avatarMeghan E. Gattignolo

Summary

The author reflects on the challenges of writing personal content on Medium, distinguishing between therapeutic self-expression and creating valuable, insightful articles for readers.

Abstract

The author discusses the struggle of balancing personal expression with the creation of content that adds value for Medium readers. After revisiting an old, unlisted article that was too personal and dark, the author decided against republishing it, realizing it was more of an emotional purge than a piece with broader appeal or insight. The article delved into the author's personal struggles with faith and religion, and while writing can be therapeutic, the author acknowledges that such raw and personal content may not be suitable for a public platform. The author admits to using Medium as a substitute for therapy at times, but recognizes the importance of presenting emotions elegantly in writing. The piece concludes with the author's commitment to being more thoughtful about sharing personal stories and invites readers to discuss how they manage their emotions while writing.

Opinions

  • The author believes that Medium articles should provide value to readers rather than serve as a platform for emotional dumping.
  • Personal writing, while therapeutic, can be too messy and self-indulgent for public consumption, especially if it lacks objectivity and clear insight.
  • There is a fine line between sharing personal experiences that resonate with readers and oversharing in a way that detracts from the article's value.
  • The author suggests that personal emotions and fears can be better expressed in fiction, where they can be woven into stories rather than laid bare.
  • The author is working towards finding a balance between personal expression and reader value in their writing for Medium.

Non-Fiction | Writing | Passages Through Writing

How Much Oversharing is Okay?

Article writing on Medium is a not a journaling exercise.

Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash

What’s the difference between a good, insightful article and an emotional trash bomb?

I rediscovered an article today I wrote several months ago. It was written last March, published on my profile, and then I almost immediately unlisted it. Today, I thought it would be great fodder for new content. I reviewed and edited the thing, planning to republish it after a good scrubbing. The task proved too daunting. Instead, I decided to come here and write this story instead.

Why I can’t publish it.

The article in question is a little too dark, delving deep into the reasons why I struggle with faith, religion, and the unknowable. When I reread the article, I can see where I obviously am trying to craft a more objective approach, but on the whole it’s a mess.

A thousand words on the nature of belief and why I’m not religious anymore. Yeah, my Medium audience will really eat that up. Ultimately, I decided it’s unpublishable. In the article, I go on and on in circles about how I can’t know — and nobody can know for sure — what happens after death, and how that’s both a reason to be religious and a good reason to not be religious. It’s mind-boggling to follow, and it’s much too personal. It’s like cracking open my mind and reading the unedited version of my thought stream. Maybe some would enjoy it, but on the whole, it’s worthless.

And that’s the point I’m making here: Medium articles are all about adding value to readers, and the thoughts as I laid them out in the article offer none. My rhetoric is indulgent self-talk. Maybe it’s good for me to get it out, but it’s not good for others to read.

Why I Wrote It.

I suppose writing on Medium is sometimes a substitute for therapy for me, a terrible habit. Writing has often been my way of working things out internally, as I’m sure is the case for many of my readers. Any time I have an intense emotion, I work it out on paper. Dragging my strong feelings out and exposing them to the light of day takes away their power and is a far healthier way for me to handle those feelings than by any other method (however, if anyone ever reasons my private journals one day, I’ll be in trouble).

The article in question was written in this vein — a therapeutic airing of my emotional garbage. As a result, the article is very personal. Why would I want to subject myself to such public exposure of my feelings and thoughts on Medium, like it was my bedside diary? I don’t know, y’all. Maybe I want some commentary. Maybe I want someone to tell me the correct way of thinking or doing something. I was raised to believe an authority knew better than me in all things, and I’ve struggled much of my adult life to be brave enough to think for myself and not refer back to someone else’s ideas about how life should be lived. However, it’s not possible for me to live by the old rules anymore, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t. I’m still trying to find my own path here.

So What Now?

I believe ultimately it is a valuable thing for a writer to be deeply in touch with and want to express difficult emotion. However, it should be done elegantly, not spilled all over the page like tea from your own mug… no one will enjoy reading that. As a fiction writer, I feel better when I write a story around my fears and anxieties. Maybe I’ll save the material from the aforementioned article for a really great psychological horror story. I’m sure I could make that work. In the meantime, I’ll be more thoughtful with my personal stories here on Medium.

Do you ever get carried away while writing a Medium post, divulging far more about yourself than you intended? Do you want your readers to know all about your deep-seated fears and dark thoughts? Tell me in the comments how you handle your emotions while writing!

Passages in Writing is a new Medium publication created and edited by Meghan E. Gattignolo, along with Fascinate Me Fiction. For more from Meghan, follow her on Medium. Meghan also writes for The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, and you can find her on Twitter and Instagram as Meggiebeth_Writes.

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