Crafting Dreams into Dollars on Medium

My personal journey into making a living writing.

My Humble Beginnings

I started writing online in 2002. I needed to find a part-time job where I could work at my leisure and still earn some money. I was juggling a daughter’s cancer diagnosis and a philandering husband. I didn’t have the time to devote to a regular job between trips to the hospital, in-house hospital stays, and navigating chemotherapy treatments. However, I still needed a part-time income to make ends meet.

With limited time and means, I stumbled on an elderly man who desperately needed some writing done. Thus, my freelancer position was born, and I haven’t ever looked back. As soon as I completed his book assignment of transposing his detailed ornithology notes into a book, I signed up on Upwork and began seeking more clients.

In short order, I had three or four clients in any given month. Working around my daughter’s chemotherapy treatments and unexpected in-house hospital stays (thank heavens for a laptop I could pack up and take with me), I began to thrive.

I Added Medium To My Platforms

In 2021, I added Medium to my repertoire of writing platforms. I slowly added articles to Medium and began improving my articles. I’ve learned a lot since I started on Medium. I didn’t go for a paid account until January of 2023-in hindsight; I wish I’d gone for the paid account sooner.

Fast forward to 2023, and I got rid of the philandering husband (in 2014) and upgraded several years later to a new and improved model that works together with me to keep our happy little farm running smoothly; the daughter has been in remission since 2005, and I’m still working from home and enjoying plenty of family time.

Fine Tuning Skills

To be a good writer, you also need to be a good reader. I spend a lot of time reading. It helps me improve my work and gives me something productive to do when waiting for someone at the doctor's or some other kind of appointment. I love Medium for this purpose. I can feel like I’m still accomplishing something even though I’m not at my computer.

So, if you notice that I’ve bookmarked your latest article and put it on my reading list, know that I plan to read your article and highlight, clap, and respond to something in the article. It’s how I line up what I want to read when I only have a few minutes to do something productive.

I’m still in a caregiver position, only now it’s for my elderly parents, who have a lot of doctor’s appointments between them. So, I take the waiting room time and use my phone to keep reading, highlighting, clapping, and commenting on other Medium articles. It works for me; it may not work that way for you.

I believe that one of the keys to fine-tuning skills is to be a better listener, reader, and responder. Sometimes, ideas are born from reading someone else’s article. Other times, I observe something around me, and that gives birth to a new idea. I have a running list on my phone of great ideas that I am always adding to.

Not Everything Is Going To Be A Hit

Let’s face it. Even the best writers find that not all of their works are the top articles. Sometimes, it’s not the right season; for example, ghost stories are a huge hit during October around Halloween. However, they’re not as big of a hit in May or June when school is just getting out.

Experiment with long and short articles. If you have a successful article, you can often re-purpose it and write even more articles. Re-purpose your articles across to other platforms by making minor changes and adjustments to your articles.

Create articles with Part I and II to keep your readers coming back.

Write what you know. If you know your topic well, you won’t have to spend a lot of time researching your topic.

Timing is everything—time your articles to the right season, the right target audience, and to the right day. Again, sometimes weekends are the better time to publish because more people can sit back and relax, while other times, they’re too busy to read during the weekend. It can take some trial and error to work this one out.

Watch your statistics, and observe the articles around yours that are published around the same time. Which ones have more readers, and can you see a pattern? If you find the pattern, you can work toward publishing your articles at the peak opportune time for maximum views.

Follow The Right People

I love to follow someone who shares stories that resonate with me. I also appreciate tips and tricks on how I can improve my writing. So, I follow accounts like that to improve my work. Some of my favorites are:

Tim Denning, Jan Sebastian, Zulie Rane, Zara Le Roux, Too Few Soar, and Shannon Ashley.

Why these particular people?

Tim Denning is one of the top earners online. He has his fingers in many great endeavors and shares his knowledge. He also has courses that you can take so that you can learn more. His articles always help me learn something new and useful.

