Just Write: Building a Global Writing Community with Matt and Lindsey at London Writers' Salon

Sparkle on Substack

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Just Write: Building a Global Writing Community with Matt and Lindsey at London Writers' Salon

Sparkle on Substack Season 4, Episode 3

Claire Venus ✨, Lindsey Trout Hughes, London Writers' Salon, and Matt Trinetti

Apr 11, 2026

"I'm obsessed with the moment with when a writer surprises themselves on the page."

Lindsay

A few months ago I sat down with Lindsey and Matt at London Writers' Salon and had the cosiest conversation. I find them both (and what they’ve created SO inspiring).

I’m obsessed at the moment with this quote;

“People don’t forget how you made them feel”1

…and as you’ll hear in the episode, when I guested for LWS (during my Substack book launch), I was overwhelmed with how LOVELY they’d made their online space. 💖

It’s just the nicest place to hang out and write and there are so many opportunities to meet other writers and go deeper with your writing practice.

Hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it.

Claire

💫

P.S - If you are writing a book this year and want to write with me and the 12 Chapters gang live, you can join us twice a month - it’s free! Sign up here.

"We just created a structure, a container that people can rely on — almost like treating it like a yoga class... you book in, you show up, you get your writing work done."

Matt

Ai summary thanks Claude

In this episode of Sparkle on Substack, host Claire Venus sits down with Matt and Lindsay, from London Writers’ Salon and its Substack publication, Writers’ Hour Magazine.

Matt and Lindsay explain how the Salon grew from small in-person London gatherings in 2019 into a thriving global online community during the pandemic.

At its heart is Writer’s Hour — daily, silent, hour-long writing sessions held four times a day, Monday to Friday, attended by up to 1,000 writers worldwide. Rather than relying on willpower alone, the sessions give writers a reliable structure — like booking a yoga class — so showing up becomes a habit.

The conversation explores the profound sense of community and belonging the Salon fosters. Lindsay shares her own moving story of joining as a shy freelance copywriter and finding her place. The idea of “believing mirrors” — being witnessed in a usually solitary creative process — runs as a thread throughout.

They also dig into Writers’ Hour Magazine on Substack, where a new 500-word creative writing prompt is published weekly, attracting 300–500 submissions, judged by guest writers and authors. The constraint of a short word count and surprise prompts is framed as a joyful creative permission slip.

The discussion turns candid around monetisation, growth, and sustainability — how to balance creative expression with audience-building, how to avoid burnout, and how to stay clear on the intention behind a publication. Matt and Lindsay are also teasing a new Substack project that aims to bridge personal creative expression with community service.