100th
No, I’m not 100 years old, rather this is my 100th published story. Like the rich man in the bible, I am tempted to say to myself, “My soul rest” but for me not to incur the wrath of my master, I resist the temptation.😂😂
It’s so easy to slip into the “I have arrived moment”, but it is a very dangerous place to be. The moment you believe and convince yourself that you are at the peak of your growth, that might be the end of your growing process.
When I was younger, I dreamt of what my retirement would look like. As much as I saw people in their late 50s and 60s living their retirement lives idle, I genuinely hope that won’t be me. There will always be something to do with my hands.
Back to the story of how I wrote 100 stories in 3 years.
I didn’t plan to write 100 stories when I started writing in my apartment in Ilorin, Kwara State in July 2020. I just needed a place where I could hone my writing abilities and something to show anyone who is interested in seeing what I’ve written.
My initial plan was to write about 20 stories and just have it there. In fact, I almost imported my articles from my university days to the blog, just to have something there. But I thought I would still have the juice to write more interesting stories in the future so “let the dead bury the dead”.
Oh, it wasn’t easy, when I’m not battling with creative block, capitalism has me in a chokehold. Is it that the ideas are not coming? Definitely not. I have about 40 topics lying idle in my drafts because of many reasons. I forgot to add, that imposter syndrome also tries to show up once once.
Sometimes in January, I had my “I AM SO GOOD AT THIS” moment and that was when i realized that i was free from imposter syndrome. I can walk into a room, and not be scared of people calling me out in the name of faking my writing career. No, I’m not a fake.
I’ve paid my dues and I’m still paying it.
Greatness is not free, it comes at a price.
My greatest lesson is that as much as you’re writing for your audience, remember you are also writing for yourself. The more you keep at something, the better you become, and when you become better your readers/audience will enjoy it but you will enjoy it more.
When your readers enjoy reading from you, you have a higher chance of getting referred or recommended for opportunities.
So you see, in the end, you’re writing for yourself.
I’m trying my best not to rewrite what I wrote when I celebrated my 2nd year of writing, but what do they say about old habits dying hard. 😂 😂
On a serious note, I want to say Thank You to everyone who has read at least one of my stories and clapped at least once. You are one of the reasons I have not allowed capitalism to take writing away from me.
If you would love to pick my brain on writing, feel free to book a session with me on adplist, https://adplist.org/mentors/christiana-olawumi
If you would love to hire me, please send me an email here, christianah.olawumi@gmail.com — I’m available to work.
Cheers to 100 more stories and more exciting milestones.
Gracias
