Why I Support First Time Writers on read.cash
The first day I attended classes in high school, I got there late and the entire experience was daunting.
I walked onto a huge school compound, way bigger than my middle school, was greeted by a security guard whose friendly smile looked like alligator teeth, and was ushered to a classroom of strange students who all seemed to stare at me with judging eyes.
This, of course, was all in my head, only my imagination, but it felt real.
When I walked into the classroom on the first day, the other children in my class had already formed alliances, made friends, and they were standing together and chatting in little groups.
As I walked in, I felt a slow burning in my neck. I don't think anyone even noticed me stumbling into the classroom, truth be told, but I felt like they did, and I was scared. And that's when I made my first friend.
She was sitting by herself near the front of the classroom, undisturbed by all of the activity around her, and when she saw me walk in, she must have recognized the terror in my eyes for her smile was kind.
"Hi," she said. "Would you like to sit together?"
Just like that.
Relief washed over me. I collapsed into the seat.
Less than a second later, there was a muffled outcry. An enraged girl stomped to the front of the class and confronted my new seatmate.
"We were supposed to sit together!" she fumed.
My heart beat fast.
Was I going to be ousted so soon?
Would I lose my first friend before we even exchanged names?
I bit my lip and didn't dare speak. My new friend shrugged.
"It's okay," she said to the other girl. "There are other seats, and we'd still be friends wherever we sit."
She pointed a finger at me.
"She's sitting with me though," she said.
And that was it. Our friendship was sealed forever. And it was the beginning of a fruitful friendship that has extended well beyond high school.
Guys, I led with this anecdote because this, in a nutshell, is why I think it is important to support new writers on read.cash, and why I choose to do so.
I think it's important to always support someone who's starting to blog here for the first time, and who may perhaps be daunted by the platform and its communities when they are new and have no other acquaintances here.
Of course, I would expect that there are bloggers who are brought on by friends and acquaintances every day, and those writers may have the advantage of having a circle of friends that they'd immediately belong to who would make the initial experience a bit easier by guiding them on what to write, how to write, and who would introduce them to different communities and upvote their work, and that's great, it's what we're supposed to do as friends.
But that's not the case with everyone, and there are other bloggers who may stumble upon read.cash and who may try to write here, and those writers could be daunted if their work gets no traction.
Listen, I can tell you, writing is personal, at least it is for me. And so, it is challenging to pour your heart out on any given topic only to realize that your content has only that one view and like, which is your own.
Of course, this is not to say that blogging is supposed to be a walk in the park. Writing can be hard work and that shouldn't be taken for granted.
There's no shortcut to good content.
Just as bloggers would like for their work to be supported, it's also important for them to put in the effort to:
Learn your audiences and research topics
Try to think outside the box and bring fresh news, personalize content where applicable, or perhaps share a new take on a topic that's been explored before
Provide content that's readable.
Format posts according to read.cash guidelines.
Read content from others, show support for others, and network
And even when all of that is done, one has to have reasonable expectations for growth. If you're starting here for the first time, it might take a while, but you've got to be consistent.
See my post here about A Little Patience, A Lot of Success.
Yet, while that may be the case, as a relatively young writer on this platform, I am truly appreciative of the bloggers who, like my high school friend, gave me that first virtual welcome when I walked through the door, and so, I try to pass it on.
A special thank you to my sponsors who have co-signed my work and encouraged me to keep writing, and thanks as well to my readers who have also provided support and feedback as this has also helped to motivate my work.
Ultimately, I think it's important, if we're to grow communities of diverse bloggers who genuinely love the craft, and who would like to grow with the platform and sort of create a melting pot of ideas and topics, that we each take the time sometimes to welcome the new guy. And since I've had a nice welcome, shouldn't I do the same for others?
And so that's why I try to seek out and read new content or first posts and to upvote and encourage writers when I come across work that I like.
Image source
https://pixabay.com/photos/animal-nature-reptile-wildlife-3147213/
https://unsplash.com/photos/mKJUoZPy70I
https://giphy.com/gifs/Bunim-MurrayProductions-kardashians-kris-jenner-be-nice-8FDloKKHrS2FoHcqYg
As a newbie, I am grateful to those writers like you. Personally, I really appreciate how you guys give your support to someone like me. Godbless you more!