While cleaning out my Substack drafts folder full of half-written ideas and abandoned posts, I noticed my published folder was nearing 100.
This is number 95.
I originally started this newsletter in December 2021 to improve my writing skills: having subscribers forces me to keep a schedule rather than writing for myself, which was inconsistent.
And it helped.
I can see my progress over the years. Hopefully, you noticed too. In fact, I can’t stand to look at some of my articles. I consider that progress!
But while approaching the Century Club, I thought, what’s next?
Substack is fun, for sure, but how can I challenge myself further?
People sometimes asked me if I would start a YouTube to Rumble channel, which made me cringe because I want to write, not record.
Most of the video content I watch is news/commentary or something video-heavy like urban exploring, extreme sports, or live gaming.
I never considered articles and videos one to one.
Eventually, I realized that many of the videos I watched all started on paper.
Whether it’s a channel covering history, how-to’s, story channels, or life advice, they all started as a script before appearing as a video.
In fact, most things are.
Commercials, billboards, promo emails, fortune cookies-they all started with a writer.
So I changed my mind: OK, fine. I guess I should at least consider making video content.
That still left me with one problem: I hate hearing the sound of my voice, which it turns out is typical.
But, like they say, you gotta get out of your comfort zone.
So, to test, I challenged myself to turn a previous post into a faceless video. (I thought this would be easier, but I think starting with a fresh idea would have been quicker.)
There was a bit of a learning curve with video editing, and I was surprised to find the audio piece was the most complex.
But I was happy with what I found.
Aside from the technical issues, I discovered many of my problems were rooted in my writing.
This doesn’t sound right, that doesn’t make sense, this sentence is clutter, etc.
Yes, I regularly read my posts aloud or have voice-to-text read them to me for editing purposes, but it didn’t quite cut it. When you know someone will listen instead of read, it changes the game.
So, you all get the first tickets to my YouTube and Rumble channels, called NPC Overrider.
For those unfamiliar with the NPC meme, NonPlayable Characters are characters in video games that one cannot play as.
For example, in Super Mario Brothers, you can play as Mario or Luigi. The Goombas, Koopa Troopas, and Buzzy Beetles are all NPCs. Meaning they don’t have free will. They can only do what they’re programmed to do.
In recent years, Internet culture has adopted this concept to describe people who can’t think for themselves.
So, the idea for the channel is to override default programming, coupled with a few information technology references, just to play on the theme. But you don’t need to worry if you don’t catch them. They are irrelevant to the story.
Still, there is a time constraint at play. I’m lucky to get one article out a week, let alone start a new medium.
But that’s part of the fun.
I still plan to write for Conflicted, but they will all be formulated as scripts to translate to video. The type of content will remain the same, covering race hustlers, corporations, celebrities, politicians, etc.
I’ll figure it out.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new format. If not, just continue to check your inbox for the text version. (Forgive me on the audio volume, like I said, it was by far the most technical hurdle, believe it or not.)
Thanks so much to everyone for your reads, likes, shares, and general feedback on this newsletter over the years.
I look forward to the next chapter as I improve with your help, Dear Reader, and I hope you’ll also become a Dear Viewer!
Enjoy!
Much love,
GB
Our whole life is set up in the path of least resistance. We don't want to suffer. We don't want to feel discomfort. So the whole time, we're living our lives in a very comfortable area. There's no growth in that. -David Goggins
Great first effort on this documentary. Well researched and interesting throughout. You did well.
rjb