My 100th Post and a New Experiment
100 shots on goal, evolution of my writing, and a new project.
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Today’s post is a short update.
My 100th Newsletter Post
I still can’t believe I’ve written a hundred of these things. Assuming an average of 2,000 words per post, that basically 200,000 words; more than two full length books. If someone told me to write a book per year, I’d have flat out thought its impossible to do. Apparently, there is a magic to slowly chipping away at things.
For a while I thought I am going to write some grand post to commemorate it, but then I decided to keep it business as usual. In case you missed it, here is the 100th post.
And here is my first post on January 1, 2024.
My Evolution of Writing and LLMs
It took me a ton of effort to write the first few posts. But I’ve kind of settled into a rhythm now. It starts with an idea, or something I don’t understand and then evolves into an outline, and finally a post. The more I read about a topic before even starting an outline, the faster I progress through the whole article.
LLMs for purely writing have been largely useless to me. When I attempt to outline posts or even generate starting points, the scope of what it gives is too broad. It gives me so much output, that it only leads me further down the rabbit hole. Actually using it for writing is out of the question. It just does not explain stuff the way I want to. The simplest explanation is likely that I don’t know how to prompt it well.
Either way, I have a much better method that has been working really well.
Pen and paper. Old School.
I scribble thoughts in a book, draw arrows, doodles, ask why and how, all by hand. Here is the unintelligible scrawl that helped me with my 100th post.
The credit here really goes to my spouse who is a big proponent of thinking on paper and slowing down to articulate what one is trying to convey. She has written professionally far longer than what I’ve done on my Substack project here, and I’ve somehow convinced her to start her own Substack — Human Frequency, which discusses how to stay human in the age of AI. Check it out.
That being said, I still do use LLMs. I use it to review my article, solicit feedback and identify missing points. I use it to help me identify unintelligible sentences and clarify them. It is a pretty great tool to dig up resources I need to read for an article. It has greatly sped up my workflow in this regard.
Since May this year, I’ve added a weekly Wednesday post that is always free. It has provided me with some wiggle room to write about stuff that’s not hard tech all the time. I usually write about the semiconductor industry and my perspectives on it. I’ve even experimented with a trivia quiz. Wednesday columns are for me to have some fun with and maybe try and get some sponsors on board (reply to this email if you’d like to be a sponsor!), while I grind on deep dive posts for paid subscribers on Sundays.
100 posts is a pretty big milestone for me because it is the only factor I can really control. Subscriber counts and conversion rates are largely a consequence, and not in my hands. Mr. Beast of YouTube fame has said in multiple interviews, that only after 100 videos did he really get started. I feel like I’m just getting started too!
Speaking of YouTube and starting things …
I’m Starting a YouTube Channel
I’ve decided to start putting up some video content. I floated the idea by social media some time ago, and I got a lot of support from everyone 🙏🏽. But then I sat on it and didn’t make any videos. A family friend has been holding me accountable to get started on YouTube, and the encouragement really helped. All the positive vibes finally crystallized.
Two days ago, I decided to turn on the camera and yap into it for five minutes to see what happens. Here is the result.
Honestly, I’m not sure where I’m going with YouTube, but you’ll see me figure it out as I go 🤞🏽. In all likelihood, its going to be stream of consciousness discussions and educational content on semiconductors, rather than fully scripted, edited videos. I honestly don’t have the time to dedicate to YouTube entirely. I’ll just do my best to keep it light and fun. Substack is still where I will do the heavy lifting.
If you’re up to it, subscribe on YouTube and join me on this adventure.
Most Popular Posts
From my catalog of 100 posts, here are some free and partially paywalled posts that have resonated well with readers. Check them out if you can.
Free posts:
Partially paywalled posts:
