Writing as a Practice, Not a Performance

 

As children — before the world told us otherwise — we created stories purely for the joy of it. We built worlds from nothing, spun tales to intrigue, excite, or terrify. But somewhere along the way, the poison of social media seeped in, turning writers into products rather than storytellers. Instead of letting our work speak for itself, we became part of the performance. 

I am a self-published author who adores the journey of creating and sharing stories — characters, epic journeys, moments that stick with you long after the last page. I write for those brave enough to pick up the books of an unknown author, especially in a world where every penny in our pockets now counts.

But I’m drawing a line in the sand. I refuse to let the rotting world of destructive self-promotion dictate my worth as a writer.

At the time I’m writing this, I’ve published three books — self-published, self-edited, and ghost-read by a team of trusted friends and family who, after several trials, proved they could give me honest, sometimes brutal feedback. And, of course, self-promoted.

Three months after releasing my first book (which I’ll link at the bottom for anyone actually curious about my writing style), I’ve sold 190 copies. A number that, in the grand scheme of things, means everything and nothing. Those copies sold felt fantastic, it felt like validation of my hard work and creative time spent mulling over a dirty keyboard and knocking back loose amount of bitter coffee.

But you know what didn't give me that feeling of satisfaction, of a gratification for my hard work, that internal pride? Those 30–40 likes a social media post got on Facebook that led to zero sales.

Because here’s the thing — getting those books into the world wasn’t the exhausting part. It was the relentless push to socialize the effort. Facebook. Instagram. The endless battlefields of Twitter/X and BlueSky. Trying to carve out attention in a loud, overcrowded, algorithm-driven circus.

It was a slow death, hacking away at the flesh of my desire to just write stories.

At my lowest, when the pressure to chase success felt suffocating, I asked myself one simple question:

“Do I need to be financially successful for this to be a writing career I am proud of?" 

The answer? No.

I won’t find validation in book sales alone, nor do I need someone else’s approval to prove my stories are worth reading.

But let me ask you something.

Are you a better writer because you promote yourself on social media?

Are you getting where you want to be by devoting your mental energy to marketing?

Do you believe there’s another way to write and share your stories?
That last one is something I think we can figure out together.

I’ll explore alternative ways to get stories into the world without being swallowed by the influence circle of doom.

Which looks a little something like this:

Author A: “Hey everyone, I just wrote this new story! It’s exciting, and you should totally check it out for £2.99 on Amazon!”

Author B: “That’s incredible! I’ll check it out. Keep up the good work!”

Time passes. No sales are made from Author B.

Author B: “Hello, followers! I’ve just released the latest book in my series. Check it out and explore the fantastical world of Whatersville — available now on Amazon and Kindle!”

Authors A/C/D/E/F: “Wow! This looks right up my street. I’ll definitely pick it up!”

Time passes. No one buys anything.

And the cycle continues.

Sound familiar?

So, one last question:

Would you rather be writing — or selling yourself like a discount Temu product in the endless social media void?

Because I know which one I choose.

Thank you for reading. I hope this made you ask yourself a few questions.

Over the past three months, I’ve released three books. I’ll dive into them in more detail another time, but for now:

Organ and Bulldog: Too Many Monsters are spooky little horror stories — one drawn from a real-life experience, the other from a recurring nightmare. 
Digging Graves is something different — a nonfiction collection of poetry, stories, and personal recollections from my years digging graves in an English woodland cemetery.

If any of that sounds like your kind of thing, you’ll find the links below.

Organ: https://amzn.eu/d/h3TGhXC

Bulldog: Too Many Monsters: https://amzn.eu/d/1vD8zbq

Digging Graves: https://amzn.eu/d/7tlo4xU