Note to Self…Why I Write

I’ve been a member of Medium since January 2018 (my 1st comment was March 2018)

In that time I’ve written hundreds of posts and many hundreds of comments…probably 15 have made it to the public view.

I joined Medium because I love to read the great articles and I wanted to share my stories.

But as I started reading the articles on “writing good articles” and “how to get people to read your post” and “How I got a 1000 followers in a month” my newbie excitement turned into insecure fear.

I wasn’t on Medium to build a name, a brand, or a career, I was simply trying to find a vehicle to voice me…to house my thoughts…and hopefully have a few people enjoying them.

When I finally got the courage to post a story, it was miserable…I keep rereading and changing the post, I kept checking the stats to see if anyone had read it, and if no one had read it, I would change the tags and repost…each time I did this, my confidence and esteem was broken a bit more.

I got so frustrated, I couldn’t post anything for a long time.

During my hiatus I never stopped writing, I just didn’t post anything I wrote.

One day I was writing another “Note” on my iPhone and the thought hit me “I write because it’s part of me, not to get a following”

Sure, I would love to make money writing, but I don’t write to make money.

I’ve been reading for growth, enjoyment and enrichment my entire life and I’ve been writing about various things my entire life.

Recently I’ve made a few decisions

• Learn how to get better at writing….so my thoughts and ideas will be relayed in a more professional manner
• Not to back off….I have lived and grown through many challenges, my accounts and advice might help someone through a tough time.
• I write because it’s part of me…I will always write, but I will not compare myself, my work, my stats, or following with anyone.

Note to self…write because you love it. Not because you need affirmation!