Why I Write (and you should too)
On beliefs Tyler the Creator, Steve Jobs, Rick Rubin, and James Clear might agree on
Junior year of high school, I took an AP English class. I received praise from my teacher for my writing ability and to prove that she was onto something, I got a 5 on the AP exam that was administered at the end of the course. A 5 meant you were “extremely qualified” for the college course and would receive an A+ or A in that class. Not to mention, in 2023, roughly 10% of students received a 5 on the AP English exam. Much praise should be given to my teacher but perhaps, I could write a thing or two effectively. I never really thought anything of it other than I now didn’t have to take English in college. Once I got to college, I never really wrote anything as for me, writing was a chore and only something you do in an English class. I had no English classes left to take. Writing ceased to exist for me.
Fast forward to now and here we are, writing regularly. I think there is a tremendous power in writing or creating something that is bigger than you. And truthfully, I think everyone can do it. Whether it is writing, recording a podcast, having a coaching business, making videos, etc. there is something out there for everyone.
I began writing because I wanted something bigger than me but it wasn’t solely for that reason. Sometimes I write because I am fat and happy with a good idea. Sometimes I write because I overthink. And sometimes I write just to pass the time. It is therapeutic. There is a thing about creating that helps to ease the mind. This isn’t specific to writing either. I am sure it is why people mix music, write songs, produce videos, or record podcasts. It puts the brain in a flow state and can help you to detach from reality.
There are certainly health benefits to it. Health is wealth but it is an added benefit. It is not the only reason.
At first, writing, and creating anything for that matter too, and posting it for everyone to see is quite daunting. You begin by writing into a void and writing only to a few friends and some family. Then it begins to grow and you get a little more comfortable. But there is always the devil on the shoulder that has you thinking, how do you know anyone cares what you have to say? Why should they care what I have to say? Why should I continue to do this?
I find a lot of affirmation in what Steve Jobs says,
“There's lots of ways to be, as a person. And some people express their deep appreciation in different ways. But one of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put it out there.
And you never meet the people. You never shake their hands. You never hear their story or tell yours. But somehow, in the act of making something with a great deal of care and love, something's transmitted there. And it's a way of expressing to the rest of our species our deep appreciation.
So we need to be true to who we are and remember what's really important to us.”
Anything that was ever created was started by someone who had next to nothing for a following. Influencers, coaches, podcasters, writers, videographers, etc. all began somewhere. It takes time to grow but with enough repetition and enough reps, you will eventually start to get where you are going. And how you keep going, despite not knowing where it leads, is to continue to try and make something wonderful and put it out there in hopes of affecting one person.
A coach turns around the eating habits of a client and positively affects their life, a personal trainer helps someone to build a habit of working out transforming their client’s life, a writer gives someone the spark to change their life for the better, a producer puts out music that resonates with people, and the list goes on. It is a way of expressing appreciation to the rest of those with us here. It is building something for you that will help others. There is power in creating and writing.
Sure, I am motivated by money as well. Someone is lying if they say that they didn’t even have a sliver of thought about money when it comes to anything. Perhaps I make very few dollars from this blog, but I keep in the back of my mind that this could eventually grow into something bigger. It could help me land a job, open more avenues in writing, or provide another income stream. It is human nature to always be planning and plotting where something may go. I am not going to sit here and lie.
Except, you can do all the planning and plotting you want but that gets you nowhere. Life rewards repetition and effort. I think about the monetary side of it, but that is pretty much it, I don’t prioritize it. I have yet to spend a dollar on this newsletter with paid promotion, advertising, or marketing because that is where things get shaky. I don’t think I ever will, either. I focus on the inputs of which I can control, and I figure the rest will figure itself out later. If it is meant to be, it is meant to be. Maybe I should take Tyler the Creator’s advice and do a better job of promoting myself.
"I know a lot of people who make things who don't stand proudly by their stuff.
You went through something, you wrote words down, figured it out in the structural format, found music to go along with it, recorded it, went back and forth, edited it, mixed it, got the samples cleared, paid the mixer, designed an album cover, and you mean to tell me that you're going to be passive with your own stuff and put it on your Instagram story once?
Are you crazy?"
If you don’t root for yourself, no one will. It is important to stand by your stuff but always standing by your stuff is also continuing to have the confidence to put it out there. Continuing to produce, post, and coach, no matter your audience. That in itself is proudly standing by your stuff. Promotion is a nice, added benefit.
