I Wrote 123 Articles for 54 Publications in 120 Days
Plot twist: Higher curation ratio, lower views and reads
Would you believe that a mere four months ago, I was stressing about the $5 I “wasted” on a certain monthly membership?
Like my junk drawer of yarn when I abandoned knitting or the box full of candle-making supplies pushed to the back of my closet, I was pretty sure this would be yet another failed venture for me …
And yet, here I am!
Still sitting here in front of my keyboard typing away. I’m thinking of adopting “just keep writing, just keep writing, just keep writing” as my personal mantra! Of course, narrated by none other than Finding Nemo’s Dori.
One, Two, Three, Four …
This wraps up my fourth month with the 30-day writing challenge.
Month 1 was trial by fire — can I even write? Yes, no, maybe so.
Month 2 was confirmation that Month 1 wasn’t just a fluke. Because, you know, imposter syndrome …
Month 3 made me question habit versus addiction. One is healthy, one is not so healthy — but there’s a fine line, especially when there’s a light sprinkling of burnout for garnish.
Month 4 was focused on doing more with less. In other words, an experiment about quality vs quantity.
… I Declare a Thumb War
As a “pandemic writer” —a term I made up for myself since I’ve thus far only written within the cocoon of the pandemic — I’ve had the privilege of writing with many of life’s distractions removed for me. It’s been my silver lining amidst all the COVID-19 restrictions.
It also means that as life slowly returns to “normal”, I’m back to the tug-a-war that governs daily life and I’m trying to add writing into the juggling act.
Don’t get me wrong — I want to write. But I also want to go out and catch up with friends that I haven’t hung out with in person for the past year. I want to explore my city through fresh eyes and step out from this pandemic hibernation. I want to sit down for a nice meal and pay to have it served to me.
All of which provides me with extra motivation to write smarter, not harder.
What’s This Fuss About Curation?
Whether you think curation is important or not, I’ve chosen to use it as my yardstick for “quality” — at least this month.
Yes, it’s fickle. Yes, it might just be a bot behind yet another algorithm. But it’s a tad less erratic than readers — which we know are also guided by algorithms.
Here’s my curation ratio —
- Month 1 = 45%
- Month 2 = 59%
- Month 3 = 63%
- Month 4 = 91%
In Month 1, I didn’t even know how to tell if an article was curated. Month 2 and Month 3 gave me time to experiment, which ultimately set me up for success in Month 4 — my first month actively chasing the coveted “chosen for further distribution” distinction.
Higher Curation Ratio, Lower Views and Reads
Did I unlock the secret to writing smarter, not harder? Unfortunately, no.
I chased the higher curation rates last month, which also meant that the stories took me longer to write and I didn’t publish at my average one story per day rate. I published only 22 stories and it looks like my views and reads suffered because of it.
In this experiment between quality vs quantity, it seems like quality was not the winner this round.
To Infinity and Beyond — At Least for Another Month
My focus for Month 5 will be balance.
Balance between quality vs quantity. Balance between my writing life vs my “real life” life. Balance between pandemic life vs “normal” life.
I’m a pretty goal-oriented person, but I also recognize that it’s important to make goals in the context of everything else happening in your life.
August brings summer vacation, backyard BBQs, and a healthy dose of wining and dining. Dare I say it’s important to make time for these activities before the 4th wave of COVID-19 hits us?