Summary

The author reflects on the challenges of promoting their own publication, Dark Sides of the Truth, and considers whether to continue filling their own 'bucket' or to contribute to larger, more popular publications like Illumination.

Abstract

The article titled "If You’re Not Drinking More You Should Probably Pour Less" by P.G. Barnett discusses the metaphorical struggles of a writer managing a small publication on a platform with numerous competing outlets. The author expresses self-criticism for not actively promoting their publication, which has resulted in a small following of 43 people. In contrast, the publication Illumination, led by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz, has rapidly amassed a significant following and has become a hub for talented writers, prompting the author to question the effectiveness of their current approach. The piece concludes with the author contemplating whether to focus on growing their own publication or to contribute to more successful ones, inviting readers to share their thoughts on the matter.

Opinions

The author acknowledges a lack of promotional effort for their publication, Dark Sides of the Truth.
There is a sense of being overwhelmed by the prospect of managing a larger audience and possibly accepting submissions from other writers.
The author admires the success of Illumination, noting its rapid growth and the leadership of Dr. Mehmet Yildiz.
The article suggests that the author's initial reason for creating their own publication was to have a dedicated space for their series fiction stories, which didn't fit well with other editors on the platform.
The author is uncertain whether to continue investing time and effort into their own publication or to leverage the popularity of larger publications.
There is an open invitation for feedback from the reader, indicating the author's desire for community input on their publishing dilemma.

If You’re Not Drinking More You Should Probably Pour Less

Common Woes Of A Start-Up Publication

No, this is not a public service announcement about steps to take to save your liver. This is a metaphorical observation for writers who need to pour our work into a particular bucket where it can be enjoyed by readers.

First, let’s set the premise. There are a ton of publications [buckets] here on this platform alone. Some are small, some large, and of course, we have the tweens. Some of them carry water [writers] for the system, some are outside the system looking in, and some, well, some could give a rat’s patootie about the system.

By and large, all these buckets fill at their own rate, and one of two things is always destined to happen. Either they fill to the brim and can’t take any more input, or they never fill at all.

Just like many of you here, I have my own bucket. It’s one that I have been filling for quite some time now. I started Dark Sides of the Truth as a central place to pour a lot of my own work, specifically my Henry James fiction series.

And that’s where the title of this piece comes into play.

I’m not drinking enough from my own bucket.

Meaning, I do very little to promote the publication, haven’t sent out routine, and regular notices about new pieces being published. I don’t yet accept submissions from other writers, and I don’t have an editing staff unless you count yours truly.

It’s just little old me and my stories.

Short and sweet. I’m not drinking enough from my own bucket. With a large following of an unbelievable number of people — 43 — I’m afraid promoting and gaining more followers and oh my goodness, maybe even a host of other writers on my publication would be quite tricky to handle.

Uh yeah, right.

So what hit me this afternoon is if I’m not drinking [promoting] more from my own bucket; if I’m just letting it sit there as I pour another story into it and do nothing to turn it into a bigger bucket, shouldn’t I be pouring less into it?

The short answer is yes.

Maybe instead of pouring my fiction into a tiny bucket that neither I nor anyone else drinks from, I should be pouring some of my fiction work into the Illumination bucket.

I’m looking for answers folks, so feel free to chime in.

Now here’s the thing, and I haven’t posed the question to Dr Mehmet Yildiz, the originator of Illumination just yet, but I think I shall. I mean, come on folks, take a look at Illumination for comparison’s sake.

In my opinion, that’s one h*ll of a bucket!

In only a month, the good doctor has solicited some of the best talents on this platform to submit to the publication. He has promoted the heck out of what we do, challenged us to do better than we ever believed possible, and he continues to challenge us to adopt a more entrepreneurial approach to the business of writing.

Illumination in four weeks has garnished almost sixty times the followers I have on my publication and nearly three times the followers I personally have in two years.

Four weeks.

I think the biggest reason I created my own tiny little bucket, Dark Sides of the Truth, was that the Henry James series stories are just that, series fiction stories. They don’t present well to the editors here because they are a series piece. It’s one of the primary reasons I created a bucket specifically for them. The thing is there are plenty of quality publications now that cater specifically to fiction writers, but well, I didn’t know that at the time.

In just a short span of two years, membership here has grown almost exponentially. We have more readers, many more writers, and as it naturally follows, many more publications [buckets] to handle the enormous influx of quality writing.

So the question is, should I continue to pour water in my own personal bucket when no one is drinking from it? Or should I seek out bigger buckets that are filling fast, but everybody is taking a swig from now and then?

In my head, the jury is still out on this metaphorical dance of mine. I may try to grow my own bucket, or ask the originators of other buckets like Illumination if they’ll let me pour my series stories into theirs, or I may just try to carry a tune in a bucket or kick one.

Either way, it gives me pause for deliberation. I’d love to hear what you folks think. To bucket or not to bucket, that is the question.

I’m sorry folks, I just can’t help myself sometimes.

Thanks So Much For Reading

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