Overdoing it Made Me Lose Interest in Writing

In December, I decided to take on the Medium challenge of posting everyday. Throughout October and November, I posted regularly on my personal blog and Medium. The more I wrote, the more I was able to write. I was in an extended flow state, so to speak, and I enjoyed it very much. 

So, come December, I decided to start posting everyday on Medium, in an attempt to increase my follower count and earn some money in the process. I did well for a while. I managed to post everyday until the 17th and then I just lost interest. It’s not just that I didn’t see the results I wanted, it’s also that I got exhausted from trying to keep up with all the gimmicky writing that goes on there. 

I’m not trying to criticize the gimmicky writing. It works for some people. It works for me as well but, not all the time. One thing I’ve learned though, is that the people on Medium like the click-bait. So the more pensive writing has no place unless you’re a seasoned writer on the website. Once you’ve hit a sweet spot with followers, you can write whatever you want and people will likely still read it. 

There’s also something to be said for the value of shock and awe. Sizzle sells. People who use the F-word or something to that effect seem to draw a lot of attention. I let my 12-year old daughter read my writing (she’s my biggest fan!). I’m not about to set that example for her. Again, it’s fine for a lot of people, it’s just not something I’d like to do. Not that I haven’t had occasion to use the word recently. 

I can make a thousand excuses for not writing but, eventually it all comes down to one thing – is my heart in it? Overdoing anything causes burn out. I should’ve known this. Yet, I was enjoying the writing so much that I really wanted to try the “post everyday”. 

I’ve never been able to live life on anyone else’s terms, I wonder why I thought I could this time. What’s funny is that I’ve been at this blog for over 10 years. I write what I want, when I want and I have lost interest in it yet. I love keeping this blog active. Yet, it didn’t take me very long to lose interest in the more commercial sites. So I stand corrected, I haven’t lost interest in writing, only in the commercial mindset.