Every time I started a blog, I was excited. I had so many ideas, and writing felt easy. Who said it was hard? But over time, the excitement dropped, and I wrote less and less until I quit. Then, the blog just died down.
To try to break this cursed pattern, I asked myself: Why did I want to write in the first place?
Finding my "Why"
It turns out that I wanted to write to balance all the input going in my brain. I tend to think a lot, so I have a rather noisy mind. With time, I realized that the process of writing helped me bring some order to the chaos in my mind. Things started to make more sense, like solving a puzzle.
After a writing session, I often feel a sense of fulfillment and relaxation despite the struggle. So for this website, I decided to write for myself and my future self. If my writing can give value to someone else, that will be a nice bonus.
What has gone wrong before?
Before, I started writing a blog with the idea of creating a passive income. Nothing wrong with that. Professional writers do it for the money. Of course, there're other reasons, but one thing that makes them pros is that they earn money. That's not the path for me. Maybe that will change, but it will be another story.
Writing for myself as a hobby has freed me of some restraints like ads, choosing a specific topic, sponsors, pleasing an audience, etc.
Selecting a particular topic to target a niche is often the way to go but not in my case anymore. I don't want to only focus on a tech blog because I'm a software developer. I want to write whatever I feel like.
By not being bound to a topic, I feel less confronted with a lack of ideas or inspiration. I can pick up something exciting as it comes by and write about it.
By not pleasing an audience, I can write short or long articles without worrying too much about the quality. Why is it important? Because if I want to be a better writer, I have to write. Quantity leads to quality.
Quality is the byproduct of the number of practices coupled with quick feedback. Overthinking about an audience can be paralyzing. The less I write and publish, the less I'll get into the habit of writing and have the opportunity to improve.
More challenges to come
I'm glad I found the core reason I want to write. It was not easy. I failed many times to keep writing, and I needed a lot of introspection. Will it work? Is this my true reason to write? Only time will tell. Let's see how this approach to writing will lead me.
After reading all of this, you may also want to search why you want to write. Maybe you already have it. But finding your "why" is just the beginning. Next, you need to create the habit and maintain it. This subject is vast, and my best answer is to read Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Last Updated
March 31st, 2022