3 Things I Gained Writing on Medium

They all surprised me

I’m coming up on my third anniversary of writing on Medium and after publishing more than 300 articles, I’m still not earning what I thought I would. Surprisingly, I’m okay with that because I gained other benefits from my journey here that I hadn’t expected.

My writing improved

I admit that I was pretty cocky when I started writing here three years ago. I had spent most of my career writing and editing, and I was a communications consultant, book editor, writing coach, and teacher. How much better could I be?

Turns out, a lot better. A while back, a friend commented about how much my writing had improved, become deeper, and more impactful. I was shocked. But then I read some of my earliest pieces and compared them to my more recent ones. She was right. I had improved — a lot.

One of the reasons for my progress came from writing regularly, since creating a writing habit is essential for improvement. But I also gained from reading other writers on this platform. There are some damn good writers on here that can teach us a lot.

I found myself putting more of myself into my writing

I’m a diehard introvert and rarely share my personal life with anyone — even my closest friends. It’s hard for me to open up. My earliest lessons centered around unworthiness and a lack of safety. So, my work tended to be either heavily business-oriented or heavily researched. I came to realize that I was hiding behind business and research — they were my fences that kept me safe.

Jordan Gross was the first person to encourage me to share more of myself after my first more personal article was published in Mind Cafe. I tentatively took his advice and wrote about things I had never shared before.

As I shared more of myself, I gained a sense of freedom, and my self-esteem was boosted. But more importantly, readers would respond that they found my work helpful. It was just what they needed, and it gave them hope. No amount of money can replace the knowledge that you’ve made a positive difference for someone.

I discovered the fun of experimenting

As the months passed, I started expanding the topics I was writing about and began submitting pieces to new publications. I challenged myself to try new formats and ideas and became enamored of short-form articles and 300- to 400-word pieces that I could do in a few hours instead of long-form pieces that took several writing sessions to research and complete.

Recently, I took the plunge into writing haiku. I had written it years ago and had some of my work published in haiku journals. I hesitated before hitting publish, but people have responded well to it.

Medium is a lot more than a place to make money. It’s a way of connecting to other writers and forging mutually beneficial relationships. It’s also fertile, open ground to plant new seeds in a safe environment. This is the place to explore what interests us, challenge ourselves to push past what we think are our limits, and discover the joy of touching the lives of others.

Thanks for reading, Patricia

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