Why I write and write and write

On being extra.

(This is not me writing)

This morning I got a well-meaning email from a reader. I won’t quote from it directly. But the gist was this: Have you ever thought of, you know, writing less?

His point was that the amount of content I am producing can be overwhelming for subscribers. And that it might make more sense to dial it back to, say, 3 posts a week.

I’ve heard this (constructive) criticism before. In fact, it was one of the central questions I asked myself when I started this Substack in February.

I looked around at Substacks (and writers) I admired and, generally speaking, saw that the most anyone ever wrote was about a piece a day. Most people wrote weekly. One or two wrote a few times a month.

No one — at least that I could find — wrote multiple times a day. Which is what I wanted to do.

I had a choice:

• Continue to write — as I had at CNN and WaPo — somewhere between 2-4 items a day even though there wasn’t a clear model of success for that frequency on Substack

• Scale back — writing a piece a day or every few days — which was clearly more in keeping with the established Substack ethos.

Regular readers know that I went with the former option. But I wanted to explain why — to my emailer from this morning — and to all of you.

So, here we go.

The most honest answer is that I really like to write. Writing (and thinking about what to write) have always given me a structure to my days. It helps me understand and organize my world.

This reality was really driven home for me when I was laid off by CNN almost a year ago now. I had always written a lot because, well, I saw it as my job to watch what was happening in the world of politics and try to explain it to people.

Then, suddenly, that wasn’t my job anymore. I didn’t have any job anymore!

What I felt, more than anything, was lost. I would drop the kids off at school. Maybe work out. Read some. And then look at the clock and realize it was 10:30 am.

I started this Substack — selfishly — to help me grapple with my changed life. To give me a platform where I could express myself — hopefully to an audience — about the world of politics, yes, but also how I was navigating a new reality.

What I quickly came to realize is that I have LOTS of thoughts. Always have! I get up in the morning with, usually, 5 or 6 things I am interested in tackling that day. I never get to all of them. But I try!

It’s been my process for the better part of the last two decades. Which isn’t to say it’s infallible. I am certain that some (many?) of you don’t read every word I write — even the paying subscribers out there. And that some (many?) of you may feel — at least at times — like my emailer this morning: Dude, just slow down.

For me, though, the writing brings me more than just a backbone for my days. It brings me satisfaction and joy. Yes, joy!

I love when I write a piece that I think makes a good argument I haven’t seen circulating in the political ether. Or when I share a piece of myself that resounds with you all. (Like this one on male friendship.) Or even when I ask for recommendations on my forthcoming trip to Lisbon — like I did in the Mailbag today — and I get 25+ emails from people who have ideas of where I should go and what I should eat (and drink!).

That feeling is hard to describe. It’s connection. And it’s always been the thing — amid the critiques, the layoff, all of the shit — that has kept me coming back to this writing thing.

I wanted this Substack to be as close a reflection of who I really am as possible. And who I really am is someone who writes a lot — about a wide variety of things.

I still remember that when I was first thinking about this whole thing I talked to Sophia Efthimiatou, who is the head of writer relations for Substack. (She rocks!).

I explained my interest in writing a lot — and how, maybe, that didn’t fit with what Substack was. And she said something that has stuck with me: Substack is just a platform. It can be anything you want it to be. Don’t limit your vision.

So, I haven’t.

Is this good for business? I have thought a bunch about that too. I am not shy in admitting that it would be GREAT if I could make writing this Substack my full time job. And that I am not there yet.

So, financial concerns are never THAT far from my mind. I am forever thinking about the best way to both incentivize current paid subscribers and broaden the base of people who subscribe (either for free or paying).

There have been green shoots on that front of late:

• We are now over 1,500 paid subscribers, having added more than 200 in the last 30 days alone.

• We are now over 8,500 total subscribers.

• Tuesday was the single best traffic day in the history of “So What.” And the last two weeks have been the best two weeks — in terms of traffic — that we’ve ever had.

• The 30-day open rate for posts is hovering over 60%, which I am told by smarter people than me is good!

Am I certain that these data points affirm my approach to content? Nope! It’s possible the last two weeks have just been filled with lots of news that people have wanted to read about. The next two weeks — with the Thanksgiving break in there — are likely to be slower!

I view this whole thing as a communal effort. I may be the one providing the content but you are the ones paying for it and engaging with it.

To that end, I want to be as open and transparent as possible for why I do what I do. I am far from sure it’s the right thing in every circumstance but it comes from an honest place.

Thanks for reading. This and all the other content I put out. If you are already a paid subscriber, I am truly grateful for you. If you aren’t, I hope you’ll consider becoming one. Click on this link to get 20% off a monthly or yearly subscription.

If you can’t afford a subscription right now, I get it. I’d ask you a favor though: Share this newsletter with a friend (or five) who you think might be interested in what I am doing.

Thanks again. Be well.