avatarDon Martin, real-life writer

Summary

The author discusses the challenges of writing, the necessity of consistent effort despite low engagement and income, and the importance of publishing to avoid obscurity.

Abstract

The article titled "It’s Pretty Much Publish or Perish Around Here" delves into the author's personal experiences with writing, where despite receiving awards and dedicating time to read and write extensively, the author faces the harsh reality of a stagnant readership and declining income. The piece reflects on the author's routine of daily writing, even when faced with writer's block, and the creation of personal essays. However, the author's efforts are met with a lack of engagement, as indicated by flatlining stats and blank graphs. In response, the author plans to experiment with changing one variable and finally hitting the "submit" button, implying a renewed effort to publish and gain visibility. The article also includes a call to action for readers to subscribe to the author's newsletter for more content and a guide on writing, publishing, and monetization, as well as a referral link to join Medium, emphasizing the support of writers through membership.

Opinions

  • The author acknowledges the competitive nature of writing and the importance of publishing to gain visibility and avoid being overlooked.
  • Despite personal achievements and a disciplined writing routine, the author expresses frustration with low engagement and income levels.
  • The author believes in the value of persistence, advocating for daily writing practice even when inspiration is lacking.
  • There is an underlying optimism that making a change and pushing content live can lead to a turnaround in the author's fortunes.
  • The author sees reader support through memberships as a crucial aspect of a writer's sustainability and success.

It’s Pretty Much Publish or Perish Around Here

Discovery.

Photo by Hannes Wolf on Unsplash

I have received several top reader awards in writing, humor, and puffery.

I have read huge numbers of long articles as well as short stories.

I have set aside a daily time and place to digest the volumes of work that it takes to get where I am.

I make myself work every day, even on those days I have reader’s block.

I have written (and kept to myself) several essays of personal facts concerning how I do what I do and how others could, too.

Yet I still watched my stats graph flat-line and my income drop to nearly nothing.

In fact, I started to include screenshots of my graph, but they were pretty sad and blank.

This week I will tweak one variable, and actually push the “submit” button to see what happens.

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Writing
Humor
Short Story
Life Lessons
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