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

  1. I believe in so many ways you have read my mind. I write for me. Although I find satisfaction in the merriment of others, one fundamental truth I must carry on .. Make them cry, whether in tears or in solemnity, make your readers emotion that which takes them to the extremes of either spectrum. In reading this blog I find a renewed sense of purpose in my own writing and whether for gain or pleasure I wish to urge you to continue your own work. Good luck

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  2. I swear to you I was seriously contemplating writing about this a few days ago. I’m so frustrated by the whole thing. I’m not someone who likes trying to come up with clever Twitter posts or the like, just to feign some sort of online pseudo celebrity following so that an agent will actually read what I’ve written. I’m disappointed in the fact that the writing that sells these days is largely because it’s salacious, it doesn’t even need to be that good. I absolutely identified with your saying you wanted to be a writer since you were in kindergarten. I did as well! I used to fantasize about my New York apartment! (I’m in Nashville now – not even close.)
    I sincerely hope you keep at it, you’re talented, I have to believe it will pay off in the long run.

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    1. Thank you, Jessica! I read your recent blog post about your spirit animal being a hippo and got a little bit of a writer-crush on you, haha. Hilarious. I feel exactly the same way about what sells these days being so poor quality and salacious (50 Shades of Grey, anyone?) that it sometimes makes you wonder what the point is in trying to really hone your craft at all. Thanks for reading and for your encouragement. 🙂

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  3. Pingback: What Happens When You Go Viral: On Wanting to Give Up | Mrs. Jones could use a beer.

  4. Reblogged this on artphart tries to blog and commented:
    I love this piece; these are the kinds of things I think about and have recently discussed in my Contemporary Literature course. Authors and writers want to say big things and convey big ideas, but it’s impossible to create an effect unless you have someone *to* affect. And today that means gaining a following through social media and sometimes altering your work and ideals to fit this abstract but very real and powerful “mainstream” audience. This piece features beautifully articulated thoughts on a jarring and upsetting reality.

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  5. Pingback: Analyzing Viral Content: How It Feels to Have Something “Blow Up.” | Little York.

  6. “People love watching FIRE burn! if there is one thing I know about life… It’s a guarantee..Change is inevitable! As much as you like to be in your “comfort zone” as much as you like to be “stable” as much as you like to “control” your environment the REALITY is EVERYTHING changes”.

    As Simone doing it for fun. I like sharing things I see and re blogging others post. I feel that you can continue doing what you do even when you know you are changing. Yes you can! You must dig deep as to what you really want and how far you will travel to attain it. You are an awesome writer in my opinion. But Everything changes. Stay true to yourself but whatever you do DONT QUIT. You only lose if you quit.

    Idlifearg.

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  10. I’m an atheist. i’d just like to say that I’d love to read your manuscript, i can see the passion and will you’ve put into writing and i’d hate for a fellow human being to work so hard to come up empty. you can find me at ventilateyourbrain on wordpress. I wish i did anything a million and a half people read or saw (unless it was embarrassing)… hit me back

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    1. Thanks so much for your encouragement! I’m actually really honored by your comment – I think the best writers (and people) are the ones you feel engaged with and compelled by even when you don’t hold all of the same beliefs and convictions, so for you to say that is honestly very meaningful to me. I saw that you are just starting out with blogging and I want to encourage you to stick with it. Gaining momentum in the beginning can be the hardest part. Don’t give up!

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  11. I’m sorry going viral didn’t translate to writing offers. There’s another instance where someone said their blog or post went viral, but then afterwards, all the traffic disappeared! So they said newsletters were the way to retain people who were interested. I have never gone viral yet, so I sort of have the same expectations that you did, however misguided they are.

    I hope you keep writing.

    Fighting!

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    1. Thanks so much for your thoughts and encouragement! My blog posts do get sent as emails to my subscribers, but there’s still that step of getting people to subscribe in the first place that can be tricky. Being Freshly Pressed was an enormous blessing and certainly helped with that.

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  13. If u r longing for satisfaction money is not going to give u.
    If u want a break, a high point then its totally pointless to think about others satisfation and work. I recommend you to read steve jobs book by sir walter issac or watch a sandip maheshwari video.

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    1. Thanks for your recommendations. I also don’t think money will give me satisfaction. I do think money would allow me to use what I love and am passionate about to pay my bills. 🙂 Thanks for reading!

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  18. Very nice post Lily. You have poured your heart into this post. The questions that you have raised could be applicable to all bloggers who are aspiring to get their book published. I commented on some of the questions that you have raised in your post. As you read through my comment, please keep in mind that the responses are more like self-reflection from my side (I treated each question as my own self-doubt and tried to find answer).

