“Sibi scribere. — The sensible author writes for no other posterity than his own, that is to say for his old age, so that then too he will be able to take pleasure in himself.”
– In Human All Too Men, By Friedrich Nietzsche
I came across this idea a while ago. Plenty of creators and writers I follow seem to support this idea. Even ancient philosophers, prophets seem to indulge in this philosophy. I never understood the importance of firsthand experience. Writing seemed to me like a chore at times
It seems to me that the importance of personal writing is not talked about enough in our school system.
Writing has become some sort of chore. The not so “sexy” thing to spend your time on.
Luckily for me lately, I’m freed from that way of thinking.
Realized writing shouldn’t be that. To Simply write, one must think.
So writing in a simple sense is a form of critical thinking.
To have critical thinking for me means one has a voice. One can clearly express his or her ideas to the world without constraint. Simply expressing from a unique perspective.
Perhaps if we teach that to kids, they would be more encouraged to write.
We need to go back to the root of writing.
I believe the idea “write to yourself and yourself only” can reinforce writing in our generation. The idea of simply writing for oneself invites creativity and encourage critical thinking. This idea has a sense of stability.
Write solely to yourself, not for the external outcome,
Not only for the best grade,
Not only to look “cool” on social media
But for yourself.
Then I should ask myself, is writing really the way?
Silenced minds: a generation that lost its unique voice
In times when the internet was just a futuristic idea, writing for oneself was not a challenge but the norm. There was a distance between the writer and the “audience” physically and temporally, so much so that writing for “oneself” was just seem as the appropriate thing to do and easier. The idea of writing for an “audience” perhaps felt so distant, overwhelming and paralyzing. Whereas writing for oneself just seem more logical and certain.
Today, in the era of social media, the situation is reversed. The internet has allowed us to connect with billions at a click of a button(which is great in many sense). But now we have our audiences so near, that publishing a piece of your work for the sake of pleasing them, seems so much easier to do than to write for oneself. That’s the challenge we’re facing today. People overlook the benefits of writing for oneself.
If you take a moment to jump on twitter, you’ll see this exact problem. Most people are writing for reactions, attention, and some to please others. In the media, journalists write for what goes along with their agenda and what is keep eye balls. Some writers publish for the sake of what is going to sell the most. Students in university writing for things that they do not care about for the sake of getting a good grade. The audience has become our “big brother”. This phenomenon is causing us to lose our unique perspective, which is our voice, the critical thinking one.
Writing: A Tool For The Creator Economy
Since the start of 2023, I have gain more interest in writing. I’ve been trying journaling, writing essays on things I find interesting and so on. Since then I’ve been also interested in the creator economy. I believe the creator economy is our era’s new oil. That’s how impactful I think it is. Content is everywhere calling for our attention. I realized writing for yourself and content creation is a match made in heaven.
If you stop and think about it, writing is the common denominator in many things we consume.
You don’t think so?
What about movies
Tweets
Youtube videos
Commercial on T.V
The News and so on.
Many things in the media that we consume are made possible by writing. so writing is crucial.
But how do you stand out in the world of creator economy if everyone is trying to please an audience? You may ask.
Write. To. Yourself.
That’s the answer for me.
That’s how you escape competition and avoid saturation.
You want to make a killer tweet, write to yourself.
You want to script for your youtube video, write to yourself.
Make an Instagram reel… you guessed it.
I can keep going.
Writing to yourself means one has to write for their interests, ideas, and reality, creating authenticity and a unique story.
Don’t write and make content for the likes and follows. That’s how you burn out.
Do it for you, your soul.
When you write to yourself the audience is no longer distant, it’s you. You know yourself more than anyone so your target is accurate.
One person, one idea, one interest. The niche is given to you. It’s the new meta.
Yes I know, it seems counterintuitive to old-school marketing strategies.
That’s exactly the thing, the creator economy does quite the reverse.
How I Tend to use The Internet
I see the internet as an empty bucket where I can deposit my thoughts and ideas.
I use twitter as my common place book, where I dump my inspirations, thoughts and interests
My blog is my journal. My blog posts are like conversations about myself and how I’m on the journey of shaping my life. I will never run out of things to say because I know more about myself than anyone(except Christ of course). And by default, like-minded people will resonate with me.
Do you see how that work? You kill two birds with one stone. You serve yourself and others in that process.
When you write to yourself, the target audience is you. So you won’t miss the target. I guarantee that if you have an interest in something, there will always be someone out there who will also be interested in your work.
Whereas if you write and do your work only for an audience, you may hit the target but your unique voice and authenticity would not stand out. You won’t lose your audience for writing to yourself, if anything you gain like-minded individuals.
