Are You A Writer Or A Blogger?
How to choose between the two.
When I started writing, not just on Medium, but in an online forum in general, I wanted to get impressive stats, just like some of the blogging bigwigs.
Of course, I also wanted it to be a place where I could write what I feel (back when I was younger and used to think too much), but mainly I was looking at overnight success, instant gratification for what I did.
I believe one of the main reasons I felt that way was because, deep down, I felt like WordPress or Medium owed me something. Like as if they were privileged to host or publish what I wrote.
Of course, that’s no longer true, and it’s better that way.
However, once you decide that you’re going to set up your account, you should decide on some crucial aspects:-
- What content are you going to deliver?
- How frequent is your content going to be?
- Are you writing as a blogger or a writer?
Now the first 2 points are no-brainers (just like politics and bureaucracy), but the third is quite essential to answer if you want to set a goal/direction for your time on the blogging platform of your choice.
And I think the best way to determine your choice is by understanding what it means to be a writer vis-a-vis a blogger.
What Does A Writer Do?
A writer writes because it’s his primary outlet. It is his special craft and he knows he’s good at it. He posts it online so that other people get to witness and understand his work. He doesn’t need the appreciation because he knows that he should believe in himself the most, and that his what enhances his creative flow.
When a writer writes about a topic, high chances are that it is either something he is good at in real life or something that is very close to his heart. Therefore when he writes, he can’t help but exude intense passion, which automatically bleeds into his writing.
His verbiage is quite complex, because he is most comfortable with his high level of English, and cannot reduce it suddenly, so he doesn’t even try. However, he writes it for the pure fun and pleasure of it, which is fine by him.
He also prefers writing fiction novels and often finds himself posting his articles on publications focused on publishing fiction, storytelling and the like. He feels at home over there, and with time he builds up a decent set of like-minded followers with which he is content.
What Does A Blogger Do?
A blogger writes because she wants to connect. She writes so that she can expand above and beyond her limitations imposed by Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn and her phone contacts. She posts online so that she can be a part of a community where she can find companionship and shared understanding, along with a sense of mutual respect and (for lack of a simpler word) camaraderie.
When a blogger writes about a topic, high chances are that it is either something that is a hot/trending topic or it is a request from one of her close friends or previous/current followers. Therefore, she does her due diligence on that topic by doing thorough research, forms a unique opinion based on her understanding, and expresses her opinion on that topic in her blog, therefore what she writes is well-researched, engaging and is of good quality.
She uses very simple words because she wants her reading to be simple to understand, so simple that even her 6-year old niece can understand what she wrote. This is mainly because she understands that simple words make it easier for people to relate and understand what she wrote.
She mainly writes tech articles and non-fiction that stimulates the thinking process, because she prefers to appeal to an audience that creates and shares ideas, so she often chooses to write to publications that talk about such latest topics, where the people in it are creators of ideas just like her.
How To Decide Between The Two?
To be frank, that is up to you, the reader, now.
I think I’ve tried to faithfully cover the key points as to you what a writer would do and what a blogger would do, given the same platform for expression.
Myself, I’m kind of a mix of the two. And, I’m not exactly firm in my choices. This is because I am right now trying out various methods. And, well, if I feel that any particular method is working out (either in terms of stats or personal satisfaction, probably a mix of the two), I guess I would stick on to that.
However, no matter what you choose, there is one golden rule:
You’re in it for the long haul.
This story is published in The Startup, Medium’s largest entrepreneurship publication followed by +399,714 people.
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