Flabbergasted and Grateful: Hitting 1,000 Subscribers

Substack informed me today that I officially hit 1,000 subscribers yesterday. They were even kind enough to provide me with a little badge to share.

To be honest, I’m flabbergasted. I began writing as a cathartic experience and as a way to develop a bit of a hobby; I enjoy writing and organizing my thoughts. It was never my intent to “build my audience,” as Substack keeps reminding me to do. Moreover, I tend to write about fairly niche topics that interest me, so I didn’t think many people would be interested in reading.

As I started to gain readers, I found myself spending more and more time writing and engaging here. I turned on a paid option essentially as a tip jar to buy my coffee and cat food and to encourage myself to write more. This page remains 100% free to read and will continue to be; tip if you want to—or don’t.

Going forward, there’s likely to be little change. My writing will continue to focus on defence-related topics, but I’ll branch out into other areas as issues arise that I feel I have an opinion on. One reader criticized me for being “biased,” which I found odd given the nature of my posts. I don’t pretend to be a news reporter; I share my opinions on topics that interest me and where I might have some insight.

I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has subscribed, and my experience here has been overwhelmingly positive. Thank you so, so much!