What Happens When You Go Viral: On Wanting to Give Up

I recently found out that the hit count on my Relevant article back in June was over 1.6 million. The editor told me it was the second-biggest traffic day in the history of their website. That’s mind-boggling to me.

If you had asked me a year ago what I thought it would mean to have a piece get that much exposure, I would have assumed it would be my big break. That it would boost my blog, lead to freelance opportunities, help connect me to the right people. That it would be my open door into the world of professional writing and publishing. That it would bring me validation and satisfaction. It would reassure me that what I’m doing here isn’t pointless and that my story matters.

Do you want to know the truth?

It hasn’t done any of those things. For a few weeks I received a lot of emails and messages from people thanking me for my story. I got to write a few guest posts on the topic. But no one has offered me a job and I haven’t landed an agent. 1.6 million people read something I wrote and my blog still has fewer than 200 followers. (If that’s not discouraging, I don’t know what is). And as much as I would love to say I don’t care about any of that, in the world of professional writing ( by which I mean writing in some capacity that pays the bills) numbers are what matter. How many subscribers do you have? How many followers on Twitter?

All I’ve ever really wanted to do since I was in kindergarten is to be a writer. I’ve tried other things and I’ve cultivated other interests, but writing is the only thing that has consistently excited me. I’m under no illusions that I could make a career out of blogging, but I would love to have enough paid work as a writer to support my family while doing something I love. And, like most writers, I would love to write a book someday. But these past few months I’ve become more and more convinced that I am not cut out for what “being a writer” means today.

Being a successful writer is no longer about craft or talent or art. It’s not about having the deepest insights or the most profound observations to share. It’s often simply about who can shout the loudest. Like high school student council elections, success in the blogosphere is a popularity contest. It’s about who is the most provocative, who is the most visible on social media, who is the most aggressively self-promoting.

I admit that I’ve dipped my toe into that pool. This summer I (very reluctantly) got a Twitter account. I hate it. I almost deleted it within 30 minutes of registering. I’ve tried to network with other bloggers, to write and invite guest posts, to comment other places, to submit pieces to other publications. But pursuing self-promotion doesn’t feel right to me. Reading someone else’s posts and looking for ways to insert myself and my work into the comments goes against some of my core values of sincerity and authenticity. These are things I’m not willing to compromise on.

In my last “What I’m Into” post I confessed that I’d been reading like a chain-smoker, using other people’s words to try to hide from own. I’ve read a few posts about this struggle lately (here and here ). Honestly, I was a little shocked and disheartened. One of my friends is working on a book and has landed a really great agent. One has a completed manuscript she’s starting to send around. I look at them and think, “If only I had an agent…” or “If only I had a finished manuscript…” Perhaps they look at me and think, “If only I had a million-view article…” And yet, we seem to have hit a collective wall. We are all struggling to feel that what we are doing matters.

I confess that I frequently get angry with popular and successful writers whose blogs I find poorly written and uninspiring. I don’t believe in quantity over quality – in pushing points that don’t need to be made just to generate content. There are a million voices out there and there are many moments when I don’t think the world really needs mine. If all I’m doing is adding to the noise then I’d rather be silent.

I want my writing to be about creating something beautiful—about art and passion and sincere wrestling with (sometimes fragile) faith. I want it to be about telling truths and naming every day grace. I want it to matter.

I’ve been rolling a book idea around in my head for at least eight months. There are some stories I want to tell, but I am afraid. This stage I’m in as a writer is one where I carve off a chunk of my heart and fling it out into the world and watch it disappear into the distance without even the consolation of hearing an echo back to let me know I hit something.

I am afraid of failing, yes, but here is an uglier truth. I am also afraid of hard work. Or rather, I am afraid of hard work that goes unrecognized and unappreciated. I am afraid of 1.6 million people who say, “Your words don’t matter.”

I want to give up.

