5 Things “Some” Writers Here Need To Stop Doing. Like, Now.

We need good writers more than ever.

It sucks to put yourself out there and get nothing but crickets.

It doesn’t just suck. It hurts.

Makes you feel like a failure.

Sometimes, it makes you mad. Because you see other people getting results, and sometimes for crap. Pure, utter crap! There’s a lot of crap here.

There’s a lot of crap everywhere.

And you? Write your buns off for what, pennies?

It’s frustrating. Depressing. It can make you wonder if you suck or if the site just sucks and you should throw in the towel.

I get it. I had a hard start here.

My first story got 18 reads. My 2nd story got 7. My 3rd story got 2.

After that I quit for months. Why bother?

Not like anyone cared.

I made every stupid mistake in the book. Probably invented a few stupid mistakes, too. Everything a person could do wrong, I did wrong.

I didn’t wake up and smell the coffee until I opened my publication to writers. Then hoo boy. What an eye opener THAT was.

Because I got to see STATS!!

Not just mine. Know what I mean? I could see stats on all the stories in the publication. Wow. Big, big eye opener.

It gave me insights I never had before.

Here’s what I learned running 2 publications…

I run two publications here. History of Women and The Book Café.

Month after month, I see the same thing. A small handful of stories rise up to the top and get thousands of reads. The rest flop.

Flop like a dead old fish.

And no. It’s not always the writers with big followings that get results. That’s what I expected. But it’s not what I saw.

One of the top stories on History of Women was written by a writer who was brand new when she wrote it. I don’t think she even had 100 followers.

And her story got 5K views. The publication only had 500 readers at the time.

New writer. New publication.

Whammo. 5,000 views.

It’s not about how many followers you have.

It’s not about how big the publication is.

It’s way more interesting than that.

5 Things “Some” Writers Here Need To Stop Doing.

Whenever I see writers who aren’t getting traction, they’re always making the same mistakes. And I don’t mean forgetting the image credit. lol. I mean the approach they take to growth here.

If you’re struggling, you might be doing some of those same things.

They’re not helping. They’re hurting you.

1. Stop looking for shortcuts

Do you see the “big” writers here posting about how to make it on this platform? You see Umair or Jessica or either of the Tims doing that? No. You know why? Because writers are the minority here. They know that.

Meta posts pay crap compared to entertaining stories. Christ, I earn more writing about Victorian panties than writing about this platform.

So writers, mostly new ones, read meta posts by people who have no idea how to get to the top because they aren’t there — and then go do stupid stuff based on said “helpful” advice.

Like tagging writers who don’t know you from a hole in the ground because maybe we’ll come read. Or dropping unrelated links in people’s comments. Some days it’s like whack-a-mole deleting those things.

Here’s another one. Submitting to a different publication every day of the month like it’s some internet version of a drunken pub crawl. Bet you didn’t know that the writers who get most views are the ones that write for a publication regularly. People get to know their work that way.

Stop. Just stop all the nonsense and “tricks” and shortcuts.

Shortcuts aren’t for newbies. They never were. Ask a grizzled old dude who’s been rebuilding engines for 43 years. He can knock here, tap there and tell you exactly what’s wrong. The newb? He better be thorough.

Shortcuts are for people who already know the long way.

2. Stop thinking you’re owed anything

I don’t mean that in a bad way, okay?

You ever sat in front of the telly with the remote in your hand flipping around for something that looks interesting enough to stop the eternal flipping through channels?

Oooh. That looks good.

Well, that’s how people read here.

They scroll that home page the same way you flip channels, looking for something interesting.

Sometimes that’s you. Sometimes it’s not.

If the submissions to my publication are any indication, your titles aren’t helping. I ask for new titles about 80% of the time.

If your title is kind of boring and right underneath your story is someone else’s “I caught my husband with another woman” story — you’re toast.

Titles make or break you.

Yet despite the fact that we’ve all gone channel surfing, there are still people who get downright indignant that their stories didn’t get clicked and read. They complain it was a good story. Should’ve got more views.

Maybe. But maybe there was something more interesting right above or below it. It happens. All the time. There’s no guarantees. Never, not ever.

