PART ONE (As if you wanted more).
Do You Know the Difference Between Bloggers Who Write and Writers Who Blog?
An open letter to writers who write to other writers about writing
When I wake up on a Sunday morning, my usual ritual is to do some exercise, glance at Medium, take a dump and then go on a hike with my dogs.
While the exact order of these activities isn’t that important, I highly recommend taking the dump before hiking with the dogs. It’s terribly uncomfortable to be out in the middle of nature, miles away from a rest room and then get the urge.
And you know the kind of urge I’m talking about.
I have a terrible urge this morning to scream at Medium’s vast collection of “writing” coaches, content marketers and even people who are sincerely trying to help other people become writers.
Here’s the outline of my two-part Sunday sermon*:
- The differences between bloggers who write and writers who blog. Apologize for what seems like a rant, but is actually a sincere attempt to educate the people of Medium who want to write and those who profess to want to teach others to write.
- Give concrete examples of great writing versus average writing, meaning no disrespect to the writers hated by the vast majority of people on Medium. And also to encourage people to use age old techniques for becoming a good writer (as opposed to becoming a popular writer)
Part One: the difference between bloggers who write and writers who blog.
Bloggers who write, vent; writers who blog, research and then vent.
First, let me apologize for writing another open letter. When I got the idea to use this “lame and exhausted conceit” (to quote another writer from his post titled “An Open Letter to Writers of Open Letters), I did a search for “An Open Letter to Writers” in the Medium search bar.
I found 99 entries with headlines containing the phrase “An Open Letter.”
I would have changed the title to find something more creative, but left it to serve as a lesson to show you the difference between a writer who blogs and a blogger who writes. The writer will say don’t use a headline that is unoriginal; the blogger will tell you it’s a popular topic, so you should use it.
We all suffer from varying amounts of narcissism, anger and projection.
When we do some hot take, let me assure you that I was not the first person to find illumination, nor have I written the best post about it. But these guys have.
There is another huge difference.
When I read the endless number of bloggers who write “Stop clogging my feed with [fill in the Medium posts that drives you mad]” posts, they are not only devoid of original thought, but they have no entertainment value.
If you’re going to rant, at least try to make it funny.
Writers who blog, on the other hand, can produce brilliant and subversive satire that will make you pee your pants. Take, for example, these outstanding articles by Henry Wismayer and Morgan Rock Loehr.
These articles were written in social media’s pleistocene age, almost four years ago. (If you want to read their entire spit-take, gut-busting catalog of humorous rage, I compiled it here.)
With the internet, we have the tools to do incredible research in minutes that would have taken days at the library.
Bloggers that write read the quotes of a great writer, select one and then babble on in generalities.
Writers that blog read the works of great writers and then apply what they’ve learned to their own writing.
Bloggers who write, share personal stories; writers who blog, show self-awareness when they share personal stories.
What we love about books, films and shows is when the characters evolve.
When characters show no self-awareness and continue to make the same mistakes, it just turns into trashy soap opera (I’m looking at you Robert Kirkman), regardless of whether there are zombies in it or not.
When I read the personal stories by people on Medium, I look for at least a shred of self-awareness and growth.
Don’t flame your ex-, brag about all the stupid and shitty things you did to get back at them, and then complain about how you can’t find a healthy relationship.
Might I humbly suggest that your lack of self-awareness and evolution as a person actually plays a part in your dysfunctional relationships?
And it makes you about as sympathetic as the zombies on the Walking Dead.
I know it’s exciting to find your voice, stand up for yourself and say “I am [fill in identity group], hear me roar!” It’s popular with your group and you get a lot of applause, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is soft core revenge porn.
If I want porn, I know where to find the good stuff.
On the other hand, one unnamed writer wrote a post about a novel he wrote that failed because he didn’t understand his target audience well enough, and then explained his mistakes.
As a writer, I am richer for having read about his experience.
Bloggers who write, pretend to show humility through self-deprecating “sincerity”; writers who blog have humility and it comes out in their self-deprecating humor.