And yet, I can’t quite do it. I can’t completely walk away. Because this space has changed me. In some ways it is healing me. I’ve made friends here. I’ve found a tiny community of artists who are fighting to say something true. These people inspire me. And I’ve experienced moments of extraordinary grace from readers, some whom I’ve never even met in real life, who have sent encouraging emails and have shared their own stories, who have sent me articles and books that are dear to them, and even one who bought the most beautiful cook book I’ve ever seen and mailed it all the way to Korea.

Jim Carrey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

I’ve never been rich or famous, but I can tell you that as a writer, having an article go viral is not the answer. And it seems that having an agent or finishing a manuscript is not the answer. Satisfaction and conviction that this work is good and that it is worth doing has to come from somewhere else.

I don’t know what the next few months will look like here on the blog, but I’m committed to trying to figure this out. Should I write? Should I not write? What should I write? And why? And for whom?  Hopefully I will find a way forward–a way to be able to do what I love without compromising the kind of person I want to be.

___________

****EDIT: I just wanted to add a  note letting you all know how much I appreciate all of the kind and supportive comments I’ve been receiving on this post and for all of the new followers. I am really overwhelmed by your generosity and support. Online interactions can sometimes be so negative and all of your kind words have really touched me. I may not be able to respond to each and every comment, but please know that I’ve read every word and I appreciate them. I know I’ll come back to them in moments of discouragement. I’ll be checking out a lot of your blogs over the weekend. There’s a phrase we use in Korea that means “Don’t give up! You can do it!” It more or less translates to “Fighting!” in English.  So to all of my fellow writers, artists, and creators, “Fighting!”

Image source: Wikipedia.org

 

956 comments

  3. Success happens when we aren’t looking for it. Or at least that is what has been true in my life. Write because it makes you feel like a whole person. Write about what you are passionate about. Write because when times get tough, it is what you know you can do.

    I have never reached viral status, but have received unexpected accolades. In a way I have given up the desire to be Freshly Pressed or go viral. It just makes worry to much about writing “right” rather than writing what is important to you.

    I write because I, like Walt Whitman, have a need to sound my barbaric yalp into the wilderness of the internet.

    Good luck in your endeavors, and keep writing.

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    1. I’ve also had experiences like that, Kathleen. The ones where you’re just doing your thing and an opportunity pops up out of nowhere. Like this getting Freshly Pressed. I honestly hadn’t given much thought to being Freshly Pressed for years. It was a total surprise, especially for this particular post, but it’s been a huge blessing.

      Thanks for the encouragement and the reminder that sometimes those rewards come in unexpected ways and at unexpected moments. Good luck to you too!

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  6. I think you need to begin with why you write. And if you’re looking for approval from others to justify your blogging (or anything for that matter), then you’re always going to be disappointed.

    As eat pray love states so eloquently ‘It’s the realisation that God is in me. As me’.

    Do what you do. Be honest, have a voice and don’t be afraid to create.

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    1. I guess I would say that the reason I write (in general) is because it’s what I love. But the reason I blog (writing on a public platform) is because I hope it means something to others too. I do want my writing to be meaningful to me first and foremost, but it’s sort of ridiculous to pretend that writing a blog isn’t also meant for others to read. If writers genuinely didn’t care at all about other people reading, they wouldn’t be publishing things online, they’d just keep a private journal or whatever. But, having said that, I think you’re right that looking for approval from others to justify ourselves is a sure way to be disappointed. Thanks for your thoughts!

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  7. I recently went through exactly the same thing. I have owned my blog for 4 years but really, I have only been blogging a short while. After seeing the success stories of bloggers such as Zoey Sugg and Alfie Deye (Bloggers who have now launched very successful careers making videos and blogging, even releasing books this year), I became very disheartened. Why didn’t I have 6 millions subscribers like them? Why weren’t people rushing to read my content? Was I not good enough?

    Then I realised that I write short stories. Mainly horror but I am branching out. This is a very niche market and I am not huge on pushing my content down peoples throat via social media. I have almost 500 subscribers which, for me, is an amazing achievement.

