Starting a Writing Practice
Reflections From My First Year of Writing & Publishing Monthly | #12
Reflections from My Year of Writing
I can’t believe an entire year has gone by since I started writing this monthly publication. This is my 12th issue, and I’m celebrating the fact that I reached my goal to write every month for a year. There were times when I felt like giving up but I am glad that I fought off that urge to throw in the towel. Every month, I noticed new subscribers to my newsletter which helped fuel the motivation to write. A year ago, I had zero subscribers and today as I am writing this, I have 283 subscribers.
It was not easy to always stay motivated, and it usually took me several weeks to finish writing just one article. I questioned myself if I wanted to continue writing when I missed my monthly deadline by a few days. It felt like a personal failure at times; but, I kept moving forward by sometimes publishing a few days late and not feeling guilty. I am glad I decided to push myself and keep writing since I’ve experienced some surprises and successes along the way.
At the end of last year, I wrote a post on LinkedIn that went viral. It hit over 4 million views, 50K “likes”, and 600+ comments in early January of this year. Due to this post, I more than doubled my LinkedIn followers in just a few weeks. I find LinkedIn’s algorithm still a bit of a mystery on why some posts are more popular than others. Here is the viral post related New York City’s new policy around salary transparency in job postings (which is now being pushed out until later this year).
Another “win” related to my writing involved getting paid for my content. Both Revel and The Mom Project reached out to me to feature my writing on their blogs. Here are the three articles that brought in some additional side income:
I didn’t start out thinking that writing would become a side hustle. It was more about being able to express myself in a creative way. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why I continue to do this work. The reason I continue to write is for my audience. Every once in awhile, I receive a message or comment that something I wrote had resonated with someone in some meaningful way.
Here is a small sample of what people have shared with me:
”I resonated with so much of what you had to say about your divorce. I’ve even shared it with family and friends who sometimes don’t understand what I am going through” (When the End is a New Beginning)
“Thank you so much for sharing! This part especially spoke to me : “Practice self compassion: Be kind to yourself. It starts with you. If you respect yourself then others will learn to as well.” I also didn’t realize burnout was SO prevalent; 77% is unacceptable. Makes me feel grateful and more confident that I am handling things better than I think.” (Addressing Workplace Burnout)
“Love this topic, it’s so raw and relatable. I can relate with your dad pursuing his dream of entrepreneurship. I was pursuing my farm dream that did take my focus/time away from family and neglect my health.” (Creating a New Money Mindset)
“I love the distinction you made between being alone and feeling lonely. Through my different practices, I've started to see clearly the difference and it helps me to seek time with others when I'm lonely versus making plans to fill in the times I would be alone, which starts to feel draining.” (Replace Loneliness with Self Love)
This is exactly why I write. You never know when your story will validate, inspire or help someone else. When I did some self reflection work on why I get out of bed every morning, I realized that I enjoy being of service and being able to express myself in a creative way. My early career consisted of direct service work like counseling and coaching individuals. Through this writing practice, I’ve learned to combine my values of creativity and service to create impact in a new way.
The ripple effect of getting my thoughts out there into the world is what motivates me to keep this practice. If you are thinking about starting a writing practice, I would recommend to get clear on the reasons why you want to do it. The more meaningful writing feels to you, the more likely you will stick to it and continue to develop yourself as a writer.
5 Steps to Start a Writing Practice
I wrote about how I got started in my very first issue of Satya Creates, The Origin Story of Satya Creates. Here is a five step summary of how anyone can start a writing practice.
Write a little every day and don’t censor or edit yourself. The Morning Pages is a method that involves writing three pages every morning. I adapted this daily practice into writing one page in a journal and usually at night when my brain felt most creative. I’ll be honest that I haven’t kept up with the practice but I do sometimes restart it when I am feeling blocked or stuck.
Try writing online and don’t worry about what people think or if no one reads it. I started this as a weekly practice where I would write some type of post on LinkedIn every Wednesday. I also tried this with Twitter where I would tweet once a day. I am not active on either platforms as much today but it did give me the opportunity to practice my writing for an outside audience and observe what people seemed to respond to. This helped me shape the topic areas to focus on for my own online publication.
