Releasing Your Writing Into the Void
About a month ago, I was at an event celebrating the work of a couple of shelter programs in the Portland area. A buddy of mine who I hadn’t seen in a really long time came up to me. We hugged, we chatted, and then he said “I really appreciated what you wrote on your Substack this week.”
That couldn’t have come at a better time.
I’ve toyed with ending this Substack for a while.
Okay, I haven’t really considered ending this Substack. Writing this every week is good for me. I’m a pretty guarded person in a lot of ways, and the weekly Friday morning deadline forces me to be a little bit less careful and safe with my words than I otherwise would be.
I’ll keep writing it. No actual plans to stop.
But I’ve thought about it.
It’s not because I don’t like writing. And it’s certainly not because I don’t have material.
It’s just that lately it’s felt a little futile. Meaningless.
It feels like after I write and click the “post” button, the writing poofs itself into the void and I’ll never know whether or not people read it.
Or if people even want to.
I'm not saying any of this in a “woe-is-me, someone please give me some attention,” Pick-Me energy, sort of way. Not at all.
The people that want to read the things that I write will read them, and the people who don’t, won’t. And I’m fine with that.
Still, writing online has a way of getting in your head.
“Is anybody reading?”
“Do they care?”
“Should I stop writing so much about mental health and talk more about faith?”
“Or vice versa?”
“Am I talking too much about politics?”
“Too little?”
“Did I flirt with heresy a little too much this week?”
It's hard not to ruminate like that. Once you hit the “post” button, it's done. It's out in the void.
Do people like it? Do they not?
Are people seething with rage at something I said?
I don't ever get to know these things.
When I preach, there's feedback. I see eyes, smiles, frowns, furrowed brows, etc.
But after I write a thing on here and hit the “post” button, there's not very much response.
A couple of likes and comments, which is great, but mostly it's quiet.
That’s also true for me as a reader. I subscribe to a bunch of these and quietly read them each week. Some of them impact me deeply. I've read some things on here that have changed my focus and shaped my thinking in profound ways.
Sometimes I tell the author.
Usually not.
It’s not that I don’t want them to know. I just don't think to do it.
I read a post, it changes my life, and the author will likely never find out.
I just often forget that the same is likely true for one or two people who read the things I write.
Writing takes a lot of trust, man.
All of you author friends of mine who write for a living have a lot more stamina/fortitude/strength than I do.
FWIW, here are just a few of my favorite people to read lately (there are so many more)
Elizabeth Berget - Motherhood and faith. Also the best curator of memes on the entire internet.
Katelyn Beaty - I’ve been listening to her on podcasts and reading her stuff for well over a decade. Incredible writer and thinker.
Beth Allison Barr - Everything she writes on here is great. I’m currently about halfway through her newest book and it’s possibly going to be my favorite book of the year.
Jen Zug - Heard her and Bryan on the CT Mars Hill podcast and immediately started following her on all the things. She writes about life, marriage, family, faith, gardening, growing older, etc in a very funny, down to earth, plain, ordinary way. Anne Lamott-ish.
Savannah Locke - Really great theological reflections for such a time as this.
Mollie Fox - Writes about her life, finds some beautiful truths therein.
Kevin Nye - Houseless advocate. Beautiful human.
Kristle Delihanty - I love everything this girl writes. And does. Her work with PDX Saints Love is one of the best things in our city.
Breena Bard - Graphic Novel writer, her substack has some behind the scenes of her writing and life. But I especially love when she gets all up in her head and overthinks how she’s doing in life. I feel a kinship there :)
Also, she made an album last year that’s really good.
Pete Enns - I love Pete and Jared and everything they do with The Bible for Normal People.
Strongwilled (D.L. and Krispin Mayfield) - After reading a thing Danielle wrote about gentrification in 2016, I vowed to myself to read everything they wrote in the future.
Nothing’s changed. Still in 2026, I read anything DL or Krispin writes that I can get my hands on.
Faithful reader here, David. Much appreciated.