Medium

A Year on Medium: My Journey as a Writer

Tremendous Journey

Happy New Year, dear fellow reader and writer, wishing to all of us “Great achievements”.

Well, would you believe it’s been a whole year since I started writing on Medium? January 2nd, 2023 seems like just yesterday.

When I published that very first article, I was nervous but also thrilled to see where this new hobby would take me. One year and over 100 stories later, I can confidently say this has been an incredible journey so far.

My very first Article on Medium:

I’ll admit, I didn’t really know what to expect when I jumped into the world of amateur writing. I simply enjoyed putting my research and thoughts down and hoped a few people out there might find them interesting.

But Medium has exceeded every hope and dream I had. First and foremost, I’ve made so many wonderful connections through my stories. From thoughtful comments and messages to new friendships struck up over shared interests and ideas, interacting with all of you has been the highlight of my experience.

Achievements

Some of the milestones I’m most proud of achieving were definitely unexpected.

Getting my first hundred followers after 21 days in late January made me giddy, I won’t lie. Seeing my view counts steadily tick higher with each new piece gave me such motivation to keep creating.

And when one of my articles hit the coveted 1k views mark! I might have happy-danced around my place just a bit.

My very first article to hit the coveted 1k views:

But beyond the stats, what sticks with me most are the conversations. Having someone thoughtfully engage with my ideas or ask questions that force me to see a topic in a whole new light — that’s what I truly enjoy and write for.

The Interactions That Stood Out

I still vividly remember some of my earliest commenters. Cappelli, MFA, JD, PhD, who left the very first comment such an encouraging comment.

Matt | Financial Imagineer, who shared his thoughts on AI and how he implemented AI in his workflow, I just felt that my story has value and seeing people interacting with it just boosted my motivation.

And dear Katy Ramm, who has something nice to say about literally everything I publish — she may be my number one fan!

Then there are the fellow writers who I’ve connected with, like Ansh Singh who shares my passion for AI writing. We started messaging on LinkedIn, and now we often bounce ideas off each other.

Prasanna Srinath Subhasinghe has become another great writing buddy in just a few short months. We have pretty different styles, but we love reading each other’s latest stories and providing feedback.

Sometimes it’s just a quick “great share!”, but other times, we’ll have long chats dissecting deeper about the story.

Of course, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. I’ve dealt with my fair share of writer’s block and self-doubt over the past year. There were definitely times I almost talked myself out of hitting that intimidating “publish” button.

And when sometimes your story does not get accepted by the publication, you know what it is, I had to actively fight letting it dampen my spirits. But the Medium community has given me so much encouragement along the way.

Reading other creators who openly discussed their own struggles made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this. And whenever someone took a moment to provide thoughtful feedback on my work, my motivation quadrupled.

Pushing Through Challenges

The past three months I just felt completely blocked. No matter how hard I tried to punch out a draft, everything sounded clunky and forced. At first, I started spiraling — what if I had already peaked? What if my 15 minutes of writing fame had come and gone? It got dramatic up in my head, let me tell you.

But then I talked to other writers in a Facebook group, and so many of them admitted they went through the exact same creative lulls.

One great writer told me she used slumps to switch up her entire process. She gave herself permission to step away from screens and would just journal with pen and paper until the words started flowing again.

Another fellow writer said when he felt blocked on stories, he’d challenge himself by trying new poetic forms as a way to flex different mental muscles.

Those conversations were a lightbulb moment for me. I realized I had put so much pressure on myself to perform that it had sapped all the organic joy.

So I took quite a moment off from publishing and decided to simply write for fun again. I went back to scribbling scenes and character sketches from my imagination into a notebook without judgment.

What I’ve Learned

So many experiences over the past year. I think what I’ve learned is that putting your writing out there can be scary, but also so incredibly fulfilling.

While stats and views are nice external validation, what matters most is being true to myself. As long as I’m writing on topics I care about, staying curious, and making even just one reader smile or nod along, I’ll be satisfied.

I used to obsess over how many claps I would get on each piece or feel disappointed if something I worked hard on didn’t seem to resonate.

And while of course it feels amazing when a story goes viral, chasing arbitrary metrics will make you burn out fast.

I’ve realized my best work emerges when I write first for myself, not for faceless clicks or applause.

If I pour sincerity and passion into expressing an idea or describing an experience that truly lights me up, the right audience is drawn to it organically.

I’m also learning to take feedback in stride and not let criticism discourage me. After all, art is subjective and not everyone will connect with your style or message.

As much as we creatives wish our work could speak universally, the truth is you just can’t please all the people all the time. But the right supporters will appreciate you and urge you forward. So staying gracious while developing a tough skin has been crucial.

Goals for Year Two

So where do I go from here after a truly remarkable year discovering myself as a writer? Well, my plan is to stay the course! I’d love to continue building connections and diving deeper on topics I’m passionate about.