When a shyster content marketer says “I’m not a good writer,” they’re not showing humility (They’re telling the truth, but that’s a different story). They’re trying to say they’re just like you and me, even though they are part of the .1% who are making bank on Medium because they are geniuses at social media marketing and self-promotion.
Here’s a phrase that stands out like a sore thumb:
If my [word for calculation] is correct [phrase for “but maybe it’s not”], [insert number] is a little less than [insert percentage] of [total number].
[Insert profanity laced phrase], how can you [insert profanity] write on Medium without using a [insert profanity] device that doesn’t come with a [insert profanity] calculator?
This is a person obsessed with their stats and the money they make.
Social media metrics and analytics are their life’s blood and they’re trying to convince me that they’re just like me because they “cain’t do their rithmetic so good.”
Now compare it with this quote from a nameless and faceless writer who blogs (although he wears a derby):
Usually it doesn’t work out and I end up with five to six minutes of pointless dreck.
If you’re an inexperienced writer, or one of those shy noobies lurking in the background and afraid to hit the publish button, I hope you can you see the difference.
There may be hope for you yet.
Bloggers who write measure their success by claps; writers who blog measure their success by highlights and interaction.
I know that all of us want to make money and be recognized, but have you ever stopped to think about the kind of impact you make on your readers?
I’ve read hundreds of posts on writing, self-development, life hacks, content marketing and how to build you social media brand, and the thing that sticks out to me is the relative lack of interaction between the popular bloggers who write and the people who read their posts.
One mega popular blogger wrote a 2,500 word essay that received over 15K claps from 3000+ people.
Only one sentence was highlighted.
How is it possible that this font of food for thought, this profitable paragon of productivity, this… (deep breath) architect of ascetic activity to assure our assembled ascendance in all things advantageous only wrote one idea that people found valuable enough to highlight?
If they are writing something worthwhile, don’t you think a few people would highlight a line or two to recognize something that is brilliant, funny, insightful, inspirational, touching, or thought-provoking?
In another popular article, a super blogger quoted a famous person and that quote was the only text highlighted in the whole article. Couldn’t they have done us a favor and just transcribed a bunch of quotes?
Oh wait, that’s been done, too. (I refuse to provide the link to that printed pap).
If you’re a standup comedian, you live and die by the way the audience reacts, not by the amount of the check handed to your limousine driver after the show. Even if you are famous and getting paid, you know that your material is shit and needs work if you bomb.
Writing online is exactly the same thing.
Except most of us are not celebrities. Or getting big checks. Or have personal chauffeurs. In limousines.
But we do live and die by the feedback that tells us if we can move people in some way other than toward the digital exits.
Writers who blog not only enrich their readers, but are enriched by the responses they receive and the feedback they get in the form of highlighted text.
Final Thoughts
Okay, I spent the day working on this morning’s fiery hot take, only taking breaks for research, family, beating my nephews mercilessly (holding your breath in shock?), as well as my son (a third degree black belt — don’t be alarmed) at the Nintendo Wii boxing game, eating, taking a second dump (must have been something I had for lunch) and then some extended editing and restructuring of the story as I went from two parts to one and back.
Enjoy this awesome music video from the Axis of Awesome that basically summarizes everything you don’t want to know about Medium:
In Part Two, I sermonize on the benefits of procrastination and self-examination, expand on the differences between bloggers who write and writers who blog, and give concrete examples of great writing versus great content (which have as much in common as a lion and a chupacabra).
If you enjoyed my attempts to entertain and educate people about writing and Medium, you might like these:
Here’s to better writing.
*Sorry, I couldn’t finish part two in the same day. I just don’t know how to spit out 1,690 words in an hour or two, hit publish and then pat myself on the back for my excellent productivity. Grammarly can check your writing for spelling, punctuation, and all kinds of wonderful features I imagine exist behind their paywall. But I have yet to find an online writing editor check for bullshit.
