Seven Years Of Writing On The Internet: Here’s What I Learned.
Debunking Popular Writing Myths
I began writing with a vengeance seven years ago, having let go of writing for 20 years prior. So I was all in, allowing the feelings inside of me to come alive. Seven years later, I want to share what I have learned: the good, bad, and ugly.
Who am I, and what are my writing credentials?
I started writing on Quora in 2016, but that fizzled out. I needed another outlet, so I created a blog, which I cancelled on May 24—they still need to cancel it.
I have also written for publications such as Thrive Global, Sivana East, Elephant Journal, Thought Catalogue, and Tiny Buddha, among others. Then, I took a break from publishing because I found the online space too overwhelming; instead, I journaled privately for two years without sharing my work.
Since October last year, I have consistently written for a year on Medium and have written 100 articles ( some are short-form, so do not feel disheartened if you haven’t written so many). I got three boosts out of all these 100 articles. I recently started Substack and have seven subscribers. I don’t chase followers on Medium (there’s a story for another time about that). In the last 12 months, I also created an ebook on Gum Road and a course on Udemy.
Writing is not my main source of income. Last year was the first year I made a profit in writing. After deducting the Medium membership and Grammarly cost, I earned £200 through writing on Medium. It’s enough only to buy myself a few cups of coffee.
During these seven years, I have taken numerous high-end courses and become acquainted with many supposedly ‘esteemed experts,’ gurus’, and ‘coaches’ in the online writing field. So I know all the ‘ tips, tricks, hacks, and marketing crap that there is to know.
Debunking Some Popular Writing Myths and Why
Writing for the ideal writer or avatar is the biggest crock I have heard. I suggest writing for yourself because it is therapeutic and healing and gives clarity, which is the primary purpose of art. Writing must first be your antidote, i.e. heal and transform you; once you are transformed, only you can help another. So write for one person and let that person be you. I believe in the power of 1; let the one powerful person be you.
Writing for your niche is another B.S myth. Writing is an art meant to aid in your journey of self-discovery. Do not restrict and pigeonhole yourself to one thing, especially in the beginning. After a while, you may find your ‘niche’ and go for it; otherwise, discard it. I’ve been writing for seven years, and I’m still unsure what my niche is; yet, I continue to write. Especially in the beginning phase of writing, when we need to figure out who we are and what we want, zeroing in on a niche is pointless. Instead, write what you feel and what makes your heart sing, and let that guide you. If you run out of inspiration, get it from other writers, but please do n’t restrict yourself to a niche.
Spending an arm and a leg to create a blog space, maintain that crap and do all the laborious work for it is pointless. We all have limited time and a whole load of other responsibilities. I’d recommend not wasting your time or money creating a blog. Instead, use platforms like Substack.
Many gurus may convince you to have a blog and use theories like owned and rented land—that is, B.S. Here’s why.
Writing can be a hobby, and that’s okay. It’s more healing and beneficial for your overall development if it is a hobby. It doesn’t have to be a business. For more inspiration on this, read here or here.
You don't have to have unrealistic expectations of yourself, such as writing every day or every week. Yes, have goals, but don’t be a prisoner to them. Your writing goals should work for you, not the other way around.
You don’t need a writing guru; you need the willingness and discipline to put in the work and some inspiration and encouragement from other writers. Either subscribe to them for inspiration and motivation (use the freebies; that’s more than enough) or utilise the content available on Substack.
There is no shortcut or magic trick to making it a business or a money machine. Just like your day job requires a lot of sweat, hard work, and bad days, so will this if you choose it as your primary source of income.
Don’t ever compromise who you are. Don’t let the ‘get out of your comfort zone’ spiel thrown by all marketers make you change who you are at the core. Writing is you manifested as an art form, so don't let anyone corrupt it for you.
There is no secret formula for going viral or getting boosted. It’s mostly luck and partly if you get into the popular folks club (you know, the ones I’m talking about). So don’t give a crap and keep writing. Control what you can.
A boost or viral writing is not an indication of good writing. I’ve seen a gold mine of excellent writing on Medium, and some of it hasn’t been boosted and hardly received a clap, while some absolute trash has received a million likes. So don’t chase a boost.
Each boost on Medium pays you differently.
Try and experiment with everything. But sometimes, you must be honest about whether what you’ve tried works for you.
Enjoy writing; it's your gift to the world. We are indeed lucky to get the opportunity to write.