Survey Results, Seaside Fun, and What’s Next for Season 6

In the midst of all that life, we took the month of July off from work. It was a much-needed month of restoration, but by the end of it, we were ready to talk shop again when we met up in Florida for our annual workcation.

What’s a workcation, you ask?

workcation
pronunciation: /ˈwərk-ˌkā-shən/
noun

1. Our annual long-weekend getaway where fun meets focus: exploring a new town, eating good food, and making memories—while also rolling up our sleeves to reflect on what’s working, troubleshoot what’s not, and map out the year ahead.
2. A magical mix of strategy session + mini vacation, leaving us refreshed, recharged, and ready to tackle what’s next.

Example: Nothing gets Sandy and Mary K. more inspired for a new season than their annual workcation

The Highlight of Our Summer

While the entire trip was fun, one of our favorite moments was sitting on the screened-in porch with a glass of prosecco, reading aloud the feedback you all gave us in our listener survey. Your encouragement, honesty, and thoughtful suggestions filled us with awe and gratitude. Thank you for taking the time to share your words with us.

What’s Changing (Because of You!)

Your feedback not only blesses us, but it truly shapes what we do here at Writing Off Social. After reading through your survey responses, here’s what’s shifting:

Goodbye, Weekend Wind-Down

Our monthly newsletter, the Weekend Wind-Down (a.k.a. “The Beefy”), is officially retiring.

We loved the idea of it—long-form writing, spotlighting listeners, sharing resources—but many of you told us it was too long, hard to keep up with, and something you often skimmed or skipped altogether.

The truth? It took a ton of work to produce, and even we didn’t fully enjoy making it. So rather than trimming it down or trying to make it work, we’ve decided to let it go for good.

This was a great reminder of something we often encourage our students to do: commit to an idea for a year, evaluate it honestly, and then decide whether to continue or pivot. No shame in trying—and no shame in moving on.

You Asked and We Passed

In our listener survey, we asked what you wished we’d offer at Writing Off Social. You shared some fantastic ideas, and we carefully considered each one. Some of them, though, we had to pass on for now. Here’s a list of what we’re saying ‘no’ to and why.

1. Interviews with writers who never used social media
   We would love to interview more writers who have never used social media, but the truth is, there aren’t many of them (if any?) out there! Most authors have had at least some social media presence at one point or another, and those who never used it are still in the early stages of building their platforms. As soon as we find writers who fit this description, we’ll invite them on. (If you know one—tell us!)
   
2. An online prayer/community space
   Again, this is something we would love to provide for you, but it’s an issue of time. Running and sustaining a thriving community takes a ton of time and effort, and right now, we’re choosing to invest our limited time in other things, like The Podcast and our courses. However, if (and when) God allows us to grow our team, this is high on the wish list.
   
3. One-on-one coaching outside of our courses
   Coaching is life-giving for us, but it requires a deep investment of time. With only 15–20 hours a week to give to WOS, offering one-off calls would mean sacrificing one of our other projects, like The Podcast. For now, we’re channeling that energy into our group coaching course, where we can serve more writers at one time.
   
4. More fiction-focused content
   We love and respect our fiction listeners, but since we’re nonfiction writers ourselves, that’s the lens through which we teach. While we’ll continue to feature fiction voices on our podcast, most of our content will lean nonfiction. We hope you’ll understand.
   

What We Can Deliver

Not everything is a “no”! Some of your suggestions are already shaping what’s next:

• The Exit Plan: A brand new, free 7-step strategy for writers who want to leave social media.
  
• A New Quiz: “Is it time for you to break up with social media?” A fun, insightful tool to help you evaluate your next steps.
  

Both of these resources launch next week, and we can’t wait to share them with you.

What We Learned From the Survey

One of the most eye-opening takeaways was your relationship with social media:

• 30% have left social media completely (amazing!).
  
• 30% are fine with it and use it minimally or happily.
  
• But 40%? You’re still on social media, unhappy with it, and unsure how to leave.
  

This is why we created Writing Off Social—to show you that it’s possible to build a thriving writing life without relying on social media. If you’re in that 40%, the Exit Plan and quiz are for you. So take our quiz and be sure to tune in next week when we unveil The Exit Plan!

Thank You

Thank you again for participating in our survey and helping shape what’s ahead. Your voices guide us, encourage us, and keep us moving in the right direction. We truly couldn’t do this without you.

Here’s to season six—we can’t wait to get started.

Sandy + Mary K.

This post was reformatted from our original transcript by ChatGPT and edited for accuracy by Mary K.