I think most writers have experienced this at one point or another. You finish a piece of writing – a blog post, an article, a short story, what have you – and you may think to yourself, “My god, what have I done!”
It’s crap.
Except… is it?
You re-read it again and again. There are elements you like. The direction seems reasonable. There isn’t anything particularly wrong with it.
But is it right?
This happens to me all the time. I’ll write, say, a Substack post, and I’ll wonder, Should I even publish this? I’ll go back and forth. I’ll hide it away and bring it out again. Finally, I post and let it go and hope and move on to the next thing.
And here’s the thing: the posts I thought were the worst often turn out to be the ones readers like the best.
The converse is true, too. Many of my favourite posts land like a frozen watermelon on a patch of daisies.
It’s a mystery I’ve been puzzling over for many years. Contributing factors to this phenomenon are sometimes:
Had to write it quickly
Things were flowing, even though I wasn’t necessarily thrilled with the final product at first
I can’t quite put my finger on the ephemeral reasons why I like it
I can’t put my finger on why it makes me nervous to publish it
I have a working theory about what’s going on here. I want to share with you today in the hopes it will help you, too.
Like What You’re Reading? Upgrade to Paid! Hit the Subscribe Button (even if you’re already a free subscriber).
Why It’s “Iffy”…
I know it isn’t just me. Everyone who has ever had a viral post will say, “I didn’t think much about it, but yeah, it really took off for some reason!”
My working theory to explain the phenomenon in my writing is this: my best posts tend to be the ones that dig into vulnerable, personal truths.
One of the things I’ve noticed about all things Internet is that the more vulnerable you are, the more reaction you are likely to get – at least relatively speaking. The medium doesn’t matter either: newsletters, YouTube videos, podcasts, a personal article… People want to connect to the person behind the username.
That speaks to bigger things. For example, how much of your “real” personality should you show to your followers? If you are performative and put on a social media persona, will it come off as inauthentic? @GeorgeKao says that we should focus on our “energy signature” – that your authentic self that comes through when you’re, say, talking one on one with a close friend. You don’t need to reveal all things you on social media (or your writing…), but the things you do reveal should be real.
It’s not easy. Being authentic is, well, scary. When we put ourselves out there – when we’re vulnerable – we open ourselves to criticism and ridicule. It doesn’t much matter that the feared derision is mostly in our heads. Maybe entirely.
And that’s when realization hit me like a box of firecrackers.
…and How to Embrace It
This explains my seemingly contradictory reactions. I like a newsletter article, even though I’m not sure why. I don’t want to post it though in case people reject it.
It dawned on me that I like it because it comes from somewhere personal – and maybe I don’t want to show it to people for the exact same reason? My mind interprets the post as iffy, but really what’s iffy is my resolve to publish it.
We’re not talking absolutes here. Not everything I’m iffy on works, and not everything I really like doesn’t. I’ve found too that over the years as I’ve gained experience, I’m more able to gauge what’s working and what’s not.
I’ve decided that I need to feel at least a little nervous and vulnerable for it to work. Somehow, that adds to the authenticity.
Write it like you’re the only person in the world who’s ever going to read it, like a diary entry. Only decide if you will share it after you have put your blood and sweat and fears onto the page. And have confidence that your vulnerable self will find soulmates in your readers.
At least, that’s my current working theory…
Over to You
Do you ever feel scared to share your iffy work? Do people tend to react favourably to those pieces? What’s the reader reaction to stuff you really like? Do you have any theories as to why this happens? Let us know in the comments below!
Until next time, keep writing with wild abandon!
~Graham
email me if you get lost.