Yes. My hunch is that Substack prioritizes “pro writing “content or those dumb little notes that say things like “Substack is for the AP English kids!”
The sentence that stands out to me the most in this essay is “ I’ve felt like I have dedicated my whole life to it” right before you analyze the estimated number of hours you have spent writing and working for your substack. I think one of the reasons it feels like this is when the writing is more personal and real, you bring your whole self into the writing. You may get tired, but I don’t think it consumes you the way the job does. I think it is ends up ultimately providing a lot of clarity and growth. But I understand the trade offs . will be sorry to see you leave. Maybe you can keep it on pause for a while.
I've just started using Substack, not to gain an audience but to tell a story I feel needs to be told. That being the case, I suppose I could just put it all in a word document and file it on my computer. No one would ever see it. But there's a part of me that feels people DO need to see it. It's been a challenge since I've never tried "creative writing."
I think we all feel like that. I don’t think there is a single human, not just a writer or creative, but human- who isn’t always dancing between the urge to create and the need to be seen. All in different ways and degrees. It is tough. And I also think it is part of our makeup. We can’t escape it.
Your words ring so true. I think it's all part of Creation's empathy cycle. To witness, name and surrender. Perhaps it's at the very origin of the creative urge.
I have noticed that I gain more subscribers when I interact with other posts. It isn’t always linked to how much I have written. Often I can’t predict what people will like or won’t. And I’m still doing more than one topic. But while I enjoy it and given I like the community I’ll keep doing it. But I’m also trying to edit my book and trying to do it all is certainly hard. I disagree with the publish every day theory though. People don’t like that much in their inbox. I’ve also noticed some people manage to get hundreds of subscribers without many articles. Think they’re just v good at networking
I’m sure this is true. And I’m trying to be willing to let go of giving a shit if anyone reads or comments on my stuff. I’m not the algorithm’s bitch. And I’m sure I’m censored by the algorithm for my trash mouth, too. But I’m not gonna “clean up” my language and police myself. I’m expressing myself authentically, and the algorithm is likely policing my language. My “fuck the algorithm” stance can be very lonely. I decided that for now, I’m just going to use Substack as a place to put my thoughts outside of my head. And yeah, I could just do Google drive or whatever. But I’m ADhD af and having a place online disconnected from all my personal shit honestly helps me stay more organized and keep track of what I’m writing. Even if I say I’m good with zero likes etc. we are all lying if we claim we don’t want to be seen. I’m just trying hard to have zero expectations for my account with in mind that community is beautiful. I like interacting with writing and the authors when it resonates. Like right here right now. And this is how connections begin and can be built.
You might find if you combine the potty mouth with politics you get louds of likes - it works v well with the humour writers.
I’m moderately potty mouthed in real life but boringly restrained when I write. I’d love to have the financial freedom to say even more than do about past experiences etc too
Not in my bio and even if it were, I wouldn’t be bothered by the question. Short answer is French. But real answer is humanities. All things French in French (literature, cinema, history, language + linguistics) but I also taught a class on Punk (in London one semester, too, which was awesome Punk Rock and the Politics of Identity in Britain and Beyond. lol what an academic course title and how unpunk is teaching a class on punk? Rhetorical. It was really fun.) and I taught Women’s, Gender & Sexualities Studies courses as well as “global” courses in English in France.
Haha I actually published a full on potty mouth book about my anxiety and how we all need to learn to laugh at ourselves a bit more. It’s not a best seller lol but I also haven’t made any attempts to market it either because I put it out right after my dad died and just didn’t have the bandwidth. And I’m ok with that. I’m also very financially strained and I’m not naive about Substack. I’m not bullshitting when I say my intentions for being here are pretty simple and I have no delusions of grandeur. I love interacting deeply with people though, and I’ve found that I’m paradoxically better able to engage more authentically in some online spaces than in my immediate physical realm. Some of my most fulfilling and meaningful friendship are with folks I’ve never met in real life and I love that. And who knows? I just met you here! Thanks for engaging. PS: as a former professor who swore in front of my students, I often likened myself to being 50% content facilitator, 30% devil’s advocate/provocateur, 10% mentor/2nd mom, and 10% stand-up comedian haha.
