Rise and Fall

1. In-flight Breakdown

   January marked my most productive month, followed by another record in February. Everything seemed to flow smoothly, and I felt unstoppable. However, early March brought an unexpected illness that lingered for quite some time. This unfortunate turn ended a streak of over 140 consecutive days of writing.

Missing a day turned out to be both beneficial and detrimental. It allowed me to rest, but it also led to a slippery slope—once I missed one day, it became easier to miss another. My health deteriorated, and I struggled to write or publish anything. It wasn’t until early April that I began to resurface, and it took several more days before I could truly dive back into my work.

Through this experience, I recognized several critical missteps:

• I failed to plan adequately.
• My system lacked resilience; when I was absent, progress ground to a halt.
• I need to establish mechanisms that function independently in my absence, such as automated email sequences or products.

2. Embracing Change

   When your current approach isn’t yielding results, it's essential to be willing to change. Clinging to ineffective routines is a recipe for failure. Although I was writing daily, this method hindered my ability to complete substantial projects, as my time was consumed by blogging.

During my hiatus, I adopted a slower pace, focusing on fewer publications and creating exclusive content for my newsletter. I’ve eliminated the practice of dual publications and now tailor content to specific platforms. (If you want to stay updated, now’s the time to subscribe to my newsletter—the first in this new format goes out tomorrow!)

This shift has enabled me to draft a complete manuscript of about a hundred chapters for an upcoming book, something I hadn’t achieved in the previous 15 months. My goal is to prioritize being a novelist first, then a blogger—not the other way around.

3. Followers vs. Income

   April is turning out to be my most challenging month yet. A large follower count doesn’t necessarily equate to being read. I’m uncertain how distribution works—perhaps it requires a boost, a stroke of luck, sensational clickbait, or even sharing how much revenue I generate on this platform. Ultimately, follower numbers feel almost trivial; what's vital is being read. When engagement falters, it’s easy to question one’s abilities.

Thankfully, my newsletter is functioning well, providing some reassurance that I haven’t completely lost my touch during my break.

4. Lesson 3.5: The Perils of Breaks

   I’ve learned this lesson before, but I seem to have overlooked its harsh reality. After more than ten years in social media, it's clear that long breaks can inflict significant damage on whatever I've built. Some absences have led to the erosion of social media accounts, resulting in a loss of engagement as if I had been reprimanded for taking time off.

The reasoning is straightforward: while you’re on break, the world continues to move. Your followers may find new sources of content, and some won’t return. Although I wasn’t writing, they were still consuming others' work. This reinforces my earlier conclusion: always have a wealth of content prepared in advance to maintain posting consistency, even during prolonged absences.

So… What’s next?

I intend to keep writing, regardless of audience size. My motivation is intrinsic; I write for myself, and that will continue. I’m currently working on a book set for release on June 1, 2024, with hopes of producing a second one later in the year. My goal is to publish one non-fiction and one fiction book this year, focusing on making it happen.

The journey is more thrilling than ever, and I anticipate that checkpoint number 400 will bring unexpected insights. Let’s reconvene then.

If you'd like to explore previous checkpoints, check out:

• It took me 300 stories to learn this
• 5 lessons learned after 250 stories
• 5 lessons after 200 blog posts
• Why you need writing checkpoints after 150 stories

Chapter 3: Financial Wisdom from Literature

Learning from books can also guide you towards financial success.

This video outlines how a specific book can teach you six valuable lessons to help you achieve financial prosperity.