Let’s talk about insecurities…

about writing on Substack.

A couple of weeks ago, I once again renamed my publication. Great things happen every time I do so, but that does not mean I am going to make it a habit!

Only last Friday, the Coffee Break Newsletter was recommended by one of the Substacks I adore —

Sparkle on Substack

. Nothing could have brought me down from the clouds or stopped me from celebrating with the silly dance in the kitchen—multiple times. 

Then, on Sunday, one of my articles got listed amongst some amazing writers for participating in the Sparkle on Substack 24 Essays club. I was at work, so this one was not accompanied by any dance. 

Then, I sent out the first issue of recommendations and round-ups, and I fell flat on my face. That Sunday, there were 4 unsubscribes. 

The truth is, I gained some but lost four. This is the most I have ever lost in one day. So, without further ado, I decided never to post at the weekend. 

So, the recommendations and round-ups will still happen once or twice per month but on a weekday. I need to decide on the day. Your suggestions are welcome in the comments. 

With that said, 

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Let’s talk about insecurities. 

I nudged on my insecurities in the article from a couple of weeks ago. Every time I re-read the post, it shouts louder and louder. Substack has this weird way of amplifying all your writerly insecurities. Suddenly, you're not just writing into the void – you're publishing for an audience that can very visibly grow or shrink. Every unsubscribe feels like a personal rejection. Every low open rate feels like proof that you're not cut out for this.

So, the only way to process insecurity is to face it head-on. 

There's no hiding when you've committed to a weekly newsletter. You have to keep showing up, keep writing, keep hitting "publish" even when that little voice is screaming that you're not good enough.

I shared that writing on Substack has made me realise I need to improve my writing skills. I understand that this is not a groundbreaking revelation. 

That is, however, the lesson in disguise needs to be credited to Substack’s platform. 

If I were still publishing on my blog, I’d be happy with what I was doing, but I would not gain direct feedback or have a direct relationship with my readers. This is simply because not many of them opt-in to reply to emails. Not many of us do. 

My writing back then was not great (based on my humble opinion). Not to say it’s great now. I am more aware of how I write, what I write and what it probably sounds like. Which means my writing is improving. 

The comparison trap

One of my readers recently asked me what "good writing skills" even means; (attentive readers

Yan-Min Siau

, who is a thoughtful writer of publication

Rewriting Fate

).

It's a great question, and the answer is maddeningly subjective. But in the world of Substack, it often boils down to one thing: Can you make your readers feel something?

The feedback loop

The most successful Substack writers aren't necessarily the ones with the most polished prose. They're the ones who can make their readers nod along, saying, "Yes, that's exactly how I feel!" or "I've never thought about it that way before!"

But achieving that connection? It's hard work. And it's work that never really ends.

Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash

Writing helps to process things that go on around us and within us. 

“Expressive writing can heal us.”¹

Deborah Siegel-Acevedo, the author of the HBR article: Writing can help us heal from trauma, explains, “Detailed writing can not only help us process what we’ve been through and assist us as we envision a path forward”.²

Writing was a part of me. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true. You deserve the truth. As a reader, you need to know that I feel insecure about my writing. You need to know that I compare myself to others. That I have that pit in the stomach feeling every Wednesday when it gets to 11:00 because I worry. Will you open the email? Will it resonate? Will you say something, good or bad? Will you unsubscribe and be on your way? Will you like it enough to tell your friend, mom or husband?

Will it resonate?

The Corporate Mindset vs. The Creator Mindset

Here's where your corporate background might actually be holding you back. In the corporate world, there's often a clear path to success. Do X, Y, and Z, and you'll get that promotion. Meet these KPIs, and you'll be rewarded.

Writing doesn't work like that. There's no performance review that will tell you if you're on track. No boss to validate your efforts. It's just you, your words, and your readers.

This shift can be disorienting. You might find yourself obsessively checking your stats, treating them like a scorecard. But remember: Substack success isn't just about numbers. It's about building a genuine connection with your readers, however many or few they may be.

Embracing the Discomfort

So, what do you do with all this insecurity? You lean into it. Use it as fuel. Let it push you to read more, to study the writers you admire, to take that writing class you've been eyeing.

Every time you hit "publish" and feel that knot of anxiety in your stomach? That's growth. Every time you respond to a critical comment with grace? That's professionalism. Every time you keep writing even when the words feel like they're being painfully extracted from your brain? That's dedication.

The comparison is human, which means it is here to stay.

It turns out that the comparison is human. As

Leyla Kazim

shared in her Things I've learnt from 1 year on Substack reflection:

“I compared the “progress” of my newsletter with others, a lot. Then realised it was a pointless endeavour because there are too many variables for it to mean anything.”³

If you are feeling insecure, you have two options.

So, this brings us to the realisation that if you’re feeling insecure about your writing or anything for that matter. You have at least two options:

1. You get used to insecure feelings. You make a good home for them. You befriend them. 

2. Or you can, piece by piece, start dismantling them. 

And no, don’t worry. I am not going to slap you with “the top ten steps you can take to deal with insecurities…” There are plenty of those types of posts online already.

Instead, I will share with you one single idea you can take or leave, you decide.

Embrace the insecurities as the grounds for good. 

Move forward with this perspective. 

What is my insecurity trying to tell me?