I’ve been writing professionally for a decade, but it took a lifetime of writing that mostly no one read to get to that point.
Your bio says you quit your 9-5 with “AI as your coach” and you’re quitting Substack after 138 days? You aren’t even trying to develop a voice, which is the only way to truly build an audience.
Developing a voice and gaining an audience is a lot of work, trial & error, and perseverance that is done for yourself & no one else without the expectation of being paid or validated.
Because you’re most likely never going to get either.
I hope I wake up and it turns out this entire post was just to troll Substack.
I resonate with your outrage. I think creative essence loses authenticity and eventually becomes pointless when approached through a lens of gamification and performance-only metrics. It's a slow maturation which happens as you say, through patience and trial- and-error.
i have a 60L bin full of notes ive written over the last 27 years that nobody but me has ever read. i write cuz i want to, not to make money or gain clout. hang your head in shame.
Wish you the best of luck. I'm looking at making writing my full time employment, and after a number of tries, I believe this might be it! I've managed to get up to close to 500 subs in a little over 3 months, and am doing it oftentimes with notes. And recommending other substacks, and having them recommend me also. Also, got a pretty good niche, remembrance! And have a few books on the horizon, including Eye of the Beholder which should be out tonight or tomorrow! I'm psyched! https://shifthapens.substack.com/p/eye-of-the-beholder-a-story-of-remembrance?r=b8pvb Also, I know this is unpopular, but I have embraced working with AI to help out a lot, in my writing, organizing thoughts, researching and more! I've subscribed by the way, and noticed you had an article about remembering who you are... Take a break maybe, don't just leave now... I'm still working part-time 25 hours a week about and put 20+ hours on the books and writing... so this is not ideal, my ideal would be about 15 hours a week working and 25 hour on writing about...
I'm wondering whether you're quitting in what Seth Godin calls "The Dip" -- the valley of despair right ahead of getting good. (Check out the book by the same name). I wonder because 10,000 hours is a figure grabbed by Malcolm Gladwell from exactly one example. It's been debunked many times. More importantly, it has been shown that thousands of hours is what you need to get to be the best of the world. Like the world's No1 in tennis or a successful solo career as a pianist. To get good -- as in better than most -- takes around ... wait for it ... 100 hours of deliberate practice. You clearly passed 100 hours. Can't and won't comment on whether it was deliberate practice or not 😇.
Your raw honesty about the Substack grind, 138 days, 49 posts, and the weight of slow growth, echoed deeply. I feel the pull to perform, to chase numbers, but I’ve found peace in writing for presence, not perfection, letting words simmer for a small community of like-minded souls. Your pivot to leadership feels like a brave step toward meaning, not just metrics. I wonder if treating writing like a quiet ministry, not a machine, could ease the burnout. Sharing what resonates, even with a few, can sustain the soul and maybe the lights. Thanks for sparking this reflection; I’d love to hear how your new path unfolds.
I think ultimately, I just want writing/substack to be another form of therapy for me. And if anything I write resonates with others, fine. But I know I’m not for everyone and often wonder if I’m really for anyone at all haha. I know it’s hard not to give in to focusing on the numbers but I’ve managed to ignore them on my other social media accounts and just go with the flow. It’s way less stressful to just say “fuck it” if you can. Easier said than done. But I’m gonna keep trying.
So I'm curious. Where do you plan to move to? I just started posting some of what I've written here and I can totally see what you mean. Also a lot of the posts or notes i'm seeing are about Substack which I find odd and annoying. I'd like to find a place where people actually read what I write and can have a discussion about it. Not sure where that is though.
Curious why this shows up in my feed…. a leaving article, 45 subs…. Did you do something special?
Because Substack's algorithm is programmed to keep you here, like every other social media, tech site....
So I should be dropping I’m leaving keywords daily… 👌🏼
Prob a lot of clicks
Gotta get me some of that 😂
Yes. My hunch is that Substack prioritizes “pro writing “content or those dumb little notes that say things like “Substack is for the AP English kids!”
That said, this post was completely respectable.
