4 Dumbest Mistakes I’ve Made As A New Writer
Here are 4 lessons I’ve learned from my first 2 weeks on Medium, And How You Can Avoid Them.
I joined Medium in November 2023 but only started writing consistently in 2024. So far, I’ve published 14 articles and gained just shy of 70 followers.
Along the way, I’ve made mistakes. I really wish I had known these things when I first started writing here.
Addicted to Stats
When I say addicted, I mean checking my stats page almost every half hour, or whenever I had the chance.
Seeing a notification would cause a huge adrenaline spike. I would obsess over an increase in views and stare at the stats graph for minutes at a time.
The idea of being able to write about something I’d learnt, and have people read and clap for it was just crazy to me. Hence, the obsession.
But, this isn’t productive.
Looking at my stats won’t change them. Instead, I could have been writing another article or reading someone else’s.
Plus, doing this takes my mind off what my goal is on Medium. Views and followers are only small achievements in the long run.
Digging deeper, I realised what I really want is to:
- Get better at writing
- Share things I’m passionate about/ I’ve learnt
- Engage with a community of writers
Now, I’ve set myself a goal of checking the stats page 5 times in the day. For some reason, checking stats has been the first thing I do when I wake up, and the last thing I do before going to bed as well. Hopefully, I can fix that.
Not Paying Attention To Stats
I know, I just said being addicted to stats was one of my biggest mistakes. But not analysing and paying attention to them was too.
Stats aren’t just numbers on a screen. They‘re insights and feedback on my writing.
When I didn’t get many views on an article, I used to feel upset and demoralised. Now, I ask myself:
- Why didn’t people want to click on my article?
- How can the article be improved?
If an article did well, I think:
- What was different about this one?
- How can I replicate it in others?
Now, I genuinely learn from everything the stats page tells me. A win and loss are both areas for reflection and growth, especially since I’m a relatively new writer.
While I still write about things that interest me, I’ve noticed that some topics do much better than others. There is simply a wider audience for some content compared to others, and doubling down on those topics is a good strategy to get more reach.
Neglecting Formatting
This is one of the most important parts of an article: How it looks.
I used to write in big chunks, each paragraph being 6 to 10 lines. After reading other people who wrote articles like this too, I realised why it was such a bad idea.
- It’s overwhelming for the reader
- The article lacks clarity
Since then, I’ve been writing paragraphs that are 1–4 lines each. I’ve also made use of the ‘italics’ and ‘bold’ functions, bullet points, as well as
block-quotes and
Whatever this one is called.
I find articles written like this are far easier to read. I’m also less likely to click off the article or skim through it fast.
No matter how insightful an article is, formatting is one of the most important factors in deciding whether they stay, or click out.
Not Engaging With The Community
Medium is a community of writers, and I’ve learnt a lot from what many of them have to share. The main ways to engage with a writer are through:
- Claps 👏
- Comments 💬
When I first joined the platform, I would read the article, maybe clap once or twice and then leave.
However, I now clap in the double digits (50 claps for articles I really enjoyed) and comment on any thoughts I had on the article. This not only benefits the writer but also the Medium community as a whole.
Medium would be a very different platform if all you could do was write, without any feedback from readers. Clapping and commenting is a way of showing the writer support and encouragement.
Avoiding Fake Engagement
I would classify this as clapping and commenting without actually reading, usually with the intent of getting people to visit your profile and read your articles.
Have I been guilty of this?
In the past, yes. But not anymore. Engagement used to be a way of getting attention. Comments like ‘Thanks for sharing!’ and being the first to clap on an article were ways to do that.
However, I’ve stopped doing so. Getting fake engagement on my articles was annoying, so I decided not to do it to others. Plus, it wasn’t helpful to the Medium community, as they were artificial thoughts to garner attention.
Now, I focus on reading an article diligently and commenting on actual thoughts, experiences, or ways the article has helped me.
Conclusion
These mistakes have helped me grow to become a better writer and reader on Medium. If you’re a new writer too, I hope they can help you as well.
I’ve only been writing for a while, so I’m excited to continue learning and writing more in the future!
I hope you found this article insightful. Thanks for reading!
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