I had initially set out a goal to write a post a day. I failed. I then ( as I do) tried to spin it off and write 30 posts in 30 days. I got creative in my initial defeat, but again I failed. We do things for many reasons, but I initially embarked on this mission, because it was hard. I wanted to push myself and structure my day to include writing because I know it will benefit me personally.
The one thing I will not do is give up. The small amount of writing I did so many positive things ( I will elaborate when I succeed). My creative juices started flowing, and I was filled with so many ideas and became more thoughtful about how I write in my everyday life.
Saying “never give up” will not actually get you to your goal, but what it will do is give you another opportunity to succeed. So when giving yourself another “at bat”, we need to dissect what went wrong so when we go at it again we can give ourselves a better chance for success.
“Go Big or Go Home” mentality failed me
I have this need for grandiosity and putting out a great product. It is a good thing, but It goes against my own advice: Be practical. I wanted to write these huge essays about creativity and take deep dives. I thought if I did a little research and wrote for 30 minutes I can get it done. Not the case.
I procrastinated, I got rushed, and it wasn’t about writing it was about meeting a deadline. The essays were fine, but I felt pressured to write them. The goal was to relieve my stress and put my thoughts on “paper”. Instead, I was putting myself under more stress.
My stress came from lacking preparation. I thought that this would be easy. I had the audacity to start writing without checking how other writers were succeeding and writing consistently. I didn’t even plan what I would write about. I just started writing and whatever general theme came up that would be the title. Not Good.
How to come back better
So I failed. What did I do to give me a better chance of succeeding?
- Research
- Planning
- Rember Why I started
Research
What I’ve done is go back to basics, on what successful writing looks like. How is it structured, how does it flow, and how does the writer's personality show. I also need to research the topics I want to write, although I know what I want to say, I want to add a level of robustness to add value and hopefully help the reader,
Planning
I think one of the most important thing that needs to be done is structuring what I want to write. Instead of just blurting out and just writing. I need to create structure and allow the contents to be understandable. One thing I think I didn’t appreciate, is how I write and structure each piece. Using what I learned from writers who obviously know what they are doing.
Rember Why I started
Writing once a week would probably be much easier, and give me the time to think about each piece, but I am not here to win a Pulitzer Prize. I just need an outlet to write about my thoughts, so I stop thinking about them. I am doing this to write about the things that interest me, and I want to share my passions.
Execution
I will achieve this goal and start writing for the joy of it. To clear my brain and hopefully provide value. I have prepared, I have learned, and I ready ( I think). I am excited to write and hopefully extended it further than the 30 days. If you made it this far thank you for hearing me talk to myself for 5 minutes.