It Sounds Selfish, But The Only Person I Have To Make Happy When I Write Is Me

When I write, it expresses what I am feeling and thinking at that particular moment in time. I never try to rationalize or sanitize what I write in order to make it seem more palatable to others. That’s not why I write. 

I found the writers' community on Medium, which has changed much about how I feel about writing. I read about people who have made their writing into a successful career, and I’m extremely happy for them, but all of their advice seems predicated on the idea that writing should be focused on the reader. I simply can’t write that way. My writing is personal, albeit somewhat bland, most of the time, because I am a very private person who doesn’t share everything.

I came to grips with the situation when I realized I must write to make myself feel better more than anything else. I won’t try to please anyone other than myself. When I think I sound repetitive, I remember that some of the writers on Medium I admire most have that exact same problem. Repetition cannot be avoided, and people shouldn’t be critical of it. If it offends, then kindly move along and let me write for myself. 

I’ve interacted with several writers I admire. They have all given the same advice to write for my personal pleasure because that makes it honest, and honesty will eventually attract readers and subscribers. I don’t worry about the monetary things on Medium. I’ve only made more than four dollars in a month once now, nearly a year after joining. I know that writing strictly to gain followers isn’t what I’m all about. Followers are great, but I want to at least entertain with my stories, if not educate and perhaps persuade people as well. I hope I achieve my goal regularly.