You finally made the time to sit in front of your computer.

You crafted a beautifully well-written blog (or newsletter, or social media post, or story) and poured every piece of your heart into it. 

You gained the courage to hit publish and sent your words out into the world. 

And then?

Nothing but crickets. 

Huh? Surely someone read it, right? Maybe it got lost in an algorithm? Were my hashtags wrong? Did I say something that turned people off? Did everyone hate it? Did Facebook block it? Or worse yet…was it boring? 

No matter what the case may be, there are times in a writer’s life, that something you have written just doesn’t get the love you feel it deserves. 

Before long, doubt will settle in and you will be tempted to not write another word, fearful that you are no longer relevant; that your time has come and gone; that your readers have left the building and you are alone.

But to that I say, WRITE ANYWAY.

And here’s why. 

Writing isn’t about them. It’s about you. 

Too often we get caught up in other people’s opinions and forget the reason we started writing in the first place. Sure, we’d love to have a post go viral, but that’s not why we write. We write because words have value. We write because we have a story to share. We write because we can; and because not writing, just doesn’t seem right. So, keep producing content that you love and don’t worry about the rest. 

I know it’s disappointing to put yourself out there and get little in return. 

However, try to remember this:

People ARE reading your posts, they probably just aren’t commenting. In fact, a good friend of mine recently told me she reads 98% of the content I put out. Based on her engagement, I would have guessed it was more like 2%. My mom reads just about everything, and then calls me on the phone to tell me about it (because that’s what moms do). People come up to my husband and tell him they read Kingdom Edge every Tuesday. But, without written or verbal confirmations, we don’t always know the impact we are having. 

On my end, there might be crickets, but I know with my whole being, that God is up to something behind the scenes—something I may never see on this side of heaven. And the same goes for you. 

People need to read what you write. 

So, keep going okay? 

Even if you are writing for an audience of one or it feels like no one is reading. 

Even if you hear nothing but crickets. 

Because words matter.

And so do you.