I have a new direction for my blog
Hey everyone!
Recently I stopped writing so much here on Medium, so I can forgive you for wondering why in the hell I’m writing to you now.
Well, there’s a few reasons.
For one, I kind of miss writing long-form.
It’s my roots. It’s what I’ve done for the last six years. I love writing on LinkedIn (as many of you know), but I don’t quite get the same satisfaction from writing a 200 word LinkedIn post that I do when I write a 600–1,000 word article on Medium.
Second, I think I have something new and important to say again.
What exactly?
Well, let me start by saying the state of the online writing community is vomit-inducing.
I see a bunch of people constantly humble-bragging about how many followers, views, and money they’re making online.
And since they all copy one another, scrolling through Medium or Twitter feels like tumbling through some twisted content Twilight Zone.
I see writers selling out left and right for the attention. Like crabs in a pot of boiling water. Like sellers at a market announcing their wares at every pedestrian walking by.
- “HOW TO GET 100,000 VIEWS ON LINKEDIN”
- “HOW TO MAKE $59,000 PER DAY LIKE ME”
- “WHY I’M BETTER THAN YOU AND HOW YOU CAN BE MORE LIKE ME”
LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME.
Honestly, I’m bored of it.
And to be fair, I hold a lot of culpability here. I would never give myself all the credit for creating this content ecosystem, but I do hold a lot of the blame.
Because I wrote articles like these for years.
And people started doing what I (and others) did.
And that’s another thing I’m a little pissed about. Everybody just copying one another lately.
Here’s a perfect example of this happening on Twitter 👆
I feel I must speak out on the bullshit I see in the writing community.
That’s really what I want to zero in on.
Post-modern blogging.
Just recently Jeff Goins, one of my favorite writers, stopped selling all his courses and decided to go in a new direction. Lately he’s been writing some fire posts on his Facebook Page. Some deeply personal introspective shit about his failed marriage, his career as a writing coach, and his happiness.
In the past Jeff was making more money than ever before with more freedom than ever before, but he wasn’t happy. In the background his life was falling apart.
And I got to say I relate to that so fucking much.
It’s ironic that so many writers paint themselves into a corner with content that stifles their very ability to be creative.
My business depended on me writing about Medium for years. But I can’t do it anymore. How many times can I say the same things over and over again? Even though what I teach helps writers, I can’t bring myself to keep writing about it.
What I’m trying to say is, our addiction to money as writers is ultimately what traps us in a box of unhappiness.
Think about it.
If you write on Medium about a certain topic and it gets tons of views, you’re incentivized to continue writing about that topic.
Eventually that will get stale for you. I promise.
That’s why there’s so much self-help on Medium and the internet at large. It will never go away. If writing about how to poop better got millions of views, then we’d see a bunch of pooping experts pop up overnight.
The audience’s desires drive what the authors write about.
And that’s a little fucked up, is it not?
It invites people who don’t even like writing to swoop in, write heartless garbage, and profit from unsuspecting readers.
It turns once honest writers into creatively bankrupt bloggers.
Where’s the honesty?
That’s what writing is supposed to be. Honest.
That’s why people still read me despite all the bullshit that’s been written about me online.
Because I’m honest. You know that at the very least you’re going to get the truth from me.
And that’s in such short supply these days.
Post-modern blogging.
What does that even mean? I’ll tell you.
The internet is still so new. Blogging is new. Medium’s turning 10 soon (or something). I mean, how many mature 10 year olds do we know?
But yet I think there’s a change happening that could only be seen after letting this industry breath a little bit.
Writers are realizing that niches and personal brands and courses and money are ultimately toxic to the very thing we all adore.
Writing.
The intimate communication of thoughtful ideas to others through words.
Originality. Truth. Enjoyment.
These die when money becomes our idol.
So post-modern blogging is about questioning this space. It details the “quarter-life” crisis that writers who sell out for the money/views will eventually bash their skull into.
And what better place to publish these thoughts than on Medium itself?
Medium made it easy for bloggers to make money.
Do you seriously think the ability to make money here never effected what Medium writers wrote about?
The other day I wrote a deeply personal post about my sister on LinkedIn.
A friend commented that I bring a much needed personal touch to that platform.
That struck me.
Why is being deeply personal so shocking on social media?
Because few people do it.
And that’s sad, isn’t it?
This is what blogging has become.
A fucking personal brand.
I want to question all of these ideas. In many ways, I’ve been questioning these ideas for years. If you don’t know by now, you know I despise writers like Tim Denning. People who look at authenticity and vulnerability like some cow to be milked. They see it as a way to get more views and make more money.
I see authenticity and vulnerability as a way to set my fucking soul free.
To me, these bloggers are like corrupt corporations preaching about sustainability, diversity/inclusion, and equal pay when deep down they don’t give a shit about any of that.
I’m here to simply call things like they are.
I don’t know how often I’ll publish here about it, but know that this is the new direction I want to take.
Helping creators not fall into these traps. Encouraging writers to stay true to themselves. Attempting to keep writing fun for as many people as possible.
No, dear writer, you don’t need to learn how to make $50,000 per year on Medium.
You need to learn how to have fun writing on Medium every year. That’ll be way more fulfilling, and the money will follow.
So, follow me if you’re down for that.
