
How I wrote blog posts that touched millions of people.
You know that feeling you get right before you publish a post?
The angel on one shoulder says you’ve written a post of enormous importance and depth, one that will change the lives of your readers forever. Meanwhile, the devil on the other shoulder calls you a halfwit with the writing talent of a chimpanzee doped on acid.
Well, it was a few days before Christmas in 2009, and the devil was winning.
“Please don’t publish it,” I sobbed into the telephone. “The post is crap. It’ll ruin me.”
Sonia Simone, one of the most respected editors in the world, listened politely on the other end of the phone. The night before, I’d sent her a post I’d been working on for months, confident of my writing genius, but mere hours later I was on the phone having an epic freak-out.
The good news is, after working together for years, Sonia was well accustomed to my neuroses, and she knew exactly how to handle me. “Darling, you are the most talented writer I know, and this is your most brilliant work to date.”
My sobs stopped. “Really? You think so?”
“Yes. Now let me get back to work, so we can make you famous.” Click.
For the next hour, there was nothing to do but sit at the computer pressing the “refresh” button over and over again. I trembled. I prayed.
About Jon Morrow:
Jon Morrow is a social media entrepreneur whose company, BoostBlogTraffic.com, is both highly regarded and profitable, enabling him to support himself and his parents. The 30-year-old has spinal muscular atrophy.
A workaholic who operates his computer by voice and by mouth, Morrow’s philosophy is to “do what you want to do no matter how hard it is or how you feel.”
His advice to other entrepreneurs: “Find the intersection between what you love to do and what other people are desperate to buy.” More