Happy Stackversary/State of the Stack
Celebrating one year of writing this newsletter
This week marks the one year anniversary of my first post on Substack. One year of learning how to build the habits necessary to write consistently. One year of slowly but surely finding readers who are, for some strange reason, interested in what I have to say. If you’ve been a part of this journey for any length of time, I want to say, “Thank you.” I’m grateful that you’re willing to regularly let me invade your inbox. Goodness knows you weren’t getting enough email, am I right?
The writing I’ve been doing for the past year is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I made multiple halfhearted attempts at blogging in the past through venues like blogger (an archaic Google platform you’ve probably never heard of) and WordPress. But I could never get any momentum going. I would write an article, then wait a month, write another, then a couple of months would go by and I’d get discouraged by the gap, lose all my momentum (if it could be called that), and throw in the towel. I went through this cycle multiple times over the past ten years. Nothing ever stuck.
This Substack represents the break in that pattern. I can finally say, with some level of integrity, that I’m a writer.
When I say that, I don’t mean that I’ve taken significant steps towards becoming a published author. Or even a well-known blogger for that matter. No, when I say I’m a writer, I’m adhering to Tim Challies’ definition in one of my favorite articles on writing called, “Writers Write”:
Writers aren’t defined by their desire to write or by the joy they feel when they do it. Writers are not defined even by their skill in writing. Writers are defined by actually writing. Do you see it? Writers write. They dream of writing, so they write. They enjoy writing, so they write. They feel a call toward writing, so they write.1
I’ve been thinking about writing for more than ten years. But today, I’m celebrating the fact I don’t merely dream about writing. My aspirations don’t cease at the drawing board. I don’t just dream up pithy article titles. I write.
And here’s the best part - God seems to be using what I’m writing to genuinely help others. I don’t have a wide audience, of course. Right now, my newsletter goes out to about 200 subscribers (which is small by Substack standards). But I’m regularly encouraged by the response I receive.
I feel about this newsletter similarly to how I feel about the local church in the sense that the point is not the numbers. The point is faithfulness. As long as I’m writing in a way that honors the Lord; as long as I’m striving to grow in my craft as a writer and finding joy in that process; and as long as what I’m writing is serving others…then that’s enough.
So, again, thank you for being part of this and regularly taking the time to read what I send out. Though my goal is not to “build a platform,” having consistent readers is greatly encouraging. Substack is not a perfect platform, but its ability to connect amateur writers like myself with people genuinely interested in reading their work makes it, I think, one of best places of the internet. It’s a blessing when I hear from someone that an article I wrote helped them in some way. It reminds me that this work is worth it and makes some level of difference.
For right now, my plan is to continue working at my current pace of attempting to release one article a week. I’m in full time ministry, married, with four young kids, and this pace feels right. I do almost all of my writing in the morning before everyone gathers for breakfast and I intend to keep it that way. And though I’m sure I could gain subscribers faster by locking myself into a niche, I’m having too much fun writing about faith, books, and film. So for the moment, I reserve the right to continue gleefully skipping back and forth between those three topics.
Before I close with some ideas on how you can show some additional support for this newsletter (if thusly inclined), I want to lay out some resources that I’ve found helpful on this journey. My guess is there are some of you reading who have unfulfilled creative desires (it could be writing, but maybe it’s something else). I know what it’s like to be in that space, so here are some books and articles I’d warmly recommend to you:
Writers Write by Tim Challies - an article that tells it plain. If you want to be a writer, you’ve gotta sit down and do the work.
How to Get Started With Blogging in 2020 by Tim Challies - this article is older, before Substack had taken off. But I’ve largely been following the process Tim lays out here. My hope is to start submitting articles to some different Christian websites in the coming year and see what happens.
It’s 2023 and We Need blogs More Than Ever by Tim Challies - reflections on the goodness of blogging.
Ploductivity: A Practical Theology of Work & Wealth by Doug Wilson - I have some significant disagreements with Doug Wilson on a variety of issues. But this book was hugely helpful in convincing me of the power of small beginnings and consistent habits. Small, consistent effort > sporadic, herculean effort.
Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson - Inspirational while also being honest about the difficulty of creative work. This is also delightful on audiobook as Andrew Peterson reads it himself (he’s a great reader) and when at times when he references his songs they literally bring in clips for you to hear, which is fantastic.
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - I first heard of this book from Andrew Peterson’s book, Adorning the Dark (see above). Just FYI - this is a decidedly secular book, and you have to pass over some spiritual-but-not-religious mumbo jumbo. But this book is a kick in the pants that tears away all your excuses for not doing the creative work you desire to do.
Now, onto some ways you can support this newsletter:
Sharing - If you’re enjoying this newsletter, would you share it with someone who you think would enjoy it? If you’re reading an article and you think it would encourage a friend, would you send it to them?
Utilize My Book Links - When I mention books, I use Amazon affiliate links for the title. This means that if you use the link to make a purchase, I earn a small commission. This is a free-to-you way of supporting my work (and you end up buying great books that will deepen your love for the Lord…everyone wins!)
Become a Paid Subscriber - I do not paywall posts. Everything I write is available for anyone to read. So being a paid subscriber is simply a way to show appreciation for what I’m writing. One thing I’ll ask with this - please become a paid subscriber only if you’re already giving generously to your local church. I’m a firm believer that our wealth as Christians should go first and foremost to supporting the mission of the local church. So please only become a paid subscriber if you have the margin that allows you to do so without compromising your giving to your church.
Here’s to another year of blogging.
In Christ,
Zak
Note: I’m using Amazon affiliate links in this post, so I earn a small commission from purchases. This is a free-to-you way of supporting this newsletter.
If you would like to support my work financially but cannot commit to a paid subscription, you can leave me a tip on my Buy Me a Coffee page.
Tim Challies, Writers Write. Emphasis added.
"I feel about this newsletter similarly to how I feel about the local church in the sense that the point is not the numbers. The point is faithfulness. As long as I’m writing in a way that honors the Lord; as long as I’m striving to grow in my craft as a writer and finding joy in that process; and as long as what I’m writing is serving others…then that’s enough." Really good stuff, dude! Congrats on the anniversary.
Well done! That's an anniversary and accomplishment worth noting and celebrating.