Behind the Substack with Alexa

Read the full interview with the author of Wild Cozy Free

Welcome to the edition of Behind the Substack. Today,

Alexa Juanita Jordan

from Wild Cozy Free shares her approach to creativity, growing her readership, staying organised, favourite books, and self-care habits. If you enjoy this series, please let me know by leaving like, comment or subscribe for more conversations like this. 

1. What’s your favourite coffee?

First thing in the morning, I like to have Keurig doughnut shop coffee with non-dairy creamer and agave (in a perfect world, the Califa cinnamon roll oat creamer would work, but I can’t always find it, so vanilla oat creamer or another brand of cinnamon creamer works, too.)

My other favourite is a hot oat milk chai. My friends make fun of me because I will only drink an iced chai if it’s above 87 degrees.

2. Can you tell me about the moment you decided to start writing? Where were you, and what inspired you?

Oh, there are so many ways to answer this! I do remember the distinct moment I decided to start writing on Substack in particular. I was sitting in my New York apartment late at night, and a big writing project that I was working on with some collaborators had just fallen through. I remembered how Glennon Doyle’s writing career began with a blog that started off as a morning email to all of her friends. The idea of creating a space that is freeing for me, and potentially even making income from it with the substack subscription model, felt terrifying and liberating. I kind of just went for it and was really lucky to find a lot of my community quite early on back when Substack Office Hours were still happening.

If I were to answer the question in a more meta way, I think I’ve been writing since before I really even began physically writing. I had a really vivid imagination as a kid, and loved nothing more than playing with my dolls for hours and creating elaborate backstories for each and every one of them. I’ve always loved a good story – both hearing and creating one. 

In high school, I wrote these very cheesy, moody, angsty songs all the time. So many of them. That was a really important chapter for me, even if I hope many of those songs never see the light of day. I think my teenage self would be really proud that I publish songs on substack now.

The idea of writing professionally did not even register as a possibility until I took Introduction to Playwriting and met the professor who would become my mentor. I was so focused on being an actor that I didn’t even give playwriting a second thought until years after college when I started pursuing playwriting professionally. That was probably the seed out of which all of the professional writing in my adult life grew, but part of me is also piping up and saying, “You were a writer long before all this! You wrote some killer essays in middle and high school!”

So, I guess the short answer here is - there was no definite moment. But I’ve always been inspired by the art of storytelling, and the power of where your imagination can lead you.

3. How has using Substack changed or influenced your writing style or Topics?

So, in contrast to everything above, Substack is the first place I’ve really experimented with and committed to nonfiction writing. It’s still creative writing in a sense, but far more narrative and rooted in, well, my real life. 

I’ve become really discerning about what topics I’m willing to delve deeply into, and what’s off limits. Julia Bedell has taught me a lot about this through her work. 

Substack has definitely deepened and expanded my writing style. I wrote a whole nonfiction book earlier this year and have another one on the way. 

It’s also really fun to get back into songwriting again - and I’ve gotten really experimental there. I’m thinking about weaving together all of my songs into a little EP of sorts soon, just for fun. 

4. What strategies or efforts have been the most successful in growing your readership on Substack?

Authentic engagement. In the notes section, in the comments of other people’s newsletters. I also am getting better at saying to people I come across, or even friends, “would it be okay if I added you to my email list?” Some people really want to support you, but really would appreciate it if you added them to your list instead of subscribing themselves.
Recently I’ve also been promoting my work more on social media (tiktok and Instagram) which has been a fun experiment! 

5. Can you share an example of something you tried that worked better than expected?

Sharing my music was definitely far more successful than I thought it would be. I was SO nervous to share my first song. The positive feedback was so reassuring.

6. Since you’ve started your publication, what do you consider your biggest learning so far? 

That vulnerability and honesty are my biggest assets. 

7. Can you walk us through how you plan and organise your content for your Substack publication?

I think the What Authenticity Means To Me series is the thing that takes the most planning and organizing, because I have to coordinate with guests and I like to create special promo and all of that. For regular essays, I kind of wing it because I like to share what’s going on in the present, for the most part.

I have just started publishing a Monthly Roundup at the beginning of each month, where I share what podcast episodes are coming up, topics we’ll be discussing in Authenticity Office Hours + what I’m reading, listening to, and watching. I think this structure is going to be really useful going forward! 

