Oops... I Guess I'm a Substack Writer Now

When Fate Forces You to Act

As you may know, my first Substack post was a commentary on Byung-Chul Han’s book, Non-things. I never intended on becoming a Substack writer… kind of. And then it suddenly became a reality.

I enjoy writing. I have for quite some time. Many years ago, I posted blog articles on a personal website that I shared with family and friends. But as with any hobby, it can sometimes feel like a chore. We stop and give up. Even worse, we become paralyzed by our insecurities, afraid of how others will react.

I don’t believe my story is unique. Nearly every person experiences these same feelings of self-doubt. Some overcome these feelings. Others never do. For people like myself, sometimes fate forces you to act.

You see, I always wanted to start a Substack. I knew that I wanted to get back into writing. Substack’s dominance in the blogosphere made it the obvious choice. The problem is… I just never did.

I could come up with a different excuse every day. I’m too busy. I’m too tired. Nobody is interested in what I have to say. I might say the “wrong” thing and ruin my reputation. The laundry list never ends.

Then it happened. My friend Jared Henderson asked me to share my thoughts on Han’s book in writing. I had read the book as part of a reading group he’s leading through Substack. He planned to quote my thoughts in an upcoming post. Initially, I just typed my thoughts and messaged them to him via PDF. But then I thought to myself, what if I just post my thoughts on Substack?

The next day, Jared shared my post with his followers. 50 views, 100 views, 200 views… comments rolled in one after another. Never did I think my comments on a random book would reach such a large audience. Never did I think I would be a writer on Substack.

I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity Jared gave me. I plan to continue writing here as frequently as possible. Some posts will be better than others, but I hope you stick with me. Above all, I am forever grateful for each person who reads this Substack. Thank you.