Join an online or IRL writing community because writing can get lonely at times. On Deck no longer has a writing program; however that was my first entry point into this whole world of writing and meeting other aspiring online writers. What began as an 8 week cohort turned into an ongoing weekly writing group. I look forward to seeing this small group every week, and our meetings always jumpstart my writing process when I feel unmotivated. There are many other online writing communities out there, and I’ll share a few at the end of this article.
Create an accountability system to keep your writing going. It’s easy to get caught up in work and life. I’ve often put my creative pursuits on the back burner so I knew that I needed to create something tangible that would make me write on a regular basis. Having an audience and being part of a weekly writing group has been my way of staying accountable. I don’t want to let my readers down after they took the time to subscribe. I also look forward to seeing my writing group friends every Saturday morning along with listening to some music and writing on a Zoom screen together. It does break up the solo activity of writing.
Get rid of perfection and just write. I am by no means the most skillful writer. English and literature were actually my worst subjects in school. I was always stronger in math and science so I never imagined myself as a writer. At times, I’ve felt like an imposter; however with the more writing I produce and publish, the more confidence I’ve gained in crafting this skill. It’s something that I continue to work on and improve.
Writing Resources
Here are a few resources that I have checked out or that were recommended to me by other people. Leave a comment if you have any additional ones to share!
Blogs/Newsletters
Anne Handley’s blog - Anne’s blog contains a treasure trove of content related to writing online. I especially loved these two posts: How to Get Better at Writing and How to Build a Daily Writing Habit.
The Saturday Solopreneur - I love Justin Welsh’s newsletter where he provides one actionable tip on audience and revenue growth for your online business every Saturday morning. He has some great guides on his website as well. I’ve learned a lot about the content creation business, especially about writing online. How to Choose a Profitable Niche is a great read if you are trying to figure out what to write about.
Communities & Online Courses
Foster is a community of writers, editors, and experts, who foster ideas from conception to publication. It’s a place to collaborate through editing, workshops, peer groups, and personal partnerships. It’s similar to the online writing program that I did at On Deck that no longer exists. I would highly recommend this as a great option for anyone who wants a community to support them in their writing practice.
David Perrell’s YouTube Channel - David started an online writing program called the Write of Passage several years ago that I’ve heard great things about. It’s also similar to the program that I did at On Deck but on the pricier side. He shares a lot of his content about writing online on his YouTube channel. I especially liked his video on How to Find Great Writing Ideas.
Creative Mornings - They describe themselves as the “world’s largest face-to-face creative community.” There is so much on their website that you just need to go there and roam around. I especially love their Field Trips, which are free virtual workshops or meetups on a variety of creative topics usually attended by 100s of people.
Ness Labs - This is a community where you can “build a lab for your mind with neuroscience-based content and conversations.” They have really cool workshops and discussion groups on a variety of topics but a lot of it is related to creativity. I also love their newsletter that focuses on creativity, productivity, and mental wellness. Here is a sample list of their best articles. I especially loved How to Build a Better Writing Habit and 90 Journaling Prompts to Spark New Personal Insights.
Books
The Artist’s Way - I’ve read this book a few times with others as a weekly creative practice and accountability group. It promotes the idea of the Morning Pages and helps creative people get unblocked.
How to Make Your Art No Matter What - One of my former colleagues gifted me this book as a going away present, and I’ve found it inspiring and motivating to keep my creative practice going. The author, Beth Pickens, offers practical advice for developing a regular and meaningful creative practice in the face of life's challenges and distractions.
Celebrating My 12th Issue!
Thanks so much for being a reader of Satya Creates. If you have found this newsletter helpful over these past months, please share my newsletter with a friend, colleague, or someone in your network who it might help. If there is an article that especially resonated with you, feel free to share it on any social media platforms. My goal is to double or reach at least 500 subscribers by the end of this year! I promise I will never spam anyone ever.