3 Dangerous Traps That Destroy The Dreams Of New Writers

The dark side of writing online can ruin your motivation.

Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash

There’s a dark side to writing online.

It’s screws with your head. And messes with your mental health. It can make you feel crap about yourself. When you start writing you’re like a kid on Christmas morning. Bursting with excitement about what surprises lie ahead.

But then you fall into these 3 traps. And your motivation slowly drains until you can’t even lift your pen. But I’ve stared into the eyes of the digital dragon. And after 400 articles in 20 months. I’m still here fighting. But I nearly didn’t make it.

Here’s all the weapons I used to survive.

1. The comparison trap

I’ve got 16,000 followers.

But Alex Mathers has 204,000. This suggests he’s 13 times better than me. It’s hard not to feel down when the metrics scream everyone is doing better than you.

It takes a lot of mental strength to keep motivated when others’ success is rammed in your face. Comparison is as helpful as drinking salt water when thirsty. It leaves you parched and more desperate.

To survive redefine what comparison means. Ignore other writers and compare the old…