Thanks, Colin. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me this fiscal year. Most days, I feel like a clown at a wake: technically funny, but wrong in every possible way. Glad my spiral entertained.
I get a feeling my substack grows when substack itself is growing. But it might even be that people have all had enough of social media and are voting with their feet. But don’t worry, I’m sure the last to leave will be the trolls.
I can’t understand why your Mum doesn’t read your stuff. She reads mine all the time!
Thanks, Steve. As for my mum... Look, it was a particularly difficult birth. Maybe she’s still holding a grudge. Also, I was a bit of a cunt from ages 11 to, let’s be honest, now. She’s playing the long game of quiet revenge.
TLDR (now there's some feedback) but what's the problem? If you had zero subscribers then you could ask yourself some questions. But you have 40?! Don't worry about growth!! (Assuming here that your material subsistence doesn't depend on monetising your content here.) And at least one of your subscribers comments sometimes! Interaction assures you that you're not yelling into the void, and brings 'free' dopamine hits for every player! Don't worry about your wife not reading your posts - these things can happen. (Like, if she never read a single one of them, you could ask questions, but if she read one and then doesn't feel like reading another, well, tastes can vary.) Anyway I'm here for relatable reality and a few lols, so I pray you keep up the good work and feel good about it :-)
Thanks, Alex. Honestly, you're right. I should be thrilled with 40 subscribers. That’s practically a cult, providing that those followers I don't personally know aren't bots flogging crypto schemes and discount penis pills like it’s 1999 on dial-up.
You're also right about the dopamine hit from interaction. Every time someone comments, I feel like a Victorian child being handed a boiled sweet. Momentarily euphoric, then immediately suspicious of my own joy.
As for my wife... look, she’s a brilliant woman with excellent taste. Which makes her refusal to read anything I write either a powerful act of marital resistance or a subtle warning about the limits of my charm. Either way, I admire her consistency.
And look, I respect the grief, but I’m firmly anti–double space. Whatever gets you through the night, truly. But we’re on computers now, not typewriters. Double spaces are like fondue sets or shag carpet: charming in their time, but no longer necessary unless you’re hosting a retro-themed dinner party or typing your memoir on a Selectric II.
Appreciate the encouragement and the gentle call to perspective. You may have saved me from joining another growth mindset webinar. For now.
Cheers! Honestly, this whole public overshare is just me sticky-taping myself to the novel. If I pretend it’s content, maybe I’ll actually finish the bloody thing.
Thanks for laughing, it keeps the creeping self-sabotage in check.
I reckon you’re funny. Good job. Thanks.
Thanks, Colin. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me this fiscal year. Most days, I feel like a clown at a wake: technically funny, but wrong in every possible way. Glad my spiral entertained.
A precision description of what we do here.
I get a feeling my substack grows when substack itself is growing. But it might even be that people have all had enough of social media and are voting with their feet. But don’t worry, I’m sure the last to leave will be the trolls.
I can’t understand why your Mum doesn’t read your stuff. She reads mine all the time!
Thanks, Steve. As for my mum... Look, it was a particularly difficult birth. Maybe she’s still holding a grudge. Also, I was a bit of a cunt from ages 11 to, let’s be honest, now. She’s playing the long game of quiet revenge.
TLDR (now there's some feedback) but what's the problem? If you had zero subscribers then you could ask yourself some questions. But you have 40?! Don't worry about growth!! (Assuming here that your material subsistence doesn't depend on monetising your content here.) And at least one of your subscribers comments sometimes! Interaction assures you that you're not yelling into the void, and brings 'free' dopamine hits for every player! Don't worry about your wife not reading your posts - these things can happen. (Like, if she never read a single one of them, you could ask questions, but if she read one and then doesn't feel like reading another, well, tastes can vary.) Anyway I'm here for relatable reality and a few lols, so I pray you keep up the good work and feel good about it :-)
Thanks, Alex. Honestly, you're right. I should be thrilled with 40 subscribers. That’s practically a cult, providing that those followers I don't personally know aren't bots flogging crypto schemes and discount penis pills like it’s 1999 on dial-up.
You're also right about the dopamine hit from interaction. Every time someone comments, I feel like a Victorian child being handed a boiled sweet. Momentarily euphoric, then immediately suspicious of my own joy.
As for my wife... look, she’s a brilliant woman with excellent taste. Which makes her refusal to read anything I write either a powerful act of marital resistance or a subtle warning about the limits of my charm. Either way, I admire her consistency.
And look, I respect the grief, but I’m firmly anti–double space. Whatever gets you through the night, truly. But we’re on computers now, not typewriters. Double spaces are like fondue sets or shag carpet: charming in their time, but no longer necessary unless you’re hosting a retro-themed dinner party or typing your memoir on a Selectric II.
Appreciate the encouragement and the gentle call to perspective. You may have saved me from joining another growth mindset webinar. For now.
PS why does Substack automatically 'correct' my double space between sentences into single space? Grrrrrrrrrr ...
Ha ha that had me laughing out loud. Good luck with your novel :)
Cheers! Honestly, this whole public overshare is just me sticky-taping myself to the novel. If I pretend it’s content, maybe I’ll actually finish the bloody thing.
Thanks for laughing, it keeps the creeping self-sabotage in check.