    “We are all struggling to feel that what we are doing matters.” – Of course what you are writing matters. Your writing is your own creative expression. Doesn’t matter whether someone likes it or not.

    “If all I’m doing is adding to the noise then I’d rather be silent.” – Apart from being a form of creative expression, you are writing for your audience. Someone else is writing for their audience. It should not bother you whether someone else has got more views for their post than you have got or if they are making money out of their writing whereas you are not doing so at this point in time.

    “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.” What is important is: your work should feel important to you. Others’ opinions do not count.

    “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.”” – It is quite possible that you did not land a writing contract because there is not much commercial scope for the topic that you wrote about. Frankly the way you had written this post is very interesting. If you can expand this post into a book, then there might be a paying audience because a lot of bloggers want to make the leap from being bloggers to authors of best-selling books.

    “Satisfaction and conviction that this work is good and that it is worth doing has to come from somewhere else.” – Are you serious? It has to come from within you. I guess you are already proud of your work. May be you are just unhappy because people who are not as good at writing as you are, are already making money through their writing.

    “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.” – You should write. The fact that your writing (from Korea) has convinced someone living in India to respond to your blog post shows the power of your writing. There are 275 other people who have responded. Continue writing. Money and fame will follow.

    A mother who is expecting to deliver her child will not bother to think whether the world will like her child or not (recognition) or whether her child will take care of her in future (returns). The thoughts in your mind that you want to bring to life through words should also be treated the same way. Continue writing for the joy of writing. And if you want to be a successful author, write about the topics that have a commercial market. Do not confuse the satisfaction that you get out of writing (blogging) with the satisfaction that you would get out of commercializing your writing (becoming an author of books).

    To find some motivation listen to this talk by Dananjaya Hettiarachchi (it’s both funny and inspiring). Based on this article, I would like to say, “I see something in your writing and it has got potential.” Best wishes for your successful writing career.

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    1. Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and for taking the time to share them with me. I’ve been so encouraged by this to keep doing what I love and what matters to me, to decide what my priorities are and to work towards them. Thanks for all of your wisdom and your recommendations. I truly appreciate your words.

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  19. I dont know if you’ll read this but I still want to say it. Your words hit home. There’s a little community on the web where you just might find a way to vent your feelings. Get the KU app and you’ll know. Find me as firdaus. Its tiny but full of heavenly souls. Maybe i’ll see you there or maybe not…

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  20. Lily, I am a novice here in the imaginatively rich and thoughtfully pressed world of writing and I pompously consider myself as a writer – wish I could know why. When I accidentally run my eyes across the reader, I stumbled upon the title of your considerably long post. I thought to share my view on your magnificent words though I am not still finished reading all you have written here. I loved your thoughts, however, and I am stunned to find grace and sense of faith in your writing. I wasn’t looking for cliched freshness, but was aiming for originality and personal perception, which I could discover in yours.

    It’s brilliant and charming, whatever you have narrated. Your introduction sounds phenomenal and awe-inspiring; I could truly feel the feminist voice slicing through your narrative account. Keep it up, Lily. You are gifted, and ingenious enough to rock the world of reading with a pleasant jolt.

    Inspire and hone my jagged sense of writing, too, if you can 🙂

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  23. This post found me at the perfect moment. I too am disillusioned at the popularity contest that is the prerequisite platform for publication, by publishers who won’t read your work if the numbers aren’t there and by incremental increases and decreases. I write because something in me has to and I hit publish in good faith. Good luck with your artist’s journey, holding my hand aloft in solidarity.

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  24. Well I have always have been a victim of such thoughts. For as long as I can remember. But in the end, moving on is all that matters. So just don’t give up and thanks for writing this for us! 🙂

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  25. Love ALL of this! As someone who gets around a hundred hits a day on her blog (from mostly relatives/friends/blogging buddies) I have no idea what it is like to get 1,000 views much over a million. If it’s not feeding your soul then it’s not worth doing no matter how popular you are. Beautifully written and hope you keep writing more.

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  30. Thank you for this inspired and inspiring post. I am grateful authors the likes of J.D. Salinger never had to worry about hits and follows … I’d encourage you to keep writing, but I already know you will. I suspect you couldn’t stop yourself if you tried. Never fret. That is a good thing.

