There are days when I find it extremely hard to think of a topic for this. I know that whenever I write about asexuality I will get views, but I don't want to limit myself to only writing on that subject. I've written posts that I feel are superb, yet they have minimal views. My post yesterday got a solid amount of views, which was honestly surprising. I assumed that it would attract an insignificant amount of attention. I'm glad that I was wrong. But, that's not the issue here, not really. The issue boils down to a choice: do I only write what I know people will read and share, or do I write what I want to?
The logical side of me says to write what others want, so that they will want to read what I want to write. Basically establish an audience first, then roll out the content. It makes sense. If I get enough people regularly reading what I'm writing, even if I'm just writing what they want, then that audience (mostly) will stick around when I start writing what I want to. Sure, I may lose some people, but at least I'll have an established fan base!
The other side, the free creator side, says to write and create what you want to. Don't pander to the masses just to feed your ego. Writing what other people want you to write just for the sake of views isn't really writing at all. It's boring homework. Writing what others want me to write has always been a sore spot for me. It goes against who I am to write things simply because it's what others want of me. I like writing on asexuality, do not get me wrong, I just don't want that to be all I write on. I'm not trying to say that I would start writing rightist or leftist propaganda just to get views. That really is not who I am. I had extremely conservative professors at university who gave me failing marks on my papers because I wasn't conservative enough, and I had a lot of people tell me "just give them what they want". I couldn't. It would have been a lie. And it wouldn't have reflected me as a person. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I had sold out to make some old, close minded people happy. Creatively, morally, spiritually, I want to write what I want to write. Because writing is personal. No matter what it is that is being written, it is a personal project.
Logically, if I had given those profs what they wanted, I would've had an easier go of it. As an actor, I could have viewed it as an acting exercise. But that still would've been a lie. Do I regret not giving those profs what they wanted? No. And yes. Of course I wish I could've had an easier time with those professors, but it wouldn't have been worth selling my soul for.
Obviously, this isn't quite the same. I am in control of all the content that gets posted under my brand. I like writing about asexuality, I like writing about other stuff. I just have to decided if I am okay with only writing about one subject I care about in exchange for consistently good views, or writing about all the subjects I care about in exchange for wildly erratic views. Not so much selling my soul, as locking part of it up. Or, to use a more relevant metaphor, keeping part of myself in the closest so that people like me.
Damn, that last sentence got real.
The logical side of me says to write what others want, so that they will want to read what I want to write. Basically establish an audience first, then roll out the content. It makes sense. If I get enough people regularly reading what I'm writing, even if I'm just writing what they want, then that audience (mostly) will stick around when I start writing what I want to. Sure, I may lose some people, but at least I'll have an established fan base!
The other side, the free creator side, says to write and create what you want to. Don't pander to the masses just to feed your ego. Writing what other people want you to write just for the sake of views isn't really writing at all. It's boring homework. Writing what others want me to write has always been a sore spot for me. It goes against who I am to write things simply because it's what others want of me. I like writing on asexuality, do not get me wrong, I just don't want that to be all I write on. I'm not trying to say that I would start writing rightist or leftist propaganda just to get views. That really is not who I am. I had extremely conservative professors at university who gave me failing marks on my papers because I wasn't conservative enough, and I had a lot of people tell me "just give them what they want". I couldn't. It would have been a lie. And it wouldn't have reflected me as a person. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I had sold out to make some old, close minded people happy. Creatively, morally, spiritually, I want to write what I want to write. Because writing is personal. No matter what it is that is being written, it is a personal project.
Logically, if I had given those profs what they wanted, I would've had an easier go of it. As an actor, I could have viewed it as an acting exercise. But that still would've been a lie. Do I regret not giving those profs what they wanted? No. And yes. Of course I wish I could've had an easier time with those professors, but it wouldn't have been worth selling my soul for.
Obviously, this isn't quite the same. I am in control of all the content that gets posted under my brand. I like writing about asexuality, I like writing about other stuff. I just have to decided if I am okay with only writing about one subject I care about in exchange for consistently good views, or writing about all the subjects I care about in exchange for wildly erratic views. Not so much selling my soul, as locking part of it up. Or, to use a more relevant metaphor, keeping part of myself in the closest so that people like me.
Damn, that last sentence got real.
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