Writers- Why you should create content for yourself first.
I love writing.
As a child I was very poor in literature. It was not until I joined college that I realised my interest in writing.
Writing gives me the joy of creation. I can create a story with my own imagination. A story that didn’t exist before.
I have been writing for a decade now. In college I used to spend my weekends reading and writing blogs. Back then my writings were just self musings nothing fancy, a mere description of my everyday activities.
After that initial phase I started experimenting with commercial writing and started writing for others. Ghost Writing to be precise.
It was not that bad. I was getting paid for it.
But ghostwriting was always just another task of the day. I used to write for the sake of writing. I was not writing for myself and never enjoyed the process. It was exhausting and I eventually quit.
For a long time after college I left writing altogether. The mere thought of going back to writing for others was exhausting.
You see I don’t have a degree in literature. I write from my teeny tiny experience and basic english that I was taught in school. I learnt writing on the internet by myself. This was before Medium was created.
And it was after I read stories of writers on Medium I realised a different style of writing existed. People were not running after ads. The stories I read here were so good and rich in content that I just fell in love with them. Medium compelled me to write again. But this time I was writing for myself and not for anyone else.
What is the big difference? You are writing anyways.
You may ask this question and it’s a very genuine one.
Even if you are writing for others you are still writing in a way. Agreed, but do you feel pressured when composing a piece for someone else?
I do. And this pressure corrodes my creativity.
I remember when I was ghostwriting, everyday I used to feel the pressure to impress my employer. I used to add made up lines and fake stories just to create that context. I was writing just another clickbait article on the internet.
I hated it.
I would say there is a considerable amount of difference when you write for others vs when you write for yourself.
There is a freedom when you are not writing to please anyone. You write because you feel connected to that topic.
JK Rowling created the famous Harry Potter series from her own imagination. No matter how much people criticised her work, she never listened to others. Harry Potter was her creation and in her heart she knew it was good. We all know how that story turned out.
Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self .
— Cyril Connolly
Writing is an art
I consider myself an artist.
No, I don’t paint or make graffiti. I write stories.
My stories are made up of words that are brush strokes to me. First I generate a mental image of the story and then I pour my heart out on paper or a digital canvas like Medium. Just like a painter who is trying to tell a story from their paintings, I write my stories.
Today I write just for myself and I enjoy the process. I don’t have a deadline to meet or any rules to follow. I write what I think my readers will enjoy. I decide on a topic myself and structure it with my imagination.
I get to explore my creative side.
The problem with writing for others is you lose your grip on your creativity.
While creating art we often tend to favor admiration from others. That admiration validates our creation. But often our creativity gets a back seat when we create art just for others. Because the art being created is entirely dependent on others perception.
In the past I have produced tons of content on the internet, content based on others judgement. And frankly I never liked any, not even one.
Writing for yourself will help you grow and EARN!!
Writing for yourself is cool but how will you earn from it?
Good question. Let me explain.
When you write content pleasing yourself, you create value not just for yourself but also for others. Your reader can also benefit from it.
We have plenty of real world example to take inspiration from. Digital creators like Nathan Barry, Aytekin Tank and Takuya Matsuyama have successfully mastered the theory of creating for oneself. All of them had a problem which they were facing on a daily basis. They created solutions to justify their own needs. That solution eventually helped thousands of people around them.
The same concept can be applied to writers too. Focus on creating content that brings satisfaction to you first. Your readers will eventually benefit from it.
Why?
Because we writers are appreciated for our perception of the world. It is our unique style that differentiates us from others around.
Alex Mathers the founder of Red Lemon Club describes it beautifully in this article Create For Yourself, Not for Anyone Else.
A lot of people get worried about how working for money taints the creative process. It won’t if you first define what you must do in order to earn, followed by pure creativity within those guidelines.
Medium is a perfect platform where writers can be themselves and earn in the process. Infact Medium encourages writers to create such stories. It’s heaven for creators like us who loves creating content on the internet. Medium pays you for creating quality content.
When I am writing for myself, it feels like therapy. I create a story using my creativity and it feels awesome when my readers find it useful. I never found the same emotion with commercial writing. There are many people on Medium who encourage other writers to create their own content. My personal favourite writer is Tom Kuegler. He is one of the best writers around. He just writes articles according to his voice and his readers love his craft. He is a living proof that you can make it big just by being yourself and write stories that interests your readers.
You just read another exciting post from the Book Mechanic: the writer’s source for creating books that work and selling those books once they’re written.
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