15 Takeaways From Writing 150 Posts on OS.ME in Misfits

This is my 150th post on os.me.

I wanted to share 15 takeaways I got from writing 150 articles. Without further ado, here they are:

1 – My Early Articles Seem Amateurish. And That’s The Way It Should Be

When I look back at my earlier os.me articles, they seem rather amateurish.

That is exactly the way it should be. If my writing trajectory followed a straight line path, that would mean that I haven’t grown as a writer. The future version of me will call my current writing amateurish.

And that’s the way it should be.

2 -Formulas that Work on Other Writing Platforms Don’t Work on OS.ME

“Our community does not like posts that are preachy and dry, or posts where the author speaks from a distance.”

If you’ve had a post featured, you would have come across these words. A personal account on how I forgave my best friend who unexpectedly betrayed me is a better fit for os.me than a theoretical treatise on the esoteric aspects of forgiveness.

3 – The Answer to “Am I the Right Person to Write About ___” is Almost Always Yes

The mind has a way of looking for excuses to avoid doing stuff.

“I’m not the right person to write about ___” is noise that the mind conjures. Richard Branson believes you should go ahead and pursue opportunities and learn the requisite skills along to way. That applies to writing as well.

“Am I the right person to write about scriptures?”, I asked myself for a long time.

Recently, I didn’t care if the answer should be “No”. I went ahead and wrote this piece on the Bhagavad Gita and this one on Nachiketas from the Kathopanishad.

I’ll take Branson’s advice and learn the skills as I go.

4 – Writing is a Muscle. It is Strengthened by Practice

Writing is a muscle.

There is one factor common to all writers. They write consistently. This helps them improve their craft.

The best thing to do is follow deliberate practice and improve specific areas.

But there is one important prerequisite to perform deliberate practice: I must write.

5 – Writing Online is a Great Way to Meet Fine People

Real life has people who haven’t achieved anything and believe they know everything. OS.ME has people who’ve achieved a lot but are grounded.

Writing online has helped me interact with some of the kindest and brilliant people.

Which helps me become a better version of myself.

6 – Writing is a Great Way to Clarify My Thoughts

Thoughts have a way of getting muddled in the head.

Writing forces me to untangle my thoughts. The online writer is intelligent – if I serve them meaningless drivel, they will call my bluff. I have to know what I am talking about.

I am forced to clarify my thoughts, which is not just an online-writing benefit but also a life benefit.

7 – The Number of Comments on my Articles Don’t Really Matter

In my earlier days of OS.ME writing, I would be delighted with a lot of comments, and gloomy if my articles didn’t gather attention.

Over time, I recognised that the number of comments don’t really matter. They depend on a variety of factors. I learned to follow the process and do my thing – write.

That is the stoic thing to do – focus on what is under my control (writing) and not worry about what is not (reader engagement).

8 – I’d Better Forget The Words I Learned From My SAT and GRE Test Prep

I love learning new words.

My wife and I started an exercise to revisit our respective vocabulary lists from our graduate school preparation material. I recently realized that using big words is a recipe for turning away readers.

I’m not going to forget the words I learned, though, I’ll use them when I author a book.

9 – It is Okay to Experiment With Writing

Writers should write for readers.

However, it is okay every now and then to experiment with writing. I get to explore new avenues in writing, and get an idea whether the audience cares about it or not.

For example, I wrote a piece with a tongue-in-cheek title of 100 ways to be miserable. Surprisingly, it got reasonable attention.

10 – OS.ME Community Events Bring Intangible Benefits

The OS.ME Writing Challenges turned me into an online writer.

These challenges helped me flex my writing muscles and made me believe that I could write. As I write this article, I am participating in the #WriteWithOSMe group writing exercise. I am learning to experiment with writing prompts in a timed setting, and pickup up useful writing pointers along the way.

The intangible benefits these events bring are priceless.

11 – Writing is a Great Way to Force Myself to Fast-track Self Transformation

I often wonder if I should refrain from writing about something I don’t currently practice.

For example, I wrote an article on Viktor Frankl’s message of not doing harm when harm is done to you. I have trouble practicing it – my knee-jerk reaction is to give it back in kind.

Writing the article is a subconscious reminder to fast-track my progress – so that my actions can be in sync with my words.

12 – Articles Should Be Skimmable

Online readers are an impatient lot.

Most people don’t read an article mindfully. Making my articles skimmable is doing the reader a favour. The best way to do it is by breaking the article into subheadings, and ensuring that the subheadings stand alone.

If you read just the 15 subheadings of this article, for example, you will have a good idea about the article.

13 – Resistance is a Real Thing

Every now and then, my mind refuses to sit down and write.

It doesn’t matter if I am writing my first post or 150th post, resistance tries to prevent me from writing. My job is to show resistance who is the boss. And do what I got to do.

Write.

14 – This is Just the Beginning

“Complacency is the enemy of progress.” – Dave Stutman

Resting on any laurel is a surefire way to ensure a downward spiral. I am at the beginning of my online writing journey, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.