WRITING | MEDIUM | THIS HAPPENED TO ME
An Unpopular Opinion On Writing Everyday (and How To Write Daily)
IT IS sustainable. (But that’s not all.) Here’s more, and how.
Writing every day is so over-hyped. It’s become the holy grail for being a successful writer.
But how far is that from the truth? Or is it?
If we take the case of Medium, I don’t think it’s not possible to draft a “3-min read” everyday. Emphasis on “Draft,” and I don’t mean “Publish.”
That made me think that writing every day is not impossible…
Some journal. Some record video diaries. Some just talk it to their BFFs. And some just want to keep it to themselves.
And that’s okay. But is there any effort being put in doing any of these? I don’t think so. If you’re passionate, then communicating isn’t impossible, at all.
And as much as I’d like to pump you up by telling you how easy it is to do that consistently, it’s not. And I know that.
There’s certainly a difference between writing something we don’t want to show anyone, like diary entries, or at extreme only a handful of people, and writing online, putting yourself out there…
We all fear. It’s tough. But can’t we make it a little easy?
Mission I’m-possible: Let’s Make It Easy
As much as I’d not like to be a preacher, I might become one at times. So please bear with me.
This is the mix of how I do it and ideally how I’d want to do it.
Start with something small that you know will contribute to achieving your bigger goal—finishing a piece and publishing it
There are many small elements that go into your published article—a title, a subtitle, cover image, opening paragraph, main subject, conclusion, and some CTAs. Right?
But have you ever wondered how this all can become a little easy? If you try to do it all at once, it may become exhausting and take the sheer interest of yours out of writing. It’ll become just another chore for you.
It’s true said: “If you want to construct a building, just bring bricks and cement today.”
So, let’s start
- First, whenever you get the slightest of hint that something can be turned into a published piece, just throw it into Medium Drafts. Trust me, it’s a game-changer.
- You may not know if you’ll ever publish it. But once you write it down, our brain would perceive it as something worth giving a thought to. And it’s happened to me more than once that at random times, when I least expect it, something concerning that topic hits me. When it happens…well, you know the drill…add it to that piece resting in your Drafts section as well.
- Next, and I’ve taken this from one of the videos of Zulie Rane, write a paragraph (or two) long summary of your article.
Condense all of your thoughts in those lines. Given that you’ve occasionally thrown a line or two about that topic already, it will be easy to come up with at least a blurred image of what your article will look like when you give all of this a little focus.
- After you’ve done it all, take into action that “constructing-a-building” model. Bring the bricks.
Keep visiting your Drafts often. One day, add an image; maybe on other, refine the subtitle. Two days from now write the first two paragraphs…you got the point.
- Editing becomes a lot easier and better this way.
One of the things that stand out for me when I’m using this technique is that I edit a lot better. Better against if I’m writing it all in one go.
It’s not rocket science: when you’re trying to write the articles all at once, you can’t stop yourself from publishing (or submitting to a pub). You want to see it published ASAP. Ever happened to you??? Atleast that happens to me, almost all the time.
Know that this is only a way
And this is not the way.
It’s perfectly okay if you write and publish your articles in one go. I also do that. But I always have many unfinished drafts, all at different phases.
This, I find, incredibly useful—using both of them, either at once. Even if you’re dealing with writer’s block, having something that’s half-baked make it exponentially easier to deal with.
Plus, having something already written never forces you to stare at a blank screen when you don’t want to. AND THAT’S CRAZY POWERFUL.
You only open a blank screen when something that’s more than awesome hits you. And not when when you feel that you’ve not written anything in the past two days. Leverage that.
Utilise both: Writing and publishing in one go and saving important stuff to your Drafts (and not abandoning them)
Write and publish in one go: It’ll give you confidence in your craft. Good dopamine is an add-on. (The piece you’re reading ironically falls in this category)
Save important ideas as they come to your mind: It gives you the flexibility to be creative… to work on the idea and procrastinate a little less.
However you decide to do it, I believe you’ll do it
Remember it’s not one size fits all. Don’t just take everything that’s stated above. Experiment with everything and only stick to that that works for you.
I know you’ll make it, everyone of you, just don’t give up.
Make a routine and stick to it, if that works for you. For me personally, it hasn’t, until now.
You may prefer self-publishing or submitting to a pub. That’s awesome. What works for you, works for you, period.
Huge shout-out to the amazing Sara Cansino—she’s an amazing writer who writes on fashion, design and illustration, sustainability, marketing, and more things creative.
I hope you’ll find this article useful, Sara. Keep writing.
