I've had a couple of epiphanies this evening with regard to Steemit. Rather than look at the success of your posts in terms of payment or "up votes", look at it from the angle of service to others. By doing this, you are successful no matter what. Even if you've helped only one person at any level, you will have met your goal. Through this approach, your whole reason for posting becomes far more dynamic, and I think more effective. And in the end, your material will be of a higher caliber, and easier to produce.

The other epiphany I've had is with regard to the comments. You may struggle to know what to write for a main post, and you can't always be sure there is an audience that will appreciate it. But when you read the posts of others who ask questions, or the comments of posts that ask questions, you will have received a gift on a golden platter. In this case, you have a specific question from someone you know really wants an answer. And since you're seeking out people who want help, if you truly want to help them, you won't take shortcuts or half-ass your response. You will take your time and provide them everything you can. And there's a bit of potential magic that can come out of this. In the end, what is the difference between a quality post that helps, and a quality comment that helps? Nothing. And that being the case, if you work hard to help others with your comments, I think you might find that you're actually producing amazing material for your next main post. If what you're saying in the comments is helpful, why can it not be equally as helpful as a headliner? And for those who know the value of having a muse, you might find it similar in that the person with a question becomes your muse. As you write for them in your comment (one-on-one), you pull from that energy of knowing you will have an appreciative recipient of your work. Tap into that. Leverage it. And if you can answer their follow up questions, you become even more valuable to them. Why would they not "follow" you after you've been so helpful? And so your networking begins. Then repeat.