Should I publish what I write?
I feel like if I’m going to write something that isn’t just for myself, then what I write has to be incredibly smart and perfectly accurate, and if someone already knows these things, well, then I’ve failed.
I recently went back and re-read what I wrote when I tested journaling for a week in 2022. I thought what I wrote there was great! But it was only written for me…
Is it that when I write something I know won’t be published, I write much better? Does that mean I’m incapable of writing for others? But I’m “good” at writing for myself?
I read over and over again that when you write, you have to keep the audience in mind and adjust so it fits the audience. That is exactly what stops me from writing, I think! What if… what if I just don’t give a damn about the audience? Or what if I just write for myself, but publish it anyway? Publish it without pushing it in front of an “audience” in any way. What if I just write and publish on a “blog” without telling anyone? Then I can write exactly what I want! I’m not forcing it on anyone! I can go back and read it whenever I want!… AND if someone finds it and likes it, then that’s great! They find what I write and choose whether they want to read it or not, but everything I write is actually written for me.
That way, I get to write exactly what I want, and I get it published. At the same time, I avoid having to “write what the audience wants.” I write for myself.
But… can I write just as freely when I’m actually going to publish? Many of the things I write might only make sense to me. I often just write my thoughts straight down, without much context. But now I’m starting to think about the audience again. The point was that I should just keep writing for myself. So that’s what I’ll do.
Here, I will write my thoughts.
My goals are to:
- Learn to write better.
- Get into a writing routine.
- Structure my thoughts.
- Get over the fear of publishing.