The sentence that stands out to me the most in this essay is “ I’ve felt like I have dedicated my whole life to it” right before you analyze the estimated number of hours you have spent writing and working for your substack. I think one of the reasons it feels like this is when the writing is more personal and real, you bring your whole self into the writing. You may get tired, but I don’t think it consumes you the way the job does. I think it is ends up ultimately providing a lot of clarity and growth. But I understand the trade offs . will be sorry to see you leave. Maybe you can keep it on pause for a while.
I've just started using Substack, not to gain an audience but to tell a story I feel needs to be told. That being the case, I suppose I could just put it all in a word document and file it on my computer. No one would ever see it. But there's a part of me that feels people DO need to see it. It's been a challenge since I've never tried "creative writing."
I think we all feel like that. I don’t think there is a single human, not just a writer or creative, but human- who isn’t always dancing between the urge to create and the need to be seen. All in different ways and degrees. It is tough. And I also think it is part of our makeup. We can’t escape it.
Your words ring so true. I think it's all part of Creation's empathy cycle. To witness, name and surrender. Perhaps it's at the very origin of the creative urge.
I have noticed that I gain more subscribers when I interact with other posts. It isn’t always linked to how much I have written. Often I can’t predict what people will like or won’t. And I’m still doing more than one topic. But while I enjoy it and given I like the community I’ll keep doing it. But I’m also trying to edit my book and trying to do it all is certainly hard. I disagree with the publish every day theory though. People don’t like that much in their inbox. I’ve also noticed some people manage to get hundreds of subscribers without many articles. Think they’re just v good at networking
I’m sure this is true. And I’m trying to be willing to let go of giving a shit if anyone reads or comments on my stuff. I’m not the algorithm’s bitch. And I’m sure I’m censored by the algorithm for my trash mouth, too. But I’m not gonna “clean up” my language and police myself. I’m expressing myself authentically, and the algorithm is likely policing my language. My “fuck the algorithm” stance can be very lonely. I decided that for now, I’m just going to use Substack as a place to put my thoughts outside of my head. And yeah, I could just do Google drive or whatever. But I’m ADhD af and having a place online disconnected from all my personal shit honestly helps me stay more organized and keep track of what I’m writing. Even if I say I’m good with zero likes etc. we are all lying if we claim we don’t want to be seen. I’m just trying hard to have zero expectations for my account with in mind that community is beautiful. I like interacting with writing and the authors when it resonates. Like right here right now. And this is how connections begin and can be built.
You might find if you combine the potty mouth with politics you get louds of likes - it works v well with the humour writers.
I’m moderately potty mouthed in real life but boringly restrained when I write. I’d love to have the financial freedom to say even more than do about past experiences etc too
Not in my bio and even if it were, I wouldn’t be bothered by the question. Short answer is French. But real answer is humanities. All things French in French (literature, cinema, history, language + linguistics) but I also taught a class on Punk (in London one semester, too, which was awesome Punk Rock and the Politics of Identity in Britain and Beyond. lol what an academic course title and how unpunk is teaching a class on punk? Rhetorical. It was really fun.) and I taught Women’s, Gender & Sexualities Studies courses as well as “global” courses in English in France.
Haha I actually published a full on potty mouth book about my anxiety and how we all need to learn to laugh at ourselves a bit more. It’s not a best seller lol but I also haven’t made any attempts to market it either because I put it out right after my dad died and just didn’t have the bandwidth. And I’m ok with that. I’m also very financially strained and I’m not naive about Substack. I’m not bullshitting when I say my intentions for being here are pretty simple and I have no delusions of grandeur. I love interacting deeply with people though, and I’ve found that I’m paradoxically better able to engage more authentically in some online spaces than in my immediate physical realm. Some of my most fulfilling and meaningful friendship are with folks I’ve never met in real life and I love that. And who knows? I just met you here! Thanks for engaging. PS: as a former professor who swore in front of my students, I often likened myself to being 50% content facilitator, 30% devil’s advocate/provocateur, 10% mentor/2nd mom, and 10% stand-up comedian haha.
Sounds like it would make good serialised articles on here. Comedy does v well. What were you a professor of ? Sorry if it is in your bio
Love the spirit. I agree 💯. To not compromise on authenticity is one of the last remaining bastions of the creative spirit.
Have you tried writing better posts?
Also, write about something you care about.
Why bro why quit now🥲
Not even 365 days 🥲
I’ve been writing professionally for a decade, but it took a lifetime of writing that mostly no one read to get to that point.
