JK Rowling is spreading her wings across social media again, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect with the topic of this blog post taking root in my mind over the last month. I’d like to talk about invisible readers, but first, if you haven’t seen Rowling’s recent tweets to the writing community, let’s see what the marvelous author of Harry Potter has to say.
Rowling retweeted @beauty_jackson’s advice to “finish it anyway,” even if nobody will read, watch, or listen, then went on to elaborate just why that advice is so heartfelt and important.
I encourage you to check out Buzzfeed’s full article by Ellie Bates here.
This brings me to my topic of the invisible readers.
We live in a society of statistics, and low numbers can make us feel like nobody is paying any attention. It’s discouraging to publish a new post and share it on social media, only to look at the stats and realize your website had a total of eight views that day, one retweet, two Facebook likes from family members, no shares. Those numbers seem so small, so insignificant.
I’ve been there. Many days, I’m still there. It’s hard to fight that malicious voice in the back of your mind whispering, “Why are you still trying? Nobody is reading. Nobody cares what you have to say.”
Here are three personal experiences that prove otherwise.
Once I grasped the concept of Twitter, I wholeheartedly embraced it. I eagerly awaited #2bitTues, #1linewed, #thurds, #ThruLineThurs, #fictFri, and #SlapDashSat, where I could share a line or two of my work in progress based on the assigned theme for that day. I usually posted multiple tweets per topic, pleased when someone liked my work, thrilled when they deemed it worthy enough for a retweet.
Over time, my enthusiasm waned. I suppose it was a combination of Twitter’s novelty wearing off, frustration building with my job, and seasonal depression draining away my motivation.
And then, out of the blue, I received a message from an author I’d met through Twitter and had limited contact with in the past: “Hadnt heard or seen anything from you in a bit, hope all is going well.”
I was shocked. This man, whom I didn’t even know by name at the time, actually noticed that I wasn’t posting. When I stopped writing, my lines were missed.
An old friend from high school was in town for the weekend, and we decided to meet for lunch before he left for Colorado again. After telling me stories about his photography and film endeavors, he casually asked about my writing. Small talk, I dismissed, until he said, “I haven’t seen you post anything new on your blog lately.”
Again, I was floored. I stared at him for a long moment. I couldn’t remember him ever liking any of my blog posts I shared on Facebook or commenting directly on the post itself. As far as my statistics showed, he didn’t follow me. And yet, here he was, sitting across the table from me, asking why I hadn’t posted recently, to which I shyly answered, “I published a short story on the blog last week. I’ll have a new article out soon.”
After graduating from college with a minor in creative writing, I joined the Sandcastle Writers to continue honing my skills in the relaxed and meditative company of fellow writers. We adhere to the Amherst Writing Method, and I’ve found irreplaceable companionship within this writing community.
During a break between prompts, one of the writers touched my shoulder and said, “I read your article on depression and the arts. It really spoke to me.”
My cheeks warmed. Once again, nothing in my dismal statistics gave any indication that this writer followed me. We were not connected through social media. She, like my high school friend, like the Twitter author, was an invisible reader I had no idea existed until directly reaching out to me.
I want to stress to other writers (and artists, musicians, whatever it is you do that brings you joy) how important it is to keep going. The numbers may seem like nobody is interested, but you might be surprised how many invisible eyes see your work under your radar.
I’ve removed “aspiring” from my title of writer because I do not aspire to write; I DO write. I’m not published yet, but I’m on my way, and I came tantalizingly close when I was a high school senior. Although that dream hasn’t faded, I haven’t won any awards. No honorable mentions in a contest. I haven’t been paid for any of my writing. If you measure my advice to my accomplishments, you might doubt the merit of my counsel.
That’s why seeing an inspirational and successful author like JK Rowling share the same wisdom is so encouraging. From someone still at the beginning of the journey to someone miles away down that rough cobblestone road, the advice is the same: “finish it.” Keep going. Even if your audience is invisible or nonexistent, you are writing first and foremost for yourself.
Related posts: Why Is Depression So Prominent Among Artists?
I'm an award-winning fantasy author, artist, and photographer from La Porte, Indiana. My poetry, short fiction, and memoir works have been featured in various anthologies and journals since 2005, and several of my poems are available in the Indiana Poetry Archives. The first three novels in my Chronicles of Avilésor: War of the Realms series have received awards from Literary Titan.
After some time working as a freelance writer, I was shocked by how many website articles are actually written by paid "ghost writers" but published under the byline of a different author. It was a jolt seeing my articles presented as if they were written by a high-profile CEO or an industry expert with decades of experience. I'll be honest; it felt slimy and dishonest. I had none of the credentials readers assumed the author of the article actually had. Ghost writing is a perfectly legal, astonishingly common practice, and now, AI has entered the playing field to further muddy the waters. It's hard to trust who (or what) actually wrote the content you'll read online these days.
That's not the case here at On The Cobblestone Road. I do not and never will pay a ghost writer, then slap my name on their work as if I'd written it. This website is 100% authentic. No outsourcing. No ghost writing. No AI-generated content. It's just me... as it should be.
If you would like to support my work, check out the Support The Creator page for more information. Thank you for finding my website! 🖤