109 Comments

I keep recommending this post to people, it's brilliant. "Word Barf" should be it's own separate section/stack.

Expand full comment

Thanks for this Alex! Love how honest you are with your thoughts and feelings, they are very relatable!

I'm at this point of my own newsletter thinking of how to find my topic and who I'm writing to. It's been a bunch of personal essays now and I want to find an angle. Will try to connect with my writers in the community, and keep supporting others as well! What a reminder that we're all just a really supportive and friendly group.

Cheers!

Expand full comment

Wow, I would need that. I just hit 100 in 3 months. What a pity I cannot get paid on Substack as I hail from the tropical/volcanic wilderness of Nicaragua, Central America.

Get some laughs and congratulations! Libor

I want you all to smile .... first I am Rasputin, not kidding!

My "crazy" prophecies have come to pass .... judge for yourself!

https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/putlynn-putler-puteen-no-rasputin

Then I am Mr Bean

https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/mr-bean-in-the-russhiat-metro

And now some wilderness

https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/cambodia-not-just-the-khmer-nightmare

To cool off in the end

https://liborsoural.substack.com/p/iceland-in-bloom

Expand full comment

thank you so much for this ❤️ the line "I guess my north star has been to just be as honest as I can possibly be without upsetting my parents." is genius too, I think thats most writers goal haha, I know its definitely mine

Expand full comment

Thanks for this .. made me smile while getting inspired . I am also planning to start setting some goals and I loved your accountability partner idea . And yes I still have to figure out the who bit a little more :)

Expand full comment
Feb 20Liked by Alex Dobrenko`

Thanks for sharing this. This is inspirational for a new guy who just started it. Love your writing style, it's fun to read!

Expand full comment

Just pointing out that I read “despise myself” as well.

Also, loved the piece

Expand full comment

This post really lifted my spirits! I started writing a post a week about productivity (cause my content diet at that time was a bunch of productivity YouTubers) in 2022 but I eventually burned myself out in October and haven't written again since. I'm still feeling pretty lost but I know I writing is something I can be good at, and this post was really motivating to read. So, thank you, Alex!

Expand full comment

From a writer who started his Substack at the end of 2020 and only just recently made his first post, I thank you for this. I have found God. And his name is Alex Dobrenko?????

Expand full comment

Inspiring!

Expand full comment
Feb 1Liked by Alex Dobrenko`

awesome. I knew it was going to be easy!

Expand full comment

Thanks Alex. And thanks for subscribing.

Expand full comment

I needed this today. Thanks!

Expand full comment

Amazing

Expand full comment

Hey Alex. Very interesting post. I got here thanks to Lyle from Just Enough to Get Me in Trouble. I noticed you didn't mention anything about post frequency, which is something I struggle with right now. I don't have as much time to write as I'd like to, and only manage a post every two weeks. But I do my best to make them as good as I can, read them and edit them multiple times and all that. Yet my growth is pretty slow. I have 50ish subscribers since November, most of which are friends and family (whom I deeply thank!). But I wonder if things would pick up faster if I published more often. Has this been your experience, or do you think post frequency isn't that important? Cheers!

Expand full comment

It's all here, it has all the things, about writing and growing the writing (and the self), very nice, Alex!

Expand full comment