    Don’t think about those that don’t follow your work, think about the 100+ comments you have on here of people that read your blogs and like them enough to interact with.

    I loved the blog, thank you 🙂

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    1. This is so sweet, thank you Sarah-Jayne. You’re right that we are both sort of in niche markets and it’s unrealistic to think what we write should appeal to everyone. And of course, the loyal readers we do have are worth so much more than the bigger numbers we might see if we changed our content. I really admire you for writing short stories. My husband writes fiction, but I haven’t been able to in years. I’m really in awe of fiction writers, haha. Thanks for your encouragement and congratulations on 500 subscribers who love your work. That’s really quite an achievement! 🙂

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  8. Hello Lilly, you bare your creative soul with great honesty here. Clearly a good number of people commenting here empathise – me too. I’ve written on and off all my life, occasionally, but never spectacularly been published with minor essays, book chapters and newspaper articles – never enough to earn a living. I am fortunate that I have a well paid day job, and writing is something I now do for pleasure, although to be honest I still yearn for the day when my day job IS writing.
    The numbers game is a contentious issue, I have lost count of how many people have contacted me through my blog to tell me how they can help me get more hits, help me place my writing project etc.. but of course they are all running businesses that seek to make a quick buck out of exploiting aspiring writers search for success. The clash between art & creativity and the money and numbers driven market is age-old – it just happens to be much more “in your face” in this age of Twitter, Facebook and all the rest. I have read some of your other posts, and your article in Relevant. You have a voice – a very clear and articulate voice – if that transcends into your more substantial works then I have no doubt that eventually you will find your channel to the masses, that might be through a literary agent, or maybe you might consider self publishing (Fifty Shades of Grey was self published and look at how successful that pile of trash was!). Good luck, and I am happy to now be one of your 642 followers!!

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    1. Thanks so much for this kind response. I’m in a particularly transitory time in my life right now – I’ll be living in Korea until the end of August but after that will be moving back to the US where I’ll have to find a new job. When I think about going back home and working I desperately want that to be something I care about, and that motivation is a large factor in my desire to grow my writing and find a way to make that some sort of career. I’m open to that looking different ways, not necessarily being self-employed, and I find that employers care about your stats as much or more than your skill.

      I’ve also received some of those offers you mentioned- “If you advertise my products on your site you can get a commission,” etc, but I would never feel comfortable doing that unless the product was something I would normally promote. Doing those kinds of posts really goes against what I want my writing to be about. I’m willing to link to Amazon for books I already write about every month, but that’s about it.

      Thank you for reading and for subscribing. It really is so encouraging to have someone who believes in what I’m doing here and I especially appreciate what you said about my voice. As I’m sure you know, one of biggest goals as a writer is to develop a voice that is uniquely mine. Thanks for your thoughts and best of luck in your writing!

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  10. Hi Lily,
    That was a great article. I could relate to your thoughts. As you said it makes me feel not so good when I see blogs that are widely popular with not so great content. And of course such blogs are popular with the “self promotion art”. I am also bad at that. I do have a twitter account which I am learning to use only recenlty.Anyways, from the looks of it I feel that you have a lot of readers. I don’t even have 1/4th of your readers. I would like a writing job too. But I don’t know how to proceed. I have written for women’s web couple of times which was received very well. But guess these aren’t enough. And I am not ready to give up yet. For me I feel happy when I write and connect with similar minded people (That’s where I get the appreciation from). So I will continue to write. I will come back here to see how you are doing. Wishing you all the best for your book and success as a writer. 🙂
    See ya!
    Vinitha.

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    1. Hi Vinitha,
      I think it’s great that you’ve had a few things published and that you’re sticking to it. Thanks so much for your encouragement and support. I hope you eventually find a way to make writing your job!

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  13. Should you stop writing? Haaaa! I’d like to see you try. It’s part of your DNA. You couldn’t quit if you wanted to. So, as long as you can’t quit (you can’t) you might just as well throw caution overboard. Stop wringing your hands and hit the keyboard. The odds are against you. You might fail. You might! But if you don’t dive in—and I mean today—later in life, I can assure you that regret will eat away at your soul like a cancer. Don’t ask me how I know. Just trust me.

