5 Ways to Use Medium as a Writing Retreat

Summary

The article outlines five strategies for leveraging Medium as a sanctuary for writers to connect, grow, and share their work.

Abstract

The author reflects on the nurturing environment of grad school, where writers supported each other's work, and contrasts it with the challenges of the real world where business and marketing skills are essential. The piece suggests that Medium can serve as a modern-day writer's retreat, offering a space to find camaraderie, engage deeply with peers' work, and build a supportive community. The strategies include seeking out fellow writers, engaging with work that resonates, responding thoughtfully to others, sharing the impact of others' writing, and actively building connections rather than retreating into isolation.

Opinions

The author values the sense of community and mutual support among writers, emphasizing its importance in the writing process.
Writing should not be a solitary endeavor; interaction with other writers is crucial for growth and success.
There is an inherent need for writers to be recognized and to share their work, which Medium can facilitate.
The article suggests that writers often lack business and marketing skills, which are necessary to thrive outside of academic settings.
The author believes that genuine engagement with others' work is key to fostering a healthy writing ecosystem on Medium.
The piece encourages writers to break out of their introverted tendencies and actively participate in the Medium community to create lasting connections.

Set your unicorn free.

I loved grad school for writing. I was surrounded by people who loved words. We treated each other's work as if our words were hidden treasures that needed care and protection. We were guardians of one another’s creations. I befriended the people who I admired. The people who valued me sought me out. Helping one another elevated our work and for a brief time, writing was as real as this cup of coffee that I won’t live without. It was paradise.

Then, one morning, we were flung into the world without one drop of business sense, marketing abilities, or idea on how to earn an income with our craft. So, we wander the world, looking for a way to return to paradise.

Even during non-pandemic times, a writer spends a lot of time alone. We, writers, spend years harboring our work as if we’re hiding a fugitive, not sharing what we have. And then we wonder, when is lift-off? When can I just be a writer?

Ask any unicorn, if you can find one. I found one. This is what she told me. “You have to let people know that you exist,” she neighed. “Otherwise your writing will become a myth that only your inner child sees.”

Deep unicorn.

So here are 5 ways to use Medium to find a writer’s paradise.

You are not alone. There are thousands of other writers here with you. Seek them out. These are actual people who have similar interests and gifts as you do. Read their work. They are your colleagues, your friends, and maybe even people that you end up helping and end up helping you.

Hone into the writers whose work speaks to you. Dive into it. Read it like it was made by a friend. Don’t always skim. If you like their work, get in there. Figure out why it works. Highlight those parts. Think about those parts. If you’re living with another human being, talk about those parts. Admire those parts. Other people’s words matter as much as your own.

Respond to Medium writer’s work as if it matters. If there is one thing that I have learned from the past four years, it’s that we are all survivors of narcissism. And in order to break that cycle, we need to fight to see that other people are as important as we are. When you read people’s work, respond to it. These people are not in outer space. They’re on this planet with you. Humanity is a reciprocal relationship. Reciprocate.

Tell other writers what their work means to you. Be genuine. This isn’t an ass-kissing contest, but if someone's work moves you, tell them. My best friends in grad school know my work well and I know theirs well because we treated each other’s work like it mattered. It did matter. It still matters. I continue to be awed by writing I see on Medium and I see no reason to keep it to myself.

Don’t be shy about the bridges and connections you’re building. Writers are often introverts and when we make a connection, we often retreat inward. Ideally, we’re not only here to make some bucks, but to make writing friends and community. The icing on the cake is the community you build here, will continue after the pandemic. This is your retreat. So, do you want to be the person who goes all the way to a writing retreat only to ignore everyone else and tap away on her computer in the corner? Or do you want to be somebody who makes friends, takes risks, and sets their unicorn free?