By Don’t take life too seriously, even if this is a business venture
If publications don’t publish your stuff – Try these five. It can easily harm your self-confidence and ability to grow as a writer. It’s ok; not everyone will like or appreciate your voice or the message you portray. Most publications will not post your stuff – or worst still – ignore your submissions, even though the message is good and you know it will help a lot of their readers. I get it; it happens to me too. Some people will be quite mean on this platform and pick your posts apart word for word. Every spelling mistake missed a comma or anything else that will help magnify their argument. They want to prove you’re not good enough so they can feel better about themselves. I get that these things can cause a lot of hurt and frustration. I feel you in a big way. Not everything is roses and vanilla Sundays around here. You can get past this frustration and hurt by being grateful for what you do have. Here are a few things that will increase your self-esteem and keep you pushing on despite adversity. Focus on the followers you do have It may be 10 or 100. Whatever the number is, take the time to focus on them. Ask questions within your posts, follow up on comments no matter how small they are. Now is the perfect time to acknowledge the holiday season and give them some good cheer. It’s always nice to be acknowledged, so why not give it to a stranger and make their day. The good cheer will come back to you in more ways than one. Genuinely comment on someone’s post. Don’t be fake, please – there are enough bots around that we don’t even know it. But when you see a great post, read it and love it; show that writer by making a nice comment about it. Give them some lovely praise. Everyone here works hard without much pay (hello 19 cents) and pretty much no acknowledgement. I haven’t told many people what I do as a side hustle, so it’s always lovely when I help someone get an “ah-hah” moment or provide some helpful advice. We’re all on here to make a difference to others, and you have to give first to get back. So, read, clap and comment as much as possible; that will also help you grow as a writer. Think of how you can increase your value to others Look at this from a value point of view. If some posts you create are lagging in popularity, how can you use that feedback more productively? Maybe structure your posts a little differently, or pick a few other topics that may be of interest. We don’t always know what will appeal to everyone – but it’s a very positive way of finding out. I recently started posting recipes, which have always been a paid feature. But, I decided that I wanted to add more value to anyone who follows me – or perhaps is searching for wholesome, tasty and caloric controlled food. I don’t charge for this, but it’s one way I can add even more value to someone. You never know how it may help. So if you have something you can offer, why not go ahead and try it out. The more you give and help others, the more you will get back in more ways than one. Don’t disregard the inspirational breadcrumbs that come to you during odd moments. We seem to get our ideas during the oddest times. It almost always happens when you’re on the toilet, in the shower or possibly during exercise. That’s all good, but don’t disregard them in those very centred times. I know it can be hard to stop working out when an idea or inspiration comes to mind, but get your phone out and type something. It can be a headline or one paragraph. Carry your phone wherever you can and be a content grabber. Sometimes what may be silly to you will be an inspiration to others. So. when those little crumbs start to flicker in your mind – stop and write them down. They could be your most profitable piece yet. Try more publications It’s easy to get stuck with the same publications all the time because you begin to gain popularity and know you will get a great deal of applause. But, it pays to venture out into the realm of pubs which may not be your ideal. You shouldn’t’ judge what could be successful for you unless you try as many as possible. It takes time to gain trust and other peoples love – primarily online. Everyone is used to fickle and fake people, yearning for claps and followers. Spend a couple of hours looking for exciting publications and start submitting your request to have them add you as a writer. Of course, the worst that can happen is nothing. But how will you know if you don’t try? Get productive and start accumulating publications. There will always be peak and lull times during your growth on this platform. Even if you work hard, it still doesn’t guarantee success every day. I write so many posts per day, but I assure you that if I were getting tremendous results all the time, I would not grow and develop. Sometimes when things are smooth sailing, we get comfortable and quite lazy. We let the ball drop and become unmotivated. It’s just human nature. So, when the times are good, enjoy them, and when it’s tough, work that little bit harder, be creative and change your angle a bit. In the tough times, we grow and develop – don’t forget that. If you would like to read more articles like this or start writing your own, please sign up via my link. I’d love to see you on the other side. Sign up here for your medium subscription I get a portion from your monthly fee at no extra cost to you and it will go a long way in supporting me as a writer.