Would you read your own writing?

Writing is hard.

It’s even harder when you don’t have anyone to tell you whether the writing sounds good, or whether it’s something that would appeal to them. When you’re in this situation, how do you write well? How do you write something that others will enjoy reading, or find useful?

Here’s a rule I’ve been using recently to make sure what I write is useful to at least one person.

I ask myself, would I read my own writing?

Is there some practical aspect of the writing that I could reference in the future?

Is there a depth to the writing that I would enjoy reading myself?

If I answer no, if I wouldn’t read my own writing, then who would? When you’re writing like this, you’re writing to an audience that you’re disconnected from. When you’re disconnected from them, you don’t know how they will respond to your writing. You don’t know their feelings, their motivations, what they are seeking. How could you possibly write something worthwhile?

If the writing is interesting and appealing enough that even you as the writer, who already knows what’s written, is drawn to it, then surely others will be too.

In the worst case, if no one finds your writing useful, or interesting, then at least you do, so it hasn’t gone to waste. That investment in the time spent writing will pay dividends to your future self. But I think this doesn’t happen often. More people than you think will also benefit from your writing, because most people are people. And you’re a people too.