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  31. Hi Lily!
    I read your post and I have so much to say to you. This post was so thought provoking and needed a response! 😄

    The love you have for writing is not a mistake. I believe its a key that will unlock all the other things God has for you! Look at that desire as a key you have been given. There are other doors that need to be unlocked in your life with this key. People don’t determine the effectiveness of the key you have been given! God had an end in mind when He gave you that key! This is where the challenge comes. How do we find out what His purpose is for the keys we have been given?
    We may not see the whole picture but know there is plan, He has a plan. Your writing will impact a lot of people. Just keep on writing and trust Him to lead you!
    I hope that all made sense!!!!
    I just wanted to encourage you to see a much bigger picture! 😄

    Rolain

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    1. Rolain, This is such a great perspective and very encouraging. I really appreciate this. I also see writing as a gift that I’m meant to share, so there is truth in the idea that God has an end in mind there and I can trust him to get me there. Thanks for helping me see the bigger picture!

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  32. Lily, I usually don’t leave comments on blog posts for exactly some of the reasons you mentioned above, but this is so well-written and I love the dialogue it has sparked in the comments. It was also exactly what I needed to read right now. As a relatively new blogger who is still figuring out where this experience will take me, you articulate these frustrations and uncertainties so well! You’ll work so hard on a blog post only to get a couple of views on something you feel is truly meaningful. But I think what you mentioned about using this space as being a place of healing is also really important, or at least I have found it to be the case for me. And as long as you are proud of what you write and it is true to yourself, that is what matters. Keep writing and good luck from a fellow North Carolinian! 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Camille. I think words and writing can do so much in both the writer and the reader and it’s a great reminder that one is not more valuable than the other. I’m so glad you appreciated this post and thanks for the encouragement. Say hello to beautiful NC for me! I miss it!

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  33. I am not sure that I can add anything here that hasn’t already been said (and probably better articulated). I congratulate you on your success and, for my sake as much as yours, I do hope it leads to something bigger and better. How that will come about is not something I can answer.
    Every time I think that my writing will make big waves, it doesn’t. Today, I almost didn’t write something because I had planned to post it on my least visited blog (and if you think your numbers are anemic, you need only look at that one). It is likely that only one or two people will ever read it.
    Then, I remembered, I was writing it for myself. If anyone reads it, it would be a bonus.
    Now, I know, you want to be a professional writer, and that means you are not writing something only for yourself. I know.
    It will happen for you. How, or in what form, I don’t know.
    In any event, I will subscribe, and comment.

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    1. Anthony, thank you so much for understanding and for your encouragement. It’s good to know that someone else gets it and I appreciate your support. Thanks for reading and subscribing and good luck with your own blogging!

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  36. Ugh. I feel you.
    I want to one day write a book, and I daydream about actually starting a manuscript. I’m lucky if I publish a blog post every 2 WEEKS! In having a 4 month old, a 9yr old, pastoring/ministry with my husband, and everything else in life, it’s hard to sit down (comfortably) and type away. I’ll admit that I start MANY blog posts, and never have time to finish them. I’m 27 and have had a goal of writing my first book at 30, at the rate I’m going… don’t see it happening. But you’re right, I’ve wondered how it would feel to write a most trafficked article for Relevant.. and to have someone who wants to publish my thoughts/stories. But maybe right now all I can do is keep writing little by little, and letting myself rest in the grace that tomorrow is anew day. Thanks for being honest!

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    1. I am so inspired by you. I also hope to write a book by 30 and I honestly have nothing holding me back but myself and my own laziness, haha. I often write only once a week (sometimes less) and I don’t have kids! The fact that you haven’t given up with everything on your plate seems to say that it’s something very deeply rooted in you. Don’t give up on dreams that God has given you! Thanks for reading and for your encouragement.

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  37. Writing will always be a very difficult career to pursue but the quality of your work is very high, so with enough persistence I would back you to do well 🙂 best of luck.

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  38. It is offending that real Bible Believing Christians are not welcome on WordPress, and clearly not promoted. This is the first post I have seen featured on Freshly Pressed that was written by a Christian and did not incorperate the homosexual/abortion agenda somehow. Here is a woman who despite her great success is thinking of giving up. No offense AT ALL meant to this woman, she is an amazing writer, but my point is Christians are not equally represented on WordPress, and this should be addressed. No wonder Christians get discouraged when they are actively being discriminated against!! I am NOT discouraged. I will continue to speak the truth as long as their is breath in me. Every good work bares good fruit, keep it up Christians.

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  39. Reblogged this on My life as a Homeschooling Housewife and commented:
    It is offending that real Bible Believing Christians are not welcome on WordPress, and clearly not promoted. This is the first post I have seen featured on Freshly Pressed that was written by a Christian and did not incorperate the homosexual/abortion agenda somehow. BUT here is a woman who despite her great success is thinking of giving up. No offense AT ALL meant to this woman, she is an amazing writer, but my point is Christians are not equally represented on WordPress, and this should be addressed. No wonder Christians get discouraged when they are actively being discriminated against!! I am NOT discouraged. I will continue to speak the truth as long as their is breath in me. Every good work bares good fruit, keep it up Christians.

