Viral Popularity is Not My Writer’s Comfort Zone

Too many opinions and eyeballs make me uncomfortable

Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash

I wrote something fairly off the cuff, without a huge amount of deep thought last month. I mean, I thought about it some, and I believed in it or I wouldn’t have written it. But it’s also not a hill I have to die on.

I have never had much attention onsite in this particular genre of writing, so my lips were loose, my cares free. I have written other pieces in the genre with far more care and conviction that have sunk without a trace. Most have been positive, heavily analyzed or researched pieces on things I enjoy.

So of course the slightly negative type piece randomly gets the boost and all the clicks. I was seriously like “Is this a joke?”. And look, I am grateful, I take those boost pennies where I can, they make up for the rest of my tougher wrought stuff not doing so well.

Writing online I am used to the occasional misunderstanding or even rude comment. And I respect that I invited it in a sense by publishing a negative toned piece about something many people enjoy.

I guess if I ever do write something vaguely controversial I block out the idea that anyone could actually hate read it or take offense. Naïve of me I guess, but how else do people express a…