Summary

Lalitha Brahma reflects on the personal insights and benefits gained from participating in a writing challenge, despite not completing the full 30-day goal.

Abstract

Lalitha Brahma shares her experience with a writing challenge, expressing mixed feelings about not completing the intended 30 articles in April. However, she recognizes the value of writing three times a week amidst her various activities, including podcasting and meditation. Brahma highlights the joy of engaging with other writers, the financial reward of her efforts, and the unexpected increase in her podcast's popularity. She emphasizes the importance of inspiration and topic selection in her writing process and acknowledges the mutual encouragement between herself and Ann Venkataraman. Additionally, Brahma encourages readers to subscribe to her work and support her and other writers on Medium.

Opinions

Brahma values quality over quantity, preferring to write when inspired rather than for the sake of meeting a challenge.
She finds intrinsic joy and a sense of community in reading, clapping, and responding to other writers' articles, especially new writers.
Brahma is humbled by the modest earnings from her writing and appreciates the inspiration provided by Ann Venkataraman.
She observes a correlation between her writing on Medium and the increased listenership of her podcast, "Lalitha’s Morning Musings."
Brahma advocates for a flexible approach to writing, tailored to individual capacity and inspiration.
She expresses gratitude towards those who engage with her content and emphasizes the value of mutual support among writers.

Its OK If You Don’t Complete A Writing Challenge But There Are Ways You will Benefit Just As I Did

Just Do Your Best and become aware of what you learn about yourself

As I got the following Notification

Ann Venkataraman mentioned you in the following story titled “Writing Habits and Insights”-Day 30:

Writing Habits & Insights

Writing Challenge — Day 30

medium.com

A part of me was happy as the month of April is over giving me the feeling of completion and the other part was disappointed that I could write only eight articles instead of thirty. With that said,

What did I learn?

I realized that I cannot write for the sake of writing. Among several activities that I have selected for keeping my life and lifestyle meaningful, such as writing, Podcasting, coloring, doing Word-find, learning new songs, learning different types of meditation, learning and following different types of workouts, volunteering in the temple, walking, and many more, I can settle for writing an article thrice a week.

Sometimes I like to participate and follow writing prompts and at other times, I prefer my topic and I realize it takes time for me to get inspired and choose a topic.

At the time of this writing, there seems to be no intrinsic desire for me to batch and write several articles at a time.

I feel great and humbled to read other writers’ articles, clap, respond, and make sure to give a shout-out to at least two new writers and showcase their articles. It is truly an Oxytocin booster.

I feel blessed to see $2.44 accumulated in April 2023, the majority of the earnings from these eight stories and the rest from old ones. Thank you Ann Venkataraman for inspiring me to participate. I also feel fantastic to learn that without my knowledge I have been encouraging you continuously. I have no idea if these are related, but for some reason, my Lalitha’s Morning Musings Podcast Episode listens have skyrocketed from 2800 to 3042. I do add the links of medium articles in the Podcast Episode description.

Analytics of “Lalitha’s Morning Musings” Podcast Screenshot captured by author Lalitha Brahma

Links to a couple Writing Challenge articles:

To Write This There Is Only So Much I could Consciously Intend. The Rest Started Flowing Through

Allow thoughts to flow through without judging

medium.com

Are You Twenty Or Sixty and Feeling Crappy?

Investing In Self-Development Works

medium.com

Shout Out to amazing writers Beth Bruno and Felicia Wu for writing the following articles with tips and suggestions from their own experiences:

Entering their World: Caring for Someone with Dementia

This is what I highlighted

Don’t be too attached to your idea of how things should be. Ask yourself if it really makes any difference in the long run.

My response:

Wow! Never would have thought of it that way. Beth, you have done an excellent job of describing how a caregiver can use your tips

My first layoff was the best thing that happened to my career

This is what I highlighted:

That’s because we know intellectually that change presents opportunities. But as humans, we see unemployment as a failure on our part and naturally want to fix it as soon as possible. If you’re shying away from people because you’re still feeling emotional about the job loss, that’s totally understandable. At least surround yourself with positive people.

My Response:

Very well said

Thank you, Ann Venkataraman, and Niru for reading and responding to my articles.

PS: Please subscribe to my stories by email for the best chance to catch my original works! Your membership fee directly supports Lalitha Brahma and other writers. You’ll also get full access to every story on Medium. Become a member Visit Lalitha Brahma’s profile. You can connect with my voice in Lalitha’s Morning Musings Podcast here. Here is yet another way I can help.