    Oh, and by the way, even success can be dicey. Remember, as Truman Capote said, “More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones.”

    And, finally, from out old pal Charles Bukowski:

    so you want to be a writer?

    if it doesn’t come bursting out of you
    in spite of everything,
    don’t do it.
    unless it comes unasked out of your
    heart and your mind and your mouth
    and your gut,
    don’t do it.
    if you have to sit for hours
    staring at your computer screen
    or hunched over your
    typewriter
    searching for words,
    don’t do it.
    if you’re doing it for money or
    fame,
    don’t do it.
    if you’re doing it because you want
    women in your bed,
    don’t do it.
    if you have to sit there and
    rewrite it again and again,
    don’t do it.
    if it’s hard work just thinking about doing it,
    don’t do it.
    if you’re trying to write like somebody
    else,
    forget about it.

    if you have to wait for it to roar out of
    you,
    then wait patiently.
    if it never does roar out of you,
    do something else.

    if you first have to read it to your wife
    or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
    or your parents or to anybody at all,
    you’re not ready.

    don’t be like so many writers,
    don’t be like so many thousands of
    people who call themselves writers,
    don’t be dull and boring and
    pretentious, don’t be consumed with self-
    love.
    the libraries of the world have
    yawned themselves to
    sleep
    over your kind.
    don’t add to that.
    don’t do it.
    unless it comes out of
    your soul like a rocket,
    unless being still would
    drive you to madness or
    suicide or murder,
    don’t do it.
    unless the sun inside you is
    burning your gut,
    don’t do it.

    when it is truly time,
    and if you have been chosen,
    it will do it by
    itself and it will keep on doing it
    until you die or it dies in you.

    there is no other way.

    and there never was.

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    1. That poem is just amazing, every time I read Bukowski, it makes me want to write, doesn’t matter how bad, just write. His writing are brutal in a good way.

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    2. This is great, thank you. I appreciate the encouragement and the kick in the pants. I am a firm believer in creating the life you want to live and you are absolutely right that the only way to be sure to fail is to never try. Thanks!

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  15. Thats an honest blog. I am a geologist and my work is goes into long scientific analysis and all those nerdy things. But when we go for field work, I feel nature and it prompts me to discover something new about her.

    It’s the same motivation that keep people like us to go and do something great.

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    1. I love that perspective – there is something unique for each person that ignites their curiosity and creativity. I think we should all strive to find out what that is and do whatever it takes to cultivate it. Glad you’ve found yours!

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  17. I don’t know how it sounds if I say that I feel the same except I didn’t get 1.6 million hits. But as you have so neatly put it, looks like most of us shy(including me) creatures who will not compromise on their principles hit this “collective wall” that you mentioned. Then again, if at all there is something heartening amidst all the soul searching for answers it is that we are not alone. Thank you for this honest and sincere piece.

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    1. I am also very comforted to know that I’m not alone and that I’m not the only one who sees this problem with the disparity between good writing and successful writers. When you feel alone it’s easy to believe your words don’t matter, but when you see yourself as part of a group it feels like your words have to count for something. Thanks for your support!

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  18. After reading your blog.. i find it hard to believe that you still dont have an at your heels. And I agree that one can be afraid of just throwing their heart on front of people and thinking that i will go unnoticed…But i have found that if something is from the heart, then people will notice it, for it is the heart which accomplishes and performs wonders. Emotions from the heart are not something which can go unnoticed. Your fear also comes from your heart. But if you just believe in your heart, you’ll be happy in the end. #peace

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  20. Thank you very much for sharing your story. It is both inspiring and refreshing to see that there are still writers in this world that write for the sake of passion and telling a story from deepest parts of their being and not for the sake of views and money. Personally, I have been forced to venture away from my interests in the art of writing and literature out of pure necessity to pay the bills. However, I have never lost the passion for my craft and hope to be heard and to matter the same way you do.

