Four Years on Substack

And worth it because of you

Four years ago—on January 24, 2022 to be precise—I sent out my first Substack newsletter.

It was, like so many such first posts, complete horse shit. And why wouldn’t it be? I didn’t know what I was doing! All I knew is I had some ideas I wanted to communicate and that Substack seemed like a great way to do that.

Today, four years later, the ideas I want to share have changed, the number of people I share them with has grown substantially, and Substack still feels like a great place to share my writing.

The thing I enjoy most about Substack is the chance to interact with readers and other writers. I had no idea when I began just how great this sense of community would be.

Last week’s post encapsulated what I like about Substack. I wrote about something that mattered deeply to me and you shared your experiences in turn. I learned that the loss of a friendship—no matter how common, no matter why—just hurts. But it hurts a lot less knowing that other people have been through this loss too.

Interactions like this are what keeps me coming back, and I plan to continue on in the same vein.

I’m going to keep writing when it feels right. I’m going to keep getting “out over my skis” on questions that matter to me, hoping they matter to you too. (And I’m not going to listen to the bullshit advice to publish weekly, even if I have nothing worthwhile to say.)

Those of you who read my most popular piece—“Why I’m Not Going Paid on Substack”—will laugh when I admit I almost turned on payments to start this new year. Like many, I had heard the rumors that Substack was going to remove writers who didn’t require payments. But I dug around enough to convince myself the rumors were bullshit, so mine will remain a free Substack.

Most of all, I’m going to thank my lucky stars that I have readers like you who appreciate what I’m doing and share your ideas and perspectives with me. Your input, in whatever form it takes, remains my favorite thing about writing on Substack.

Tom