Have you ever talked about your plan of writing a new creative project but in the end you didn't even finish it? Worst? Hindi mo nasimulan man lang. Afterall, it was just a plan. That's what happens kapag mas marami pa ang 'talking' kaysa 'doing.' And you feel like you're scamming people. Scam ka!
Kapag nagsusulat tayo, minsan hindi natin maiwasan na ma-excite na mag-share ng progress sa internet. Nakaka-excite naman kasi talaga, right? Maybe because we feel validated that we're a writer when other people know that we write. Maybe there's a satisfaction that we feel kapag maraming nakakaalam and you're like, "hey, world, i'm making progress. pay attention to me!" There's an ego boost kapag alam mong may writing progress ka, even the dopamine hits you.
Pero ano nangyayari minsan? We couldn't even finish what we started. You probably can still remember yung mga creative projects na pinag-post post mo na hanggang ngayon, it's either one draft pa lang or book cover pa lang. Nabulok na. But that's okay, completely normal. But I hope, gradually, matama natin ang writing habit na 'yan.
The best progress that we can make in writing is when we shut up and just write. When we write in peace, it is as if the universe is here to help us complete whatever creative project we've been working on. Ang peaceful lang. Honestly, I believe na puwede kasing maka-attract ng negative energies kapag mas nauna ang talking kaysa doing.
Sure, you can still promote pa naman on different social media platforms, but now, more on doing ka na. Gagawin mo na lang ang promotion after making sure na may nasimulan ka na, natapos kang chapter or nakumpleto mo na, for example, ang series na tinatapos mo.
Why do we even feel the need to be acknowledged? Readers are everywhere naman, waiting na may mabasa. Marami at marami ang dadating para basahin stories mo. There's an abundance, always remember that.
But observe readers: they want to read completed stories. Put yourself in their shoes, their reading experience. If you're writing a series then nasa first installment ka pa lang, nakapag-promote ka na, and let's say, your promotion became viral, ano magiging reading experience nila? Mabibitin. In this case, ano'ng possibilities puwedeng mangyari? It's either they will stay or makakalimutan nila series mo.
Then, you, as the writer, puwede mong ma-reach ang point na kahit ang dami mo ng followers, may iilang readers na ang nag-aabang sa 'yo, but you're still not satisfied. You still feel like you're not enough. Kaya magpo-focus ka na naman sa promotion nang promotion, day after day. Hanggang sa frustration na lang lagi mararamdaman mo at itatanong mo sarili mo, "bakit hindi nila binabasa stories ko? ano'ng mali at kulang sa 'kin?" You're stuck in desperation mode and lack mentality.
Applause for your effort to market yourself and your stories, pero puwede 'yang mag-lead sa unhealthy relationship to numbers. Wear the shoe if it fits, ikaw ang nakakaalam ng nararamdaman mo.
We're in the digital age, attention spans have been shrinking. In wattpad, everyday pa naman ang daming series na puwedeng sumikat agad, lalo na sa Tiktok. As a writer, you don't want to experience na dadaanan ka lang ng readers at makakalimutan ka na nila. May mga na-observe nga ako na na-hype stories nila sa TikTok, dumami ang followers, pero ngayon, patay na account nila. Probably kasi hindi na-solidify ang branding nila, they weren't able to keep up with the hype, and followers are not always equal to readers. Saddening and you don't want to experience that.
That's why you have to be patient. Don't ever rush your way to being a published author. Readers will always come. Focus more in completing and polishing your series. Make your stories and your characters remarkable and memorable. And remember you're doing that more for yourself. Because inner satisfaction comes not from other people but from writing itself.
To a peaceful writing journey, always remember that you don't have something to prove to other people and I hope you can discipline yourself to shut up and just write because you're already enough.
٩꒰｡•‿•｡꒱۶
Drino Wang
BINABASA MO ANG
Still Me, Still Writing
Non-FictionMaraming writers ang walang solid inner foundation. Kaya they suffer so much in their writing career. Worst? Mag-quit permanently. Even some published authors are still struggling because they don't have the inner foundation. This is a book which fo...
