An Overlooked Quality of Publications That Can Save Your Butt
Especially if you write from a place of, shall we say, passion…
A few nights ago I was minding my own business while browsing through suggested reading on Medium. Suddenly, a headline so aggressive that you can’t not click on it (yes, the double negative is necessary) made its way under my thumb.
Now I’m usually a pretty level-headed kind of guy, but every now and again a take strikes me in a way where my blood begins to boil.
And this take was a HOT one.
Already amassing over 2500 claps and 70 comments, it was a story that had caught the attention of many, including mine.
I felt the immediate need to write a rebuttal of my own. A comment wasn’t going to be strong enough, this individual needed to be called out on a grander scale.
However, as luck would have it, my schedule did not permit me to sit down and keyboard-mash a story for at least another 24 hours. Yet over those 24 hours, my anger was unwavering, a response had to be rendered.
That response came together on January 25th, 2022, when I passionately wrote, edited, and submitted to publication my rebuttal story.
In doing so I got my feelings off my chest, put them on “paper,” and fired them over to a publication to complete the “transaction” and called it a night.
I was relieved.
That is, until I wasn’t.
Waking up With Regret
Upon waking up the next morning I didn’t feel quite right. The story I submitted was bothering me. Thoughts of:
- Was that piece really necessary?
- Aren’t I stooping to the same level as the author I’m upset with?
- Am I heeding my own argument, the one I was trying to convey in my reply?
Prior feelings of relief suddenly morphed into a tidal wave of regret.
Anxiously, I opened up Medium to see if the piece had been published. To my renewed relief it had not.
All is right in the world!
Within three clicks I removed the story from consideration, leaving it safely in my drafts where it belongs.
My New Favorite Quality of Publications
I’ll never know if the publication had just not got around to reviewing my submission or if they were apprehensive about publishing it. Regardless, through this learning experience I learned a key lesson:
The natural time lag of submission to formal publication saved my butt. It allowed me to reconsider my perspective and, in this instance, rescind the story altogether.
Granted, I may have lucked out to a certain extent. The publication could have beat me to the punch and published my story, forcing me to delete the story altogether after it had already been made public.
Something that’s not usually the best of looks.
Even so, the time lag can give you an opportunity to double-back if necessary and make story edits, or rescind entirely before formal publication.
An olive branch of relief, if you will.
What I’m not saying.
To be clear, I’m not saying that you should dwell on every piece submitted to a publication while it’s sitting in limbo. Doing so would welcome into your mind the monster of paralysis from analysis.
Nobody needs that when you’re trying to build a consistent writing regimen.
But if, like me, you find a level of anxiety building within you about a submitted story, having the opportunity to revisit before it’s made live can be a huge relief.
Lessons Learned
For starters, I personally need to monitor my own emotions and ensure that a piece I’m publishing matches my character. As an ADHDer, my emotions can get the best of me which causes problems from time to time.
On a broader level, I believe my story has 4 lessons buried within it that we all can benefit from, especially new writers:
- Don’t be overeager to publish: Consistently publishing is a good thing, throwing caution to the wind is not. This is especially true when you’re writing from a place of heightened emotions.
- Be patient with publications: The next time you find yourself frustrated with a publication taking longer than you’d like to publish a story, remember that someday the time lag might just save your butt.
- An unpublished story doesn’t mean any story: In fact, the story I didn’t publish is going to yield at least 3 stories that I will publish; not to mention other formatting and stylistic ideas. Refraining from publishing a questionable piece can still result in a net gain.
- Guard your character: It’s easy to say whatever you want online (the story that got me fired up did just that), but we must remember that our name is still to it forever. Is that story or comment on how you want to be remembered? Would those who truly know you are caught off guard?
Being mindful of these 4 points can serve as a guide when creating a healthy writing practice. I hope that my near regretful experience can help you steer clear from making a similar mistake.
Regardless, mistakes made result in lessons learned, and I hope you’ll be kind enough to share them as you charge ahead with your Medium journey.
With gratitude,
-Jeff
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