"My problem is, I obsess way too much over my stories. Not just wordsmithing, but rhetoric. Getting it right--to my own satisfaction--takes more time than the return will usually justify."

Boy I feel this. I learned early on, though, that I tended to make more money from stories (on Medium) when I shot from the hip without much thought at all. My highest paid story ($300+ and counting, well...and $500 because I got the bonus that month) was written in less than 30 minutes, in a state of violent distraction because my then-crush was sitting in the same room (and the story was about him).

So, recognizing that more effort =/= more money on Medium, I've mostly posted disorganized ramblings here. Some do well, some don't, and it seems to have nothing to do with the time, effort, or writing quality.

It reminds me of that old behavioral psychology conundrum - if you start rewarding a behavior that started out as intrinsically rewarding - for example, if you give a kid a cookie every time they go down a slide - the behavior often declines. It's like the kid forgets that going down the slide is fun on its own, associating it only with cookies, rather than the joy of sliding itself (oh dear, I feel another "meta" medium post coming on).

I think the bottom line is this, for me: I'm not particularly proud of the writing I do here. And the rewards I get here aren't commiserate with my level of pride or effort, but I like money, and, to a lesser degree, safe internet attention that I can turn on and off as I please.

How do I ignore these shiny things and focus on writing quality?