Quote from: Fretum on Today at 08:34:15 AM

Quote from: planingkoala on July 07, 2025, 09:27:56 PM

That line about people wanting the benefits without effort? Couldn’t agree more. Feels like everyone loves the result but skips the climb. And yeah, when something looks easy, folks assume it was easy. Nobody sees the drafts that never made it or the nights you sat there, stuck between two half-sentences.

Your academic writing sounds like a totally different rhythm. Like, when people ask for a text, that must shift the pressure, right? Less guessing, more delivering. Do you still tweak endlessly, or does the structure help you let go sooner?

Also – when you write without that academic frame, do you ever catch yourself editing too cleanly, too soon? I wonder if switching voices like that reshapes how we write without us noticing.

Because you only ever see the good sides on social media. You don't see the hard work, the stress, what you had to sacrifice for it. Only the beautiful pictures are shown, how easy not everything is, how quickly it went, how easy it went,... That attracts other people and of course tempts them. You can see that in all areas (sport, losing weight, etc.). It's always portrayed as easy and that everyone can do it.
This can also cause a lot of frustration - if you can't do it even though it's supposedly easy, I can understand why many people despair. It often takes a bit more and you really have to make an effort and sacrifice a lot for success.

The pressure comes from elsewhere. I also have to publish some writings. As everyone has to and everyone has their own specialism, it all goes round in circles. I write for you, you write for me....
I've already written most of the texts and I just have to adapt them to a specific question. Then you already know what is expected of you and what you can contribute. You build up expertise over the years, and of course you live from that. It makes things a lot easier and quicker.

Of course, it makes a difference whether you have very precise guidelines as to what you should write or whether you write completely freely. These are completely different things. You learn a lot over time and can approach things much more consciously with a lot of practice. You also have to read a lot in my job, which also helps.

Do you think it’s worth showing the real side of success more often on social media, and not just a pretty picture?