When your writing is praised, what are you often told?

Happy Writing Marathon #4

This week's topic
When your writing is praised, what are you often told?

I feel that the content of the comments I receive about my writing has changed significantly since before I started on note and now.
Today, I will write about the experiences behind that change and the insights I have gained.

What you will gain from this article

✅ Understand that good writing does not necessarily mean it is effectively communicated
✅ Get tips for improving your writing

I have received praise for my writing quite often in the past.

There was a time when I studied psychological therapy for my own mental care and held training courses and private sessions.

I often received applications through blog and newsletter articles, and I was happy to hear people say they wanted to learn from me.

However, the connections made through my writing before starting note felt somewhat unstable.
While there was no doubt they were interested, I could not shake the feeling that I was being deeply misunderstood somewhere.

What I wanted to convey was not being conveyed properly.
Because of that, I felt I was attracting connections I had not originally intended to make.

What changed after I started posting on note

At first, I posted just as I had before, writing as I wanted to, with my desire to write running high.

That way of doing things became impossible after a certain event.

The month after I started posting on note, I joined a membership called note University, and I began to correct my course, aiming for articles that would reach more people and an account that would reach more people.

Receiving gentle yet merciless corrections

The plan I joined at note University included a benefit of article corrections by the owner.

My writing, which I had been writing naturally until then, was repeatedly pointed out as "unclear" or "not communicated," which came as a shock.
Even though I was enjoying writing it myself, it was being conveyed in a way different from my intentions.

While it seemed easy to read at first glance, the content I wanted to convey was not actually being conveyed properly.
There was a problem with the way I was writing.

I was forced to realize that.

There was no limit to the corrections, and at first, I applied for them one after another, but since there were many common points in the feedback, I decided to fix the root causes first before the next correction, and I began trial and error.

Borrowing the power of AI

At first, for articles I had written on my own, I used generative AI to...

Point out areas that were easily misunderstood or points where the logic did not seem to add up.

I write all the articles myself, but I started by correcting parts where I had inadvertently written with a logic that only made sense to me.

By repeating the process of having my articles checked by AI and then readjusting them, I have increasingly been receiving feedback saying, 'It's fine to post this as is.'

And I feel that since around that time, there has been a change in the comments I receive on my articles as well.

What kind of words have I been receiving regarding my writing?

Before I started note, I think I often received comments like,
You're a good writer!
Even though it was a long piece, I read it in a flash.
That was interesting!

I think those were the kinds of things people would say to me or comment.

Also, the posts that resonated with people tended to contain negative elements; I think many people empathized with articles where I wrote about unreasonable experiences.

The comments I receive on note now are increasingly things like,

You are so attentive and supportive
My heart feels saved
I felt reassured that it's okay

and so on.

At the same time as the content of the comments has changed, I think I have naturally started to focus on the 'people I want to reach' myself.

Finally

Since starting note, I have come to take responsibility for 'conveying' through my writing, and now I have come to feel the joy of 'being understood'.
Before, I was complimented by being told 'You're good,' but now, people tell me 'I understood you.'

That is the greatest reward for me.
I want to continue writing while enjoying it, aiming for prose that can gently support someone who is reading.

#HappyWritingMarathon
#KenHonda

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I hope this article provides hints for your own posts and activities.
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