200 Stories In

Summary

The author shares their progress report after writing 200 stories on Medium and offers advice to new writers.

Abstract

The author has been writing on Medium for almost 7 months and has recently hit the milestone of 200 published stories. They express their satisfaction with their progress and share that they are close to reaching 1000 followers. The author acknowledges that their achievements may not be impressive compared to others but emphasizes the importance of comparing oneself to oneself. They share some advice for new writers, including writing from the heart, engaging honestly with the community, using controversy wisely, and leveraging publications. The author stresses the importance of giving value to the community and not being a jerk.

Bullet points

Write from the heart and be authentic
Engage honestly with the community by reading, commenting, and following authors whose work you like
Controversy is okay, but don't use it for its own sake
Publications are your friends; submit your work to them and work with editors to improve your writing
Give value to the community and don't be a jerk
Medium is a great space for making decent money, but you have to give to get.

A Progress Report From A Writer That Doesn’t Write About Writing

Well, it’s been almost 7 months and to my surprise, I hit 200 published stories just now. Literally, just now. And I’m closing in on 1000 followers.

So what, right? It’s not all that impressive if you compare it to some. But it IS impressive when I compare me to me. For someone that just recently came out of the writing closet, I’m kinda feelin’ myself right now.

Have I learned anything from this milestone? Yeah, I sure have, and you newbies, listen up. I’m no better or worse than you. I started from nothing and now consistently make hundreds of dollars a month. The number of hundreds varies, but hey, it’s money.

The first thing I’ll say before telling you my “secrets” is that there are no shortcuts. Buying followers won’t work. It’s a waste of money. It might get you into the partner program, but if nobody’s reading your stuff, you’ve just paid for nothing but a chance to earn money. You’re not outsmarting the system, you’re outsmarting yourself.

So how did I get here? I wish it was more interesting, but it’s not.

Write From The Heart: I’m not a technical writer. Granted my work is technically decent, but what I mean is, most of my work is about my life or what’s on my mind. Sometimes people say you shouldn’t write about your life. I’ve seen stories with that advice. I call BS on it. Most of my work is about my life, and that life has netted me some decent coin. Maybe you have something to say, value to offer. Write whatever it is you write, authentically. Don’t be afraid to bare your soul. Medium is a safe space.

Engage Honestly: Follow for follow might get your foot in the door, but it won’t make you any money. If people just follow you without any regard to your content, it’s hollow and fruitless. It’s okay to seek followers, but instead of begging and the strong arm articles begging and pleading and advertising that you need to hit the mark before X date, try engaging. And by engaging, I mean actually honestly engaging. Read stuff. You can’t write if you don’t read. Read things that catch your eye. Take the time to actually read, then comment, and follow if you like the author’s work. I’ve gotten over half of my followers, and readers from leaving meaningful comments.

Controversy Is Okay, But Not For Its Own Sake: Don’t go chasing the viral article right away. Seasoned readers can smell that shit from miles away. And we run like hell the same way we run from the “please oh please follow me” garbage. Be real. Be you. I’ve scored a handful of viral pieces that were provocative, but they were authentic. That’s the key. Did they piss people off? Yup, sure did, but it wasn’t manufactured. None of us has any clue about what goes viral, we just write stuff, and hope for the best.

Publications Are Your Friends: If it weren’t for publications, I’d be still scratching away in oblivion. Do your research, submit to publications that fit what you write. If you’re rejected or if the editor sends back notes, calm your jets. These folks are volunteers, as in NOT PAID, and sometimes, your work, well, it needs work. If your grammar isn’t on point, they’ll know. If the piece just doesn’t fit, they’ll know. Work with them. I can’t tell you how many times the editors Open Letters To, Bommeranges or Illumination sent back a private note saying, “this is great, but what about grammar?” And then I either fixed it or explained that my work is more conversational. And they got it. They’re trying to get eyes on stuff just like you. They aren’t your enemy. They’re the best friend you could ever have. A good relationship with a publication editor is invaluable. Seriously, I’m not kidding. I’ve established my credibility with several by writing well, sticking to the mandate or tone of the publication in question and being open to feedback. And now, my work is published and distributed almost instantaneously. Short advice, don’t be a dick.

Medium is a great space. It’s a warm and welcoming community where you can make some decent coin. But, to get, you have to give. Give something of value. Give yourself, nobody sees the world quite like you. Maybe we need to see that. Give your time and your thought and your comments and claps to writers you like. You’re not giving money away; you’re making a new friend and follower, and you’re learning something.

I’m not a guru, I’m just a humble writer with 200 (soon 201) stories and almost 1000 followers, but my read ratio kicks ass. Do you, engage with authors you like and don’t be a jerk, those are the only so-called secrets.