One hundred subscribers. I’ve hit a milestone.

It’s not a milestone, though, is it? It’s only an even number, the one where you start from the beginning—from one—again.

The same could be said about ten.

I’ve been on Substack for nearly a year. There were days when I felt like I wasn’t doing enough with it. There were days when I agonized over one decision or another. I worried about my “low” subscriber count. I put out crappy videos just because I wanted to be on camera. I wrote hand-wringing posts about my purpose on this platform and hit “publish” even though it was just for me. I’m sure plenty of people rolled their eyes at posts like that, but it’s ok.

I’ve seen it said that the first six months on the platform are about finding your voice. I think this is true. I also think it’s about learning what you can get from it (which is different from what you can accomplish with it), and what you can give back. The last two took me some time.

These last few months, I’ve had a blast. I no longer worry about the metrics (even if I care about them). I’m just enjoying myself and having fun decorating my own little corner of the internet. What does that look like?

1. I write stories about my life

2. I discuss the writing process (don’t we all?)

3. I’m publishing a serialized version of my novella, “The Wheel”

4. I’ve met and learned about my fellow writers:

   1. Jay Wilcox

   2. Kristen L. Berry

   3. Andrew Taylor

   4. and soon, Nikki | Nocturnal Narrator and hopefully many more to come

5. I showcase my wife’s linocut art and interview her about it

6. I’m participating in a story tag run by Tamsin G., that is populated with a bunch of talented writers.

7. What makes me happy more than anything is that, in reading more fiction on this platform, I’ve finally found my Substack community.

   1. I’ve read Jay Wilcox and Happy Nielsen primarily, but look forward to reading much more from Andrew Taylor, Nikki | Nocturnal Narrator, Asteria Geisterblum, and work from multiple other shared connections with these great writers. It truly is a blast interacting with these people on each other’s posts and seeing how we all support each other.

For me, it’s no longer about getting more subscribers; it’s about doing the things I enjoy. The slowly increasing subscriber count is only a side benefit. One hundred felt like a long time coming, but in many ways, I do feel like I’m back at the beginning.

And beginning is always fun.