| name | substack-writing |
| description | Use when writing Substack newsletter issues for the "Ahnii!" publication at jonesrussell42.substack.com. Personal, first-person narrative about building Waaseyaa, Minoo, OIATC, and Indigenous digital sovereignty. |
Substack Writing
Overview
Newsletter issues for the "Ahnii!" Substack. First person, personal, narrative. Not instructional — this is a builder's journal, not a tutorial. Voice is direct, honest, and grounded in place.
Voice Rules
| Element | Rule |
|---|
| Greeting | Always open with "Ahnii!" — exclamation mark, own paragraph |
| Farewell | Always close with "Baamaapii" — no emoji, own paragraph |
| Voice | First person throughout. "I", "my", "I'm building". |
| Tone | Direct, personal. Like writing to someone who cares about the work. |
| Length | 500–800 words. Short is fine. Don't pad. |
| Em dashes | None. Periods, colons, or commas instead. |
| Emoji | None. |
| Filler | None. No "passionate about", "excited to share", "I hope this finds you well". |
Structure
Ahnii!
[Opening: the thing you're writing about, stated plainly. One paragraph.]
## [Section: The Problem / The Why]
[What you were trying to solve or understand. Ground it in reality.]
## [Section: What You Built / What You Found]
[The work itself. Be specific. Link first mention of projects.]
## [Section: Where It's Going]
[What's next. Keep it honest — don't oversell.]
[CTA: one or two sentences. Follow the build, subscribe, reply.]
Baamaapii
Project Links (link first mention only)
Output
Save draft to ~/brand/substack-issue-N.md where N is the issue number. Do not publish without Russell confirming.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|
| Second person ("you can", "your project") | First person only: "I built", "my framework" |
| Tutorial structure (Prerequisites, Steps) | Narrative structure: problem, work, direction |
| Generic CTA ("subscribe for more content") | Specific: "Follow the build. Subscribe if you want to be here for it." |
| Throat-clearing opening ("In this issue I want to talk about...") | State the thing plainly in the first sentence |
| Overselling ("This changes everything") | Honest and specific: what it does, why it matters to the work |
