Another Day, Another Sprint
2025-09-17
This week so far has been a tired one. It feels so weird to be in such a constant state of flux regarding energy levels. But still, I'm here and I decided to make today's entry a timed sprint, which historically has been very helpful with my writing process. When the timer comes on, it makes me just write without having to think as much about the thoughts in my head and just focus on what's being put on the page. I think that with writing, it's not the same as speech. In writing, there is generally more friction than with speech. With speech, there's less distance between your thoughts and your lips as there is between your thoughts and your fingers. So with that, an important discipline that I think would benefit any writer is figuring out every way to reduce that friction and make writing feel as close to speaking as possible. Once it feels more like speaking, that's when a writer's unique voice will reveal itself and once that happens, quality will skyrocket.
So yeah, I'm trying to reduce that friction as much as I can today. I don't want to have any space between my thoughts and my typing because when it comes to that flow of thought, I want to do everything I can to keep that pure. I think that with recent entries, I've had an easier time making the writing in them feel more planned and deliberate. They read more like essays than they do diary entries, and I think that I feel stronger in my quickness and quality when I sit down to write something I want to publish. However, I know that I still have quite a bit of work to do in terms of getting up to professional levels of output. Cogito has been a good training ground for me so far, but I need to focus on running the marathon instead of doing sprints.
The main thing that I want to accomplish by the end of this year is that I want to build a "content bank" so that I can take formats like IOKTIKN and others and publish there more regularly. The idea is simple: write enough pieces in advance so that there's always a "bank" of them in reserves so that I don't have to worry as much about deadlines. I'll always have pieces ahead of time and can publish them on a more consistent schedule. I know that this is a favored strategy by lots of professionals, especially those who publish serially like I intend to. I hope one day to really get more into publishing, whether it be zines or other kinds of writing. I think that if I do, I'd have a lot of fun doing it and it would give me a greater sense of purpose in life. I don't necessarily have a complete vision of what my publishing endeavors would look like and it's been weird looking for inspiration.
A lot of people end up falling flat on self-publishing and most works hardly sell at all. I know that for me, I'd probably take whatever works I publish and give them out for free and put them under the same license as the site and then ask for donations instead of payment. As much as I'd love to write as a "pure" vocation, it's really hard to get one's foot in the door and making money with writing is a lot harder now than it has ever been thanks to LLMs and technology in general. I always get pissed whenever I see these ultra-work-ethic successful type guys like Alex Hormozi or David Goggins say stupid shit like "it's easier than ever to be great." Maybe in some fields that could be true, but for writing, it's harder than ever because the barrier to entry has gotten so much lower. The market is saturated with content and creators, so getting noticed is harder than ever. Not to mention, the competition for getting traditionally published is harder than ever. Even established writers have been saying that getting published has gotten much harder.
On one hand, I feel a sense of resignation with the whole thing. It feels like a mountain too high to climb and it makes me want to give up before I even start. On the other hand, I also understand that for me, there's not really many better options. I'll have to simply contend with not being known or seen for a while. I'll have to contend with constant rejection, being ignored, and the internal battles that come with those situations. On top of that, I have to do what I can to keep working hard and not get lost in my own troubles and doubts. Working hard doesn't have to be this constant toil though. I can find joy in this process, and for me that involves the joy in figuring it all out. How can I write the best pieces? What can I do to get them out there? How can I get recognition from publishers? There's so much unexplored territory for me and I want to do whatever I can to make the best of it.