How does a writer/poet find readers?

Should I follow the machine's maze, the game designed for us to play? Or post endlessly on social feeds that scream, “Look at me!”? Should I break the bank subscribing to every sales pitch from SAAS (Software as a Service) as my strategy for success? How does one navigate the ever changing landscape of the Internet, buried beneath walled gardens, algorithms, and AI overviews? Or should I optimize and strategize for SEO, but wait, isn't SEO dead?

Should I pay to play to be seen?

I honestly don't know.

But for now, I'll write every day. I'll fill the screen with my words until they stretch across the web, and hope you'll find them to read.

And when you do, please, share me.

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#APoet'sNote #PoetJaredChristian #Writing

I feel the need to get back into the habit of writing regularly. And I can't think of a better way to do it than to take the 100 Days to Offload challenge a second time.

The 100 Days to Offload challenge is simple: publish 100 posts on your personal blog within one year. You can start any time, you just need to do 100 posts within 365 days. It's simple, but it's not as easy to accomplish as you might think.

I started my first challenge in January 2022 and completed it in December 2022 with one day to spare. There was a stretch of several months where I didn't post at all and had pretty much abandoned the idea. But somehow I found my way back to blogging and earned my spot on the Hall of Fame.

I have written with less consistency since then. Much has happened in my life and in the world. And to be honest, I'm in a worse mental and emotional state now. But looking back, the times when I have felt the best mentally have been the times when I was writing the most. I don't know if my desire to write flowed from or contributed to my good mental health, but I want to see if writing helps me now.

I think writing is good for me in a number of ways.

Writing is intentional. It requires focus, effort, attention. It is not passive.

Writing helps quiet the mind and organize thoughts. Sometimes I have so many ideas and thoughts rattling around in my mind it's difficult to make any sense of them or hash them out. Writing is often a way for me to get those thoughts and ideas in print so I can work through them and see if they actually make any sense.

Writing is a good creative outlet. It allows me to express myself. To dream and wonder in print. Making things and sharing them with others brings meaning and purpose to life.

Writing personal blog posts is almost like keeping a journal. Like blogging, I have never been consistent about keeping a personal journal. But I'm thankful for what little journaling I have done and to be able to read old entries and remember and learn. Everything I post in this blog is captured in my personal Day One journal thanks to IFTTT.

So here's to the next 99 posts as part of my second 100 Days To Offload challenge.

If you have a personal blog, would you like to take up this challenge, too?

#100DaysToOffload (No. 101) #writing

“The frost is heaven’s first applause.”

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A window left ajar welcomed the colder hour.

I heard the leaves, aflutter— alive with trembling prayer.

The frost leapt in and kissed my cheek.

I dreamed of the staunch yard poet:

a year spent writing— tonight, it publishes its work,

arms raised high in praise of the Almighty.

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#poetry #confession #dream #sxs #wyst #100daystooffset #writing