Summary

The author of an open letter on Medium expresses frustration with the Medium Writer's Contest (MWC) outcomes and the community's response.

Abstract

In an open letter addressed to writers on Medium, the author voices discontent with the results of the Medium Writer's Contest, criticizing both the winners and the celebrity judges. The article suggests a 10-point plan to redistribute the wealth and recognition from the contest winners to what the author considers more deserving writers. The author, who identifies as an "angrily bitter old man," calls out various types of writers, including those who write about quick follower growth, those who repeatedly leave and return to Medium, and those who offer trite advice during crises. The letter also mocks the whining of writers who did not win the contest, urging them to move on and write about topics they love instead of dwelling on the contest. The author emphasizes the futility of expecting to win such contests and suggests focusing on writing for enjoyment rather than for the chance of large monetary gains.

Opinions

The author believes that the MWC benefits a select few at the expense of the majority of Medium writers.
There is a perception that the contest winners and celebrity judges are undeserving of their rewards.
The author criticizes writers who obsess over the contest results and suggests they are wasting their time.
The article implies that writers should focus on content that brings them joy rather than fixating on contest outcomes and potential earnings.
The author expresses a cynical view of Medium's intentions, suggesting that most writers will only ever receive "scraps" from the platform.
There is a call to action for writers to stop filling the platform with negativity and to instead contribute positively to the Medium community.
The author uses strong language and humor to convey their message, indicating a desire to provoke and entertain rather than to offer a conventional, polite critique.

OPEN LETTER

An Open Letter to People Writing About the MWC Contest

And analysing the results

Dear Writers,

The Medium Writer’s Contest has come and gone without making me rich. And it probably has made nobody reading this rich, either. We’re all pawns to the Medium gods and celebrity judges that made more with this contest than we’ll ever make from writing on this platform. In this article, I’m going to lay out a 10-point plan to strip the winners and the celebrity judges of their money and power, and bring it back to the people who make Medium great.

The “How I Got 1,000 Followers in 10 Days” writers.
The people obsessively leaving and returning to Medium, and leaving and returning repetitively. And writing a viral article each time they do.
The people telling you to “Live. Love. Laugh.” while the world is burning around you.
The people telling you to ignore the people saying “Live. Love. Laugh.” because the world is burning around you.

It’s those people that deserve the money. The accolades. The adoring fans/sycophants.

That’s the sort of thing I would write, if I was a whiney little baby.

But since I’m an angrily bitter old man, filled with an irrational rage that will boil over at anything but still too lazy to do anything constructive about it and tired of all the bullshit life has thrown at him…

But first, my life philosophy..

Dear Writers,

I’m madder than a rug rat in a dirty diaper

Ed Anger, Weekly World News

A picture of a cute, crying baby. I think that’s you, the writers that are continuing to whine about the MWC winners (and us losers), but you’ll probably think it’s me after you read my Open Letter Rant below.

Isn’t it time to stop whining about the MWC? Time to put on your big girl panties — I’ve got mine on — and forget about the contest. It is over. Ir’s all done. Get back to writing about things that you love again. Unless your love is whining, then keep whining — just maybe, please, maybe find a different topic. (Like an article whining about assholes like me telling you to stop whining about the MWC — it’d be just so meta) I don’t want my Recommend Feed filled with MWC 2021 posts in 2022. Or in 2023. Or in 3031…

Currently, my Recommended Feed is full of articles whining that:

They rigged it for the winners most aligned with the image Medium wants to project, or
Medium should disqualify the winner for not attributing their image, or
the winner didn’t have a subtitle, or
IT JUST WASN’T FAIR THAT I DIDN’T WIN,
and so on
and so on
and so on

I’ve just got two words for you — GROW THE FUCK UP! And another two words — SHUT THE FUCK UP! Your whining is so loud that it’s making my dog howl.

Jesus H Christ, the contest is over. Somebody won that isn’t you. It wasn’t me, either. No shit, Sherlock. We’re never going to win. Medium doesn’t want us to win. We’re just some oil in the machine. We’re the pickle nobody wants in their hamburger. (Yeah, some people like pickles, but they’re just weird.)

Go find something else to write about that makes you happy — maybe How to Best Pass Gas and Blame it on the Dog or some other drivel that people like to read on this rag — and forget about the big money. Be happy with your measly dollar per article. We ain’t never getting the big money. Just the scraps from the Daddy Ev’s table.

Get a life, and shut the fuck up about this stupid contest. I know it was life-changing money, and would have saved your house or your marriage or something, but continuing to write about it is pissing me off. And it’s only me that counts. I pony up my five bucks, and I want to be entertained! I want the dancing monkeys, juggles, and the clowns. I want the clowns.

But on the bright side, it lets me write an obnoxious Open Letter that might make me enough to buy one of those expensive bespoke coffees with fake milk everybody seems to love.

With the fondest regards,

An asshole

Rocky Shores is an arrogant, opinionated SOB, as well as a hard drinkin’ and a hard lovin’ man, with a taste for the fast life. As he often quoted, “You only live once, so grab the bull by the horns and ride, baby, ride”. He is a teller of truths, even if it’s lies.

Here’s one of his Open Letters that doesn’t tell you to shut the fuck up.

An Open Letter to Writers Who Pin Articles

Pinning over one article is — well, read the article to find out what the issue is

medium.com

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