A couple weeks ago, I read a post by some blogging expert, offering tips on increasing traffic to your blog. To be honest, part of me would really love more readers. I was so excited last December when so many people, including Justin Peters and Phil Johnson, promoted my article, The Longings Of One Physically Disabled Woman. That little post garnered well over 3,000 views, and posts I wrote over the following week also were unusually popular. During that week, I gained almost 100 followers.
Quite a heady experience, I must say! I dared to believe I’d joined the ranks of Amy Spreeman, Erin Benziger and Michelle Lesley.
But my fame didn’t last. Nodding to Andy Worhol, my 15 minutes dwindled all too soon, and I nestled back into my obscure little corner of the Internet. So I now find myself hungrily reading posts by blogging experts in hopes of reclaiming that 15 minutes and making it last.
But the article suggested looking back at your most popular posts and writing more content on that topic. At first, that advice thrilled me, because my viral article focused on a right view of heaven (a subject near and dear to my heart). Alas, subsequent blog posts on that issue have gone virtually unnoticed. I’ve therefore concluded that The Longings Of One Physically Disabled Woman was an inexplicable anomaly; I have absolutely no idea why it resonated with so many people.
My other popular posts all mention Beth Moore in the title. So I suppose people want to read pieces that expose false teachers (and perhaps gossip a little bit about them in the process). While there was a time when I didn’t mind scratching that itch, however, I no longer believe writing about her, Joyce Meyer, Lysa TerKeurst or any of the other popular false teachers is God’s calling on my life. Occasional references to them may have some merit, admittedly, but a steady diet of calling out false teachers simply doesn’t honor the Lord.
Since I was twelve and knew that I’d be a writer when I grew up, I’ve heard that writing must be about what you know and what you care about. Trying to adapt to the preferences of readers at the expense of personal integrity may bring a superficial success, but I think most writers eventually realize that continuing to do so amounts to literary prostitution.
The Longings Of One Physically Disabled Woman may have done so well because I wrote from my heart. I’m passionate that Christians stop imagining heaven in terms of how it will affect them, and instead look forward to worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. But other articles I’ve written with the same degree of passion haven’t fared nearly as well. All the same, I know that I must write about what matters to me, even if I sacrifice having lots of views. Compromising my writing for the sake of extending my proverbial 15 minutes of fame doesn’t honor the Lord and it cheapens The Outspoken TULIP.
So, I must reject the advice that blogging expert offered, even though it most likely means I’ll never achieve over 3,000 views on a single article again. Justin and Phil, thanks awfully for the ride and all that, but maybe I need to learn contentment with my little following.
The Outspoken TULIP 