I am Starting to Have Second Thoughts About Writing Here
Do you feel me on this?
I was in a conversation with a client yesterday and somewhere along the line, my mind was like “Hold up! Don’t expect me to have all the answers for you — I’ve only been doing this for a year now!”
Yes, contrary to what many of you think, I’ve only been writing for a year and am no expert.
Yes, I seem to have done okay without taking any courses or attending any workshops.
And it all started with finding Medium and the courage to hit publish.
Yet, I find that I’m tired. It is not from exhaustion because I don’t think I can ever get exhausted from doing what I love which is writing.
It is more like mental fatigue that has taken root.
Mental fatigue is a state of tiredness that sets in when your brain’s energy levels are depleted. Mental fatigue is usually the result of prolonged stress.
Some of the reasons could or may be:
1️⃣Adapting to the constant changes on this platform — it’s been one after the other after the other since I joined last year.
Relentless…
2️⃣The fact that reads are going down and writers are leaving in droves as Susie Kearley pointed out in her article.
My dear Medium friends, Donnette Anglin and Carmellita, tell me to hold on and keep writing but I have to tell you it is taking an emotional toll on me.
3️⃣I struggle with finding the motivation to show up on a regular basis, to write, and engage.
4️⃣Not to bring up old stuff but the truth is the Coffee Times debacle took a lot out of me — far more than I’ve admitted.
The funny thing is despite all that is going on, I still feel the demand on how to make $$$ on Medium is still higher than ever.
Well, who is to blame for that?
Only 7% make it into the $100 club despite jumping through hoops and I doubt many even stay consistent with it. One good month gives hope but the question is can you maintain it every month?
Bottom line — I am not into the competition game. I don’t believe in it simply because I can’t write like you and you can’t be me. Having said that, I feel that we are all vying for readers who have suddenly become very, very picky.
How do we reach them?
🛑Read, comment, and clap till we drop😵?
🛑 Promote, promote, promote till people get put off from just seeing your name pop up in their feed?
🛑By writing quality content? Look around — in case you haven’t noticed, there is a lot of hi-quality content languishing without any claps or reads.
🛑By publishing AI-generated stuff on a daily basis hoping one of ’em will hit the viral jackpot and rain💰?
Do we all jump on the AI bandwagon since a lot of ‘savvy’ writers seem to be doing it?
Certainly saves time and stress of writing but somehow I can’t get myself to because I like writing, dammit!
Even the “I got 100 followers in one day” writers seem to have lost steam with the reality that joining the MPP is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
I guess that’s a relief but still sad nevertheless to see dreams fizzle and die.
Long story short, I’m tired. I don’t do anything on NewsBreak but hit publish. I get paid pretty decently (17.5K followers) and don’t engage with or promote anybody. My clients are happy with my work as am I with the fact that they took a chance on someone with limited content writing experience like me.
Is it the winter blues or is Medium losing its luster? Is it time to pause and reevaluate?
What are your thoughts? Do share in the comments!
🌸Coming full circle is my first prompt for my new column Colors of Life.
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Some reads I enjoyed this week:
My friend, Pierce McIntyre, has a new pub “First Album Reviews.”