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How Posting Haiku on Social Media Made Me A Better Writer
At the beginning of 2020, I decided I would post a video of myself reciting a haiku every day on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the entire calendar year. My intent was to increase my presence on these social media platforms and gain a few followers.
For those who don’t know, a haiku is a three-line, Japanese poem that consists of 17 syllables with the first containing five, the second containing seven, and the third containing five. It didn’t sound too complicated; it should be a piece of cake. Just post a haiku video for 365 days. Wait a minute, 2020 is a leap year, so it’s 366 days. Okay, one extra day wouldn’t kill me.
Unfortunately, my insecurities started creeping inside my thoughts reminding me how I abandoned literary projects like unfinished manuscripts, short stories, essays, or poems. Plus, I never felt comfortable recording and/or watching myself on video. To make matters worse that further increased my anxiety, these videos would be available for the entire world to see. Despite my misgivings, I dove into this task on January 1st with every intention to complete this goal, and much to my surprise, I did so, never skipping a day and overcoming any doubts, fears, or negativity that could interfere with my creativity.