My Hive Story Is Very Long!

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When it comes to the things I’ve learned in the Hive space, all I can say is that the story long. I’ve gone through some of the earliest posts I made on here and when I compare them with what I do now, I can see that the difference is crystal clear. I’ve come a long way from the guy whose writings were all over the place to someone who can easily write on just about anything that catches my fancy.

I’ve learned so much, that quantifying them might be an uphill task for me. It also made me view my talents in a better light and realize some aspects of myself I didn’t even know to begin with. That’s one of the beauties of this platform, you get to dig deep within yourself to find your limit.

When I started this journey, all I knew was that I could write stories, and I believed that was enough to shoot me to the stars up here. Well, it turned out I was wrong because I was not the only one who could write stories. There were those who wrote better stories than I did. Back then, I had no idea how to write flash fiction until I joined The Inkwell community.

This was the starting point of a lot of things for me because it caused me to dig deep within me. Being able to create a whole new world and deliver your message in less than a thousand words was not really so easy, but over time I was able to do it effortlessly. I started churning out stories on a regular basis back then and the feedback I was always getting warmed my heart up a great deal.

During that time, I tried out other things, but they just didn’t feel natural to me. I tried talking about food, but at the end of the posts, it always felt forced. Then, I tried movie reviews but for some reason, I couldn’t get enough words into the post. It was always too short for me. After a while, I gave up on it. There was even a time I tried making posts on pictures I had taken.

So many things I was trying out back then, but none of them really worked out. After a while, it felt like I was only going to be writing stories on Hive. And while that was not a terrible thing, I didn’t just want to be known for fiction. I also had other things to say and if I was unable to say it in a way that others would find it engaging, was I really the writer I thought I was? Or am I only proficient when it comes to fiction?

This really worried me a lot back then, but it didn’t stop me from doing my thing. I made a lot of great friends from Inkwell, and we’re still friends to this day. Just a bunch of people who enjoy great stories together. And that was how it was for a while… until Hive Learners happened. And the dynamics changed for me.

I decided to cut down on the stories I was writing and try my hand at other things. I tried so many of them back then, but they all seemed to fall flat for me. Yes, they were getting support and all but I was just not feeling them. There was a time I was even writing on holidays and the like, it was terribly hard for me to come up with ideas to turn into posts and when I did I was still unable to connect with what I wrote.

We then started the Featured Topics and that changed my life. I started seeing how writing things from your perspective can make all the difference. One topic alone can bring dozens of stories from each member and that’s what’s so beautiful. It might be a mundane topic, but everyone will have a different and engaging story to share based on it. And most of the time, there was always a lesson to be learned.

It was then I decided to channel my voice toward my daily life instead. Now, most of the things I write that are not F.E. related are things that I either witness during the course of my daily life or something that crosses my mind during a discussion. I talk about things happening around me and how they affect me, I talk about the lessons they teach me and how things could turn out.

And guess what, I finally connected!! It was just like when I started writing flash fiction on Inkwell, I finally wrote something that felt like it came from my soul. And people loved it because I found that a lot of them found it easy to relate to many of the things I wrote. While my experiences may be unique, everyone has had similar brushes and they’re never hesitant to share their perspective in the comments.

And over time, this has become my routine, talking about things that strike me. It has forced me to look at life differently because many times when things happen to me, I ask myself if I turned this into a post, what will be the lesson? If there’s one, I keep it and if there’s none, I decide what to do then.

I also realized that I enjoy talking about this stuff. I enjoy pouring my heart out and baring it for the world to see. This is something I’ve never done before, prior to Hive and I’m excelling marvelously at it. A time may come when my brand of content might change, but not just yet. For now, I’m still having the time of my life.

So, has this helped me in real life? Are you kidding me??? I wrote so many stories in Inkwell that year, and now when applying for a job to a new client, I use them as samples. Like, there are so many to choose from, and depending on the kind of work they want done, I simply give them the closest thing I have and let them judge. I don’t have to write up a new sample whenever I meet a new client. And so far, none of my samples have failed me.

Also, writing flash fiction has also helped me greatly in my job. Keeping my stories within a certain word limit helped me when I went into ghostwriting. That way, even as I wrote I could calculate just how much I needed to put down so I could get the word count I was after.

And then, as I’ve said, I’ve gotten way better at writing non-fiction articles. I also do it from time to time offline. Either for a client or for some publication in my church. If not for the enlightenment Hive Learners brought, I would never have gotten to that point. Or at the very least, it would have taken too damn long!

If there’s something else I’ve learned while on the blockchain, it’s the value of engagement. It’s something that shouldn’t be taken lightly because the more you grow, the more you learn, and the more value you get. This is something that’s preached a lot here in Hive Learners and in Inkwell as well, you just have to be intentional about it.

Also, I can't forget how Hive Learners made me take up photography. It was one of my goals this year to mainly use original pictures in my posts and so far that has been going great. I've not taken new pictures in a while because we were on holiday, but now that it's all over, you'll find newer and better pictures in my posts.

Whew!! 1400+ and counting… well, I did warn you the story was long. Hehe…😂

This is how easy it can be for me to get carried away when talking about myself, my daily activities, or when I’m dropping nuggets. It’s just such a perfect fit for me and it gives me great joy. I’m happy to see like minds here, people who would read my content and appreciate it as much as I do. I think that’s one of the greatest gifts this community gives to all of us. Providing an audience that really connects to what you say. After all, that’s the dream of every writer. Have people read and enjoy your work.

And that, my friends, makes everything worth it!

I’m blessed to have found Hive, and I’m honored to be a moderator in Hive Learners. Thank you everyone for this opportunity. I love you all!!!

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_{Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below, I would love to know what you think. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{This post is inspired by the second topic of the week which is Hive Learned. Feel free to try it out.}

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_{N.B: All images are mine.}

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