Well, this can't continue
Happy Friday,
Good thing we’re allowed to change our minds.
In late October, I read a post in which some guy challenged writers to publish on Medium every day through November. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, of course.
Know what I’ve never done in all my time at Medium?
I’ve never published daily.
I write daily, but I don’t publish daily.
“How hard can it be?” I asked myself.
I mean, seriously. Tons of people publish every day. Some twice a day. So, that was my plan. Publish every day in November. See what happens.
Hahahah.
Well, this can’t continue. lol.
It’s only been 5 days and wow.
Daily publishing might be a big fat cup of nope. At least for me.
Know what you can churn out daily? Opinions.
That’s not my cup of tea, I don’t think.
It’s made me think about what I enjoy writing. One of my favorites was the story of the real Pied Piper and the 130 kids that disappeared and never came back.
Or the time I found dating tips in a 1938 magazine.
Omg, the pics were hilarious.
You can’t churn out one of those every day. Not humanly possible. At least, I can’t. If I earned enough writing to not have to work, maybe.
Crazy how 5 days can make a difference.
I also realized how much I hate writing this stupid book I’m working on.
Basically, it’s un-marketing for authors. How to sell your books without coming across like a sleazy internet marketer. It’s for writers who’d rather be writing than hawking their books all over the internet.
I love the idea behind the book. I just hate writing it.
Know why?
No feedback. When I work with clients, one of the best parts is the interaction. There’s none of that writing a book. It feels like speeching at a podium. I’m not a podium kind of person. I’d rather sit cross legged on the floor and workshop through the steps together. Know what I mean?
Not sure, but I might switch things up and do it as a paid substack.
That way, there’s interaction in the comments.
Long story short, 5 days of publishing every day taught me a lot about myself and what I really enjoy writing. I’m not big on writing opinions, I love storytelling, and interaction is what fuels me.
I have officially dubbed the month NOvember
I’m figuring out what to say no to, apparently.
What about you? Do you publish daily?
If yes, how do you do that and stay sane?
Do you have speed writing tips I don’t know?
But more importantly… what do you need to say NO to?
What I wrote this week…
Did you know if you click the heart or leave a comment, Substack gives you stars for being responsive? You can’t see them, but I can. They make me smile. :)
Thanks for reading.
xo,
Linda
I do not publish daily, Linda. I do comment daily, though, a lot. I've been on Medium since February 2020 and I've published 300 stories and 2288 "responses" aka comments. When I was on vacation, I found that continuing to read and comment kept my overall numbers up. If someone likes a comment, they'll often check out one of my stories. I do the same thing. Sometimes, it also leads to a follow. Keep going with that book. I'm someone who needs it badly!
Oops, I forgot the most important question: 'What do you say no to?'
Um, a lot of things? Recently I've made a deliberate push to unsubscribe email newsletters I almost never read.
I'm saying no to returning to my local board game meetup. I love playing board games, I don't like playing them online, and the local group has put in some anti-covid safety measures, I just don't think they're enough. Drinking tea and reading books aren't the same as playing board games and studying people's faces in real-time, but the covid risk is zero.
I also say no to most social media. I said no to FaceBook in 2010 (early quitter!) and I've never had an account on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, etc. This gives me more time for websites like Medium.
I'll be honest, I'd rather buy that book from you than subscribe to a paid SubStack. But you know what's right for you and your project.