not that I’m bad at this stuff, I’m just new to it. When it comes to Lewes FC, I’ve had the luxury of being one of the only people regularly writing about the club. Beyond the official communications and the local paper, there’s not much else. So, while the audience is small, I’ve effectively cornered the market. It’s very successful.
But now I want to write about other things: punk music, vintage subcultures, current affairs, the struggle of life, and generally anything else that grabs my interest. And in doing so, I’ve entered a world where competition is everywhere and getting read is exponentially harder.
My Manic Mind Needs a Plan
I have what you might call a manic brain, chaotic but creative. For years I’ve worked with a life coach to temper it. The upside? I can bash out fresh blogs for fun. The downside? I’m prone to doing everything at once, burning out, and losing direction.
I’ve now set aside a year, even two, aiming to dedicate 25 hours a week to learn the craft of digital publishing. No pressure, no rush, just steady learning. Or at least that was the plan.
Naturally, I ignored that and did everything all at once. End of week I and my head is all over the place, I need a plan. By the way I still don’t have one.
New Platforms, New Problems
I was meant to introduce myself slowly to platforms, Substack, LinkedIn, Reddit, one a week. Instead, I set up all three in a fit of enthusiasm. Classic jack of all trades, master of none territory.
Here’s the scorecard:
Substack – 3/10
I’ve posted six blogs, earning just under 50 views. Not terrible, not great—around 8 views per post. But it’s functional, it’s logical, and it’s something I can grow with. Let’s call it “just shy of passable.”
LinkedIn – 1/10
I managed two posts before I got locked out. Why? No idea. One minute I’m innocently going about my business, the next the door is shut in my face. Score: 1/10 for effort.
Reddit – 0/10
Reddit is a labyrinth. Subreddits, karma, rules, moderators. Wtf! It feels like trying to infiltrate a secret society armed only with vague guesses. I haven’t even figured out where to post yet. Score: 0/10. Utterly baffled.
Week One in Review: Glitches, Wins & One Vanished Blog
Monday was spent trying, and failing, of course, to resurrect my old Twitter account. I gave up after being bombarded with content related to Musk and Cummings. It felt more like propaganda than a platform. I’ll just start a new account and use it to post links. No engagement required.
Tuesday was more productive: I spent six hours tinkering with my blog’s front page. The result? A working subscribe button (no new subscribers yet, but it’s progress) and a dropdown menu on mobile that I’m particularly proud of.
Then came the Damned blog debacle. I wrote a piece about a 1986 concert by The Damned, loaded with personal memories. I took my time with it… then lost it when Word crashed.
Luckily, I had a rough draft. I rewrote it, it included a section about my old punk band, and published it. Then I tried to share it with my old bandmates via WhatsApp, and promptly lost it again. Don’t ask.
Eventually, my wife recovered it. I still have no idea why I clicked “Delete Permanently.” But third time lucky, the final version ended up better.
The Balancing Act: Content vs. Focus
Despite all the platform confusion, I still managed to:
- Write a dozen blog posts
- Edit the second draft of my second short story
Not bad. But I also drifted, lost focus, and did far too much at once. So next week’s theme? Slow down. Do less. Do it better.
Metrics and Reality Checks
I thought about tracking views in a weekly chart—but then realised how pointless that is at this stage. Why?
Because I can still write one blog about Lewes FC and get 150 to 1,000 views.
Right now, to get 1,000 views on anything else, I’d probably have to write 200 blogs. That’s humbling. But it’s also expected. I’m stepping into new subjects where I don’t have a foothold, yet.
The Beginning of a Bigger Project
So here I am: Week One complete. Slightly wiser, still confused, but fully committed.
I’ve embarked on a self-publishing project that I hope, in a year or two, will make me fluent in blogging platforms, social media ecosystems, and digital engagement. At that point, I can stop worrying about the tech and focus solely on writing what I love.
I’m treating this as my own kind of university course, a DIY degree in platform fluency, audience-building, and self-publishing. I’m at the very beginning. And that’s fine.
I just need to remember one thing:
I’ve got time. So calm down.
#WeekOneBlogging #TheRightsOfFans #SelfPublishingLife #PunkToPlatforms #LearningToWrite
The Rights of Fans. 