Your bio says you quit your 9-5 with “AI as your coach” and you’re quitting Substack after 138 days? You aren’t even trying to develop a voice, which is the only way to truly build an audience.
Developing a voice and gaining an audience is a lot of work, trial & error, and perseverance that is done for yourself & no one else without the expectation of being paid or validated.
Because you’re most likely never going to get either.
I hope I wake up and it turns out this entire post was just to troll Substack.
I resonate with your outrage. I think creative essence loses authenticity and eventually becomes pointless when approached through a lens of gamification and performance-only metrics. It's a slow maturation which happens as you say, through patience and trial- and-error.
i have a 60L bin full of notes ive written over the last 27 years that nobody but me has ever read. i write cuz i want to, not to make money or gain clout. hang your head in shame.
Take heart man. I don’t think it’s as grim as you paint it.
By your own admission, you haven’t been at it too long.
I’m not sure where you’d set your expectations, but half a year is not long.
There is more to this platform than pure writing, and also more heart than turning every post into a call for payment.
I would argue, for example, that I am doing maybe a fraction of what I could (and would) do if I wanted to start earning serious money fast.
I’m here for the love of writing, with distant, 10-15 year goals of supporting myself.
Even so, I’m at 4 paid, 140+ subs, and that’s only taken me three months.
Just takes intentional, targeted effort.
Wish you the best of luck. I'm looking at making writing my full time employment, and after a number of tries, I believe this might be it! I've managed to get up to close to 500 subs in a little over 3 months, and am doing it oftentimes with notes. And recommending other substacks, and having them recommend me also. Also, got a pretty good niche, remembrance! And have a few books on the horizon, including Eye of the Beholder which should be out tonight or tomorrow! I'm psyched! https://shifthapens.substack.com/p/eye-of-the-beholder-a-story-of-remembrance?r=b8pvb Also, I know this is unpopular, but I have embraced working with AI to help out a lot, in my writing, organizing thoughts, researching and more! I've subscribed by the way, and noticed you had an article about remembering who you are... Take a break maybe, don't just leave now... I'm still working part-time 25 hours a week about and put 20+ hours on the books and writing... so this is not ideal, my ideal would be about 15 hours a week working and 25 hour on writing about...
I don’t see enough people here stepping up and saying “here’s what I do and what you can expect from me”, and I understand why that’s a challenge.
Wishing you well in all that you do.
I'm wondering whether you're quitting in what Seth Godin calls "The Dip" -- the valley of despair right ahead of getting good. (Check out the book by the same name). I wonder because 10,000 hours is a figure grabbed by Malcolm Gladwell from exactly one example. It's been debunked many times. More importantly, it has been shown that thousands of hours is what you need to get to be the best of the world. Like the world's No1 in tennis or a successful solo career as a pianist. To get good -- as in better than most -- takes around ... wait for it ... 100 hours of deliberate practice. You clearly passed 100 hours. Can't and won't comment on whether it was deliberate practice or not 😇.
Your raw honesty about the Substack grind, 138 days, 49 posts, and the weight of slow growth, echoed deeply. I feel the pull to perform, to chase numbers, but I’ve found peace in writing for presence, not perfection, letting words simmer for a small community of like-minded souls. Your pivot to leadership feels like a brave step toward meaning, not just metrics. I wonder if treating writing like a quiet ministry, not a machine, could ease the burnout. Sharing what resonates, even with a few, can sustain the soul and maybe the lights. Thanks for sparking this reflection; I’d love to hear how your new path unfolds.
I think ultimately, I just want writing/substack to be another form of therapy for me. And if anything I write resonates with others, fine. But I know I’m not for everyone and often wonder if I’m really for anyone at all haha. I know it’s hard not to give in to focusing on the numbers but I’ve managed to ignore them on my other social media accounts and just go with the flow. It’s way less stressful to just say “fuck it” if you can. Easier said than done. But I’m gonna keep trying.
So I'm curious. Where do you plan to move to? I just started posting some of what I've written here and I can totally see what you mean. Also a lot of the posts or notes i'm seeing are about Substack which I find odd and annoying. I'd like to find a place where people actually read what I write and can have a discussion about it. Not sure where that is though.