On May 27th 2017, I published my first ever online article.
It was monumental.
It was a milestone.
But above all else… it was a harsh lesson in how much I suck at writing online—and the key to finally becoming a published writer.
When I started my Medium blog…
I was excited, nervous, and already dreaming of the millions of views I would have as a blogger.
Fame, fortune, and internet glory for the taking! — or so I thought.
I reread the same draft over a hundred times before I finally pressed publish…
And when I finally published it?
It barely got any views. 🦗
So I stopped publishing.
I stopped writing.
And I stopped trying.
What’s the point of writing if no one is going to read your work?
What’s the point of trying if you’re making no progress?
I was stuck in this cycle of publishing and quitting for YEARS.
Here’s my publishing track record from 2017-2020.
2017: 3 Articles
2018: 4 Articles
2019: 5 Articles
2020: 1 Article
I wrote ONE article for the entire year of 2020.
ONE.
Then in 2021…
I publish 150+ essays and write over 3000 tweets.
and things EXPLODED.
I land my first online gig.
I become a Twitter ghost writer.
I make tons of professional writing friends.
I get called on to consult, work, and give advice on writing.
And other writing shenanigans ;)
Suddenly, I became a writer.
I started writing so much that I couldn’t keep up with where I published each piece.
I’d wake up at zombie hours to write.
I’d rush home after an event to write.
I’d write until I had no more gas left in the tank, and just kept on writing gibberish.
All I knew was that I had to keep the momentum going.
Because if I ever “missed” a day of writing…
I knew I’d slip back into the cycle of quitting.
And worst of all…
I wouldn’t be able to call myself a writer anymore.
So I kept the writing train 🚂running.
I found ways to make it EASIER to write consistently and effectively.
Joining writing communities like Ship30 and Freedom writers became my support.
Setting dead-simple constraints like atomic essays made it “too easy” to fail.
Writing a newsletter every 1-2 weeks helped set a rhythm of publishing.
Creating focus groups with other writers fueled my growth.
If you want to become a creator, writer, artist, vlogger… or create a new identity…
You must DO the identity every-single-day.
Writers—> Write
Vloggers —> Vlog
Creators —> Create
If identity is a train🚂 then your actions are the fuel.
Unless you’re constantly committing to action, and FUELING you’re identity everyday you will eventually lose that identity.
Till next time,
Brian “🚂” To
Podcasters -> Podcast? =D