Been a while, hasn’t it?
It’s been nearly two months since my last post, and while I could list the plethora of reasons for my absence, I highly doubt you are reading this piece to hear all that noise. No, you’re here because you on some level believe I have something to offer.
And this last year has finally proven to myself that I do have something to offer.
In my laziness busyness, I completely missed my own one-year anniversary of being on Substack, so I would like to take a moment to recap and celebrate this odyssey we’ve been on.
To Summarize A Year-Long Journey
In the last year, I have published 53 posts.
7 posts of horror short stories, 3 of which were the opening chapters of 2 potential novels
24 posts concerning The Herald of Som, 18 of which were serial chapters
That is just shy of a post per week for the year. Despite having to temper my initial ambitions of writing two or three posts every week, I am ecstatic to see this. For someone who self-flagellates over how little he writes, that’s actually a fair bit of writing!
In the coming year, I hope to write even more, and of course, I hope to be more consistent. But I’m going on record to say that much more is coming one way or another!
2024-2025 Highlights
Subscribers? Where?!
The fact that there is anybody at all who looks at my stuff and says, “I like it, show me more,” is so mind-blowing to me. It’s also interesting (but not unexpected) how my subscribers begin to dip when I’m not routinely posting. Good for them, though! I absolutely understand pruning back on stuff that isn’t producing anything.
Do I have any goals for the coming year of subscribers? Nah. I’d like to continue to grow, sure, but I don’t necessarily need to see a certain number go by.
I anticipate I likely will hit the 100 subscribers mark eventually, and we’ll need to celebrate in some way… more on that another day.
But ultimately, I just want to thank you. Thank you for being here, for encouraging me to continue to write, and to remind me that there are people (!) waiting for my next post. It’s such an incredible blessing, and a great kick in the pants.
Take Note
Behold! My most popular note! I think it’s a little suspicious that my most-seen and liked note is at least partially in praise of Substack as a platform, but I shan’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
The Notes community is a fickle one, but I still enjoy it immensely more than the feeds of other social media platforms. Connecting with other creatives, seeing other people chasing after the same dream, learning from the vast amount of knowledge and experience out there… it’s too good to not engage with!
The Post with the Most
I am pleasantly surprised that the post with the most views is the Table of Contents for my serialized novel, The Herald of Som. The first chapter is only slightly behind it.
Writing this book has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life, and yet it is also the most difficult thing I believe I’ve ever done. And it’s still very much a work in progress!
If you’ve been keeping up with it, thank you. Tyruc and the gang have a lot of adventures ahead of them, and I hope you stick around to see it all unfold.
To the New Year!
In the coming months, here’s a peek at what you can expect to see from S.M. Osborne’s Legendarium:
New chapters in The Herald of Som serial novel series
Compendiums and TTRPG resources connected to the world of The Herald of Som
Collaborations with other Substackers (the first of which will release soon!)
Blog posts and short stories galore!*
*that little asterisk is to let you know that “galore” is extremely subjective here, and it will be entirely whim-based
I am also ever-contemplating branching out into other mediums, such as a podcast and/or making videos. There will be a poll at the end of this newsletter for your input, and regardless, I hope you enjoy what’s to come.
Now what about you?
Folks, as much as I enjoy writing, I don’t do it just to hear myself type. I do it because I have stories fighting to get out of my head, onto paper, and in front of a reader’s eyes. Which I have done! And I’m excited to continue to do!
But if I have one thing I do actively want more of in the coming year, I absolutely know what it is.
I want to hear from you.
Yes, you! The one who is reading this! If you’ve made it this far, I want to know what you think. Every time one of you drops a like, leaves a comment, or reaches out to me is a huge boost of confidence and motivation. And I will be transparent that I want more of that!
At the bottom of this post will a couple little buttons that’ll let you do that. There’s zero pressure, of course. I am frequently a silent lurker myself. But I know how it feels to have tangible engagement (thanks to those of you who have so graciously reached out this past year!), and I try to give that experience to other writers and creators whenever I can.
So if you’ve contemplated saying something and then put it off because you didn’t think I’d care or respond, think again! Let me know what you’ve enjoyed from this last year of Substacking, and don’t be afraid to tell me if you have any hopes or expectations of me.
I may be just an average smo, but I have started to truly believe in the potential of this legendary endeavor. Thank you for being here, and to God be all the glory.
Many Thanks,
S.M. Osborne