A THANK YOU NOTE TO READERS — UPDATE!

Another 10 Cents

One man’s goal

That’s right, another dime and I will make my goal for the month. What’s my goal? I set the bar low: to make enough on Medium to cover my monthly subscription each month.

Since I am a total newbie and not all that tech savvy, I had no idea of whether that goal was high or low.

In the past two weeks, I’ve written twelve stories and poems and posted over 100 responses to the writings of my fellow authors here in the Illumination publication. I also wrote several articles before I joined the Medium Partners Program. And, I’ve been blessed by so many people reading and interacting with what I’ve written. Thanks, dear friends!

As I told my friend Rasheed Hooda when I joined: I’m not in it for the money. I’m retired and Medium/Illumination is a new hobby for me. I do love connecting with people online. And connecting with them over articles we’ve written and thoughts we’ve shared provides me with a truly enriching experience. I do my best to share the joy. When someone reads something I’ve written, and if they clap or highlight or respond, I do my best to reciprocate in a timely manner. I’m still getting the hang of how to do that efficiently.

I’ve spent most of my online time on Medium the past couple of weeks reading what others have written and trying to figure out how Medium works. In the course of doing that, I’ve been inspired to write a few stories. I’m inching my way up the learning curve with a lot of help from others more skilled in this craft and technology than I am.

I’m especially grateful to Dr Mehmet Yildiz for welcoming me into the Illumination community and for the many great writers and editors I’ve met here.

Hopefully, I’ll reach my goal by the end of the month. We have another day, so that seems doable. However, I don’t know what buttons to push or knobs to turn to make it happen. All I know how to do is write a little, read what you folks write, and hope for the best.

Thanks to Dr. Y and others, I’m learning a little more about what sells. However, I’m more interested in becoming a better writer than I am in writing a “Best Seller.” If something I write hits the “Best Seller List,” I won’t complain, but that is not my goal. I’d rather entertain and enlighten.

I’ve been an avid reader all my life. I always have a couple of books going. What Medium gives me that books and magazines don’t, is the opportunity to reach out to the author with a comment, to enter into dialogue. I love such connecting. It adds a whole new dimension to the written word.

Sure, you can do that on Facebook, and I do love the sharing and interaction that goes on there. But, as you know, Medium offers the richer experience of longer, more thoughtful articles and stories.

So, thank you dear readers and fellow Medium writers for taking the time to read my missives, clap, highlight and respond. It makes for a very rich experience.

Here’s my most recent article, an attempt to write a poem.

UPDATE:

So here we are on the last day of the month and I’m delighted to report that I made my goal with $0.25 to spare, which will hopefully cover taxes.

So

A HUGE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO READ AND INTERACTED WITH MY STORIES.

Obviously, I couldn’t have done it with you, my readers, and the entire ILLUMINATION community.