LetterMan Welcome 2025

A Little Housekeeping and Update

Dear Fellow,

I officially welcome you to this space in 2025! Also, welcome to February 2025!

While I feel it is weird to be doing this now—one month into the year—I think it isn’t odd. I am only worried that I have not written to you since the last despatch, which was on Saturday, 16th November 2024. A lot has happened since that day, the major plot twist being my temporal relocation to Adamawa State to serve my compulsory one-year in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). I will talk more about this service year, subsequently.

From the third Saturday in December to the last Saturday in January is my rest period running this newsletter. I use that period to pause—not write to you—and to review the journey so far. I usually announce this hiatus before it begins, but I just could not at the close of the previous year. But I took the break anyway and made the most of it. And that is partly why I can resume writing to you today.

Last year, so much was achieved on this newsletter—in terms of the number of despatches published, new subscribers, engagements, and discoveries. Thirty-three despatches were published last year; it was forty-three last year. From 2021 (when I first used Substack) to 2024, I have written and published one hundred and fifty-three despatches. Subscribers grew from 1,624 in December 2023 to 1,851—about a fourteen percent increase. Eighteen Substack publications are now recommending this newsletter to their subscribers, the top three being Little Ends, Mental Health Notes, and Happy’s Newsletter. These data are great sources of encouragement to me as I run the marathon which is this newsletter.

As the subtitle for this despatch implies, here are the details for how this newsletter will run this year:

Publishing Schedule

Instead of a weekly schedule, I will work with a bi-weekly schedule. That means, unlike I had done in the past two years, I will send you a despatch every two weeks. In other words, this being the first despatch, the next will get to you on Saturday, 15th February 2025, God willing. This change became necessary as soon as I made peace with my new reality—a corps member, working 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. in a corporate organisation away from my parents and siblings. I am learning on a whole new level, so certain adjustments are necessary if I must make the most of this season.

Style Guide

A style guide is not new to you who has been subscribed to this newsletter for at least six months now. A brief note for you who may not know about it: a style guide is a guide or manual—a document—which helps a craftsman maintain a pattern of expression. There is a style guide in every field of human endeavour, written or not, documented or not. For instance, jollof rice is prepared differently from one Nigerian home to another—and there are assumptions behind these different chosen styles of preparing a meal called by the same name. So, for this year, I will adhere to the citation guidelines in the Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) in this newsletter for this year instead of the Turabian Style.

Storylines & Inspiration

As I said at the beginning, a major shift recently happened in my life. I moved from Jos, Plateau State to Adamawa State to serve my NYSC year on Wednesday, 27th November 2024. I have been here in Adamawa State since then, without any trip back home. So you best believe that I have experienced so much to not have the inspiration to write. Whilst I may not be able to rapidly share as much, I am committed to sharing as many stories that are helpful to you somehow. However, I would appreciate hearing from you, especially in the comments section. Your feedback, assessments, and questions will go a long way to guide me as I observe and experience the world around and inside of me. Kindly be my co-seeker and cheerleader—essentially, mindfully engage with the despatches as they get to you.

Visual Impressions

I will not forget why this newsletter was created—to be a platform to consistently write and improve on my craft (writing) while making sense of my experiences. Aesthetics is important to me, and that is why this newsletter will now have a new visual component: a customised poster for each despatch, like this one:

You will observe patterns as you follow the newsletter this year. I hope you will raise an alarm when you identify any as we move further into the year. Let it amaze you, I hope and work towards that.

The year is still young. I pray for you to have a graceful ride and wonder-filled experience throughout this year and beyond. May you never lose your wonder, I pray for you as I do for me. Let this newsletter be an avenue for joy and laughter in your becoming. And ensure to have someone else enjoy being here with you by sharing this newsletter to him or her.

Thank you for being on this trip with me so far. We will fare well onwards, I pray. Amen.

Your LetterMan,

Tongjal, W. N.

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Here are the archives for this newsletter:

Publications in 2021: See

Publications in 2022: See

Publications in 2023: See

Publications in 2024: See