A Tip For New Writers On Medium
Get a good map
When I first saw this prompt from Ellie Jacobson in Flint & Steel, I didn’t think it was one for me because I’ve been writing on Medium for less than a year. But it made me think about what helped me to find my feet on the platform. And there’s one tip I believe is worth passing on. It’s not exclusive to Medium, it’s something I’ve passed on in many different contexts to a diverse range of people over many years.
If you’re heading somewhere, you’ll get there quicker if you find a reliable map than if you put on a blindfold and head out at random.
Unless you’re a specialist researcher who has spent years learning all there is to know in your particular field, there will be people out there who have already trodden the ground you are exploring. Many of them will have left roadmaps and advice on how they tackled the sorts of problems that you are going to face.
Why start from scratch, struggling with the basics, and falling into traps that you could avoid?
Medium looks straightforward at first glance, but it springs surprises. Unexpected changes have taken me unawares several times, but I found this useful (and entertaining) article by an Argumentative Penguin who has been around much longer than I have. It doesn’t explain everything, but it makes some sense of the Medium evolutionary rollercoaster:
If you want clear guidance on the basics — how to get started on almost any aspect of Medium, and how other online writing platforms compare, then Zulie Rane is the one with the answers:
If you want help and guidance on anything else, then trawl the platform — it’s the biggest around — chances are you’ll find someone with the relevant experience.
I’m not the person to come to for first-hand advice on Medium, but if you want to find out about your potential income from your secondary rights — an area in which I worked for over a decade — try this one:
I can also show you a quick way to create a pitch for a novel, a technique that led to signed contracts for me with publishers and agents:
Or if you want to use words to create the tension and drama that films generate with spooky music and clever camera angles, I’ve done a lot of work on that one too:
But if it’s Medium you want to know about, the two writers I recommended above will lead you to others with equally useful insights. Don’t take as gospel the words (however well-meaning) of people who haven’t been on Medium for long. Go out and find those with real experience and build on that.
A final thought: I’ve listened to discussions between successful online writers comparing gigs. The consensus so far is that despite some irritations along the way, Medium is the place to be.
If you have useful advice for people new to Medium, why not write it up in response to this prompt:
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