I still cannot believe that I’ve been here for a year—a whole round of 365 days. I’ve mostly been reading rather than writing, but it’s just as significant. Anniversary number one. With more to come.
When I hopped onto Substack, I saw it as a simple alternative to any other online writing space. Maybe I thought it was a little better and had more features than Medium. And I told myself I was only going to read posts and nothing beyond that. But hardly had I settled when things evolved so rapidly. There was the introduction of customizable home pages, Notes, improved subscriptions, and chats…I don’t even remember their order…it all happened so quickly. (And change is still ongoing. On a side note, my father used to say that the only constant thing in life is change and that therefore, to live long, we must move with it when it comes.)
“The only constant thing in life is change, and therefore, to live long, we must move with it when it comes.”
I’m glad to have been here as early as last May. Of course, I was kind of shocked to learn that Substack was not founded in 2021 as I’d earlier thought—it was founded in 2017—and I asked myself where I’d been all this time.
Had I not been here, I would have been losing so much without knowing it. It’s here that I’ve come across awesome writers, known and unknown, some published authors, and some guys just getting started, like me (or is it I? idk). Fellow readers likewise. I had thought one has to write all the time, but reading, again, is equally good. A rule of thumb for (any) language, I think, is that you can’t speak if you don’t listen to the language, and you can’t write if you don’t read in the language. So it’s good that there’s a place where one can grow in both learning to write and reading what’s written, and at the same time be inspired by so many diverse people. I believe Substack has this unique air that can’t be found anywhere else, and it’s not from the site features but from the people. You gotta love the people.
There are people to uplift you on your bleak, icky days and to laud you in your high moments. There are people who share your thoughts and emotions as well as those who oppose them. It’s a balanced system. There’s also the valuable freedom to give away the lessons you’ve learned (and are continuously learning) about not just the craft of writing, but also life in general. One can spend hours scrolling through Notes—or even others’ Archives—and find words and sentiments closest to their heart. It’s a special place where ideas of every nature flow and everyone grows.
Even at this point, it’s clear that bigger things are yet to come. What’s important is that we are all here, putting our thoughts and feelings to speech; sharing, caring, feeling, and learning.
—Thank you for being here.
To all the 34 people who’ve subscribed so far, thank you very much. I appreciate you all and look forward to more!!