As a Writer, Should You Be Sharing Your Private Life?
How much revelation is too much?
When I was younger, my dream of being a writer meant that I wanted to become a bestselling novelist. I imagine myself writing an unforgettable love story or an epic fantasy. I enjoyed imagining stories and creating worlds inside my head. So it naturally followed that I wanted to write them all down and share them with other people.
As the years went on, however, I found it harder to reach that dream. While I tried my best to write stories and even attended training on screenplay writing, it didn’t really work for me.
On the other hand, the career path I took as a writer was that of a non-fiction freelancer. I became a blogger and succeeded in establishing a decent website. It was along the inspirational and spiritual niche. And I shared what I learned through my own experiences in life.
These days, however, with the advent of social media, more and more people are also sharing their personal experiences. As this becomes common, people naturally crave for more intimate stories. Write-ups that cater to one’s emotions have a greater chance of being viewed.
The question that now comes to mind is, “How much should you be sharing about your private life?”
Do you really need to sacrifice your privacy as a price to pay for success?
Let’s talk about the advantages of personal stories:
1. The human connection makes your articles more relatable
When your readers can relate to your struggles and victories, your articles become more relatable and appealing.
You are no longer the distant person they hardly know. You know become like a friend they know, someone who made oneself vulnerable to share their deepest thoughts and emotions.
2. It helps establish your personal branding
Your personal stories establish your authenticity and unique voice in your posts. It creates an image that people can identify and differentiate from the works of others.
3. It differentiates your posts from those written by an artificial intelligence
Sharing something personal differentiates you from those generated by AI tools. By achieving intimacy and creating human connection, you avoid talking like a robot that your readers can’t relate to.
The Risks of Sharing Too Much
When are you being relatable? And when are you already over-sharing personal information?
As much as you would like to reap the benefits of personal branding, you also want to avoid the negative consequences of sharing too much on your articles.
Here are just some of the dangers of sharing too much from your personal life:
1. Attacks on your personal safety and security
If you share your routine, habits, location and other important information, you can be vulnerable to entities that may take advantage of this type of data.
Hackers, thieves and even detractors can engage in activities that risk your belongings, reputation or even the safety of your loved ones.
2. Emotional stress
Sharing very personal stories such as recovery from abuse, trauma or mental illness can help you create a unique human connection to your readers.
However, it also exposes you to harm for those people who may not be as sensitive to the challenges you went through. This is all the more true if you are still healing and you want more supportive comments rather than negative feedback from your readers.
3. Negative reaction from family and friends
We don’t live in a vacuum. When we tell our personal stories, we consequently involve the people in our lives.
It could be that you may write a story that can offend your loved ones even if you meant them no harm. It’s also possible that even if you’re just writing about yourself, they can get upset or very worried about what you’re going through.
4. Adverse effect on your work or profession
Many writers also have day jobs or other professions. These can be affected also by the kind of information you may write.
How will your officers and colleagues react to your articles? What kind of impression will people have after reading your post?
The Balancing Act
While sharing personal stories can make your articles more appealing, you should set clear boundaries to help you avoid the negative effects of over-sharing them.
Don’t share information that can endanger you or your loved ones. Avoid stories that can affect your professional reputation. And don’t forget to ask for the consent of people you will include in your stories.
If you find it hard to set these boundaries, you may want to consider writing more technical posts rather than composing personal essays and intimate stories. You can also shift to fiction where you can use your personal experiences without sacrificing your privacy.
Find the right balance between safety and authenticity. Never sacrifice the most important things in your life.
You may also want to read my book “How to Earn Money by Becoming a Full-time Writer” — Download on Gumroad Today!
