3 Lessons I Learned by Writing On Medium for 3 months

A new writers journey so far

I’ve been writing on Medium for three months now. I‘ve learned a lot of valuable lessons in that time that I think could help other Medium writers.

I discovered the platform from Shelby Church’s Youtube video about writing on Medium. I was fascinated. I continue to learn new things about Medium from other respected writers, like Youtuber Zulie Rane.

Writing and earning on Medium isn’t easy, although I never expected it to be a get-rich-quick scheme. But unless you truly love your craft then you’ll eventually stop writing on the platform.

The reason I started writing on Medium was that I found it enthralling that I could get paid for my writing. This month, I’ve accumulated a whopping 58 cents from 7 articles. It isn’t a lot, but it’s a start.

Allow me to share the three important lessons that I’ve learned from my Medium journey so far.

1. Consistency Is Key

If you want to be a successful writer like Tom Kuegler or [arlie] PEYTON then you have to put in the work, day in, day out. Writing on Medium is like starting a business because in order to grow your following you have to work on your craft every day, just like starting a business. You need to work on it daily in order to be successful.

Like I said earlier, this isn’t a get rich quick scheme. The only way you can make money on this platform is by delivering consistent quality. This is one of the most important lessons that I've learned from my writing on Medium. One that can literally change the trajectory of your writing journey.

Do you think you are writing enough? Ryan Fan posts at least three articles a day. He has become a very popular writer on the platform due to how much time he spends on his craft.

To make it big on this platform you have to write consistently, and if you follow this lesson you’ll see a return on your effort in time.

2. Don’t Copy Other People’s Writing Style

When I first started writing on Medium, 3 months ago, I initially thought that to be successful I’d have to write like Ayodeji Awosika, Sean Kernan, or Niklas Göke. Some of the best, most popular writers on the Medium platform. I was wrong, I knew I couldn’t write like them. Even if I could I wouldn’t be writing like myself and I felt that my readers would see that.

So I told myself, it’s better to write like me than to copy someone else’s style. What they do works for them, but I’d rather write the way I do because that’s what works for me. Hopefully, my readers can see that.

This platform is home to many different styles of writing, that’s what makes Medium so special. So if you’re a new writer, be unique, it will benefit you in the long term.

3. Read Books and Articles

To improve your articles you should read the work of others. Not only on the Medium platform but everywhere. This is something I regularly do because of the benefits for me.

When you read other people’s articles you uncover new ideas about how you can improve your work. I use this strategy to help me to be more creative. Reading other articles also helps me to become more knowledgeable. I read articles on Medium, Forbes, and even ESPN to help my writing improve.

That said, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing to implement a part of the writing style of others into your writing. After all, in the writers’ community, we learn from each other. That’s how we improve our writing prowess.

Reading helps because we learn new vocabulary and styles of writing that we can incorporate into our articles. To be a successful writer you must read as much as you write because in doing so we become better writers.

This lesson will help you to improve your writing tremendously. Implementing this lesson has paid dividends for me in recent weeks.

Final Thoughts

To be a successful writer you must be selfless and hungry to learn because if you think you’re a great writer then it's likely that you aren’t. Great writers always know that they have something to improve.

So my fellow readers, write, read, and learn from other writers because this will help your writing — isn’t that what we all want?