I started joining Medium amid this global pandemic. On my first day here, my feed was bombarded with heaps of writing advice. Most are very inspiring; others have similar contents.

I also have noticed that many writers are more into publishing daily, albeit of contents repetition, and that is fine. I wish I have the same courage, but unfortunately, I don’t.

My background is television reporting, news writing, and public relations. I have never been a blogger. I am also aware that I am a neophyte writer on this platform. But what I do know, which not take a genius to understand, is the perils of publishing half-baked written pieces daily.

Such a practice could be a missed opportunity for personal and professional growth. It is similar to how we break the news on television.

Even prominent news agencies fall to the danger of misinterpretation because of the immediate news airing. But in comparison to them, they are huge corporations with sufficient budget for damage control. Unlike here, we are on our own.

Therefore, whenever I write articles, I always think of the readers paying $5.00 for a monthly subscription. I cannot help it. I feel that I have a responsibility as a writer to deliver well, and provide the readers with quality pieces.

Write Daily for Your Own Good

Daily writing does not mean you instantly have to publish it. Please do it for your own good. I highly recommend daily writing for anyone, albeit you are not a writer. I included writing in my daily routine a couple of months ago, and here are the five results this habit has done for me:

1. Writing clears my thoughts and feelings instead of lashing it out on someone. It genuinely aided my anger management. Writing our emotions help us reflect on ourselves and the current situation we are experiencing. In my case, I get to analyze the root cause of my problem and have a better judgment, which is usually clouded by my emotions. Fundamentally, writing encourages me to be rational and logical with my decisions.
2. Writing helped me reflect on my life and the changes I’ve been making. I get to reckon happiness, heartbreaks, achievements, and fear that are affecting my status. I find this incredibly valuable because we tend to act without realizing the consequences of our actions. But by writing it down, I get to envisage possible outcomes that assist me in managing my expectations.
3. Daily writing enhances my brain to come up with new ideas. Therefore, it forces me to navigate the lack of concept problems, which I believe every writer encounters. There are heaps of subjects out there, and I am pretty sure you have lots of opinions too on what you have read, heard, and watched. Therefore, write it.
4. The more I write every day; I get to have more stories and articles at hand. I get to write seven to ten articles per week, apart from attending my regular job. That is quantity right there. I was also surprised by my ability to write that many.
5. The most important note. Writing every day makes me a competent writer. Besides, Stephen King was not made overnight. It took him years of effort to write daily. If you are a novice, all you need is to be consistent and competent. The more you write every day, soon, you will be good at it. Writing is a skill that requires regular practice. It is not rocket science.

Why I Don’t Publish Everyday

Publishing my stories and articles are a whole different ball game for me. To juxtapose my daily writing reflections, here are my five reasons why I refuse to publish my works daily:

1. I do not publish every day because I consider the people reading my stories. Writing every day may help anyone honed the skill but not enough to accumulate loyal readership. I want to make sure that if I share a portion of my life with the readers, it gets to inspire at least one soul out there.
2. Instead of publishing my work quickly, I revisit my drafts daily instead. Polish it, read it out loud, ensure it is consistent in sending a clear message. I don’t click “publish” if my draft was merely satisfying my ego.
3. Not publishing every day gives me a chance to correct the technical errors that I have made, such as punctuation, grammar, spelling, and structure. Therefore, when I get to submit my work to a publication, the editor would not curse my article because I was too lazy to edit most of it. The least I can do is not to be the editor’s burden. English is not my first language also. Therefore, I am more careful as I feel inferior compared to my English-native co-writers on this platform.
4. Not hastening my articles for public consumption gives me ample time to make it more credible by adding relevant research, especially when I am writing about marketing, public relations, communications, and history. Most of the pieces I have written were based on my personal experience. But it would not hurt to add proven studies that would substantiate it. By putting extra effort into research, I get to earn my readers’ confidence in my works.
5. Lastly, I refuse to publish every day to avoid sucking the life out of my followers. I am aware that I don’t have tons yet. But I am also proud that these people who followed me recognized the potential in my articles and believed in it. It is my responsibility to give them the proper quality and experience that their monthly subscriptions deserved. Therefore, I avoid posting crap in exchange for quantity.

Conclusion

Writing and publishing are two different subjects. The former is about you, while the latter is about your readers.

Writing every day develops personal growth and improvement. Such a habit will mold your skill, creativity, and competency. On the other hand, publishing is how you vend yourself to your readers. Therefore, doing it carelessly by fulfilling a quota and stats movement might be a missed opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Publishing every day may advance one’s visibility, but the more we become prominent, the bigger our responsibility will be. Our writing influences readers, therefore, be mindful. Giving them half-baked stories could be dangerous.

I suggest providing your readers time to anticipate. Let them appreciate your value as a writer and as an influence. So, they can look forward to your next stories. In doing so, you are giving them a much worthwhile experience, and soon, your considerations for them will pay off.