100 Articles on Medium: The Top 5 Lessons I’ve Learned About Writing since Article #1
Today I publish #100 and I am damn proud of myself
I signed up for Medium in December of 2020 as a paid member for one reason:
Because the articles were so good!
I didn’t realize at the time that I could be a writer on Medium. I just wanted access to read more articles and $5 a month was affordable.
A few years after being a paid Medium member, I randomly came across an article about writing on the platform.
I had no idea that I could write on Medium! I thought all the writers were professionals from fancy organizations.
Nope.
Some sort of spark happened and from that day forward and I have gone down many rabbit holes learning to write, then learning to write better.
I am still learning and probably always will be. I am not a superstar writer, but I know I can (and will) be.
I found something out about myself — I like to write!
You see, I am addicted to learning new things. A ‘life-long learner’ you might call me.
The addiction has cost me a lot of money.
I have loads of courses: health coach certifications, fitness and yoga instructor, business, course creation, and photography… (just to name a few). I am still working on some of these courses. Although, I vowed not to purchase another one until I have completed what I am already enrolled in.
Are you in the same boat?
I would caution you to take a serious look at whether you really need another course. It is expensive. I bought courses and realized later that the content was very similar to another course I had already paid for.
I have also fallen into the trap of thinking that I need to take just one more course before I can take action. That feeling of not being ready or not knowing enough has led me to buy more courses.
Keep a close on that — finish one before buying another.
Don’t wait to take action. “Start before you are ready” as Marie Forleo would say.
All of my education has helped me write. I write what I know, about my experiences, what I am currently learning, life lessons, nutrition, and food.
It all comes from experience, reading, and continued learning.
I’ve also learned a ton from these amazing writers/teachers. I highly recommend checking them out if you don’t already follow them.
Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole— I took their Ship 30 for 30 cohort course and continued on to The Captain’s Table curriculum. Learning from them has been life-changing.
5 of the best writing tips I’ve learned since day one
Headlines — great headlines are essential
I actually have fun working on creating headlines if I am perfectly honest.
It is fun, but in all seriousness, I have learned that…
Headlines need to catch the reader's attention immediately.
First impressions matter, especially when a reader is browsing through hundreds of headlines on Medium — I don’t stop my scroll unless I see a smashingly potent headline that might solve a problem I am currently struggling with.
Or a headline that piques my interest — I love food and cooking, but the headline still needs to be amazing to take the time to click.
A headline needs to capture attention and deliver on a promise.
The who, the what and the why are essential to consider before I start writing.
You will hear this one over and over — “clarity over cleverness”.
Don’t be clever in your headline and don’t be too clickbaity. I get so annoyed by clickbait headlines that don’t actually deliver in the article.
‘Steal Like an Artist’ (Austin Kleon)!
Ok, I don’t actually steal, but if I see an amazing headline I might take it and sub in my article keywords and make it my own. So I am basically borrowing someone else’s genius.
Here’s a ‘headline inspiration’ example from health.com:
“5 Best Types of Food To Eat For a Healthy Gut”
I will steal like this:
“5 Best Types of Food To Eat For ________”
Now I will remove ‘healthy gut’ and sub in my own topic. I will also look at the title and consider the who, what, and why as I re-write the headline as my own.
Like this: “5 Best Types of Food Women Over 40 Should Eat For Balanced Hormones”
You get the gist, right?
This can be a great tool when your brain is blank with ideas — just browse Medium or google for catchy headlines and pop your topic into the headline instead and you might just come up with an amazing article idea!
Outlines (prep the page as Nicolas Cole would say)
I am writing this section of my article with an already constructed outline.
Do you know how much easier it is to write an article with the outline and structure already created?
10x easier!
I am very serious about this.
Think about it — if you already have an outline prepped before you write, the structure of your article will flow better.
Better yet, you will have focus (and efficiency) as you write because the sections are already on the page.
Imagine you have one hour to write in the morning. You have a blank page, an idea, and your coffee in hand.
Ok, GO!
You write your intro, then you have to stop the focus and figure out what you want to write next — your brain is now pulled in a different direction, and your focus is off because now you have to go do some more ideation and thinking because you don’t have the rest of the article outline prepped.
If I prep the page my writing flows WAY better.
Storytelling
My first 50 articles probably sucked.
And you know what, that is OK!
How am I to learn if I don’t write, fail, learn, write some more, fail again, and learn? You learn as you go (don’t give up)— you get better.
Why is storytelling important?
Do you really want to read a bland article that you can’t relate to?
NO.
When someone adds ‘story’ into their writing it helps to create an emotional connection, which can help a reader to better understand and remember the information they read.
Furthermore, telling a relatable story can build trust and empathy with the reader.
Write for your audience, not for yourself
It took me a minute to understand this fully.
You can write about your own experiences, but you need to apply them in a way that you are helping your audience.
It is really as simple as that.
So, I have been focusing more on writing for my audience to help them with the struggles that they need solutions for.
Never stop learning
I think my learning addiction is pretty healthy and I will keep it up.
Things change along the way — technology, tools, algorithms…
Just look at AI these days! We need to keep learning along the way so we are not left behind.
So many people I know still don’t know what ChatGPT is!
I will leave you with two more things that I have found highly important:
1/ Be patient and submit to publications. I want instant gratification of hitting publish, but mixing it up and getting into publications is important if you want to monetize and be seen on Medium. You need to be a paid member to monetize.
2/ Enjoy the journey! It’s not worth it if you’re not having fun along the way.
There you have it — my journey thus far at article 100 on Medium.
I hope that it inspired and motivated at least one person. I will be back to share my thoughts on #200!
Some more reading you might enjoy:
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