And sometimes?

That story you thought was a dud takes of 3 months later and knocks your socks off. That happens all the time here, too.

Every time you hit publish, the only thing you should “expect” is nothing. Maybe it gets read, maybe it doesn’t.

Crap shoot. Every time.

3. Stop comparing yourself to other people

Too many writers compare themselves to other writers. That’s a lose lose game. Especially if you try “copy” what they’re doing.

You want to be better at being you. You want to grow?

Go sort your stats.

Look at the ones with best views. That’s where you got the title right.

Look at the ones with most fans. That’s where you connected.

Look at the ones that paid best. That’s where you engaged best. Pay comes from reading time. If people stick around and read, it pays well. If pay sucks, then the engagement sucked. Can you figure out why?

Strive to improve over your past results. Never mind everybody else.

Doesn’t matter what you do, there will always be people above and people below you. Focusing on them tells you exactly nothing.

Growth comes from being better than you were last week.

And if your best stories are meta posts — hoo boy, are you leaving money on the table. I kid you not. Try some other topics.

The more esoteric the better.

You might surprise yourself.

4. Stop being attached to the wrong things

First time I got published was a print magazine 20 years ago. I submitted the story and the editor told me she likes the story, but it could be told better. It was a little weak. So she coached me through and I still got paid.

Does it get any freaking better than that?

Some writers are so attached to their words you’d think they carried them in their belly for nine months and pushed them out with blood and screaming.

Your words aren’t your story.

I am not diminishing your writing. I am telling you that your words are not the story. That’s all. Words are what you use to tell the story.

If I say your paragraphs are too long, that’s not an insult. It’s an acknowledgement that half your readers are on a smartphone.

Having a great story and telling it well are not the same. I will keep saying that until I’m dead. If an editor asks for edits, don’t lose your mind.

Same goes for images and titles. If an editor asks for changes and you don’t agree, you can still be polite. Just tell them you’re going to remove it for now and work on it a bit more. Then do what the hell you want.

And don’t yank the story out of the publication without responding.

That’s just rude.

Manners are free. It’s a small world. Word gets around.

5. Stop thinking “more” is the solution

Can I be blunt honest? If your writing is boring and hard to slog through, writing more is not going to help.

It’s more likely to make people mute you.

Oh. Him again. lol

In the short term, it might seem like quantity helps. You’ll be in the feed more often, so more people will see you. You’ll get more clicks. Initially. But they’ll all come to the same conclusion.

Sometimes they’ll just see your name and ignore you. Because you made an impression, all right. Just not the one you hoped for.

Back in March 2021, there were 47K articles going up here daily. I have no idea what that number is today. What I do know is you cannot write your way to the top unless people want to read what you’re writing.

There’s just too many other people to choose from.

Up your skillset. That’s the real trick. Write as much as you want, or as little as you want — but strive to improve. To write stronger essays and stories.

And learn to write better titles.

That’s the best favor you can do yourself. Titles make or break writers. Creator’s Hub published a help guide to writing better titles.

It’s good. Read it. Follow it.

Summary: Medium sells the tickets, editors are the carnies, and we? We are the attractions.

Ever been to the fair? You go in the gates and pay for your ticket. As you’re walking around with the sun on your back and ice cream in your hand, the carnies are yelling to get your attention.

Ride the Ferris wheel, double wheel… Come one, come all, watch the flame thrower in a death defying… Puppies, come see the puppy show…

So much to see, not enough time to see it all.

You can’t ride every ride. You can’t eat every food. You can’t watch every show. You have to pick the attractions that you can’t pass over.

That’s how it works here.

Medium sells the tickets. Editors work to create a themed experience that readers won’t want to miss. Readers are the ones that paid for a ticket… and they can’t read it all. They’re going to have to pick.

You and me? We’re the attractions.

So here’s the million dollar questions. You going to stand there juggling two red rubber balls in your jeans and hoodie? Or are you going to put on a show? Are you here to entertain, or are you not? Your call.

There’s no cheats. No shortcuts. No guarantees.

You put on a show. Or you don’t.

“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ― Philip Pullman