How to Substack

If you're new here, this is how everything works.

The Rigmarole is over a month old now, and since so many of us are new to substack (myself included), I thought I’d put together a quick post to show you around and answer any questions you may have.

Let’s dive in!

How to Subscribe

There are three ways to subscribe to this newsletter:

1. Free subscription: You’ll receive all posts and be able to read roughly one out of every four. The rest will show up as a short preview before a paywall.

2. Monthly subscription: This option allows you to sign up for $5/month CAD (around $1.25 per post). You can cancel anytime, so if you sign up in October and change your mind in December, you will only be charged for those three months.

3. Annual subscription: Sign up for a whole year at a discounted rate of $55 (or $1.14/per post).

It feels a bit odd to charge for access to my writing, especially when we’re so used to free online content — but I don’t write “content.”

I value the time, thought, hard work, and vulnerability I put into these posts, and it means a lot to me that we are investing in each other.

How to Read

There are three ways to find and read my writing:

1. In the email that’s delivered directly to your inbox.

2. By visiting the website at rigmarole.substack.com.

3. In the Substack app, which you can download here for Android users and here for iPhone folks.

If you’re on the site or in the app, you can view all past posts and participate in chats and notes, too (more on that below).

How to Respond

(But first, a slight tangent)

I am so overjoyed with the response to this newsletter, and I really can’t thank you enough for being here. It feels so good to be writing again, and truly incredible to have an ad-free space to share my work.

As I settle back into the rhythm of things, I have been thinking a lot about how to create something that provides interest and value for you.

Whether you’re giving me your time as a free reader or investing financially as a paid subscriber, it means a lot to me that you are part of this.

We’re also a lovely, smallish community at the moment, which gives you the unique advantage of having lots of say in what I write about.

One of the simplest ways to do this is by liking a post or leaving a comment when you read something you particularly enjoy and would like more of. While I’ve never measured success in likes or comments and don’t plan to start doing so now, they do give me useful information about what resonates with you, and topics that merit further exploration.

(That said, I’ll readily admit to being a lurker who rarely interacts online, so if you’d like to continue reading in incognito mode, no one will understand that more than me.)

I won’t be basing writing decisions wholly on reader responses, but this feedback helps me know what’s landing and what may be missing the mark. Of course, you can also contact me directly at Madeleinesix (at) Gmail (dot) com.

As for how to respond, you can do so by clicking the heart to like a post or clicking the speech bubble to leave a comment. If you’re accessing a post from your email or the website, these buttons will appear at the bottom of the post. In the app, they appear in a scrolling footer.

How to Interact

If, on the other hand, you aren’t typically a lurker, and you find yourself craving more connection and discussion, you can pick up the threads of thought generated by a post by joining us in the Rigmarole chat or posting on Notes (which I think of like a Twitter feed. [RIP, Twitter]).

I’ve found some incredible writers in this space and if you’d like to participate, I welcome you with open arms. If there’s enough interest, I’ll create a new chat thread for each post to discuss.

That’s it, that’s all! Thanks for reading; you can expect your regular weekly post soon :)

Madeleine