Three Years on Steemit ...About Dedication

I can't believe it's been three years since I first posted on Steemit and earned a few cents for one of my best stories. I was really insulted and tempted to quit right there and then, but I didn't.

I also saw posts being upvoted that weren't worth reading, posts that writers were simply putting out to make money and it all seemed so nepotistic and arbitrary.

I have this innate sense of justice and it bugged me that things weren't fair, but I persisted because I had been on social media for some time and had quite a large Twitter following and good Klout score but it hadn't really gotten me anywhere.

So I figured I had already wasted a few years on my writer's platform so I might as well gamble a few more. I wasn't really committed to Steemit long term.

About that time a writer friend from Twitter met with me to ask advice about a novel he was planning to publish. He was worried that he didn't have enough social media presence and was wondering how he could attract more followers.

We brain stormed for a few hours and I gave him my honest opinion—work hard, write quality work and give away some of your writing so readers can get to know you.

I was astounded a few days later when I visited his site and he had a quarter of a million followers. No, it wasn't my advice--a lot of those followers had Russian surnames. He had bought followers. The deception completely floored me.

I can't begin to tell you how depressing that was for me and at the same time the lack of traction I was experiencing on Steemit added to my disillusionment.

People were telling me writing was a failing trade and expecting me to cave but I refused.

For one thing, I've never been one to quit anything—truth is, I hate change and if I start something I finish it simply because of momentum. Some call it being stubborn—I call it being loyal.

Besides, I've always been a writer and it's all I know. Even when I taught, I taught writing.

I'm not the type to walk away. I didn't realize it then, but that's the same quality that has enabled @countrygirl and me to stay married for so many years and has enable me to persist in developing my art.

Gradually, I grew a small, faithful following on Steemit and through good times and bad times I've hung in.

Lately, many people have deserted the site but my advice is simple: work hard, produce quality work and if you're a writer, give away some of your writing so readers can get to know you.

When my novel was published I wrote the dedication to my wife, @countrygirl, because she also stuck with me and helped with proofing, formatting and doing the work of a book shepherd.

The main characters in the novel, A Familiar Rain were Alex and Abbey—they were actually @countrygirl and me.

Dedication is the secret to success, however modest that may be, so I'm including the poem in this post tonight to honour my wife and also to encourage anyone else out there who's struggling to write and produce those magical 2,000 words per day.

As for Steemit, stay loyal to where you write and the friends who've helped you write late into the night

Dedicated to You

I write novels
And it’s you, of course—
It always is.

From Alex to Abbey…

You roll your eyes
The same way you did
When I asked you
To make coffee—

The first time we met.

I know I’m a nerd
And you don’t believe
Half what I say…

Neither do I, but

From Alex to Abbey…

That’s huge—
A dedication to you
Of our whole life…

And yes, you can roll your eyes,
Like you did
When we first met…

But I really am,
You know,

Dedicated to you
And this writing life.