Read more? Join a writing class? Subscribe to professional writers here on Substack and study their writing, such as

Writing in the Dark with Jeannine Ouellette

or Re-think ‘the unsubscribtion panic’. 

What do I mean by it?

Instead of letting insecurities push you into a dark corner and force you to give up on your big dream, which is writing (or anything else you might feel insecure about), let them shape you. Let them force you to learn, improve, and craft at your craft. Look at your insecurity like you’re looking at yourself in the mirror. Face it. 

As

Elin Petronella

from

Follow Your Gut

shares in her post, Writing on Substack can feel intimidating sometimes:

“There’s no final destination where one suddenly “arrives” because the art is in the journey.”⁴

Stick with consistent practice despite insecurities

Being on Substack did wonders for my consistency. I used to ghost my mailing list before I joined in July last year. I am serious. I’d disappear for months on end, even the whole year and then expect to be welcomed back. I was not. In fact, now I am probably landing in the junk mail of my original subscribers. 

So it is not down to my subscribers, who have been with me for many years, that they don’t like what they read from me. They forgot about me long ago; their Gmail junks me. 

Why did I use to ghost my subscribers?

It took me a lot of courage to say something for fear of an unsubscribe count ascending to the moon. I dreaded sending emails and felt rejected whenever I received a notification: “XYZ unsubscribed.” Nobody wants to be rejected. Nobody. So, instead, I disappeared. I let my insecurity take the stage.

Since browsing Substack posts relating to any topic on writers’s insecurities, I came across this beautiful Alex Karras’ quote from

Carrie Jones

’s article Being Insecure Sometimes Is Okay published in her publication

Living Happy and Write Better Now!

“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more 'manhood' to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.”⁵

Since July last year, I have regularly posted every Wednesday. Whether it was with confidence or Kleenex wrapped around my nose, in health and sickness, I made damn sure I published. Substack helped me build commitment.

But it also helped me grow a thicker skin.

Notification of unsubscribes hurts, but some say they are part of it. And once you get rejected repeatedly, you get used to being rejected. That does not make you a reject. Don’t let it define you and your work. Plus, you can switch off notifications so you no longer get notified of unsubscribes. 

After all, you won’t be everyone's cup of coffee. And know this: you are my cup of coffee every day of the week because you’re here!

So, I want to share one more article I came across recently while browsing Substack … even though this particular article was published in November 2023.

"How To Succeed On Substack"

This one sparked a lot of conversation—let’s let the numbers speak for themselves: 1682 likes, 255 comments, and 377 reposts!⁶ 

I am going to bullet point my forever-to-remember-and-remind-myself-daily key takeaways. 

(Yet, I will also include the link to the article so you can read it on your next break. Trust me, you should. I don’t like shoulds, but still, you should. 

Also, my bullet points might take certain points out of context, but I did not want to copy all of the passages as that might be considered theft, so once again, I will encourage you to read the original piece and don’t be satisfied with my bullet points)

My key takeaways:

• “No one is entitled to success in their writing…”

• “notable success in writing always takes a lot of work. No exceptions.”

• “the reality is that if you want to build a readership, you do have to publish”

• “yet some people seem to think they can achieve the readership of a professional writer who works very hard for a long time without also working very hard for a long time.”

• “the hard reality is that those who can’t or don’t want to put in the hard work of writing—fair or not—cannot expect to be read except by their friends.”

• “Anyone who does good work consistently can achieve some version of success, but it takes work, and it takes patience.” 

• “If you’re here to share writing, focus on the writing. And don’t forget to be a reader too. The best writers always read.”

I love this article; it offers unpretentious, roaring, and unapologetically perfect advice on succeeding on Substack!

---

The moral of the story is this.

If you struggle with similar insecurities about your writing and want to confront them head-on, support your writing by investing your time, effort, money, and hard work. 

So, I read about writing (daily) and listen to writing (each morning). Now, I am a keen paid subscriber of

A Writer's Notebook

and many other amazing writers, such as

Changing The Channel with Kirsten Powers

,

Things Worth Knowing with Farrah Storr

,

The Hyphen by Emma Gannon

,

No F*cks Given® with Sarah Knight

, and the most recent

🌻 A Year of Mental Health

by

Chris Guillebeau

.

Where else would you have access to people you admire every week? That’s what’s awesome about Substack. Writing classes are not the only way to expand your writing skills; you can do it here on Substack, too.

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Tldr,

• Choose to dismantle your insecurities by adopting the following perspective: Embrace them as grounds for good—walk towards them rather than away from them. 

• Writing helps to process things that go on around us and within us. So keep writing. 

•  Invest in your writing by investing your time, effort, money and hard work. 

Next week, I will share with you that even some of the most successful writers you can think of experience insecurities.
Now, take a deep breath, close that spreadsheet, and start writing.

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This is the ninth post of 24 essays I plan to write as part of the Sparkle on Substack Essay Club to keep myself accountable and post regularly.

If life often gets in the way of your regular writing and you are a fellow Substacker (which many of you are), I'd recommend you join

Claire Venus

’s

Sparkle on Substack

’s Essay Club.

1. Writing Can Help Us Heal from Trauma

2. Writing Can Help Us Heal from Trauma

3. Things I've learnt from 1 year on Substack

4. Writing on Substack can feel intimidating sometimes

5. Being Insecure Sometimes Is Okay

6. "How To Succeed On Substack"