The Reason Freelancers Stop Posting Isn't 'Lack of Writing Ability': Learning from Ran Domon's 'Practice for Writing the Truth'. #PracticeForWritingTheTruth #ContentStrategy #Freelancer

Recently, in the middle of an important meeting, I suddenly noticed that the shape of my thumbnail looked like a ginkgo leaf, and before I knew it, my consciousness had flown away for about 20 minutes.

While nodding along to the other person's story, my brain was completely filled with ginkgo leaves. My focus always wanders off somewhere.

Hello, I am Mental Tsuyoshi.

I have ADHD tendencies, so I get tired easily and my focus is easily scattered. Instead of trying to fix myself as if it were a flaw, I accept it as a 'precondition' and think about how I can continue to work without breaking down.

I organize my thoughts and systems for that purpose every day.

My main job is as a web writer, but recently, my work as a 'production flow specialist'—contracted to build production workflows using AI for multiple owned media—is becoming my main activity.

In an era where AI can write, I feel every day that the design of 'what to write and how to write it' is the lifeline of business.

From the same perspective as all of you who are struggling with posting and operations, I have organized the 'writing stance' that is necessary in this day and age.

Profile | Mental Tsuyoshi

This time, using Ran Domon's 'Practice for Writing the Truth' as a starting point, I would like to unravel the 'structure of why posting stops.' The reason SNS or blogs don't continue might not actually be due to a lack of technique.

Posting stops not because you can't write, but because you 'try too hard to be read from the start'

'I don't know what to post'

'My fingers stop when I try to write'

For many freelancers who have this worry, the cause is neither 'writing ability' nor 'lack of topics.'

The real cause is that you are inviting the 'eyes of others' into your brain too much before you even start writing.

This is what I became convinced of in Ran Domon's 'Practice for Writing the Truth.'

The core of this book lies in the powerful observation that 'you can't write because you are writing on the premise that it will be read by someone.'

In our business, especially when operating SNS or note, we are constantly under pressure to 'be useful,' 'do things properly,' and 'lead to sales.'

When this 'must do' perspective of optimizing for others enters at the first draft stage, the words die out instantly.

Pretty words that sound like they were borrowed.

Business theories that look like something seen somewhere before.

While lining them up, you lose track of what you even want to say yourself.

That is because you are not 'outputting' your own words, but 'guessing' the correct answer.

Writing based on the prediction that 'this is probably the right way to write' is not fun at all while doing it.

Because it is not fun, naturally, it does not continue.

Recently, if you use AI, you can get plausible-sounding text in 10 seconds.

But faced with perfect, 'other-optimized' text generated by AI, many people stop and cannot press the publish button.

That is because there is not a single word in that text that you yourself can give the OK to.

Design failure does not stem from a lack of skill, but from an error in sequence.

If you aim to 'be read' from the start, people like us who tire easily cannot withstand the pressure and freeze up.

I realized that 'writing that no one reads' is the 'cleaning of the waterway' that comes before public posting.

The practice of writing 'text that no one reads' proposed in this book.

This is not merely an 'escape route'.

Rather, I feel it is an essential pre-processing step to cultivate words that can withstand the professional work of public posting.

To use an analogy, it is 'cleaning the waterway'.

The more people struggle to keep posting, the more they try to pour clean water—like 'words that become products' or 'words that resonate'—right away.

But if the waterway itself is clogged with sludge, no matter how clean the water you pour, it will become murky.

First, in a place no one will see, scribble down the discomfort, fear, and ambiguity inside you just as they are.

Only after cleaning the waterway in this way will clear words begin to flow.

For example, let's say a chiropractor starts posting content.

If they try to jump straight into writing '3 Tips to Cure Back Pain,' the content will end up looking like a copy of a textbook.

Instead, they should first write in a private notebook: 'I had so much more I wanted to tell today's client, but I felt frustrated because I couldn't find the words.'

If you're a salon owner, before trying to squeeze out 'reasons to be chosen,' try writing like you're talking to yourself about 'why I am so desperate to protect that client's smile.'

If you're a cram school teacher, scoop up the primary emotion behind the 'success stories'—the feeling that 'I actually almost cried at the small change that child showed for the first time.'

If you rely on AI or templates without this 'source check' in a place no one else can see, your posts will become increasingly shallow.

This is because while AI is good at building beautiful irrigation channels, it cannot become the water source itself.

This discussion of 'channel design' and 'freshness of words' is also connected to the core of the 'sustainable operation design theory' that I have always covered on my main account.

How can we convert our primary emotions—our water source—into practical content without contaminating them?

We need to learn how to use different 'forms' as conversion devices.

But before we can operate the device, we must first confirm that the water is actually flowing.

Reading this book expecting a 'writing manual' will lead to a mismatch. But that mismatch is actually what's important.

To be honest, if you pick up this book hoping to learn 'more concrete ways to write viral content,' you might feel let down.

That's because it doesn't contain quick-fix techniques like 'use the PREP method' or 'increase your title's click-through rate.'

In fact, even looking at the reviews, you can see voices of confusion regarding its level of abstraction and the weight of its introspection.

Some people might feel, 'I'm already full of soul-searching.'

But I believe that very 'mismatch' is what is most valuable to us right now.

Most of the writing techniques overflowing in the world are decoration techniques for 'how to make things look good from the outside.'

On the other hand, what this book deals with is, so to speak, soil improvement technology—verifying 'what is welling up from the inside.'

For those who want ready-to-use forms, the work of tilling the soil will likely feel frustrating.