Jan Sebastian 🖐👩‍🦰is recovering from a stroke and freely shares her trials with everyone. She’s not shy about what she’s doing and what she can and can’t do. Seeing her progress is great, and she’s genuinely fun to be around. She’s also a great artist. If you get a chance, check out her videos.

Zulie Rane has been in business for many years. She’s made a full-time income working just 20 hours per week, and she shares great tips and tricks as well as her strategies. Zulie is very organized and has a great work and leisure balance.

Zara Le Roux crossed my path recently, and I love her publication! She focuses on chick life and all things therein.

Too Few Soar, AKA Gary Ringo, writes about adding value to other people’s lives. He does a great job of adding value to others.

Shannon Ashley is another one who is in recovery mode. Shannon has some serious health issues and shares her health issues and progress. She’s a great testament to you, too, can succeed. She shares her trials and tribulations and progress. She’s a great writer and doesn’t hold back on anything.

So there you have it, six successful accounts; believe me, there are plenty more to be found.

Special Shout Out!!

I will add a special shout-out here to an up-and-coming writer on Medium. My friend, David Heitz, has been very inspirational to me. David Heitz was homeless at one point and openly shares about it.

He recently published an article on how homelessness almost drove him to suicide. It’s a heart-wrenching read but a real eye-opener. You can read his article here. David is brutally honest and a great success story. I met him on another writing site and shared how much I like Medium. He had an account but wasn’t adding to it at that time. I’m looking forward to reading many more articles from David.

Write For Publications

If you’re trying to increase your followers and income on Medium, I highly recommend exploring publications and picking out a few that you think you can resonate with. As you find publications that interest you, read the specific guidelines for that publication and request to be added as a writer.

Articles on publications are submitted in draft form and reviewed by the publication before being accepted. Occasionally, you’ll need to make an edit, but these are usually very minor. Make sure to read the guidelines for each publication, as they can vary from one publication to the next.

A few well-placed articles in publications can make a huge difference in your income and followers. Increasing your following and income takes time and diligence, so don’t despair. Build your foundation and start expanding your horizons on Medium.

Navigating the Reality of Making a Living Writing

Okay, so we’ve reached the end of my Medium plug, and it’s time to share a few other tips and tricks. So here are a few more of my tips and tricks for making a living writing.

1. Build up your clientele/audience/or followers.

2. Expand your horizons, and don’t rely on just one client or platform to earn a living (don’t put all your eggs in one basket). Currently, I write for many platforms, including one closed to new writers with only fifty writers. Each platform works slightly differently, so take the time to learn how different platforms work.

3. Treat your clients like you would like to be treated, and they will extend offers and share your name with their co-workers, friends, and family. This will multiply and divide and garner you more potential clients.

4. Don’t give up. If you’ve made enough money to pay even just one bill, no matter the bill, you’re making a living writing.

5. Plan ahead. Some months will naturally be better than others, so set money aside when it is coming in to avoid struggling when you’re having a slow month.

6. Make sure to take breaks and rest periods. All work and no play will wind up, causing you to burn out. Schedule your time accordingly.

7. Rinse and repeat as often as needed until you have reached your goals.

Final Thoughts

One of the biggest things I’ve learned while making my living writing is that, at any moment, things can change. Platforms can stop hiring new contributors or paying altogether; platforms can come and go, and nothing is guaranteed except change.

Be willing to roll with the flow and make minor adjustments to expand your business. When I’m not writing for a platform or a client, I often work on ebooks and paperback books that help keep some income flowing. My latest endeavors include a children’s book series about a pug and a cat that go on adventures together. With some fun AI photos and minor adjustments, I’ve compiled four so far. Who knows, maybe I’ll continue the series on to more.

As an introvert, one of my scariest things was stepping out of my comfort zone. I didn’t want people to read what I wrote; what if they didn’t like it? What if they criticized it so badly that I wanted to quit? The more I wrote, the more comfortable I became with sharing my work. Step out of your comfort zone and share your work; you may be surprised at how much someone likes your article or book. Write daily and explore your interests. You never know when you’ll hit that great article that everyone loves.

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© Kelly Corinne Elliott 2023. All Rights Reserved.