Why writing on Medium has killed my love for writing
My passion drove me insane.
How you can avoid the waterfalls of tears my eyes have shed.
Have you ever loved something so much that it drove you
insane?
If you asked me this question 24 hours ago, I would've looked at you funny, recommended a therapist and then shook my head as a “No”.
Now, after banging my head against my keyboard and angrily staring at the blank page in front, I've come to a realisation.
Writing on Medium has killed my desire to write.
Stabbed it 27 times and then stepped over my poor passion's dead body…
Indeed, a tragic tale.
After weeping and mourning for 46 minutes, I have collected the broken pieces of my keyboard. (Poor thing suffered a lot) Now, I stand here (Not literally) before you to share what happened that got me this riled up and how you can avoid my situation.
When writing becomes a chore:
We've all heard it. The only way to become a successful writer on Medium or any other platform is by being consistent with your posts.
Publish daily or face the wrath of failure.
In the beginning you're motivated, buzzing with ideas and ready to catapult yourself to victory. However, over time, you begin to realise that you are only human and have the habit of getting burnt out pretty quickly. Writing daily is a sure fire way to gain attention, but it can also turn your beloved hobby into a must-do chore. None of us like chores.
When you don't get the attention you deserve:
Every single creator has seen 0s.
0 reads. 0 views. 0 comments.
0 motivation to write for nobody.
Such numbers can be rather disheartening, especially when you poured your heart and soul into the article.
When the doubts consume you:
Am I wasting time? Will anyone even read this? What's the point?
Such evil whispers enter all of our minds with a picnic basket and a good book, ready to stay for as long as they want. They poison our brains and make us overthink our own abilities, ambitions and “unrealistic dreams”.
They suck the blood out of any writer.
Solutions:
- Have a strong why when writing. Imagine being the reader, what do you need to read. Write about that.
- Remind yourself that you write because you love to, not because you have to
(Even if you have to, our brain doesn't know the difference, it will believe whatever you tell it)
- You write in your own unique style, it would be cruel to not show it to the world.
- Every “bad” article teaches you more than you think.
- Keep switching up styles to avoid monotone writing.
- Explore different ideas.
- Give yourself a break from checking the stats every 34 seconds.
- Journal. Meditate. Eat chocolate. Anything that calms you down.
- Last but not least, stay in there. Better days (and articles) are coming.
In case you’re ever in need of more helpful tips or friendly reminders that will motivate you to write, just click here.