I‘be also recently started a new publication called “ New Yorker Goes West” which will chronicle my move from New York to San Diego, and I’m definitely excited to brainstorm and plan that out. It will be similar to Wild Cozy Free, in that the same raw vulnerability will be there. But it’s also going to be a lot more focused, and I know that I need to think about which details I want to share, how to catch people up on the background story that got us here. Going through old photos has been really helpful as I’ve been replaying the journey of how I got here.

8. What tools or methods do you use to stay on top of your writing schedule?

Beyond Google Docs, the notes section of my phone, and physical journals, I have no tools or methods here. I’ve always wanted to be a super-disciplined writer, but at the end of the day, inspiration hits when it wants to, and it’s my job to catch the lightning in a bottle. Sometimes, it’s a brief but powerful summer storm, sometimes a sprinkle, sometimes a monsoon, and sometimes a drought. I can’t control the weather and I can’t control my flow/writing schedule either. 

I can make time for my writing when inspiration does strike - and honour that sacred time. Whether it’s jotting down notes before I forget something or singing to myself quietly in the street to record a voice memo before I lose the melody of a song. In the middle of rewriting a play once, I entirely cancelled plans with some friends to keep writing and get the edits done. I don’t like to do that often, but I think I have a pretty good sense of when writing has to be the top priority and when I can juggle it with other things. 

9. On average, how much time do you spend working on your Substack each day or week?

Probably a few hours a week! It can really vary. I write a lot, so I’ll often end up writing something totally random without working on my substack specifically, and then I'll do some editing and post it there later. 

10. How do you juggle your Substack with other commitments in your life?

By giving myself grace. I used to be really rigid about posting every Wednesday at 4:30 a.m. EST (I schedule that; I don’t wake up to post!). Lately, I’ve developed (a little) more self-compassion and a sense of ease. Sometimes, I’m a day late, sometimes a day early. Very occasionally, I skip a week. I want to be consistent for my readers, and I also know that they understand that life happens.

11. How do you care for yourself?

Sleep has become increasingly important for me. I like to joke that if you have sleeping problems, just go west. Your 3 a.m. bedtime immediately becomes midnight, and if you never try to reset the jetlag, midnight will turn into 10:30 p.m. pretty quickly. I naturally wake up around 7:30 a.m. almost every single day. I turn on music, bop around, and make coffee. I love it.

And focusing on making sure that I’m eating enough for my specific body, as someone who struggled with an eating disorder for years. And hydration! My God. I am so serious about my water intake and my electrolyte packets. Beyond those physical non-negotiables, I have been pretty proactive about changing the way I talk to myself this year. Without erring on the side of toxic positivity, I really do try to protect my energy and speak kindly to myself quite consistently. Also - I love reality TV. The Bachelorette is totally self-care.

12. What’s a book you’ve read recently that had a big impact on you?

It's not a recent book, but I love, love Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro), The Midnight Library (Matt Haig), and In 5 Years (Rebecca Serle). They're all entertaining and devastating. I walked away from all of those books, reminded that life is short. I’m reading Goodbye to All That, a collection of essays by writers on loving and leaving New York. The fact that I’m reading it so slowly is probably an early indicator that it will have a big impact on me. I find myself getting very existential and reflective after almost every page. 

13. Where are you finding joy when things don’t go to plan?

I’ve become obsessed with the Normal Gossip podcast. I also love Rachel Platten’s EP, which she released ahead of her new album The song, “I Know”, in particular has become somewhat of a meditation for me. The whole album is just so cathartic for perfectionist people pleasers with all kinds of anxiety. (Raises hand.)

14. What are you working on right now?

I’m in the early stages of my second nonfiction book that is going to require more research than I initially planned- and I’m actually really excited for the research process! I’m picking up momentum on my first draft of a novel. 

I’m always developing the What Authenticity Means to Me series - which I recently turned into a podcast! - where I talk to people I admire about what authenticity means to them. I’m digging into my new publication, A New Yorker Heads West.

And outside of the writing projects, I’m working on being a Californian. Someone told me that I have a West Coast accent the other day. The former actor in me is proud that I’m so adaptable, and the forever New Yorker is shook to my core. (Kidding, mostly.) 

Thank you so much, Alexa, for sharing your experiences with us! What are two things that stood out to you or that you’re taking away from this interview?

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If you enjoyed the interview with Alexa, you might also enjoy this one with SuddenlyJamie:

Behind the Substack with SuddenlyJamie

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As always, thank you for reading! If you enjoy this series, please let me know by leaving like, comment or subscribe for more conversations like this.