I Will Publish Two Articles a Week For 6 Months
You’ve been thinking about writing on Medium as well. An algorithm has probably read your mind and served you with the headline “I wrote X articles on a medium for an X time”. Now, you need a peer who is actually starting.
Well, here is something a bit different compared to the topic of writing on Medium.
I’m not an experienced writer.
I’m not earning any money yet. Maybe I never will since I live in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We can’t get paid on Medium… (third-world country problems)
I don’t know what curating actually means.
I’m like you (or not). But I just decided I’ll start to write.
So listen up!
I’ll write 48 articles in 6 months
Big note! If anyone ever reads this…
This article comes in “I am and I will form”. It feels selfish, narcissistic, and doesn’t resonate with the fact that I want to write for YOU. For the reader.
Still, this article is an exception. Writing this feels like an important conversation I want to have with myself. An organized stream of reasons why I feel like I should stay committed to the writing endeavor.
Oh, another reason…
I want to use the chance to introduce myself to you shortly.
Maybe, this article turns out to be a reason why I stayed committed. If it does, then it can teach you a lesson as well.
I didn’t even have a clue what I’ll write
Here are my first three thoughts after writing the headline.
“Why did I even sign up for this?”
“What should I write?”
“There is an annoying fly in my kitchen. Should I kill it and enjoy the non-buzzing silence of my living room afterward? Or, should I suffer now, put my nerves to an ultimate test, and watch it fly as I write this piece…”
I’m not sure what I’ll write about and I don’t mind it…
The writing should probably be a good blend between what you like and what your type of audience wants to read. It’s common sense, right?
In search of that blend, it’s easy to get stuck in the overthinking patterns.
I’ll be as straight with you as I can be.
I am not sure what I’ll write about in these 6 months. I‘m not even sure about the next few sentences.
I have a lot of interests and I find it hard to manage my curiosity. If this is you as well, you are not alone.
After a life-long commitment to procrastination, I am sure about this.
Action creates more action. More action leads to healthy and progressive thoughts.
Compulsive overthinking, on the other hand, creates inactivity, anxiety, and self-esteem issues. This keeps you in a rut.
One of my all-time favorite quotes confirms my biased thinking on this subject. A quote I routinely forget to stick to.
“You can’t think your way into right action, but you can act your way into right thinking.” - Bill Wilson, Alcoholics Anonymous
So, acting my way into action here…I will write two articles a week for six months.
Why?
There are four reasons.
The reasons I just thought of as I’m writing this article. The reasons that came up after I decided to write for six months…
Get it?
#1 Reason: I‘m able to stay curious and creative
I am not one of those people who knew what their life calling was from childhood.
When I was four years old I tripped out the entire summer that I was Mitch from Baywatch. My parents bought me that rescue equipment Mitch used to carry when he ran towards the wild water.
I was running all over the beach, yelling, saving imaginary hot chicks from drowning. Dreaming of Pamela Anderson…
Reflecting back, I’m not sure why my parents allowed me to watch the show. Not only that, they bought me the equipment to feed into my childish delusions. My god…
Next year, I wanted to be a priest. A catholic priest.
The year after that, I wanted to be a singer.
Then a football player, basketball player, musician, president, E.T…
I think there are fewer registered professions than the jobs I dreamed of.
The point I’m trying to make is that I was always a curious individual. And I always had a desire to express my ideas in some form. Through conversations, competitions, sports, casual singing in the shower, and many other areas.
Writing allows me to dive into different topics and enjoy the creative process. I can do the research, uncover new interesting ways to elaborate on my ideas, read other stories, listen to podcasts, and so much more.
#2 Reason: Connecting with like-minded people
I live in a town with a population of around 100,000 people. It’s small by all standards.
It is highly unlikely that tomorrow I’ll stumble upon someone new who might share a new perspective. Someone I don’t already know who shares the same fascination or the level of depth in which he approaches it.
Different people in different parts of the world have the same appeals at this moment. For various reasons.
I get to take a leap from my local village into a global one in a matter of time it takes Windows to load. Plus I get to be in a small group of 1% of people on the internet who actually create “meaningful” content.
Let’s put that into a perspective…
Your mom used this 30–40 years ago to communicate.
If you were lucky, you played snake on this 15 years ago.
8 years ago, I worked as an English teacher. I taught English to Japanese kids from my grandma’s old house. One day she burst into the room and found me speaking to a monitor.
When I tried to explain my behavior she experienced a mild shock. I think that triggered her dementia a couple of months later… (sorry, I had to throw this one)
Fast forward today, you’re uploading a 1 GB heavy video on YouTube in minutes, chatting with eight people simultaneously via WhatsApp, and having your friend on the line while taking a walk in the park.
Put aside the negativity in the world and you’ll realize you’re living in the best times for human animals. Ever.
#3 Reason: It aligns well with my wanna-be profession
I recently quit my 9 to 5 and decided I should write words that sell for a living. Plus, take on some marketing projects as well.
I’ve been into digital marketing for a few years now, on and off. I find writing to be the most interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I love digital marketing in general.
Since I’m not really living in English speaking country, writing content is a solid way to fine-tune my overall writing skills.
For me, writing is a matter of practice.
Both content writing and copywriting.
And I want to practice some more.
#4 Reason: Earning money doing something I enjoy
Remember the story about a TV, a Nokia, and my grandmother?
Well, it turns out the way to transfer money has also evolved with time.
Not only that, but you can choose between 12,000+ different careers and get paid.
Don’t believe me? Here is a fact for you.
You can actually get paid to be someone’s friend.
Did I forget to mention we’re living in weird times as well?
The point is, I’m writing because I get to choose to do so. It’s fun. It’s creative. And it may pay the bills.
