The Reason Why People Aren't Reading Your Stuff

For anyone who dreams of becoming a published author somewhere in the near future, building an audience is just as important as the content we are creating. But chances are, no one wants to read what we write, regardless of​ how good our piece might be.

We've grown to believe an engaging audience is just outside of our doors, eager to read the newest adventure taken out of the oven of our brains but, to be honest, most people who used to read our stuff as kids were either being paid or forced​ to read it.

Reality sucks, doesn't it?

As you find yourself finishing the last details of your novel or screenplay, a mix of nerves and excitement instantly floods you; you can't wait for the world to read what recently came out of your head and see their reactions.

Well, to author Steven Pressfield, odds are nobody wants to read it. Main reason? People are too busy to waste their time on average writing. Blame the Internet boom and how most of the writing available at the moment isn't precisely the crème de la crème but if you want people to notice you; you need to be exceptionally good.

Now, for most people, outstanding writing means high-minded literature and smart vocabulary but, fortunately, it doesn't. Creating a compelling, well-structured story or article doesn't require you to be the next Shakespeare. It's your accuracy of conveying an emotion through words that will do the trick.

Good writing means creating a piece people won't be able to put down, and considering most of them have already read it all, coming up with an idea to blow them away might seem even harder than doing the writing itself. But here's the thing, we often fail to see writing as a skill; meaning, the more you practice it, the better you get at it.

The ability to turn raw emotions into words won't come to you overnight; in fact, probably it won't even develop in the next five years. Because it grows along with you. It is only wisdom the one able to bring authenticity​ to your writing. And wisdom comes with age.

In the meantime, immerse yourself in the classics of your genre of choice and keep in mind frustration is part of the deal. Let patience become your ally in your journey as a writer since there is no such thing as time in writing. Even when you think you are stuck, as long as you keep pushing your limits and continue to put words on paper, you are moving forward.

Keep writing!

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Source: Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit (2016) By Steven Pressfield
Image Source: I, II