As a Content Creator, I've received a bounty of feedback pertaining to my writing.
I've made people laugh (both at me and with me), I've pissed people off with my personal beliefs, and I've even made people cry with emotionally provoking pieces.
However, I've also been critiqued for my word choice, told that my Western Pennsylvania roots are both present in my writing and incorrect, and told that if I were to pursue a career in writing, I wouldn't find success. So, why do I continue to write? Why do I continue to allow myself to be open to the possibility of ridicule?
I have a few sources of motivation.
The first is plainly because it's what I love to do. Whether it be writing creatively or writing on The Odyssey's platform, I find great pleasure in putting words together in ways that can affect people or affect change. There's no feeling quite like finding the correct words in the correct sequence that have the ability to reach deeply into one's mind or heart and evoke thought or feeling, which segues me quite nicely to my second source of motivation--provoking the emotions.
Whether my article is shared 7 times (my current lowest mark) or 437 times (my highest), one of those shares could have been from someone who genuinely benefitted from my writing. Perhaps, one of my satirically-based articles found the eyes of someone after a particularly difficult week and allowed them to smile through the pain. Perhaps, one of my hard-hitting articles found the eyes of someone who couldn't see the silver-lining in a bad situation. Perhaps, one of my articles drawing attention to my personal faults found the eyes of someone who couldn't get their mind off of their own faults. Whatever the reason, I, as a writer, have the ability to help people with my writing; and I think that's damn cool.
So, my message to my fellow writers is this: don't get discouraged by numbers. If you have a particularly bad week with regard to the reach of your article, remember that one of those 7 shares could have been by someone who needed to see what you had to offer that week.
And, keep in mind that the harsh words or opinions of one person do not mirror the thoughts of everyone. Just because one person thinks your regional dialect doesn't have a proper place in your writing doesn't mean that everyone thinks that way, and just because one person says you don't have a shot sure as hell doesn't mean to give up doing what you love to do.
Keep writing because your writing has power.