I rarely post to Twitter, I have posted to Instagram twice in the past year, I have posted an Instagram story about my writing twice, I have posted three articles of over 60+ on LinkedIn, and any other “marketing” avenues I haven’t even considered. I believe the best marketing is focusing on the piece each week and then the rest will figure itself out. Maybe I should try to reach more people. Maybe I should be more intentional in my posting on social media. Maybe there are a lot of things I should be doing but I believe, if you are creating something and putting it out there for anyone to see, sometimes I think that is enough. Just doing that alone is hard enough in itself.
The idea of marketing is best described by an exchange between Jerry Seinfeld and a young comedian. The young comedian wants advice on marketing and exposure. Marketing and exposure? Seinfeld couldn’t believe it. Just work on your act because the work is the only thing that matters, he tells him.
There is truth in that. The work isn’t good enough to spend any meaningful marketing on it. There is still much work to do. There is still a long way to go. Not only must you continue to write, but you must outlast competition. The work in itself is hard enough but there comes a point in time when enough focus on the work, will help the work market itself. Enough reps and repetition will start the avalanche of growth. It is compounding hidden in the broad daylight. There is also something to be said about writing. It is bigger than you but also dependent upon you.
One of the benefits of creating, building, or growing something that is entirely dependent on you is you are the only one who can make it go. Sure, I could hire a ghostwriter or you could outsource whatever it may be, but I struggle to see how much of that does well. If you have a coaching business of some sort the beauty of it is you are the reason why people contribute to your bottom line each month. They care what you have to say, not what anyone else does. The same goes for writing, the reason why someone might read your book or read your piece is because it was written by you, not anyone else.
The beauty of it is these things don’t scale. You only have so much human capacity and there is no other human out there like you. No other human has custody over your life. No other person out there has the same thoughts, beliefs, or reflections as you. The business can only scale to be so large when this happens.
It is part of the idea that competition is for losers as Peter Thiel coined. When people compete someone is bound to lose. Go where you are the only one and do what you can only do. That is part of the business of you and part of whatever you can create. At this point, it is a category of one.
The reason people listen to Fred Again.. is because the music was made by Fred Again.., the reason people watch James Cameron movies is because the movie was produced by James Cameron, the reason people consume Alex Cooper’s podcast is because she is Alex Cooper, people consume these things because of the people who make them. They are effectively a monopoly, a category of one. You can be the first or the only and it is much easier to be the only because there is only one you.
And how do you sustain it? You have to be consistent, you have to be committed, you have to learn, and you can’t force yourself to be interested in the current trends. Your interest will make it much more effortless. Effortless doesn’t have a negative connotation attached to it either. When you “throw something together” it is because the idea is clear and easy to communicate. In terms of creating something, the easier it comes to you the easier it will be to create, and most likely, the better it will be.
Take this writing piece for example, my newsletter is supposed to have a finance and sports flare to it. I have talked about the finances of creating something but this piece is much more than that. And to take it back to the beginning, I started this by trying to write about options trading. It was a place I was trying to initially box myself into. I continue to do options trading to this day but the path for me to write on it wasn’t sustainable. It was hard for me to write about things I found interesting in options trading and it was quite niche.
Instead, I just decided to keep the topic of finances and sports very broad. I don’t live and die by them either. I don’t optimize for anything. Truthfully, the only thing you should optimize for is something you are interested in. At this point, I am writing about what I am interested in. Why should you write about something you are interested in? Among other things, it ensures that interest in writing exists. Most likely, at the very least, your peers will be interested as well. Writing, and creating for that matter, is a lot better that way. Perform for an audience of one. I like what Rick Rubin says,
"There is no more valid metric to predict what someone else might enjoy than us liking it ourselves."
It brings authenticity because the true interest shines through. I think it is very telling when someone is passionate about something and creates something. There is a level of authenticity to it. The world values authenticity and that is why creating wins. Authenticity wins. No one sees the world exactly like you or talks like you. You are truly unique and if you own that, you will win.
Writing and creating something also gives meaning to life. If you’re following what moves you, the fatigue will be easier to bear, the regrets will be fuel, and the highs will be like nothing you’ve ever felt. In a life where everyone is searching for the meaning of it, I think James Clear says it best,
”The secret is not to find the meaning of life, but to use your life to make things that are meaningful.”
Writing and creating do just that and maybe, that is why I write and you should too.
Appreciate you reading.
-Scantron
This is so good...I can see why you got a 5 on the AP Writing Exam!
You mention about how you need to write about what you feel is worth writing about...and audience of one as you say.
Austin Kleon has often said, "write the book that you would want to read."
Sounds simple, but I think he is right.