Announcing Our Winter 2022 Creator Workshops

Summary

Medium is offering a series of free workshops and weekly writing hours in early 2022 to help writers develop their skills, find their niche, craft engaging titles, and connect with fellow creators.

Abstract

Medium has announced its Winter 2022 Creator Workshops, a series of free online events designed to support writers in honing their craft. The workshops cover topics such as discovering a writing niche, writing compelling titles without resorting to clickbait, and sharing personal experiences of finding one's voice on the platform. These sessions are led by Medium staff and feature insights from successful Medium creators. Additionally, Medium is hosting weekly writing hours to provide a collaborative environment for writers to work together. The initiative aims to foster a community of creators and provide resources for growth and audience engagement throughout the year.

Opinions

Medium values community feedback, as the workshop topics are based on surveys and feedback from previous events.
The platform emphasizes the importance of authenticity in writing, encouraging creators to find unique angles that only they can provide.
Medium acknowledges the challenge of creating effective titles and offers guidance to balance engagement with integrity.
The success story of Julio Vincent Gambuto is highlighted as an example of how a single story can significantly impact a writer's career and reach.
The weekly writing hours are seen as a valuable opportunity for writers to dedicate time to their craft and engage with a community of peers.
Medium is committed to providing ongoing support and resources for creators, with plans to expand their offerings later in the year.

Plus, weekly writing hours to help you connect with fellow creators

It’s a new year, and we’re back with three new, free workshops to help you grow as a writer in 2022. Plus, we’re hosting writing hours every week through the end of March; these are free, open, weekly sessions where we gather virtually to write together.

Led by Medium staffers, these workshops focus on topics you asked for in surveys and feedback forms after our 2021 creator workshops. And they’re just the beginning! We’re planning to offer more workshops, resources, and writing hours later in 2022.

Here’s the lineup for the next few months:

Never Run Out of Story Ideas: How to Discover Your Writing Niche

January 25, 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET. Watch the recording. Read the companion post. One of the most difficult parts of writing is figuring out what you’re uniquely qualified to say: What can only you, and no one else, write about? In this workshop, we’ll share some wisdom from Medium creators who’ve found a unique “beat” or “niche” that sets them apart — along with some tactics for finding your own.

How to Write a Great Title That Isn’t Clickbait

February 9, 12:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. ET. Watch the recording. Read the companion post. Your story’s title, or headline, is your first impression — often, it can mean the difference between a handful of readers and a magnitude more. It can also mean the difference between reliably growing an audience and compromising your integrity. We’ll cover some best practices for excellent, engaging headlines (and some common pitfalls).

Getting to Your Big Story: Expert Advice From a Writer Who Found Their Voice on Medium

Watch the recording. Read the transcript. Sometimes, it just takes one story to find your readership (and your voice). In this session, we’ll hear from Julio Vincent Gambuto, a writer/director whose story “Prepare for the Ultimate Gaslighting” started a worldwide conversation on Medium and off, reaching over 21 million readers. We’ll learn how Gambuto crafted the essay, and how it helped him launch a writing career and pitch his upcoming book.

Weekly Writing Hours: Dedicated Writing Time for Medium Creators

Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET, starting January 20 through March 31. Use this meeting link to join (the passcode is: Medium). Join us for an hour of unstructured writing time! We’ll host these hours each week — you’re welcome to join as frequently or infrequently as you’d like. We’ll provide a few optional prompts and spend most of the time writing independently. Our first writing hour will take place Thursday, January 20. (And if this timing doesn’t work for you, not to worry — we’ll switch it up later this year.)

If you can’t make it, we’ll share recordings of each session in Creators Hub.

Got an idea for a future workshop? Let us know in the responses. And here’s to a year of wonderful writing!

— Harris Sockel, Amy Shearn, and the Creator Support Team @Medium