Writing

Finding My Way Back to Writing

Breaking a 6-month Medium silence

Image credit: Canva Pro

Did I really not post on Medium for 6 months?!

What happened? What happened to me?

Did I lose interest?

Surely not! I love writing!

These were the thoughts rushing through my head last week.

This layoff might’ve been one of the best things that happened to my writing. I probably wouldn’t have posted the article last week if it wasn’t for that.

But really, what happened?

How can you love an activity or hobby so much and suddenly lose touch with it?

But more importantly, how can I (and you) get back to the game if you lost your writing grooves?

Medium screenshot by the author

Let’s rewind 6 months!

In retrospect, a few things happened.

I had this idea of publishing every day, and I did it for a while. My Medium account saw incredible growth (it looked incredible to me).

However, to publish daily, I had to compromise on a few aspects. For example,

1. Reduce the quality of my writing
2. Decrease the length of my articles
3. Use AI for brainstorming (not for writing)

Overall, I just put a huge amount of self-imposed pressure on myself.

Writing became a chore I had to do before my 9-to-5.

I also felt the pressure of playing the ‘Medium game.’ Reading & commenting on others’ articles, doing views for views, likes for likes (the unwritten rule of ‘Medium-friendships’), and engaging in online communities (this was actually fun at the beginning).

But then…I got tired of the Medium game. So I stopped.

I still wrote but didn’t post anything online. I also took a break from my

• Substack newsletter
• LinkedIn newsletter
• Freelance writing gigs
• and social media in general.

My UX tech job consumed 90% of my writing energy, and the remaining 10% was spent on analog Morning Pages.

Fast-forward to the present

Then, earlier this month, I got laid off.

So now, I don’t have any excuse why I don’t write.

I am the only person who can stop me.

So here I am, starting again, feeling like a beginner all over again.

Here are the things that helped me kick off my writing journey — because once a writer, always a writer.

1 — Don’t overthink what to write about!

I haven’t written for the public for over 6 months, so getting into the topic-paralysis is easy.

Try your best to avoid that!

Don’t overthink the genre, the topic, etc.

The secret to getting back to the writing game is to start writing!

There is no right topic; your interests might have changed during your hiatus. Give yourself some freedom and feel the flow again without the pressure of finding the perfect topics and content pillars.

They will come.

2 — Don’t overpolish your new first article!

In the past, I liked using AI as my editor.

But I also noticed that when I relied too much on my ‘editor-in-chief,’ I started losing my voice. I ended up overpolishing my draft because I wanted to release something perfect.

This time, I decided I wouldn’t use AI as my editor.

My writing might not be as polished as earlier, but it will be more me.

Now, I aim for an article of 700–1200 words, finishing a draft in an hour, editing for 30 minutes tops, and publishing.

Simple.

This is my new second article, and while I’m writing this piece, I’m feeling joy again.

I am in the flow!

It’s a wonderful feeling. There’s nothing else like this!

3 — Start where you are!

Don’t wait for the perfect moment to start writing again!

Don’t wait for the perfect topic or the length or volume of your articles!

Start with what you’re currently going through. Write about that!

For me?

It’s tech layoff. I’m an unemployed UX tech professional looking for my next role and actively applying for suitable positions.

So, I’m going to write about that.

I’ve had time to reflect on my goals in the past week.

I’m not going to lie; for a brief moment, I flirted with the idea of becoming a full-time writer, putting all my creative energy into my writing and building a business around it.

But let’s be realistic!

This might not be a feasible path for me (definitely not right now).

Not because I don’t believe in myself. I do!

But, if the past few months of my corporate job taught me anything, then it’s this: if writing is the job, then I feel too much pressure, and I don’t enjoy writing that much. It’s a choir. And I want writing to be a joyful activity for me.

So yes, I’m still looking for a corporate position that pays my bill, lets me invest, and takes the pressure off me. However, I also know that next time, I’ll only take a job requiring less writing from me so that I can still feel the urge to fill up my ‘creative writing bucket.’

If you’re new to me, hi! My name is Niki, and I’m a part-time writer.

[embed]About Me — Niki Tisza All I ever wanted was to writemedium.com