I Published More Articles in 70 Days Than The Previous 180
And how you can do it too without burning yourself
As a new writer, you read about people writing and publishing an insane amount of articles and promoting volume. Then, they tell you this is the only way to become a writer. But you and I both know it's difficult.
Does writing more work? Yes.
Does quantity lead to quality? Mostly.
Does it mean you write 20 articles a month? No.
Why? Because you’ll start disliking writing and will burn out.
Think of a child learning how to swim. Doing a 200m swim makes them a splendid swimmer, but to reach there they’ll have to warm up, practice, learn techniques, and apply them each day. Then, after lots of practice, they’ll be able to swim 200m more swiftly.
But if you tell them to swim 200m right away, they’ll get tired and frustrated and may not even want to return for their next class.
So would you rather be in the first position or the second one?
As I type this, I have published 106 articles on Medium… out of which I published 37 total March and April 2021 + 10 in May (its 11th May as I type this).
So in my 9 months of publishing online, 47% of articles were published in 70 days and 53% in the first 6 months.
So what changed? What did I do differently? And how can you easily do this too?
Here’s what I did differently:
I set an intention.
Well, I did set an intention for the previous 6 months too, but it didn’t work out at all because it was a goal with no motivation of why should I attain that goal.
No, money isn’t nearly as motivating and doesn’t unleash your creativity.
So this intention wasn’t just about publishing X articles a month, but there was a motivation behind that intention that pushed me to take action.
Why do you want to write 20 articles a month? That why is your motivator.
For me, it was because
- I wanted to test my creative juices across fields
- Build a portfolio for potential clients
- Build a writing habit because I’ve quit my job to be a full-time writer
- Become a better writer by training my skill
When you attach a why to your intention, it holds more power because you have something to lose if you don’t follow it.
Yes, I believe in the power of goals and intention.
In September 2020, I wrote in my diary that I’ll quit my job in March and will do something I enjoy and earn well from it. I had no plans. My motivation behind this was because I was sick of being in constant competition. I’m quite spiritually inclined as well and avoid dealing with negativity, whereas the corporate world has a lot of it.
I also wanted to stop trading time for money. I wanted to work less and earn more. Oh right, great dream is what everybody told me because who doesn’t want to work less to earn more? But, who actually puts in the effort to follow their heart and at least work on building what they dream of?
“Ideas are cheap. It’s the execution that is all important.” — George R.R. Martin
The worst thing that could happen is failing!
Anyhow, the moral of the story is that you need a stronger motivation than earning money or becoming popular. This only scratches surface-level happiness.
You need something to fill your soul.
Two important things to know before we go ahead:
- Your writing will always find a better home
- Rejection isn’t personal (I’ve got rejected at least every week during the first 6 months)
If you’re stuck in the spiral of frequent rejections, send them to different places because it doesn’t mean your stuff isn’t good, it’s just got a good fit for them (where you’ve submitted).
You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. — Walt Disney
And keep writing, because only practise can make you a better writer.
Surprising realisations after publishing ~20 articles/ month for 2 months:
- More writing = more ideas = more writing
- The first 10–15 days are difficult, then it gets easier, and then writing becomes effortless
- Your writing will take twists and turns. Your writing style may change (for me, I’ve come to essays from listicles). Don’t fret, just enjoy this journey and see where it takes you.
- Publishing 100 articles feels euphoric!
- You never know what will be a hit, the only thing you can do is increase your chances by hitting publish more often.
Questions I had as a beginner on a writing platform, which I now have answers to:
1.How to get ideas?
Mainly, writing more works your creativity muscle and helps you ideate more. You can also get inspired by podcasts and books. A unique way to get ideas is to speak about your own experiences. I write about my travel experiences every time I feel I’ve had enough of heavy writing because they flow easily to me.
2. How to increase writing output?
A gradual increase is better than an unrealistic goal. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Increase your writing goals steadily and celebrate all your wins, no win is too small. Most importantly, have fun! Writing happily will produce better stories than writing when you’re sad or frowning.
3. Any other practices that can help in increasing writing output?
Yes, I do the following almost every writing day:
- Write 10 ideas a day (they can be pathetic, but just write them)
- Outline your article’s headings and content bullet points on a paper before you type it out
- Edit the following morning, so your brain is fresh. Re-reading your written work back-to-back can make you overlook mistakes.
- 2-step editing is a process I’ve made for myself as it works the best for me. My first step is to speak out loud and correct along the way. The second step I follow is to read it on my phone and fix any mistakes or aesthetics (paragraphs, bullets, etc). This is because most people read on their phone and I don’t want paragraphs to look excessively long like this one, which is defying the purpose of a bullet point.
- Taking feedback. Plenty of fellow writers will help you, you just have to ask. If you’re scared, send me a private note here and I’m willing to help a few people who need a fresh pair of eyes.
4. Should I make my goals public?
Some people find accountability in making their goals public. Once you put it out there, you have it on your shoulders to prove that you practised what you preached about. I have never made my goals public because I’ve don't see the point. I’m also intrinsically motivated, so I don’t feel an outside push will help me.
Are you intrinsically (self) motivated or extrinsically (environmentally) motivated?
A simple way to find this out is if you found it easy to exercise at home during the pandemic or you just couldn’t do it without the gym. I’m the former one because I don’t require an environment or others to help me exercise.
If you’re extrinsically motivated, you can post your goals or tell a friend who can push you to perform.
Before you go…
I know you’re scared, and you really want to make it.
You want to experience the joy of what it feels like to get published in places that have high standards and high rejection rates, get a top-writer tag, have somebody tell you you’ve helped them through a tough time, inspire a reader, or just leave a smile on another human’s face even when they’re on the opposite side of the globe.
Everybody tells you that you can do it, but you need to believe that you can. If that doesn’t happen, then none of this will work.
Look at me, I published 6–10 times a month, but now each working day I want to pen my thoughts. The more I write, the more ideas I have which bring me to write the next day.
Just push yourself for the first few days and I promise that just like anything else, this too will get easier.
Don’t give up too soon, because you’re more than that.
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