Interview Series

A Glimpse Into My 1.5 Years Of Journey On Medium

In an interview with Coffee Times

Coffee times is a new initiative by Winston. This post is a part of the Coffee times interview series. I am grateful to Winston and Drashti Shroff for inviting me to take a part in this great interview series. I am honored to be a part of the Coffee Times publication.

Writing is not just my hobby, but my first love. Medium gave me a place to share my words. This is the post of my writing and editing experiences on Medium.

I hope you enjoy my conversation —

When and how did you discover your love for writing poetry?

I love writing. I am writing since childhood. However, I fell in love with writing poetry when I started writing on Medium.

You are a top writer in poetry on Medium. Can you share your journey of bagging the top writer in poetry tag?

Medium is indeed a competitive platform. There are so many talented poets on Medium. I always write a free verse poem never tried different forms of poetry. When I joined Medium, most of the Top Poetry writers wrote poetry in so many different forms. Therefore, I thought it was hard because it’s all about algorithms. I never thought that I can be a top writer or I want to be one. I believe, If you do hard work, then anything and everything is possible.

How and where do you normally write a poem? Is it at a park, in a café, or while traveling? Is there any particular environment that brings out the poet in you?

I mostly write poems in my room because I have a set up on my study table. I sometimes go to write on the terrace in the evening. Other than that, I don’t have any special place where I write. I always try to write from the heart because that is the most important thing if you want your readers to feel your words.

You have started your publication on Medium for poems called 'Lifeline'. What inspired you to start it and how is your experience of running a Medium publication so far?

Before starting Lifeline, I hosted two poetry challenges one in Illumination and the other one in The Lark publication. That poetry challenge taught me that many people loved to write poetry but they are somewhere don’t find topics or inspiration. I have so many fellow poets who told me that my prompts helped them to spark creativity. That’s the biggest compliment that I received as a poet. That words inspired me to open Lifeline. Lifeline is growing rapidly. I love to host the wonderful poems of my fellow poets.

What advice would you give to writers who are aspiring to become top writers in poetry?

Poetry is an emotion. If you want to be a top writer then let your readers give something magical. Poetry is magic. Write from your heart, inspire your readers and give them something valuable and the rest will be taken care of.

You recently scored a viral story on Medium. Would you like to share your experience with it? How did it change the Medium experience for you?

It was a wonderful experience. It was my dream and that dream came true. I am blessed that I had a viral story. I am grateful to all my readers for their constant support. Usually, my stories made $2 or $5, after viral stories, I made more than $30 from a single post. Well money aside, it’s more about reaching people. At a certain stage, Medium provides way more value than any monetary value it provides. I mean the connection you make with people, sharing of thoughts and emotions makes this platform a kind of big deal.

You have shared earlier in your writings that you are not much of a reader. What pulls you to Medium other than writing?

Well, at the beginning of joining Medium, I did not read a lot of stuff here. I used to write poetry and was more into sharing my feelings and connecting to people. Yes, I read but not a lot. But now after a year and a half, I have realized that it impacts a lot when I read my fellow medium writer’s pieces and connect to them. I do empathize with them by heart.

Do you have a favorite writer on Medium? Would you like to share who and why?

I have so many favorite writers on Medium. However, my all-time favorite author is Dr. Preeti Singh

She is my inspiration on Medium. I love to follow her. She is a great author and a wonderful human being. She always motivates all her fellow authors on Medium. She is a very supportive editor and writer. Her stories always teach great lessons of life.

What are your future goals at Medium?

Medium has provided love for people and I want more and more. I don’t have specific goals but I simply want to reach more people. I hope to make Lifeline a place where people share their emotions, feelings, and much more through poetry. I want to meet more poets and create a great place for all the poets.

Thanks, Winston for this great opportunity. I enjoyed answering all the questions. I am looking forward to reading more interviews of my fellow authors.

Message from Drashti Shroff: I would like to thank Sahil for accepting the invitation to interact with Coffee Times. I hope you enjoyed reading about Sahil. If you would like to know more about him, you can read his About Me story shared below:

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