    Thanks for the inspiring words. You have my support and I will be following.

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    1. This was so encouraging! Thank you so much for reading and following and re-blogging and being so supportive of what sometimes feels like a dead-end dream. I hope you never lose your passion!

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  22. Love it! That’s what i post in my blog “Truth” Let me tell you it is a relief to share it. I really love this post because it kind of mirrors what I desire. I wish you greater success!

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  24. Thank you so much for your honesty. I was starting to feel very, very alone out here in the vast, cold expanse of the interwebs. Though I’ve never had a post go viral, I had one that by far garnered more views than any other. It was about the Sandyhook shooting, and I’ve always felt rather icky about that one doing better than the rest. I’m a novel writer, unpublished and seeking an agent, and I recently joined Twitter. I was also late to Facebook, and still have a very vexed relationship with social media. It can feel tremendously self-aggrandizing and incomplete–just the most extreme snippets of our lives, carefully curated and illustrated for public consumption, and this feels so deeply inauthentic to me that I’m always teetering on the edge of giving up on social media entirely. I read books by writers who act like rock stars and wonder what all of this is really about. But I keep clinging to the belief that there are writers out there who succeed on the basis of making good art, and I try to hold fast to my determination to be one of those and not to sell out. It’s hard. So hard. So thank you very, very much for these words, and to everyone who’s commented. You all make me feel as if I’ve finally found my people. 🙂

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    1. Ah, the interwebs. It’s a place where you can either feel incredibly connected or incredibly isolated. Or sometimes, oddly enough, both at the same time. I am completely in awe of you as a novelist. I wanted to write novels for a long time before I realized I was no good at it, haha. I really admire the dedication and skill it takes to do that, even if you aren’t published yet. I resonate with everything you’ve said here, especially about social media and I’m glad to know that we are not alone. Thanks so much for your comment and for your support. I’ve been reading your blog a bit – I think we should be best friends. Ok? 😉

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  25. You’ve hit the WordPress Jackpot!! Freshly Pressed should validate your blog. They’re only choosing about two a day.
    I understand your frustration. I realize my goals of finishing my series and landing an agent are important, but what’s crucial is enjoying the process.

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    1. Thank you. 🙂 I was quite surprised (but obviously pleased) about getting Freshly Pressed, but mostly I’ve been so touched by people’s response. I half-expected other writers to really bash me for being so whiny in this post, but by and large the comments have been so lovely and supportive. Thanks so much for reading and for the reminder about enjoying the process. Good luck finishing your series and getting an agent! Those are big, but awesome goals!

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  27. ” I have never gone viral, never been Freshly Pressed”

    You can cross that one off the list. I found you in Freshly Pressed. You were on the first row; so you’re getting seen.

    I like your writing style as well. That’s a lot of words. I usually zone out halfway through many postings but not yours. I particularly like: “This stage I’m in as a writer is one where I carve off a chunk of my heart and fling it out into the world and watch it disappear into the distance without even the consolation of hearing an echo back to let me know I hit something.”

    “Should I write? Should I not write? What should I write? And why? And for whom?”

    The old adage still holds true: write what you know. Another recommendation I found is that you aren’t writing for millions of people. Identify one person: who is he/she? What age are they? What are their hobbies? What background are they from? Write to that person and you’ll soon realize there are more of that “person” out there than you think.

    You are correct that it’s a marketing game. I wrote some Android apps in the early days. In 2012 I received from The Sunday Times one of the “Best 500 Apps of 2012”. Social media was still in its infancy. I didn’t use it like I should have to capitalize on the award. But as Earth, Wind and Fire said, “that’s the way of the world”. Social media is as much a requirement as a company having a website even if they do lawn care.

    What I’m doing differently now is embracing social media even though I have no personal use for it. It’s kinda like older people freaking out because they have to fill out a form on the web. If you print the same webpage, they have no problem filling it out. It’s the way of the world. Embrace it. And because you have something of value to say, you’ll reach the people you want.

