Finding your people means writing your truth, even if no one reads it.
In Oklahoma, snow doesn’t usually hang around for long, but we are on day three of school closures, six inches of snow that hasn’t melted, and single-digit temperatures. We’ve been stuck in the house, which means I’m scrolling a bit more on social media than usual. I finally made it past the political opinions and doomsday predictions, all the way down to the writing and book publishing advice. Since the election, I don’t see these anymore, which is a whole other conversation about algorithms (let’s not go there). At the bottom of my feed on Instagram was a post from an author that said: “Building your author platform is about follow-through and the ability to stick to a commitment to create content—even when no one is listening.”
The phrase “create content” jumped at me like an annoying, high-pitched mosquito in my ear. It reeks of marketing jargon, and I rolled my eyes and scrolled past the post. Then, this morning, I searched for the post and read it again. I broke it down and finally agreed with the author. Yes, writers need to write a lot of stuff to catch eyes, build readership, and sell books. It’s what must be done. If that’s what you want to do.
I don’t.
After three years of procrastinating on the work it takes to build an author platform, I realized I don’t want one. The concept of creating content to attract an audience has done a number on my ability to enjoy writing for the sake of writing. There are always the same whispering questions in my mind: Who will read this? How will I make sure they see it? Is it relevant and unique and impactful? Will it prompt them to subscribe?
After a while, what it seems I’m really asking is, “Will they like me enough to follow and stick around?” Those are not the thoughts I want in my head at this point in life. I just want to write, and the constant motivation to “create content” and “build an author platform” zaps any creativity left in my bones.
Yet, here I am with a website and a blog, creating content. The reason I went back to the publisher’s post was this line: “…even when no one is listening.” She didn’t elaborate, at least not in this post, so I will. This is so much harder than it sounds, and yet we all start somewhere. I am confident the author had many years of creating content, even when no one was listening. Some people stick with it, and others don’t. I’m in danger of not sticking with it every day of my writing life. I could quit any time and do something else. I would be some level of miserable, but I have that choice, and so do you. I’m here to encourage us both to stick with it, so I decided to rewrite the author’s post in a way that lets me off the hook and releases the pressure I’ve put on myself. Here goes:
Finding your people means writing your truth, even if no one is reading it.
And friends, that takes a lot of faith—which I often lack. I’m more of a doubter, a cynic, and the kind of person who wants results from action. Why write if it doesn’t produce readers (someone other than family and close friends)? I don’t have much faith that if I just keep writing into the void, people will eventually find me.
I guess the point is that it shouldn’t matter. Write anyway. Write to no one. Write to two people. Write to yourself. Maybe it’s time to ditch the obsession over platform and audience and selling ourselves. If writing feeds your soul, then feed your soul and let the rest of it go. Embrace the process. Write something that is important to you. If it’s important to you, then chances are it’s important to someone else, too. If not, you’ve done the right thing by getting it out into the world.
Now, enjoy my favorite snow angel photo from our very wintery winter of 2025. It was my friend from Venezuela’s first time seeing snow, and she made about ten snow angels on our way to sled in the park. Here she is, soaking wet and joyful!
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