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When I started on Medium, I was not sure what I expected. But I can tell you all of my expectations along the way have been redirected.
60 articles later, the landscape of my writing journey on Medium has transformed me in ways I never anticipated.
In October, I challenged myself to write daily on Medium for 31 days. The task was daunting, especially while vacationing in Hawaii for 11 days.
Yet, I found my greatest growth and unexpected joy in this challenge.
I didn't reach every one of my goals, and that's okay. I learned to enjoy the process. As I reflect on each of these 60 articles, I realize it's not just about the numbers, the claps, or the comments.
Which at first was a tough pill to swallow.
While these are nice, it's about the lessons I learned along the way and the paths yet to be explored.
To get the juice flowing, I asked myself,
“What does it mean to grow as a writer on Medium, and how can these lessons shape my future narratives?”
Since August, my weekly writings on Medium have been a journey of self-discovery and discipline. Initially, personal blogging overwhelmed me, leaving many attempts short-lived.
The quest for audience and impact seemed elusive until a serendipitous moment during a lawn mowing session.
An audiobook mention of Medium by Dr. Benjamin Hardy sparked my curiosity. Medium's paywall option and substantial traffic were exactly what I needed.
August was my experimental phase: one article per week.
I am still a Medium Partner, but eager to share my voice.
By September, the urge to write grew. I aimed for two weekly articles, paving the way for an ambitious October goal – daily writing.
Come November, it was time to refine.
I shifted to a tri-weekly schedule, focusing on quality.
Every Friday became my designated writing day, with my assistant's help crafting a Notion calendar for article outlines.
While not always used verbatim, these prompts sparked ideas and focus areas for each piece.
This structured approach allowed me to think, clarify, and edit efficiently. The articles were drafted on Friday, refined by night, and scheduled for morning release.
This rhythm fostered consistency and gave me the space to enhance my thoughts.
My vision moving forward?
To provide quality and solve a problem for my readers in each article, I will create a series that offers tangible solutions for my readers and potential clients.
The lesson learned? A well-planned content calendar is key to focus and consistency.
My journey with social media platforms could have been better, marred by ridicule, trolling, and hacking. In July of 2022, I deleted my last personal social media account.
So, as I ventured into Medium, I braced for more of the same.
Yet, I found a heartening surprise: a community radiating warmth and welcome.
My engagement with the Medium community is heartfelt and deliberate:
This triad approach has enriched my Medium experience and deeply connected me with a far more nurturing and engaging community than I ever anticipated.
My writing expedition on Medium began in August, embarking with no expectations. Having dabbled in various hobbies and jobs, I was familiar with new beginnings.
September brought a wave of confidence. It was a time for reflection and improvement when I asked myself,
"What can I enhance in my writing?"
October proved to be a pivotal month. Setting an ambitious goal to write daily, I braced for a month of intense creativity.
The results were beyond my initial expectations – more enriching and fulfilling than numbers or metrics.
As the weeks progressed, my focus shifted.
Initially, I was concerned with Medium's main metrics: claps, comments, and earnings.
By the end of October, however, I realized that my writing journey was less about these indicators or monetary gains. It was more about personal fulfillment and expressing my passion for e-commerce, specifically Amazon, through my articles.
This evolution has been eye-opening.
Writing for Medium has become a means to share my business vision and life experiences, reaching out to readers and potential clients with topics they enjoy.
It's more than just writing; it's about connecting, sharing, and growing personally and professionally.
Now, I use Medium’s metrics to gauge whether my readers liked the writing rather than the monetary value.
As I focused on writing three articles a week and trying to improve the quality of the articles, I learned three key things.
As I learned in October during my marathon 31-day stretch of writing, writing can become therapeutic.
Taking thoughts from my brain and putting them on the screen, the moments of silence and the clicking of the mechanical keys of the board become rhythmic, patternful, and purposeful.
I have a writer's high after I hit the green button at the top of the screen to submit my article to Medium.
I've encouraged friends and family members to join Medium as the universal message is that writing can become an outlet for your mental well-being and health.
It's been a revelation since incorporating Grammarly into my writing toolkit in July 2022.
As someone with ADHD, the inattentive type, coupled with a learning disability, writing presents unique challenges.
Despite a high IQ of 145, spelling and punctuation often feel like formidable adversaries.
There are days when words flow flawlessly, yet others find me grappling with the intricacies of “there,” “their,” “they’re,” and the occasional “thier.”
College was particularly taxing, requiring my wife's diligent editing for every paper.
Grammarly, however, has transformed my writing experience. While mistakes still occur, Grammarly adeptly catches most, easing the burden that once seemed insurmountable.
Parallel to this journey, my understanding of Medium's analytics has evolved. Initially, I falsely assumed increasing followers was crucial for boosting views and, consequently, other measurable metrics.
This assumption, however, didn't hold.
My views have stabilized at around 50 per day, yet my earnings on Medium have consistently more than doubled each month. This realization underscores a valuable insight: it's about more than just attracting more views.
This month has been a testament to the power of prioritizing quality over quantity.
I will do more testing and post one of my three weekly articles as a non-partner paywalled article to see if that helps my traffic.
As I try to find my voice in more than one way.
My journey as a writer on Medium has been a tapestry of growth, discovery, and unexpected lessons. Starting with no expectations in August, I embarked on self-improvement and deeper understanding.
The journey led me to embrace Grammarly in July 2022, a tool that significantly eased my writing challenges due to ADHD and a learning disability.
Each month brought new insights.
September instilled confidence, encouraging me to refine my craft.
October was a turning point, teaching me the value of commitment through daily writing.
This period redefined my understanding of success, shifting my focus from mere metrics to the joy of sharing my passion for e-commerce and personal experiences.
Interacting with the Medium community revealed a warm, supportive environment vastly different from my past social media experiences.
This engagement deepened my connection to the audience, enhancing my content's impact.
My experiments with content frequency and style led to an important realization: quality trumps quantity.
Despite stable daily views, my earnings on Medium have consistently grown, proving that meaningful, well-crafted content resonates more than sheer volume.
In essence, this journey has been more than just writing. It's been about finding my voice, connecting with an engaging community, and learning that true fulfillment in writing comes from authenticity and personal growth.
Will this motivate you to embrace and celebrate your evolution process in your creative works, whatever they may be?
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