My First 6 Months Writing On Substack

What I've learned so far...

Hi, I’m Reid! I write about my life experiences and how we can all live in brave new ways. Dare You is an entirely reader-supported publication. To receive weekly posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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Yesterday morning, midway through my walk around the lake, I was reflecting on my experience of writing to you each week when I realized… I have been writing this weekly newsletter for 6 months! 6 whole months of consistently showing up and pouring my heart out to whomever chooses to listen. Wow. This thought gave me chills and deemed itself worthy of being shared with all of you. For the past 6 months, this newsletter has been a haven for creativity, vulnerability, truth, and connecting with others. It has become a source of joy and purpose I can rely on. And sometimes, it has been the only thing I felt to be consistent in my life.

When I started writing to you a little over 6 months ago, I had been praying for my next creative endeavor to reveal itself for a while. I craved an outlet that didn’t require anyones permission (like acting), was creatively fulfilling, had room for growth, and was completely within my control.

One day, I was sitting on my big sofa staring blankly out the window when a thought, which felt like a bolt of lightening, hit me… “Start a weekly newsletter,” my inner voice said. The thought of writing a weekly newsletter lit me up from my core and felt like sliding into a freshly made bed. It just fit. And that was it.

After a few days of researching various platforms that specialized in hosting newsletters, I landed on Substack. It was a platform that was popular amongst writers I admired, seemed fairly easy to use, and was FREE!.. A major plus. I gave myself a month to plot and plan, and on July 25th I made my first post on Substack. Ever since, I have shown up week after week and written what was on my heart without hesitation because I had made the commitment to myself and every reader has held me accountable. Experiencing what it’s like to have an idea and actually follow through on it rather than let it get buried by the fear of failure disguised as countless excuses is a powerful feeling.

The biggest gift in writing this newsletter is seeing how much it resonates with all of you, the readers. Receiving emails and comments about how that week’s post meant something to you makes it all worth it. As an avid reader myself, I have been deeply affected by the words of others. Knowing what it’s like to be on the other end and have your own words mean something to someone is the most amazing feeling. I hope this newsletter continues to add value to your life.

Over that past 6 months, my writing practice has morphed and evolved. I have learned that if you have a gut feeling to write about a certain topic but fear it might not resonate with your readers, odds are you should DEFINITELY WRITE IT. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of succumbing to the pressure of pleasing your readers and writing what you think they want to read. The truth is, the posts I have written with the intention to please other people got way less engagement than the ones I wrote because I wanted to write them. As a creator of any kind, the pressure to “pick a niche” is always present. I say, “screw that!” Sometimes the topics that are the most popular are ones that come completely out of left field. Some of my most popular newsletter entries were about things I had once felt shame about but set myself free by writing about them. Posts like…. I Didn't Go To College and Being The Cool Girl Got Me Nowhere and My Year of 4 a.m. Mornings.

When I first began writing this newsletter on Substack, my intention was just to share my writing weekly and predicted it to be a journey I would take alone. Little did I know an entire community awaited me. The Substack community is filled with writers and creatives of all kinds. Getting to know one another through writing and discussing the creative process has been one of the most fulfilling experiences. With responses from subscribers who are not on Substack paired with my community of fellow writers on the platform, writing this newsletter feels nothing like a lonely endeavor but one full of connection.

I have experimented over the months with different topics and forms of sharing including monthly workshops, opinion pieces, and articles with a “How To” nature. Every time I try something new, I am rewarded with new insights and ideas for how to move forward with this platform. I would like to always keep my newsletter free, but producing it does take time and effort. As of now, I am enjoying writing 3 free posts a month and the 4th being exclusively for paid subscribers who have chosen to support my work by donating $6 a month. This feels good to me as of now, but I am always looking for ways to evolve and am open to new ideas!

If I could share one piece of advice from my time thus far writing this newsletter, it would be… if you have an idea to create something, and you know in your gut it is meant for you, just do it. Don’t waste any time or spend way too long planning how you will execute, just do it. It is common to want the thing you create to be perfect before you put it out into the world, but how is perfect relatable? Sometimes the things that resonate most are messy, experimental, shocking, and vulnerable. Being a “work in progress” is way more interesting to read about than “having it all together.” Because who of us ever really feel like we have it all together?

I am so grateful for my time so far on Substack. Thank you for being here. I look forward to growing this newsletter and continuing to get to know you in the process.

See you next Tuesday! :)

-Reid