This week, I was planning to write a witty and erudite article gently poking fun at what it takes to write successfully for Odyssey (or any other forum really). Sadly, this freaking Alex Quillin guy beat me to the punch, with this witty and erudite article blah, blah, blah, you get the point. It is annoying, not only because he stole my idea (I'm kind of at a loss as to how, since we've never met or communicated in any way. It's just the only answer that makes sense), but also because I'm pretty sure his version is funnier than mine was going to be.

So I've decided to take a different tack on the same subject, i.e. successful writing.

Writing success can be measured by a number of different standards. The most popular standard is if you can make a living at it. If yes, then congratulations! You're a successful writer! Not making any money? Congratulations! You're just a graduate degree away from teaching!

Now, forums like Odyssey clearly prefer popular articles, the ones that get the most "shares" or what have you, on the Facebook and other social media. Of course they do. With most media companies, the more shares, the more ad income they can make. It's just the nature of the beast.

I find that I cannot. The thought of writing anything just because it's what's popular just makes me cringe. I write what moves me, what concerns me, what amuses me. Occasionally, I'll throw out a "Movies (or Bands) You Should Check Out" kind of article, but that's usually because I'll watch something and think "Man, everybody should see that!"

Clearly, the sort of stuff I write is not particularly popular. Every week, I get a robo-email saying something along the lines of, "Dear Lloyd, your latest article hasn't gotten 20 shares yet. We feel you have important stuff to say...blah, blah, blah." It was really starting to kind of give me a complex.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining: the editorial staff at Odyssey have been fantastically supportive, and genuinely want me to be successful. I'm pretty sure that it's just not going to happen (at least not by their standards). I think I'm just not cut out for the standard measurements of success.

Right now, I write two blogs, as well as weekly Odyssey articles, and frankly almost no one reads any of it. My primary blog, Moonsthoughts, has a small group of enthusiastic readers and that number is slowly growing, but at this rate...well, let's just say I'm not setting the blogging world on fire.

So, in the interests of making myself feel better, I've decided to move the success goalposts. I'm going to keep on writing what I want, the way I want, and hope that it connects with somebody (OK, anybody). I've decided to just concentrate on writing as well as I can, every time I write. I'm not going to worry about "hits" or "shares" or "SEO scores" (whatever those are).

I've decided that I'd rather write something substantial, something that says something, rather than pandering to popularity. I understand why people write click-bait. I click on a lot of it, myself (I mean, who doesn't want to know what Mary-Ann from Gilligan's Island looks like today?). The world needs diversion, and frankly, we'd all be a lot better off if some people spent more time reading about "Three Reasons to Visit the Smokey Mountains", and less time reading and sharing political propaganda articles and memes.

I just can't write that kind of stuff, or maybe I just don't want to. I've decided that if something I write resonates with somebody, or helps them to feel less alone, or just makes them laugh, then that's my kind of success.

If this article sounds like sour grapes, blame Alex Quillin (but first do yourself a favor and read his great article). I had some really good jokes for that other article. I'm not bitter though (well maybe a little, they were really good jokes): I'm just happy to be writing, to be doing something that I'm good at. Sure, it would be nice to write and be successful by the normal standard, but if I manage it, I want to be able to say I did it my way.

Until then, I'll keep hacking away in my own private salt mine of creativity, embracing the obscurity, and getting better at what I love.

Besides, money is a shitty way of measuring success. Where would we be if Twain, Poe, Shakespeare or (insert your favorite author's name here) had settled for barfing up click-bait? There's room for all of us.