WRITING | CREATIVITY
7 Reasons I’m Toning Down — Not Quitting
New chapter in my writing journey
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Does life sometimes feel like a treadmill? Mine sure does. I sometimes see the wheel spinning — nonstop, with lots of vigour — and wonder if the hamster is dead (yet). Often I’m the one running in that wheel. And quite frequently I enjoy it. You see, I’m one of those odd people who thrive in chaos. The more I have on my to-do list, the better I perform. Time management, conflict management — bring it on. But you know what I’m bad at? Personal relationships and personal goals. Everything is a project in my eyes.
Most people set resolutions for the New Year. How’s that going, by the way? They say these resolutions don’t last longer than seven weeks, I suppose you should be nailing (or failing) it by now?.. I didn’t set many goals in January — I do my resolutions for the Chinese New Year. It brings about spring, the time — and mindset — just seems right. So, as February is ending, I’m stepping up my game — some of these resolutions are coming into action.
Writing as air
I came back to writing last year and started writing on Medium (again) in November. It’s been an incredible journey and I’ve connected with so many amazing writers. Thank you for all your support and the energies you shared with me — it’s been an immense source of motivation!
Starting to write again was…messy. I wasn’t sure about my goals, how will I fit it into my busy personal and professional life, I had no idea about my niche or even what I wanted to write about. I chose to dive into it and see where it takes me. Some people write because they document life, some expect fame or riches, but for others it’s like air. I’ve lost count of the notebooks I have — full of random scribbles and fractions of life. Or me. Equal, I suppose.
No, I’m not quitting. I’m just taking a step back to balance things out. Harmony is the most important and I believe it’s important for our life — and work — to flow naturally.
7 reasons why
- Medium — as all similar platforms — is a form of social media. It’s easy to get hooked. For one, I noticed spending more time than I would like. For other, as I get excited, it leaks into my professional life — I started to notice that I’m always hyped. I value calmness.
- I found the communities and publications I’m interested in. It also gave me a good idea of the standard I want to produce in my writing. When we’re new, quantity wins over quality, but I’m at the point where quality is becoming more and more important.
- Do you feel uncomfortable when publishing a story and sending an email to your subscribers? I do. At some point, I felt I’m bombarding them, so I would not tick that option and would limit myself — two or so emails per week. I feel that if it’s not worth emailing these loyal readers about, perhaps it’s not worth publishing either.
- I’ve just become an editor to one of the publications. I want to spend more time on that — reading other writers and ensuring mutual developent and growth.
- I discovered new genres — for example, I’m eager to try photo essays as well as transgressive fiction. I want more time to explore reading other writers and scribbling some pieces of my own.
- Sometimes I still have no clue what I’m doing. But I feel that three months and 100 articles brought me to the understanding of some…topics? I’ve crystallized a few areas/niches and I will focus more on them.
- As I realised I’m writing more on some topics, I also came to the conclusion that these all come under an umbrella or a niche… but there’s no pub for it. I found a few dead ones, but they’re literally dead — nothing since 2020 or so. I guess I’m on a way of creating a pub on my own sometime soon…
We can be consistent and productive in many ways. And I believe that posting less will have many benefits:
- better quality content (but will still try to stick with short form)
- more exposure to my posts
- more reading time and better quality engagement with fellow writers and communities
- more support to my tribe
If you’re a new writer, there’s only one thing I want to say to you: don’t get discouraged and keep on going. There are many ways — what works for me, might not work for you.
Throughout these few months, I tested different strategies and I believe this will be my golden standard. It could be yours, but not necessarily. So sniff out what others are doing, test, see how the stats and life satisfaction look like — and you will know.
Remember: writing is the long game. We don’t expect success overnight. But it’s a lonely path, so just keep on writing — little by little, consistently. But that doesn’t mean going crazy — it’s too easy to burn out.
I’m rooting for you! :)
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