Christine Kelly Reads and Writes

A lot of advice out there calls for getting bylines to help your piece sell on sub, or help establish your brand as a writer. Even when you’re querying, having a article go viral can help garner attention of agents.

I don’t know if anyone else feels exhausted at the concept of writing more or putting yourself out there further, but I’m here to tell you: you don’t have to!

Well, let me caveat… you don’t if you don’t want to.

You know that I am also saying the same about establishing your brand on social media. It’s suggested, but not mandatory. Will it guarantee a agent or book deal? No. Will it help? Maybe.

When it comes to writing opinion pieces or articles, I worry about having a strict opinion on a topic, writing passionately about it, and then having a major life experience that may change my mind. Hell, talking to someone who disagrees with what I have to say would change my mind. I am not someone who has strong and steadfast opinions. I am swayed easily. I have empathy and can see most sides. That’s why I think it can be difficult to encourage writers to put themselves out there in a public way, where the downfall can be swift.

Listen, when you’re a garbage human and put out garbage content, I get that there will be hate. (Don’t be a garbage human, please.) But the internet (twitter specifically) is like an enlarged version of high school where people who get offended, or are mean, will speak the loudest. Suddenly, their voices carry weight and more and more people jump on their bandwagon and soon what started out as a innocent article (perhaps on the merits of Sourdough Starter Kits) has snowballed into why you are a Very Dumb Person.

Personally, this stuck out to me during a recent snowball effect after the special edition of BRIDE (Ali Hazelwood) came out. People screamed from the rooftops how much they hated it. The artist was comissioned to do the cover a certain way and it is extremely talented. Yet, everyone said how awful it is. Or also when a agent was misquoted saying something in a speech and suddenly EVERYONE had something to say about it. It gets out of control fast, without the person in question being able to control the narrative and explain themselves. (Again, if you’re a garbage human you don’t get to have that chance…I’m talking about the people that have truly good intentions.)

Why would a author want to put themselves out there (even if it’s paid), only to have their confidence diminshed just as much (or more) than getting a series of passes– whether it be agents or editors? Why should we continue to provide content outside what brings us joy? Listen, if writing articles brings you joy, do it! I write on this blog (free content!), because I like writing. But I don’t want to feel the *need* to do it when I’m in burn out mode, or force myself to write about a certain topic because I need by-lines.

I also think there needs to be more acceptance for a person to change their mind and stance on things. Think of Sheryl Sandberg who had a mega hit book about leaning into a career as a woman, to come back and say, “that’s not possible for all people and came from a place of privilege.” The internet holds on to every word you write, and people will find something from 1908 that you said and remind you of it if you ever contradict it. There is no room for growth. So again, my worry about having a opinion, putting it out there to grow my platform for where I’m currently at in my career, could come back to bite my in the ass when I’m *hopefully* an established figure in the publishing industry.

I understand creating a fluffy bio can be beneficial for the publishing process. Just as having a social media platform “doesn’t hurt”. But I’m approaching it the same: it’s a necessary evil. And if you don’t have opinions, it can be very hard to go out there and passionately say, “it’s too much work to maintain a starter for sourdough!”.

TLDR: You do you, boo. But let’s grant everyone some grace.