My goal for 2024 is to continue pushing outside my comfort zone by experimenting with different formats and subjects I’ve been hesitant to tackle.

For example, I’ve had readers ask why I tend to shy away from programming since I have pretty strong knowledge. And honestly? It’s because there is so many good programming articles out here.

But maybe I could write thoughtful analyses or share projects. Or I’ve considered trying my hand at how to make money with AI — perhaps a serial tutorial? Making money with AI also still feels intimidating but hey, challenge accepted!

Most importantly though, I want to keep this passion alive by remembering what drew me to Medium in the first place — the pure joy of turning my random thoughts and experiences into words on a page.

Sure, getting some extra income from Medium is always nice!

And if I can continue to write from an authentic, fun, and growth-focused place, I know this next year will be just as magical as my first.

My loose blueprint may evolve along the way, but the foundation feels solid.

Even on the hardest days when I question if I have anything valuable left to say, I can return to my roots.

Because ultimately, I trust the process and believe my voice deserves to be heard — even if it starts small.

The Bottom Line

So here’s to another year of new stories, new connections, and plenty more happy “publish” button clicks.

However far this writing adventure takes me by January 2nd, 2025, I’m buckled in and ready to enjoy the ride.

I hope anyone reading this who has their own creative itch they long to scratch will start putting their work out there too. please feel free to connect if you ever want to chat about writing! Building a supportive community makes all the difference.

And to the handful of loyal readers I somehow already have accrued — well, what can I say? Thank you hardly feels adequate! But your readership, comments, and shares have come to mean so much more than I can properly articulate.

Just know that your feedback and encouragement fan the flame on the hardest days. So please stick with me as we see where this second year leads.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some new story ideas simmering that are just begging to make it onto a fresh document. Talk soon!

As always Thank you, for reading, and once again, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I also wanted to highlight some of the many talented writers I’ve discovered in the Medium community who have inspired me over the past year:

Cappelli, MFA, JD, PhD Katy Ramm Prasanna Srinath Subhasinghe Jim Clyde Monge Nikhil Vemu Robin Wilding 💎 Aiden (Illumination Gaming) B.R. Shenoy Author Emily Athena Milios Bill Abbate Geeky Animals Transylvanian Chiarra Sue Bembelino Bembi S M Shahinul Islam Emily Chan - Life and love sharing John Pearce Scarlet The Storyteller Aidan McCarthy Your NativeFriend Joachim Guth Nevena Pascaleva John Welford The Daily Updater A boy who was loved. Nassuf Rachid Dr. Gabriella Korosi Linda Miller Bird Tara Leigh Parks Derek Hughes Jane Grismer Modern Muse Brandt Amelia Jan Sebastian 🖐👩‍🦰 Eiman Fatima Trevor D'Silva -Stories Inspired by Life & History Bernard Loki Kristy C Katerine Mesa Pereira Stefan Silver Danwil Reyes Ungureanu Madalin Marin Dr.Ramesh Chaurasiya David Weldy Dan Charlene Ann Mildred Miriam Rachel Mehdi Bennani Smires Rocco Pendola Britt E. Joan Gershman Andra Writes Kevin Shan Joanne Santos Mind Morphine J A Candle Amy Christie S.a.n.a.h Praise nicholas Michael Harrington Kris Bedenian Shifa Mashahim Jade Zulfiqar Habiba Lotfy Willow Reed Ashllyn T. Alberto García 🚀🚀🚀 Nikhil Vemu Vuyo Ngcakani Stephen Dalton Vlaicu Alexandru ASAD EDUCATE Saeed Sobhani Seda Anbarcı Wordsmith Diaries Usman Khalid Qureshi Hajii Brown Digital_tehnology Kallol Mazumdar John Jinks Noreen (Writer) Vertis Williams III C C Farley Ani Vals Iqraashraf Maleesha Perera Anton Krutikov LGWare, The Black Lens Saurabh Srivastava, PhD Bi$hup Jens Peter Olesen Tonya Johnson 👧🏾 Karen Andresen KAKA LAM 嘉嘉 @iamkakalamkk Sorin Dumitrascu Michelle Renee Kidwell Walter Bowne Belinda Takyi Elizabeth Shanks Nayab Tufail R C Hammond Greenland Genealogy Monica Ray, M.Ed, MS Underrated Developer Aidan McCarthy Amarie Malone 💖 Jamestasticc Alba Tay Karolina Sur JB The Talker Sandy Gold Sobaan Saeed Guy Nave Mahnoor Fatima Amulya K izzibella Beau Seb Writes Hira Chaudhry Billie Staib Komal Daryl Goh Don Waters Jr. Rampath 💙 Ghazala Qayyum Nara Ferch Rachael Cousins writes as Botanical Biohacker Harshil Mevasa Alex Berin (M.Sc.) - Project Leader Matt | Financial Imagineer Matthew Veras Barros