21 Lessons I Learned From Writing Online In Last One Year

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” — Natalie Goldberg

No one starts their creative journey without a certain amount of fear. When I feel that sense of dread, I try to make a list of what can go wrong.

It’s been more than a year I am writing online but the fear is always there.

Let me spill some of my biggest fears whenever I hit publish button.

The big 5s are:

1. People are going to laugh at me. 2. Many have already done it before. 3. I am not saying anything worthy. 4. People will troll me. 5. Is it as meaningful as I thought it is.

“Before you can think out of the box, you have to start with a box” — Twyla Tharp

If you are following me for a while, I am an aspiring writer, a content creator, and have been publishing my articles on Medium since January 2021 and published 180+ articles so far.

I usually post once a week. Along with my blog, I have a weekly substack newsletter and a LinkedIn newsletter. alright, enough about me :)

I am not (yet!) a professional writer, however if you are a new or aspiring writer and haven’t figured out anything or looking for another perspective on how you can become a productive content creator without burning yourself — read this article and I am sure you will find one or two useful things.

1. Your writing will suck in the beginning. I mean it could be really bad if you haven’t written anything before and it’s okay. I used to write journals but never published anything online as such.
2. Write as much as you can on any topic to widen your experience and learning.
3. Become consistent with your writing. Aim to write 100 words every day.
4. Show up most days to write. No matter how bad you write. Showing up can make you feel confident, guts to write something bold and meaningful
5. Don’t worry about having fully formed ideas, nothing is fully formed, that’s life. Create an idea basket where you can dump everything you think of.
6. Don’t think about finding your niche. Experiment, learn, and repeat.
7. Show authenticity. Write the way you talk to your friends.
8. If you feel like giving up or your motivation is slipping away, it’s okay to take a break and come back. Don’t feel guilty or sorry for yourself.
9. Define your WHY. You must understand why you started. It can help you when you are running low on motivation.
10. No one owes you anything, if publications reject your articles, it’s fine. Do what you do best, Move on and write.
11. Set adequate goals that you know you can fulfill 100%. . One article a week, or every few days. I started one article every week and slowly built up the routine to write more.
12. Live Life. Experiencing life is the best way to improve your writing. Like going outside and engaging with the world. My new book starts with a beautiful conversation I had with a woman in a hospital waiting room.
13. Read books, and great articles to learn and see what you can improve.
14. It’s okay to get a perspective from friends, and family on your writing. I share my draft with a couple of trusted friends to get alternate perspectives.
15. Trust the process. Like every craft, writing takes time. Some people get success in a very short time but it’s not something that can happen to you too. So keep going.
16. Do it your way. Don’t constantly read these articles about making a fortune in the first 3 months. They are the exception (and probably sugar coating it). You are the rule.
17. Share your experiences. It’s one of the best ways to share your lessons learned, life experiences, and how it has impacted you.
18. Simplicity is the key. Don’t try to overcomplicate things that you write about. Most people like easy-to-follow things with 2–3 key step-by-step processes.
19. Most people like common and easy-to-understand English. Don’t use very fancy and complicated words in your writing where readers have to google the meaning.
20. Algorithms will never make sense. Focus on what you can control. Views, stats, and virality are short-lived.
21. Last but not least, Appreciate where you are right now in your creative journey. It’s okay to start small and look for options before you do anything bigger.

Be Bold

Be Courageous

Be Your Best

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