From One Writer to Another

I started posting my stories and poems to Vocal.media about three years ago. That's a long stretch of time. And yet, in all that time, I've only posted around seventeen stories and poems. That is such a small number compared to the amount of posts other wonderful writers and creators have managed in a much shorter timespan. I bring this fact up not to belittle myself as a writer or to criticize anyone else who has had a Vocal account for as long as I have or even longer, and who has posted as much or even less than me. In fact, my intentions are quite the opposite. I only hope that by sharing some of my own struggles with posting to Vocal and dealing with "writer's block" that I can provide some sort of moral support for my fellow writers, and that if your goal for 2021 is to post more content to Vocal, or even for the love of all that is holy, just write more in general this year, then perhaps my insight into my own writing situation can inspire you.

I originally started posting to Vocal as a side hobby several years ago. My only goal when I first started writing on this platform was to share the things that I wrote with an audience that might enjoy and appreciate my content as much as myself. I had so many other things going on in my life that I knew I wouldn't be able to commit a lot of time to posting, but I wanted my writing to see the light of day; and, not live in the dark crevices of my Documents folder. I've always loved writing, but I've often felt that sharing my work with the world was too much. However, I am very grateful that I finally grew some balls and decided that if even one person likes what I have to write about then that will be all the justification I need. Even if I haven't been posting as much as I want to, I am still grateful for the freedom that Vocal.media gives me in terms of my writing. Along that same vein, I'm still very happy to post to Vocal at all, and I still intend to write content that I like and enjoy posting. Not simply write to post content for the sake of posting. Now, this is different than what I will say later about writing in general, but more on that anon.

So, I say all this to you guys. If sharing your art with the world through Vocal is a hobby that makes you happy, then by all means, you do you. I'm not saying you should post more just because other people are posting more than you. After all, if you don't like the kind of content you are sharing then is there any point in sharing at all? And if you don't have the free time and the stability to post more often, then I know that for my own part, that you shouldn't feel compelled to. Again, you do you because you're doing awesome and I'm so happy for you!

However, my personal drive for posting more content comes from a desire to make my writing more than just "a side hobby." I no longer wish to spend another year with countless drafts saved in folders never to see the light of day because I've given up on what I was currently working on. And there are a lot of skeletons in my drafts folder(s) guys. I'm just as guilty as the next person of spending too much time on Netflix and YouTube instead of doing the things that I actually want to do. Stories often float around in my head instead of being typed out, and it's my hope that I can make this perpetual cycle of creation and death end--at least in terms of my writing that is.

I am well aware that some of the major problems I've dealt with in the past in terms of posting content is that I struggle a lot with finding writing inspiration, as well, as liking what I write at all. I am sure this all sounds very familiar. This fact coupled with my inability to structure my time wisely has led me down a slippery slope of posting content diligently for a month or so perhaps, and then falling off completely for several months at a time. I'm quite sure I'm not the only one who has experienced this same cycle of catastrophic writing, but I do hope that my acknowledgment of my own personal problems and struggle with creativity can help motivate anyone else who also wishes to change their current writing habits. There is solidarity here my friends in that I know we might find ourselves in the same shallow situation, but we can also help lift each other out of our current state by sharing what methods work for us, as well as, sharing our hopes for the future.

Therefore, in the spirit of the new year, I've decided to take time every day to write something--anything. Some of my biggest issues in the past were not setting aside time to write down what was bubbling up inside my head, as well, as overthinking what I was writing exactly. I would have these amazing poems and stories I had constructed in my mind, but I never took the time in my day to stop and write them all down. Some of you may have a better memory than me, but often, I found myself sitting down to type out a story usually a week or two after the idea first cropped up into my head, only to find myself sitting in front of a blank screen with nothing--absolutely nothing--coming up.

And then, there was the issue of focusing on what I was saying and how I was saying it over getting the words on paper first. I'm not saying you shouldn't pay attention to what you are writing; however, I find that the best piece of advice that I have ever received from a much wiser and more experienced writer is that you have to wade through all the shit in your head to get to the really good stuff. I'm sure this isn't an original thought exactly, but it was the first time anyone had verbally told me that it's okay to write for the sake of writing if for nothing else. And that it's okay to basically "word vomit" stuff onto a blank Word document, a piece of notebook paper, your Notes folder in your phone, the back of an unpaid bill, and literally whatever else you can get your hands on if that's what it takes to get you to write.

And again, this is different from the idea of posting for the sake of posting. My intention is that you should write down whatever comes to you as it comes to you in order to get your thoughts out, I, for my part, do intend to go back through my first drafts and edit/fix whatever it is that doesn't read well or doesn't quite flow the way I want it to. Therefore, there is a big difference here between writing for the sake of writing and posting for the sake of posting. I'm still writing things that I enjoy and then I'm posting a finished product. A piece of work that has been polished up and read through thoroughly. I'm not saying you should hold onto something until it's perfect, because as we all know, there's no such thing as perfect. I'm also not saying you can't post what you want to. I just know that for my own personal tastes, I prefer posting stories that aren't just the "word vomit" I managed late one night after a wild party.

Now, back to the main point here, just remember all the editing and proofreading can come later. That is, if you feel like you should proofread and edit it. If you don't get the words out then the other steps can't even come into fruition. I say this coming from the heart because I hate proofreading as much as anyone else. I often find the task tedious and daunting especially after spending hours, and sometimes weeks, just writing the damn thing. I know how you all feel. I've been there. I'm still there, in fact, every single day. But, honestly, my life has changed so much since taking this one piece of advice with me into my writing. I might have to spend several days editing and rewriting parts, but the thoughts and the words are there. The essence of my writing exists. It only needs to be cleaned up a bit.

And thus, concludes one of my goals for the 2021 year. It seems so simple. It seems so straightforward, and I truly hope that it is. Actually, looking back at my content so far, I would say I've done a pretty decent amount of posting more and more as each year has passed. I only hope that I can manage to stick with my writing agenda by spending time alone with my thoughts each day and wading through all the crud that goes on in my head while still learning the art of proofreading and editing. If my strategy for posting more this year fits your attitude for the new year as well, then I hope you can find some useful information in this post. Remember we're all in this together and I wish you the very best. I tell you this from one writer to another.