Questioning Consistency

Admittedly anecdotal "evidence" based on a sample of me

Not CliftonStrengths Consistency, mind you. That’s a somewhat different thing.

But I want to question this roadblock some of us have, where we’re not doing things we could be doing because we’re afraid we can’t perform consistently. And “everyone says,” because “everyone knows,” that consistency is key. It’s either necessary for success, or at least best practice for a successful endeavor.

Incidentally, I 100% am that girl who uses air quotes way too much. Anyone who spends time with me on Zoom will tell you that.

One place this comes up a lot in the writer world is in discussion about short-form fiction subscription or pay-as-you-go platforms. Think Radish, Ream, Vella, writers on Patreon, Substack… honestly, I have no idea what-all is out there at this point. And not just paid writer stuff. See also, YouTube, blogs, social media followings, ebooks, email newsletters… Ream, for example, is something I talk about with authors as a super low-stakes endeavor for just getting your feet wet in self-publishing. And probably the number one fear I hear about is the ability to be consistent with it.

The point is, we’ve been hearing—for years—that if you want to build a following, you have to publish regularly.

But do you?

Look, I’m not talking about algorithms. I’m a smart girl, but I’m not the kind of smart that’s going to out-think robots. (It may be that, just in saying that, I show how much I really don’t understand any of it.) If pleasing algorithms is part of your strategy, then more power to you, and I can’t help you with that.

I was at my mom’s house last night, and she was telling me that she’s trying to adjust her sleep schedule, but her favorite program comes on at 11:30pm. And I was thinking, Oh, that’s weird. People still run their lives by the TV Guide.

To me, one of the blessings of our time is that I’m in control of when I enjoy things. I just binge-watched three seasons of Bridgerton, because it waited until I needed it. I don’t care if a streaming service releases an episode of something at the same day and time once a week, because I’m not going to watch it until a) the whole season is out, and b) I’m ready to watch it.

And I know that’s not just me.

Same thing goes with anything that comes to my email inbox. If I subscribed to it, it’s probably because I want to read it. But I also want it to sit there until I’m ready for it, rather than me hanging out somewhere, waiting for it to drop.

I mean, dude, I have a full life. Overly full, if we’re being honest. It’s not that I don’t want to read your thing, but I’m not waiting for it.

It’s not that I don’t realize that there are people who devour the thing as soon as it comes out so they can either share the experience with others, but as much as I know there are people who are into the consistent drops of new material, I also know there are tons of people who don’t. care. because they’re on their own schedules.

The question here is not necessarily about what’s best, but about what’s possible. And that we so often, so badly, conflate the two is a thing.

Releasing regularly is best, if you can manage it. It pleases the people who want that, and it’s waiting for the people who don’t care.

But if you release whenever you happen to have content, is that actually a dealbreaker?

Well, it doesn’t please the algorithms, Susan. You lose that watercooler talk around each release. You lose that buzz.

Okay, but… now I feel like we’re in all-or-nothing territory. If I’m not the kind of person who can create and release consistently (because of artistic temperament, life obligations, whatever), then I can’t please everyone, and I can’t wring the maximum level of exposure from each bit, and it’s just not ideal, so I shouldn’t do it at all?

Or, better yet, I should fix my life, and most especially myself, to be that kind of person, so I can do the thing ideally. And when I’m a different kind of person in a different kind of life, then I’ll be ready to do the thing I want to do.

That was a little harsh. I know. Sorry. But also not sorry. I mean, sometimes you need a loving Gibbs Slap upside the head.

What if consistency is key isn’t a Truth, but merely an alliteration? What if the actual key is doing the thing, on whatever schedule you can make it happen?