Isn’t that what we all want?
Don’t fall for the trap
There is catch, a trap we fall into. Especially for creators. First you start writing to yourself then you lose sight and start thinking about external outcomes. I started writing online here and there earlier this year. But I got trapped and started worrying a lot more about the outcome more than writing. Which slowed me down and I stopped writing for a moment. Writing to yourself is the action, not the outcome.
Here are 2 traps we need to avoid:
Monetary gain
Don’t get me wrong money is great, we all do want money, let’s not lie to ourselves. Like many other things when your only focus is money, things usually don’t end up well. It’s no different when it comes to writing as well. Having money as one of your goals in this writing journey is no problem. But if it’s the ONLY goal, then there is a problem.
I do desire to build wealth, it’s ONE of my goals. But I will also be fine if I don’t attain it because it’s not my ONLY goal in life, especially when it comes to writing.
I simply write for personal satisfaction and to gain clarity in my own life.
I must stick by it and not lose sight. I’m certain everything else will follow.
I leave you with this quote:
“People who write for reward by way of recognition or monetary gain don’t know what they’re doing. They’re in the category of those who write; they are not writers. Writing is simply something you must do. It’s rather like virtue in that it is its own reward. Writing is selfish and contradictory in its terms. First of all, you’re writing for an audience of one, you must please the one person you’re writing for. Yourself.”
Harper Lee, In an interview 1964.
Audience Focused
You can use writing for yourself as a tool for building an audience. But again it shouldn’t be your only focus.
ask yourself these questions instead:
Why do you want to gain an audience?
Why are you writing for?
If your answer is just to gain a following, then you need to reevaluate your goals
When you solely write for an audience you lose your voice.
“Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.”
Cyril Connolly, in The New Statesman, 1933.
Writing should be authentic, unique, and sometimes a reflection of you, the writer.
It should come from the heart.
How to Write to Yourself(regain Your voice)
- Take Time & Get Away To write for yourself, one must venture far from the conventional route. This requires a certain degree of anti-social discipline and deliberate self-renewal, to even become a self that could have a unique story and personality for whom one could write. Only then can authentic and meaningful writing for oneself take root.
This summer this is what it has all been about for me. Regaining myself blocking all the external noise so I can focus and write to myself and gain clarity of my life.
I became a bit anti-social this summer. I haven’t been talking or hanging out with acquaintances or friends much. But this is only for a small period because I don’t want to be anti-social in the long term. It can be addictive, I don’t believe that’s how we should live.
So I will suggest doing the following:
- Take time alone: a period of 2-3 months to completely cut off the noise, find focus.( too long can get addictive)
- Gateway: Get in places where you can think clearly and minimize your time on social media(or cut it off completely if you can)
- Gain momentum
- Choose your voice: once you get back from time alone away from friends and social media, define who you are and what you stand for.
2. Start where you are
Write whatever you want, that’s the beauty of it. Write exactly where you are in life.
Think about what you’re going through in life and write about it. Certain challenges, victories, interests, or what your mind is thinking about. Those things are about you, so, therefore, you are writing to yourself. That way, we make writing more fun.
It can be used as a way of journaling your life.
I myself use writing in that way.
For example in my previous letter( It’s Time to Reinvent Yourself- Here’s How), I wrote about why I quit soccer and how I reshaped the way I’m trying to leave my life.
Writing about it allowed me to gain clarity about the situation and made peace with that decision.
3. Write
Then when you have that, simply write.
It should not be complicated.
Find a way to write to yourself.
Make a system of writing, perhaps it’s writing on paper or online.
Whatever the system is stick to it, momentum will build up.
Key Takeaways:
- The pressure to please audiences has caused many to overlook the benefits of writing for oneself, resulting in a loss of unique perspectives and critical thinking.
- The creator economy, fueled by content creation, has become a powerful force in today’s world, with writing being a central element in various media.
- Writing for oneself creates authenticity and a unique voice, helping individuals stand out in a crowded creator economy.
- The trap of focusing solely on external outcomes, such as monetary gain, can hinder genuine self-expression and creativity.
- Building an audience can be a goal, but it should not overshadow the importance of writing for personal satisfaction and clarity.
- Regaining one’s voice through writing involves taking time away from external influences, defining one’s values and interests, and simply writing for oneself.
- Journaling and writing about personal experiences can be a valuable tool for self-expression and self-discovery.
- Developing a consistent writing system helps build momentum and enables writers to stay true to themselves and their unique voice.
Yes, writing is indeed the way.
Thanks for reading, It would mean the world to me if you subscribe below for more content and writing sent directly to your inbox.
– Esaie