    Even if the odds are against you, don’t quit. If two kids in a garage quit and another dude in his garage stopped because of the obstacles facing them, there wouldn’t be Google, Apple and Amazon. What will the world miss if you stop?

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    1. Thank you so much for your inspiring thoughts. I really had not thought of social media the way you present it here – as a permanent change to the industry that you can either get on-board with or get left behind. Perhaps the question shouldn’t be “Should I engage or not engage?” but rather, “How can I engage in a way that I feel maintains my integrity.” This has given me a lot to think about. Thanks for your encouragement and support.

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  30. Phewww… such a long scroll to get to these comments. I doubt I have anything new to say on here. Completely Agree with what you’ve talked about here. I am not a writer , i don’t have that many views, but the constant strive to be on social media and get “following” really does feel a bit like cheating, and dishonest. Too demanding,like chasing clouds. Totally can relate to your post .
    Yes, this world now does see how loud you shutout, it doesn’t matter what that is. But I do think there is a space for quality, if your work is good, you will get ahead even if it seems unlikely now( I would like to believe so, or make myself believe that).
    Do NOT give up , not everyone can write, once the decorations go, the words are the only thing that matter.
    Am glad this post was freshly pressed,glad of discovering this blog and hope to read more from you . Take care. 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much for your perspective and for making it through all that scrolling to post this. 😉 I also hope that there is still space for quality and that focusing on craft will yield its own rewards some day. The bottom line is that this is what I love and feel most fulfilled doing, so I have to believe there’s a reason for that. Thanks for the encouragement and for reading!

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    1. Thanks for reading! I’m glad this resonated with you. Good luck with your writing. The more you practice and the more you read writers you admire, the better you will get. It’s like anything else in life – practice makes a huge difference. 🙂

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  33. (Sigh), I feel your pain. As a professional writer who recently left her corporate job in communications to launch a freelance writing business, here’s my best advice: the money isn’t in the fun stuff. It’s in the business, marketing stuff. COPYWRITING. For companies. Their websites, their e-newsletters, their press releases, their print ads, their blogs, and their social media posts. There is a market out there for freelance writers, and as long as you have enough clips to prove you’re worthy, you can start. You can even subcontract with another freelancer (like myself) who gets overburdened! Anyway, my point is, business and marketing freelance copywriting will pay the bills and allow you to work on your book, on your schedule. I quit corporate America three months ago, finished my first novel, edited it, and started my literary agent hunt. What’s supporting me? My copywriting. Anyway, best of luck to you, and I hope this feedback helps! 🙂

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    1. Thank you, Shari! That’s actually really helpful advice. I worked as a copywriter for a marketing company for a while which I didn’t particularly enjoy, but I’ve been trying to get some freelance articles and other publications under my belt so that I have a decent portfolio of clips and can hopefully do freelancing full-time when I finish my teaching contract in August. I would love any leads you could give on good companies to freelance for or opportunities for subcontracting.

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    1. I submitted to Relevant following their guidelines on their website for submission. Basically I wrote an article that matched their criteria and emailed it to the proper address and then they accepted it. 🙂 Good luck!

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  40. Pingback: Bloggers parade | John's garret

  41. Thank you for this. I believe that all of us writers who are also trying to make a living need to hear this, need to remember that if it doesn’t bring you joy, it will never be enough.

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    1. That’s it exactly. It has to bring you joy. And I would also say, you really want it to be something you’re proud of as well. I think plenty of people could write a 50 Shades of Grey and make money off of it, but not many of us would feel proud of our work at the end of the day. Self-respect, integrity, and joy are all so important for artists of any kind. Thanks for reading and for sharing your thoughts.

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  42. Please keep on writing! Your words are so sincere.

    I completely agree on the point of not self promoting in comments. Lately, bloggers care less about reading other bloggers’ posts and care more about trying to make others read their blog. Somewhere in all this chaos, we have lost the magic of genuine reading and learning. A true writer knows that their quality will ultimately pull in readers!

