> Maybe there’s still value in writing for its own sake?

I just finished Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and it has a meaningful response to this.

“I still encourage anyone who feels at all compelled to write to do so. I just try to warn people who hope to get published that publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. The thing you had to force yourself to do—the actual act of writing—turns out to be the best part. It’s like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.”

For me, writing is like tidying up a messy room. When the clutter is gone, I can think more clearly and focus on new ideas, so I believe there is still a lot of value in writing without worrying about readers.