34 Comments

Wow! This was inspiring. Super helpful for me as a new writer. Thank you so much.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks JD, very happy you found it helpful. Best of luck on your journey my friend.

Expand full comment

Some days I write a sentence. Other days I write pages. Before, I’d give up after a day in which I only wrote a sentence. Now I use it as fuel.

Expand full comment
author

Amazing progress! There are still days where all I write is 39 words. These days are where we need to be kind to ourselves.

Expand full comment

I was sitting here today talking to a friend, and consulting with ChatGPT, 🤣, about what I want to write about on a daily basis. I enjoy what I’m currently talking about but I tend to get bored or burnt out sticking to one thing, and also have a half dozen other topics I’d like to talk on. Your step 10 kind of hit it on the head for me, thanks for sharing!

Expand full comment
author

Amazing, happy to help me friend. And to be honest, I still think about the same thing. I have lot's I like to speak about. Here's how I think about it personally...

I understand that if all I talked about was ONE single thing. Say, Facebook ads. That it may drive more growth on Facebook ads. Drive more business for me running Facebook ads.

I understand that if I speak about MORE things. My growth may be slower.

I accept that. Because I am Ok with things being a bit slower, if I am able to find more joy in what I do. This is a compromise that I consciously make. I don't believe there is a "Correct" way to do things, there's finding OUR way to do things.

Expand full comment

"Minimal viable habits".over this.

And forget about the niche (pronounced "neesh" in Canada 😁) Just write. Yes.

Question: I tend to download writing ideas verbally. I am testing out shaking into Otter and then cleaning it up.

Have you met others who speak/write?

If so I would love to know their experience.

Expand full comment
author

I say Neesh too ;-)

I believe Gary Vaynerchuk dictated ALL of this books. He has discussed this on podcasts. He is terrible at writing. He speaks his thoughts. Obviously he has an editor that assists in the cleanup. But I think that exploring how to make this work for you is worth it. If it matches your natural strengths to communicate and allows you to put out more/better/ or just enjoy it more it's worth seeing if you can develop a system for it.

Expand full comment

Thank you Landon. This is encouraging.

Expand full comment
Oct 3Liked by Landon Poburan

Thank you sir…very informational and I really appreciate you hitting on “good enough is enough” and “just write”. I’ve read similar things in many places lately and it finally sunk in today!

Expand full comment
author

Maybe it's just me but I need to hear the same thing a few times before it hits. Timing is huge.

Expand full comment

“This wasn’t the first time I tried to write.” Love it. The first thing I ever wrote at 10 was a book called “The Giant Spider” The opening line was “The giant spider…” That’s as far as I got hahaha

Expand full comment
author

Love it, you could have left it there and been better than some of the kids books out there today!

Expand full comment

:-)

Expand full comment

Yes, I learned a lot from Nicolas Cole! He definitely emphasizes the power of consistency.

I need to be better on marinating on the idea and provide bullet points. Im guilty at staring at the blank screen and finding what to write.

Appreciate this helpful post, Landon!

Expand full comment
author

You bet Bryan. I'm the same. For me, I found it helpful to focus on small things and systematically progress over time. When I was starting, being overly concerned with that held me back so I first really focused on writing. Then I started to pay more attention to my headlines. Then I started to pay more attention to the big idea. I love to think I can do it all but for me, each piece was improved over a very long time.

Expand full comment

Dude, that's awesome advice. Yeah, I need to focus one thing at a time. instead of seeing the whole puzzle, focus on certain sections. Man, appreciate the perspective

Expand full comment
author

When I try to do em all at once I usually get overwhelmed, don't make progress, and have a higher chance of stopping. It's hard to let good enough be good enough and make incremental progress but it's worked wonders for me. Keep up the good work.

Expand full comment

Thanks for the encouragement, bro! Yes, little chunks first 🥇

Expand full comment
Oct 2Liked by Landon Poburan

As I continue improving my craft, gems like these, excite me! It's this that anchors my love and trust in the Substack platform. Finding serendipitous, burst of knowledge here and being able to follow the source for future gems, while also sharing my own gems, generates healthy reciprocity! I appreciate you. Thank you.

Expand full comment
author

Thank you so much Tina! This is what I love about Substack. The one platform where I actually enjoy what I read.

Expand full comment
Oct 2·edited Oct 2Liked by Landon Poburan

Spending more time on the idea is something I learned late.

For years I wrote tutorials that didn't need an original idea. They just needed clear explanations.

But if you spend more time on the idea, you find your unique angles. This is what gives people a reason to follow you.

How long do you allow yourself to spend on the idea?

Expand full comment
author

Same here. The biggest benefit I found with having a clear big idea or 'whats the point of this article' allowed a smoother process of writing and a clear throughline. I don't have a set time it's more so something I try to keep consciously aware of. I start with a rough idea, and try to map out the point in bullet points and then try and turn the writing into paint by numbers filling the sections in.

Expand full comment

I'm practicing separating ideas from content. Some ideas need purpose-less exploration. They may lead to an article, but also to nothing. Or to a totally different article.

Expand full comment

Loved this vulnerable and inspiring post. As someone new to Substack and new to online writing, it's so helpful to hear that persistence and time are necessary to get to outcomes.

Your patience and commitment to delivering value is fantastic -- thank you, Landon!

Expand full comment
author

Love that you're here! I attribute everything to patience and consistency. My answer to everyone that asks me about growth is 'be patient'. It's an unsexy answer, but it's what I believe.

Expand full comment
Oct 1Liked by Landon Poburan

Well laid down Landon. I started writing and stuck with writing after bumped with Nicolas Cole's book.

It seems it inspired you to keep writing until today.

Love the takeways from the book and how you brought those to write consistently with your newsletter.

Expand full comment
author

Thanks Mario. His book came to me at the right time for sure and I've (re) fallen in love with writing!

Expand full comment
Oct 3Liked by Landon Poburan

Same here. I’ve fallen in love in writing after his book Landon.

Expand full comment
author

Sounds like we came down a similar path.

Expand full comment

Brilliant, so helpful!

Expand full comment
author

Truly appreciate that William.

Expand full comment

Thanks for this post. I learn quite a bit from Nicolas and Jamie. Sometimes I write long form sometimes I write short form. The key to write something consistently.

Expand full comment
author

They are truly brilliant and very inspiring. Consistency has been a key for me.

Expand full comment