Reflections on a Year of Writing on Substack

On December 30, 2024, I bit the bullet and jumped off the cliff and mixed all my metaphors and started this Substack. I knew I wanted to write something that was just mine, but I didn’t have much of a plan. I paid money to buy a domain name that would direct to my Substack, in hopes that the monetary investment would cement my commitment.

It’s now been almost a year and I’m still writing. I’m as surprised as anyone, because I have a track record of getting excited about things but then not having the stamina to keep up with them. In light of this milestone, I wanted to share my reflections as I consider what this year of writing has meant to me.

“The Writing Desk” by Childe Hassam, 1915

I’m glad I didn’t choose a theme for my Substack

All the folks out there talking about how to make money on Substack encourage writers to pick a niche and produce really great writing on that topic. I chose to do the opposite. Perhaps as a result, I don’t make a lot of money from my Substack. But I’m OK with that, because I haven’t felt limited in what I was “allowed” to write about. I have, with every post, written about what I wanted to write about, whether that’s been books, pastoral ministry, spiritual abuse, snakes, parenting, groceries, or my favorite things. I have a list of dozens of more things I want to write about, so I’m glad I didn’t limit myself with a theme.

One of the best parts of writing is hearing how it affected other people

One e-mail about one of my posts gives me a high that lasts for weeks. Any level of engagement feels like a meaningful connection, and I underestimated what a blessing this would be. Recently I learned someone I’ve never even met read one of my posts that another friend had shared on Facebook and that he was greatly impacted by it. My posts on psychiatric medications—both deciding not to take meds and then going back on meds—have produced the most private responses and led to the most conversations above any of my other posts. I’m humbled that my writing is something that people can relate to.

I truly love writing about books

If I did have to choose a theme for my writing and was only allowed to write about that, I would choose books. I look forward to the end of every month when I get to look over what I read that month and tell you what I thought about them. Those posts are not usually ones many people respond to, but that doesn’t bother me. It brings me joy to read and then to write about what I read.

Photo by Hope House Press - Leather Diary Studio on Unsplash

I was too ambitious at first in my post frequency

When I started, I made a plan to try to post twice a week—once on Monday and once on Friday. I managed to keep this up through the first several months, but then life happened and I started falling behind. I began to feel pressure and obligation to post more often, and at that point, I told myself to chill out. Since then, I’ve posted about once a week, and that feels like a pretty good sweet spot.

I paid less and less attention to subscribers as the year went on

When I first started my Substack and gained dozens of subscribers within a few days, it was really exciting. I focused on this a lot and felt deep grief when I lost a subscriber. After a year, I do get an e-mail when I get a new subscriber, but I feel like I have my audience and if more people come along for the ride, great. (For the record, my teenage sons think that 140 subscribers means nothing, while my 8-year-old daughter was amazed that I had “so many” subscribers.)

Notion was great for helping me keep up with my books

I have used Notion to organize lots of different things, but books are what I use it for the most. It made it so easy to pull up the books I read each month and to make all the book roundups I make (including many coming up soon!). It made sharing pictures and links of books here really easy.

I read more this year

If current trends continue, I’ll have read about 170 books this year. I read 130 last year, so that’s a 30% increase. I didn’t read just because of my Substack, but the more I read, and the more I wrote about what I read, the more I wanted to read. I also believe that reading makes one a better writer, so I hope that continues to be the case.

“Young Lady Writing” by Enoch Wood Perry, Jr., 1870

I want to keep writing

I don’t know what 2026 will hold, but I want to keep writing. I have many more thoughts about pastoral ministry and spiritual abuse that are itching to come out. I want to try my hand at writing fiction. I want to write in ways that encourage you who are reading. I want to become a better writer. I want to finish the story of how I met my husband. There are so many things to write about, and I want to keep writing about them.

I’m thankful that anyone reads this

I did hope my husband would read my Substack, but I wasn’t counting on it, because he has a lot going on. Other than him, though, I knew no one had any obligation to read anything, which is why it still takes me by surprise when I’m talking with someone and they say, “Oh, I saw on your Substack…” It’s wild. I’m not over it. I’m still surprised. Thank you for reading.