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Show HN: Write 500 Words a Day

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Re: Show HN: Write 500 Words a Day

#21

Post by nicbou »

reidjs wrote: post #14

Does anyone else have the problem where they write a lot, but it all seems to go into the void and never produce any tangible benefit? How do I produce writing that people want to read?

Writing for its own sake has its benefits. It forces you to flesh out your ideas, to consider how you actually feel, and to flex your writing skills.

I like having a record of my thinking. I read a travel journal I wrote some time ago, and it painted a much more faithful picture of my trip than dozens of photos. I had a good chuckle at some passages, and at my doodles in the margins.

I also write in public, mostly to share solutions, but occasionally to share my thoughts. I've shared a few posts here and loved the ensuing discussion. Some people have reached out because they somehow came across a post I wrote. It's cool to help a guy from Tennessee change his break pads, or to meet a guy from Berlin because he thinks we'd get along (we do).

In the end, I write for the sake of writing. It's like practicing guitar. I have no dream of being a rockstar; I just enjoy the process. However, doing things in public occasionally bears fruit in the most unexpected ways.

Re: Show HN: Write 500 Words a Day

#22

Post by Octokiddie »

reidjs wrote: post #14

Does anyone else have the problem where they write a lot, but it all seems to go into the void and never produce any tangible benefit? How do I produce writing that people want to read?

What do you notice people reading in your area of interest? You might try emulating that a few times and see what happens.

Also, you might try distributing your writing more widely - not to promote it, but to get feedback. Find alternate distribution channels.

Re: Show HN: Write 500 Words a Day

#23

Post by neilv »

DiggyJohnson wrote: post #19
neilv wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My New Year's resolution, to achieve positive text-writing valuation, is to join the HN 10Karma Club. It doesn't pay the rent, but one can't deny the quantitative validation of imaginary Internet points.

I resent you for making me aware of that this could be a goal. Cheers, and godspeed.

I mean, it's right there, in the corner of the screen, like the score in a video game. :)

Re: Show HN: Write 500 Words a Day

#24

Post by jsemrau »

reidjs wrote: post #14

Does anyone else have the problem where they write a lot, but it all seems to go into the void and never produce any tangible benefit? How do I produce writing that people want to read?

You have two problems.

(1) It's a function of audience. I am writing on Medium with moderate success (~1.4K followers, prior top 5% of business writers worldwide), and I noticed that content discovery on the platform is just broken. The same applies to Twitter.

(2) In 2022, we are competing with content farms that drown out smaller "creators" ...start to hate that word.

It used to be true, that I would write an article about Apple's product launch and gathered 40K views. Not anymore.

But then, I am now mostly on Youtube for content consumption. So I guess, that makes me part of the problem.

Re: Show HN: Write 500 Words a Day

#25

Post by _9hey »

This is interesting to me because I have a lot of ideas that get cut short as soon as my bias toward action kicks in. “Write then do” sounds like a good practice, though I’d be more interested in using a foam daily note. The calendar visualization is nice, and the availability of a website is nice.

Re: Show HN: Write 500 Words a Day

#26

Post by k__ »

2017 I had the new year's resolution to write one blogpost a week.

Now, I'm making all of my income from technical writing.

Consistency is key. With that said, less is more.

Stephen King said, he writes 6 pages a day, which is probably too much for most people. But one page a day should be doable.

Re: Show HN: Write 500 Words a Day

#28

Post by abudabi123 »

reidjs wrote: post #14

Does anyone else have the problem where they write a lot, but it all seems to go into the void and never produce any tangible benefit? How do I produce writing that people want to read?

> http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/antares.html

I am new to astro and enjoy reading Jim Kaler's writing which has a lasting effect on me.

Re: Show HN: Write 500 Words a Day

#30

Post by maegul »

reidjs wrote: post #14

Does anyone else have the problem where they write a lot, but it all seems to go into the void and never produce any tangible benefit? How do I produce writing that people want to read?

Putting aside the need for an audience, I think the whole personal wiki or Zettelkasten thing helps with writing for yourself as the process becomes about building up your network of thoughts, then browsing it, writing back into it, … etc.
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