The Real Reason You’re Not Growing as a Writer

Most writers kill their own careers before they even get started.

Not because they lack talent. Not because they don’t have good ideas. Not because the market is too crowded or they’re “too late.”

They sabotage themselves. Quietly. Slowly. A little bit every day. Until they’re stuck in the same place for years, wondering why nothing is working.

I know because I used to be that person.

For two years, I wrote like my life depended on it. I studied every strategy out there. I wrote my heart out, day after day. And I still couldn’t break through.

I thought success was just a matter of working harder. Writing more. Trying to out-hustle the world.

I was wrong.

The problem wasn’t how hard I was working. It was how I was working. My process was garbage. My mindset was trash.

And it wasn’t until I started getting brutally honest with myself—about the mistakes I was making and the patterns I was stuck in—that things finally started to change.

If you feel like you’re grinding your ass off and still not seeing results, you might be in the same place I was.

Let’s talk about why you’re stuck.

1. You’re Trying to Be Too Perfect

If I could give one piece of advice to every writer starting out, it’d be this: just hit publish.

Stop trying to make it perfect. Stop waiting for it to feel “ready.” Stop tweaking and polishing until it’s so watered down that it barely sounds like you anymore.

I spent way too long trying to get everything just right.

I wanted my writing to be flawless. I didn’t want anyone to call me out for a typo or a bad take. I thought I had to nail it on the first try.

It’s impossible.

The truth? The best way to get better is to put your work out there, get some feedback, and keep moving. That’s it.

Most of your early work will suck. Mine did. You’ll survive.

2. You’re Writing for Everyone (Which Means You’re Writing for No One)

When I first started writing online, I thought I had to appeal to as many people as possible.

I wrote what I thought people wanted to read. I kept my opinions soft. I avoided saying anything that might turn people off.

It was boring as hell.

The moment I started leaning into my voice—the one that was opinionated, honest, and didn’t care about pleasing everyone—everything changed.

Some people hated me. A lot of people loved me. And that’s exactly what you want.

You’re not trying to be liked by everyone. You’re trying to find your people.

Be specific. Be real. Be you. It’s the fastest way to build an audience that actually cares.

3. You’re Obsessed with Metrics Instead of People

I see so many writers obsess over follower counts and traffic stats like those numbers mean something.

They don’t. Not really.

I’d rather have 1,000 die-hard readers who share my work and email me every week than 100,000 followers who don’t give a damn about what I’m saying.

Your goal isn’t to go viral. Your goal is to build trust with a small group of people who will ride with you for the long haul.

Focus on the people, not the numbers.

4. You’re Thinking Too Much

Writers love to think. We’ll spend months—sometimes years—thinking about what we’re going to write.

Thinking about our niche. Thinking about what platform to use. Thinking about whether our work is good enough to put out there.

It’s all procrastination in disguise.

Action is the cure.

You can think about writing all day, but none of it matters until you start doing it.

Just start. Write something. Anything. Publish it. Then do it again.

Thinking won’t get you anywhere. Doing will.

5. You’re Trying to Build Alone

When I was stuck, the thing that helped me the most wasn’t some magic strategy. It was finding other writers who were on the same journey.

They kept me accountable. They pushed me when I got lazy. They gave me feedback that made my writing sharper and my process smoother.

Find your people. Join a community. You don’t have to do this alone.

If you’ve been stuck for months—or years—it’s not because you’re not good enough. It’s not because the market is too crowded. It’s not because you’re missing some secret ingredient.

You’re stuck because you’re getting in your own way.

I know because I did it for a long time.

The good news? You can change that. Right now.

Stop waiting. Stop overthinking. Stop trying to make it perfect.

Just start. Do the work. Share your voice.

The rest will take care of itself.