However, if the fundamental reason why your posting stops is not a 'lack of technique' but rather that 'your own words are not settled,' then you should read this book before learning any techniques.

'Writing to gain empathy' and 'writing that can be understood' may seem similar, but they are completely different.

The former chooses words while trying to gauge the other person's reaction.

The latter takes your own 'truth' and shapes it into a form that others can understand before presenting it.

Which one is sustainable is clearer than day.

Posting while constantly trying to cater to others will inevitably lead to burnout.

But posting words that spring from your own soil makes the act of writing itself a reward for you.

Before focusing on the 'vessel' of how to write, ensure you set aside time to cherish and nurture your own words rather than treating them carelessly.

The paradox is that this, in turn, becomes the shortest path to 'writing that gets read'.

This book teaches that paradox quietly, yet powerfully.

Things we should be careful about when writing the 'truth'

The book's argument is built upon a single prerequisite.

That is the premise that 'through introspection, you can find a quiet water source within yourself'.

However, for sole proprietors like me who have ADHD tendencies or are overwhelmed by daily tasks, this premise can easily crumble.

When you start writing things that no one else will see, your flaws and anxieties can come flooding out, creating a risk that you will sink into a quagmire of introspection and be unable to return to your actual work.

Writing the 'truth' can end up becoming a trigger for self-loathing.

If that happens, not only will your posting stop, but your work itself will come to a halt.

That is precisely why we might need to set strict limits on our 'writing time'.

Decide to write for 'just 10 minutes to clear the water channel'.

Instead of digging too deep a hole, limit yourself to just washing away the mud that has accumulated on the surface.

Perhaps it is okay to have a relationship with 'moderate introspection' like that.

There is no need to delve too deep and break yourself.

After all, treat the 'truth' as maintenance to keep your business healthy.

That level of temperature might be just right for us.

Have you checked your own 'water source' lately?

Or, have you become exhausted from digging too deep?

Before 'writing that gets read,' there is 'writing that you don't abandon yourself'

'Practice of Writing the Truth' is not a book about how to write better.

It is a book about rebuilding the 'prerequisites for continuing to post' that come before that.

For sole proprietors and small business owners, what is truly important is not going viral, but continuing to put out words without strain and building up trust.

To do that, first and foremost, the 'you who is writing' must be convinced by those words.

In this age where AI is widespread, outward-facing, polished 'beautiful words' are generated at a speed that makes them almost worthless.

That is precisely why your own rugged, honest feelings, confirmed in a place no one else sees, become a stronger hook than anything else.

You don't have to try to write a wonderful article starting today.

First, try placing just one sentence of the 'truth' that you are feeling right now in the corner of a notebook that no one else will see.

That small step should eventually become a thick waterway that supports your business.

Summary

The perspective of others trying to 'write well' is stopping your words. First, try venting your primary emotions in a place no one else sees, as if 'cleaning the waterway'.

Those unfinished words are the true seeds of your communication that AI can never imitate.

Mini-action

Today, just five minutes before you go to sleep is enough. Try writing down just one sentence in your smartphone's memo app or a paper notebook about a 'small frustration or joy' you felt at work today that you couldn't tell anyone else. You don't need to publish it.

Summary: Key points of this article

• Posting stops because the pressure of 'optimizing for others' is applied before you even start writing

• 'Writing that no one will read' is a 'clearing of the water channels' to improve the quality of public posts

• Before techniques, the process of confirming the 'source' of your own words is the key to consistency

• In the age of AI, 'words that are true to yourself' based on primary emotions are what create differentiation

On the note page of the author, Ran Domon, the 'way of approaching writing' that lies behind this book is written in a more raw and vivid manner. Please take a look.

Recommended books to organize 'writing' and 'living'

Diary of Living Until Death | Ran Domon

A book that traces more earnestly how writing is connected to survival. For those who want to dig deeper into the 'why' behind writing that forms the background of this book.

Writing Habits: The Most Important Writing Skill to Change Yourself and Your Life | Yuki Ishikawa

A practical book suitable for those who want to start writing in their own words. It serves as a guide for those who want to not only reflect but also build a habit of writing itself.

Live by Your Own Opinions | Chikirin

A great fit as a thinking aid for those who feel they 'don't have their own words' or 'cannot express them as opinions' to organize their thoughts and turn them into content.

Including the books introduced here, many 'writing tips' are available for unlimited reading for a monthly fee on Kindle Unlimited. It's cheaper than buying one book and allows you to encounter many different thoughts, so please use it as a companion for clearing your water channels.

Thank you for reading this far.

I feel that this story doesn't just end within the book, but also connects to the content creation of solopreneurs and solo business owners.

'Even though I should be able to write using AI, it doesn't work well as content for my own business'

'Even though there is material in my daily work, I haven't been able to turn it into articles'

'Even when I write articles, I don't feel like it leads to services or inquiries'

For those people, I have also written an article that organizes this theme a bit more concretely.

→ More about design philosophy

I also provide actual support for this kind of content strategy and in-house AI writing.

→ Click here for service details

#PracticeOfWritingTheTruth #RanDomon #BookReview #Reading #ReadingNotes #BookReport #ReviewEssay #Essay #WritingTechniques #Writing #WritingHabits #Writing #Verbalization #OrganizingThoughts #SelfUnderstanding #OrganizingEmotions #SoleProprietor #Freelance #Posting #InformationDissemination #ContentStrategy #CustomerAttraction #ContentCreation #AIUtilization #AIWriting #Consistency #TipsForConsistency #ADHD #DecisionFatigue #MentalStrength