“If you have the desire to write, sit down and wait till the sickness goes away.” – Russell Baker
I started this blog in 2021 as a way to force myself to write. That’s chiefly what it remains. In the evolving landscape of digital media makes it’s as hard as ever to reach masses with your writing. Consistently reaching a small group of people, however, has become vastly easier, for which I’m grateful.
Five years ago, I found myself routinely encountering the same bottleneck. I would pitch to magazine outlets—writing, rewriting, putting in a new hook here, a new conclusion there, maybe start all over with this emphasis, until the whole effort finally arrived at its glorious destination inside one person’s gmail trash. Conversely, I had a couple outlets who regularly accepted my work but just didn’t have space to publish as much as I wanted to write.
As a writer, you tend to cherish a secret ambition that someday, someone, somewhere might actually read something you’ve written. Yet anyone aspiring to a creative endeavor lives largely in a windowless vault, locked away from the reciprocal feedback loop that motivates nearly every other work. It’s hard to imagine a doctor, for example, sitting down in the evening and coming up with twenty remedies, prescriptions, and referrals for imaginary patients who might walk into his office, then stuffing them in a drawer, saying, “I hope that helps someone sometime. I’ll make some more tomorrow.” That’s why I’m tremendously grateful for all of you (2k+ subscribers) and the motivation you give me to write.
This past year, I was overjoyed to see a dream come true—a book in print by a traditional publisher. Who Am I and What Am I Doing With My Life represents the fruit of nine years, starting with my doctoral work on identity in 2017. Alongside that came opportunities for promotional articles and podcasts.
This past year, the most read posts were “How To See Your Own Blind Spots,” and “Don’t Be Stingy-Generous.” I’m enormously grateful for Tim Challies, a writing mentor, who also spikes traffic with occasional referrals.
The most commented post was “The Woodland Smugglers Episode 1: The Unlikely Friends.” It was awesome to hear such enthusiasm for this new endeavor as it represents a growing desire to write more fiction. I’ve completed two short stories I’m sending around for publication, as well as a novel.
In 2027, I plan to increase frequency close to weekly (instead of three out of every four). I’ve settled into a rhythm of rotating subjects: identity, literature, a fiction piece, and a devotional or cultural engagement topic. In addition to these, I plan on addressing the identity impact of AI, and start sharing on pastoral practice.
I’m incredibly thankful for the leadership at All Saints Presbyterian, who has supported and encouraged me taking time to write and valued this ministry. If you’d like to be an encouragement, please subscribe! If you already are, please consider a monthly donation (link below). Gifts go to offset the cost of the website and newsletter and are a financial blessing, and you can think of it as simply saying, “I like what you’re doing, Justin. Here’s a cup of coffee this month.”
If you haven’t done so already, it would be a huge help if you could leave a short review of Who Am I and What Am I Doing With My Life? Reviews to a long way in spreading the message to more people.
**For your awareness, while the writing community is trying to discern good boundaries, I do not use any AI during any part of my writing process.
Thanks again so much for reading! You can reply to this or email me any time. I’d love to hear from you!