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    1. Thanks for re-blog! Sorry you’ve had a negative experience with WordPress – I honestly hadn’t noticed because I don’t read through the freshly pressed articles on a regular basis. But I’m glad you appreciated this post! Thanks for reading. 🙂

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  40. Hello Lily,

    I’m new to WordPress. I have a blog over at Blogger which will be shut down by the end of the year, moved to WordPress and retooled for the next chapter of my life’s story. I started that blog three years ago with no expectations and no particular audience as a writing exercise to share a life altering experience. As time wore on, my writing kept expanding, the topics varied and in that process, I learned a lot and the blog grew into a brand which I am now converting into a business.

    I see your frustration and the frustration of a lot of creative people trying to figure out how to profit from their purpose. As a filmmaker (writer, director, producer), I did not want to play the old Hollywood game, and through my experiences over the years I am able to see what I need to do in order to get what I know to be fair for my art, but to get there I had to stick to my guns, listen, learn to be in service to the art and never give up. Now,15 years into the industry, I am ready to execute.

    I read this blog post, and as a life and career consultant for cinematic artists (which include writers), I have a few questions to ask you.

    1. What is it that you want? I ask this because from your description of yourself, the first thing everyone reads about you, I could not tell. For example, are you a freelance writer, an aspiring writer who would like to write for a magazine or what? Please let the world know because most people are not going to read through all your posts to find out.

    2. Who is your audience? I found your Relevant article interesting but as one article I could not discern who your audience is. This is very important for anyone wanting to hire a writer for their magazine because they do know who their audience is and they need to know if you can write to them. Which brings me to…

    3. Who do you see yourself writing for? Identifying this company or companies can help you tailor your writing to their audience.

    4. What was your original intent in creating this blog? This is very important because if your intent has changed then so should your blog. Going viral was just a test run so you can see where you are and where you need to adjust.

    I hope answering these questions will help you see things a little clearer. Remember be in service to the writing and be in service to your audience. I have to go back to designing and preparing my blog for its launch next year and yes, it is geared to help creative people just like you.Take care and never give up.

    Until our paths cross again,
    The Arty Hobo

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    1. Thanks so much for your thoughts and input and congratulations on finally reaching a point in your career where things are starting to take off. I really appreciate your pointed questions and think these are things I really need to think through and identify. At this point, these are my best answers:

      1. I want to write a book – a creative non-fiction book that might be categorized as a spiritual memoir. I want to write about what it looks like to grow up steeped in the church and in Christianity, but not finding grace there. In the meantime (while working on that) i would like to write about life and faith for non-profits, magazines, or websites that might pay me for content so that I can pay my bills while I work on my book.

      2. My audience is people who identify with me, I suppose. Primarily the 20 and 30 somethings who grew maybe grew up in the weird evangelical subculture I did and who also found themselves left with a lot of questions upon entering adulthood. It’s for people who are pushing back against the Christianity of our childhood, but who aren’t yet ready to let go entirely. Or maybe for people who are ready to let go and are looking for a different way. Or for people who aren’t Christians (for one of the many good reasons I also don’t always want to be associated with Christians) and are curious about whether faith could look different than the Christianity they know.

      3. In a business way (aside from my personal blog or book) – for non-profits like World Vision or Compassion International or the International Justice Mission. I would love to do blogging and social media for an organization I believe in.

      4. I created this blog 4 years ago – at the time it was just something to keep me writing something because I had quit. It was a way to have adult-time and adult-thoughts while I was spending all of my time with toddlers. i didn’t share my posts publicly for several months. Last year it became more about faith-wrestling and the desire for authenticity. At that time I changed my blog design, tagline. etc. and started doing a bit more promotion on social media, started to think that maybe this kind of writing was what i really wanted to focus on.

      I guess the answer to the larger question of “Why” for all of this is not that I think these specific blog posts correlate with a magazine or professional blogging job in terms of the content lining up. The content here is personal and it’s more geared towards what I hope will someday be my book. But, I am trying to grow this because employers and agents and publishers all care about your stats – whether you have a voice that people find compelling more than whether you already have a ton of content that is exactly the same as their professional needs. And that’s what I’m trying to find out here through blogging. In other words, this blog is only indirectly related to my professional writing goals – a place to practice my skills, to show that I can (hopefully) write about faith in non-cliched ways, and to show that my words have traction.

