You're Invited to a Five-Word Reading Party

Post a hello by Sunday, March 3. Read someone new and leave five words by March 10. Repeat! 💕

Photo by Mohammad Danish on Pexels

Felicitations!

Quiet Reading with Tara Penry passed the one-year anniversary mark over the weekend! In honor of two newsletter names, 65 posts, and many new friends, I’d like to invite you to a reading party over the next two weeks. 🥳

The goal is to read someone new and leave FIVE WORDS in the comments below to show the author what ideas and impressions linger after your reading. When five-word replies begin to accumulate, it will read like a love poem between readers and writers. Replies will look like this:

Inner light, unstuck, practical, reward. OR

Parental fatigue, spaghetti face, sympathy. OR

Investing, regional banks, new idea. OR

Laundry mishaps, clothesline, Chihuahua, subscribed!

To participate, introduce yourself in the comments below by Sunday, March 3, choose someone to read (tell them so in a first reply), and come back with your five words (second reply) by Sunday, March 10. Rinse and repeat as often as you like! That’s it!

Detailed steps follow, one version for experienced commenters and additional tips for readers new to the comment feature.

Five-word detail from photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

How to join the party game (for experienced commenters):

1. By Sunday, March 3, in the comments below, introduce yourself:

   1. If you write a newsletter, in ALL CAPS, say a few words about your subject. This could be your tagline or a simple description of your content. (Readers of

      Substack Writers at Work
      with Sarah Fay will be familiar with this format. I’m copying the ALL CAPS idea from her.)

   2. In regular letters, write the name of your newsletter for the benefit of readers using the mobile app.

   3. Optional: State a fun fact such as how long you’ve been writing your newsletter; where you live; where you were born; or how you found your way to the Quiet Reading newsletter.

   4. Link to a favorite article you’ve published or your home page. Make sure to remove any paywall so all links are free.

   5. Share this post with your community. Anyone can play.

   6. Please proceed to steps 2 & 3. If you post a link, please also read at least one other person’s post. This game will work if every writer is also a reader.

2. Your first reply, any time — Find a writer whose subject in ALL CAPS looks interesting. If possible, choose someone new to you who does not yet have any replies. Tell them you will read an article using their link in the coming week. Be sure to read them! Maybe now? Or make a note to self or bookmark.

3. Your second reply, after reading — Come back here fresh from reading your new person (by March 10) and leave five words describing the way this person’s post landed with you. (Hint: Bookmark this page if you might lose it, or Save it in the Substack app using the three dots in the top right corner of the post.)

   1. Pro tip: Begin with the subject of the post. End with your feeling about it. (Example: Laundry mishaps, clothesline, Chihuahua, subscribed!)

   2. Nice things only, please. Let people know they’ve been read and appreciated.

   3. Feel free to leave more feedback for the writer on their newsletter page, if it’s open to comments.

4. Want to do it again? Sample as many writers as you like!

---

How to join the party game if you are new to leaving Comments:

You can read comments in the Substack app or a browser. To get there, click Read in App at the top of this email or Comments at the bottom.

If you do not have a Substack profile, you’ll be prompted to create one. This consists of a name (real or invented) and a bio of up to a few lines. The name you choose will show up when you leave a comment.

Once you have a Substack profile and your computer recognizes it, the Comment button will take you from email to a browser page any time. There you can read all comments and post your own.

If you write a Substack newsletter and want to share it with others here, see instructions above. If you are a reader, not a writer, please join the game and find as many new writers as you like!

1. By Sunday, March 3, in the comments below:

   1. Optional: Introduce yourself if you want to.

   2. Optional: State a fun fact such as where you live or how you found your way to the Quiet Reading newsletter.

2. By March 10, Proceed to steps 2, 3, and 4 above. Happy reading!

See the next section for more tips.

---

Five-word scrapbook photo by Polina Kovaleva on Pexels

If you’re a regular at Quiet Reading with Tara Penry and know how to share posts and leave comments, head to the comment section any time. If you’re new to posting comments here, the following tips might help.

Helpful buttons:

1. Do I need to subscribe? Anyone can participate. Either a subscription or a “Follow” in the Substack app is recommended so you’ll receive reminders to post your reply or come back to read others. Subscribers to Quiet Reading receive fascinating perspectives on authors & books and lyrical scenes to inspire pauses. The usual post date is Monday. While this game is running, expect occasional extra posts.

2. How to share? Do you know someone who would enjoy sampling new writers? Or know a writer who would like to reach new readers? The Share button takes you to a choice of email, social media, and Substack Notes options:

3. How to comment? If you’re not sure where to look for the Comment button, here’s a short cut. :-)

4. To learn more about Quiet Reading with Tara Penry, visit the About or Home page. Some popular recent articles appear at the bottom of the browser page, after the comments.

---

Ready?

Time to toot your party favor and toot your horn. See you in the comments section and in year two of Quiet Reading! Thank you for your company. It’s a pleasure to write for you!