Why write about anything when there's people smarter than you?
Ok, so the reason for this post is because one of the reasons that stop many people from writing is the feeling of not being expert enough to write about something.
I've felt it myself:
- Someone's going to expose me and everyone will know I don't know enough about this.
- I will feel bad if someone criticizes what I write because that's a reflection of my worth.
The truth is that the mere act of writing about any topic is a sign of courage and it will help you be a better thinker.
Truly understand something, or find out your knowledge gaps. #
You'll have a better understanding of the topic you write about. Maybe you have already read a book, watched multiple videos but until you engage with the content and try to put it in your own words, you won't really learn it in a deep way.
Whenever I write about something, I can detect some areas where my understanding is not good. I can decide if that's something I'd like to improve, but at least I have a better idea of what I don't know.
You will be a better thinker. #
Writing is thinking, and improving one's writing will have a direct impact on the ability to think in a clearer way.
Do some quick experiment. Pick one topic you think you already know and write a short paragraph about it. Maybe some questions will arise, maybe you will follow a new path based on some idea. The point is that the act of writing invites creativity and will open doors to more ideas, solutions to problems or will inspire you to learn something else.
Your experience and context is unique. #
There may be a lot of tutorials about some topic but I think everyone has a unique experience and can present a topic from a different angle that may be more approachable to a group of people.
An expert may write something that's boring and difficult to understand because of the assumed context. However someone who just started learning may have interesting insights about a topic because she started with a fresh mind. It's a shame that beginners don't write more because a lot of topics would be more accessible. I usually don't feel that an expert understad my struggle to learn something as someone who is on a similar level.
Let's bring back the internet of experimentation. #
We live in a world where companies spend a lot of money creating and curating content and where there's a few people who are geniouses at their craft and generate super high quality content on every possible topic.
That's a big pressure for anyone who wants to publish something of their own. It may promote perfectionism (the enemy of doing anything) and procastination.
I believe that there's a lot of room for genuine writing by normal people and a lot of people value authenticity (something that's very hard to do for a company even if they put lots of money on it).
Ok, if you reached this far I hope you give it a try, go and start a new blog (or resume writing for your abandoned one) and just see what happens.
I'll leave with some questions about this topic, maybe you can share your responses in your own blog ;)
- What's blocking you from writing more?
- Can you describe the resistance you are feeling when thinking about writing?
- What tips do you have for those of us who have struggled with motivation and consistency?
(If you write something inspired by this post let me know!)