2.1 Reflection on Article Writing

Preramble:?Honestly? I feel I might be traversing a plateau. In some respects that's good. It means I did a bit of climbing. In others...I'm left with an itch to get climbing once more. Below you'll find some new crampons I wish to don as well as some clues that I might have reached a false summit.

Mistakes were made

So the first was probably missed by the majority but I changed my opening sentence format to be more succinct a few iterations ago. In my last article, I accidentally used the old format:

Consistency makes for a polished look. So although a small transgression, I should be sweating the details. This will also help you engage with articles immediately as it becomes second nature how to navigate them when everything is familiar.

More egregious? My attempt to engage you in the comments:

If you've ever engaged with me in the comments, thank you! I've really enjoyed the back-and-forth. But I'm certain you didn't engage because of these questions, did you? One of my goals is to engage you more in the comments and learn from your perspective. These questions don't do that.

Pats on the back

I did my first comparison article - Note-taking in a digital age: Which App should you use for stylus and tablet? - and I reckon I did a good job. I often consider how I can cater to different readers. Starting with the conclusion was one of the devices I used for this. I hope you found this useful.

Let's Review

1. Catch up on the wider audience goal: 250 ?????? ?????????????????????? ???????? ???????? => 187 ???? ???? | > 300 views per article average => currently 243 (down 7) | > 1000 ?????????????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ?????????????? => ?????????????????? 1034 (up 26) | | > 30% average ratio of impressions to views => currently 23.35% (down 2.39)
2. I'm on track for 9 education articles and 3 reflections. However, with this format, I feel the three consecutive education articles should be related to one another more closely. Having them all aligned at the beginning of the year has allowed a better flow but this can definitely be improved.
3. If I'm honest. This pursuit can feel at times like walking in the dark. I know when I read articles I rarely offer feedback and this is typical of most readers. However, when writing them I find I long for an interaction with the readers in order to improve. I'll be thinking of ways to find at least a small subset of readers I can get regular feedback from to help with my development. My feedback friends :)

Armchair Advice

'The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men' - Robert Burns

Having espoused my infinite wisdom in pre-writing articles I've still published July's article incredibly late! You see the articles are written but haven't gone through the editing process. A process that becomes more comprehensive as I progress. So I'm recalling the words of Robert Burns [which, if you've read 'To a Mouse', linked above, you'll know is a difficult task :)] and trying to give myself a little grace in my hiccups.

I pass this advice on to you. I keep comparing myself to actual published articles that have teams of professionals organising their publications. A fool's comparison. By all means, plan, but just remember, they 'Gang aft agley'

The Last Word

I'm keen to get better at writing for you, not just in general. If you would be interested I would love to get your feedback. I know you're busy, so let's make this easy.

1. Copy the below (select as appropriate):

START: doing / STOP: doing / KEEP: doing

No time for a two-way / would love to chat

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