    Best of luck for a job and a book. I’ll look forward to reading it soon 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much for your kind words! The whole commenting on other blogs thing reminds me of those people (we all know someone like this) who are such bad listeners because the entire time you’re talking you can see that they are just waiting for you to take a breath so they can jump in with their thing, haha. I don’t want to be that kind of person, in speaking or in writing. Thanks so much for reading and for the encouragement!

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  43. you must write! because our stories die with us unless we get them out of our head and onto paper… pages…. whatever… you CAN make a career out of blogging btw, I’ve just begun and I’m following behind friends who are are already doing it– very successfully… and without 1.6 million reads, which is awesome : )

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    1. Thank you! That’s really encouraging to hear. I also know people who seem to be able to make it just on blogging. That would be a dream, but at this point I’d love to make it just freelancing and maybe supplementing with earnings from a blog. Good luck in your own journey and thanks so much for your support!

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  44. I get a little disgruntled sometimes too. It does seem it’s all about the numbers and who can scream the loudest. I got into blogging to promote my first book ‘Crossing The Line’ and now I find I love to blog. It’s an outlet. Keep doing what you love and that’s what’s important! 😉

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    1. Congrats on publishing! It’s cool that blogging came as a by-product of your other writing and that you found yourself loving it. I agree that blogging is an outlet for me. Sometimes it’s the only way I can make sense of what’s running around in my head. Thanks for your encouragement!

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  46. I struggle with the same issues regarding integrity as you, and have written recently about the same doubts you’ve suffered in making your way in a world full of words. All I can say is each time I reach a cross-roads, or contemplate not writing anymore to avoid running the soul-searching gauntlet we have to endure by seeking an audience for that which we have created, I manage to undergo some sort of regenerative Renaissance. Yet still – I find myself wondering often: Why keep writing if no one is reading?

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    1. I (obviously) struggle with the same thing. I do think the writing itself can be fulfilling if it’s something we love, but we;re kidding ourselves if we try to pretend that readers don’t matter. if we were genuinely only writing for ourselves we wouldn’t be publishing it online. So I do think it’s a very legitimate question for us – maybe not “Should I write?” in general, but “Should I write things to publish publicly?” Words are meant to be read and sometimes it’s hard to feel that they are valuable if they aren’t being read. I say all of this to say that I completely understand. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and good luck with your writing!

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  47. Pingback: 1.6 Million Viewers! « The Right Move

  48. I agree with you, and i admire your strength. I will be more then glad to promote you on my social media if it helps but you should keep going. Your work is good. 💟

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  49. Always write. If you love it as much as you say you do and you let those words build up inside you will become so embittered. Don’t give up – your article only goes to show that ‘views’ and ‘likes’ really mean nothing. My heart aches with you in your disappointment. I hope you always continue to create.

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  50. Hi… And thank you for sharing. I definitely can relate! My passion is more to help bring healing information to the world, and blogging seems to be the best avenue for that.
    It is a completely different world than I ever imagined… I was a person who was so huge on privacy and now I have to be on every social media site out there. I think its just where we are today and that it truly is survival of the fittest. I have had to adapt and find a way to stay true to myself. I know you can do it too.
    Its not a process for the faint hearted… as the “competition” on Instagram and Twitter is who and what is the most visually appealing or are literally half naked or?!?
    I never thought that bringing healing nutritional information would require such exposure and competition, but I was quickly awakened to a different reality…
    I am now in a place of being more greatful about social media… It is a free way to advertise and share your gift and knowledge. I’ve learned to love the process of sharing and not be attached to the outcome… 💜🌞💜 ~Dr. Dee

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    1. It’s amazing how no matter how irrelevant all the social media stuff seems to what you are really passionate about, it’s become inextricably liked to how we communicate the ideas we care about. I’m encouraged to hear that you’ve found a way to embrace the social media as a helpful tool to share what you love. I hope I can learn to do the same. Thanks for reading!

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