      Sorry for the mega-long answer, but thanks for making me take time to answer those quesitons!

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      1. Thank you for responding. I am just trying to help. I’m in the Film industry and my love for helping other creative people drove me to ask my question.

        Now your response is wonderful, and I would love to see more of that in your blog. I know you say your blog is personal, and I understand that completely. My old blog over at Blogger was very personal and it taught me a lot about blogging but then at some point it started to morph, all by itself, into this other thing that has aligned my personal experiences with my professional purpose. Like I said, I love helping other creatives and the new blog will do just that, help those in the film/TV industry (and other creatives) prosper without losing themselves in the process.

        So take your very personal blog and elevate it towards your purpose, so that you use your personal stories to deliver the professional message. This way when the professionals do visit they can see what you are about and in the process you won’t lose your personal edge. Don’t be afraid to push yourself and your experiences out there more, that is what makes you unique and interesting.

        I hope this helps.

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  41. Pingback: What Happens When You Go Viral: On Wanting to Give Up | Break free

  42. Don’t give up on your dreams. It takes elbow grease and patience. Hard work pays off, not that I’m saying that you don’t work hard, just don’t give up. Keep pushing and you will find the way to reach the right person.

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  43. I understand. I just created a goal to try for more online presence for an Instagram account about dogs (#Pawparazzi)- and it’s a scary venture! But just keep on keeping on. You can do it! You’ve gained another follower with me! Can’t wait to read more 🙂

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  45. I’ve met a college student whose internship involved writing a blog for a famous author. I wonder how many of those poorly written blogs are ghostwritten. I hope you keep on keeping on.

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    1. I’ve heard some of those stories too – such a crazy industry where a person’s name can count or so much more than their ability and where some people can do the work while others take all of the credit. At least I can write things i believe in and feel proud to put my name on them. Thanks for your encouragement!

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  46. Great article! You want to succeed while remaining a person of integrity is my understanding, and that is great. There is only one person I know that honors integrity, has already created a road for your success, and he knows you because he created you. Maybe this guy wants to get the Glory out of your success? And I’m sure he does. Your amazing with you gift to write, and I simply can not think of any other reason why after millions of social media likes you have not been contacted?. There is a particular purpose for your life that includes your gift of writing, but you have to have faith and seek the God who created you to be content in it. Whether or not you ever become a published author, no one likes your blog, or when you feel like giving up on the thing you know you do best. God promises success, how, determines your faith. Faith by doing everything possible, and God will do the impossible. I don’t know where your relationship with Jesus Christ is, but I felt led to share with you that you shall have success in him and that’s why you find no pleasure outside of integrity. I’m just a messenger, and I pray that you stay encouraged, and take the route of faith through Jesus Christ. He will exalt you, and you will have peace in your promotion without compromising your integrity.

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  48. Your article has really struck a chord with me! I’m new to blogging and quickly discovering that success in the practice lies less with being creative as being popular, and quite frankly it’s a grim reality.

    Thanks for your insightful words!

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    1. It feels like junior high all over again some days. And what breeds popularity feels so arbitrary sometimes. Sometimes I read things that many people are just gushing over and I feel like, “Am I the only one who sees the problem here?! Or maybe I’m just not getting it?” Good luck with your blogging journey. Your site is really great-looking. Packaging is so important these days, you’ve already got that going for you. 🙂

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      1. Thanks Lily! Any tips to increasing the number followers to my blog- i’m struggling with that at the moment! How did you go about building your fan base?

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      2. I don’t know that I’m the best person to ask…I hardly consider myself to have a fan-base, haha. But the things that have helped me most involve networking with other bloggers. If you have friends who write about similar things, see if you can guest-post for each other. This is a great way to get traffic from their regular readers over to your site (and your readers to theirs as well). Try submitting articles and essays to online publications and if you ever have something published, make sure your bio links back to your blog. Try to tag your posts with keywords people might use when they are looking for things on google or other search engines. And, very importantly, interact with the people who do read and comment on your blog. People really appreciate when you show that you value their participation. And, of course, getting Freshly Pressed was very helpful for me in getting more exposure – but as far as I know that’s completely a luck thing. I’d been blogging for years before that happened and I don’t think there’s any special formula for getting noticed by the WordPress gods, haha. Most importantly, keep writing. It’s only been in the last year that blogging has become more serious for me and is potentially leading to more opportunities, and that never would have happened if I’d stopped writing a few years back when I had 20 followers and 2 of them were my mom using different email addresses. 😉 Good Luck!

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