Summary

The author emphasizes the importance of developing a unique writing style on Medium to stand out and be more productive, while also sharing their personal signature formatting and layout for crafting stories.

Abstract

The author, reflecting on their experience writing on Medium, advocates for a balance between continuity and uniqueness in writing style. They argue that while a consistent approach to writing can enhance productivity, it should not stifle individuality. The author reveals their own distinctive style, which includes using thought-provoking questions in titles, capitalizing entire words for emphasis, and employing a specific format for quotes and subheadings. They also stress the importance of showing one's authentic self through writing and encourage other writers to embrace their true style, suggesting that 2024 is the perfect time to do so on the Medium platform. The author provides a detailed description of their formatting approach, from the use of images with proper attribution to the strategic placement of calls to action, and how they tie their narrative back to the title and subtitle to create a cohesive piece.

Opinions

The author believes that every writer should have a unique style that is recognizable to readers.
They suggest that minor deviations from formal writing structures can help a writer stand out.
The author is confident in their approach to writing and formatting, which they consistently apply to all their stories.
They advocate for the use of subheadings, bullets, and numbered lists to guide readers through the content.
The author values the use of visual elements, such as custom images, to complement their writing.
They emphasize the importance of a strong closing, including a customized footer with calls to action, to engage readers and encourage them to join Medium or subscribe to the author's content.
The author encourages writers to be creative and develop their own signature style, believing it can also contribute to increased writing efficiency.

BE UNIQUELY YOU!

Stop Being So Damn Boring and Show Off Your REAL Style!

Have you noticed my style when I write and publish stories?

Photo Provided by Author — via Canva.com

During the time that I’ve spent writing and publishing stories on Medium, I’ve found that continuity helps lead to more productivity.

That can amount to having a set way of doing things, so it becomes like second nature to you.

BUT — that doesn’t mean that your writing style has to be so formally structured that it’s boring as fu*k!

Every writer should have a unique writing style, one that is specific to them, so readers can typically recognize when they’re reading something you wrote.

For those who follow my stories, you probably know what I mean about my writing style.

I have a certain way of doing things, and I don’t mind showing off my authentic self.

What about you?

What kind of writer are you on the Medium platform?

Do you feel comfortable showing off your true style?

You should. It’s a brand new year and it’s time to do you. What better place to start, than on this writing platform, surrounded by your online tribe?

Remember — this is 2024 and you’re among friends…

Having a specific way of crafting your stories, and sticking to it on a regular basis, can help you increase your writing portfolio.

Do you have a particular style and signature way of formatting your stories?

I do.

I basically use the very same style and layout whenever I write and publish a story.

Allow me to share what it is…

My signature formatting style and layout

From the moment I first start crafting my title and subtitle, I’m already putting my signature style on display.

To start, I always do one of the following two things:

Either I try to create a title with a thought provoking question and a subtitle with a profound statement
Or I try to create a title, with a profound statement, and a subtitle with a thought provoking question
Sometimes, I’ll use a “kicker” title also (it displays as an additional title, in smaller print, just above the main title) like the “BE UNIQUELY YOU” at the top of the story you’re reading now.

ALSO:

At lease 90% of the time, I capitalize one entire word in my main title.

I always use allowable images from approved site s— primarily Canva — and I provide a link and attribution just below the image.

That brings me to some of the other elements of my signature formatting style.

Some of the things I do are not necessarily the proper or formally correct way of doing things.

But that’s exactly why I do them. They’re not errors, they’re my way of standing out from the crowd, plus, they’re really only minor issues.

Like when I leave a sentence trailing off like this, or…

For instance,

I often use the phrase “for instance” OR “for example”, without proper punctuation (:) or standard formatting afterwards.

Here are other ways that I systematically format my stories:

“I always use THIS style when quoting comments from other individuals.”

I always use THIS style when emphasizing my own statements in quotation style.

I Use subheadings like this, that serve as helpful guideposts

I typically take advantage of all of the following:

I use bullets to help isolate information
I normally include bullets at least once in the body of the story and also at the end

I sometimes alternate between using bullets and using a numbered list in the same story
I have an updated cheat sheet where I keep all my little icons that I like to use, like this: 👉 and this: 📌 and this: 💰 and of course this: 😄
I end my story like many writers, using the words: FINAL THOUGHTS as a subheading, and I often spell it out in all caps.
I TRY to stick to simply summarizing the information I previously stated, using more bullets or numbered statements to drive the points home, but honestly, I mostly get in a few final points instead.
I ALWAYS tie things up in a neat little package in the final sentences, remembering to relate back to the title and subtitle.

At the very end, my sign off words of “Thanks for reading…” is my goodbye, but right after that, I copy and paste a customized footer, containing details of no less than one of my call to action (CTA) stories, messages and links.

IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THIS:

Thanks for reading…

👉 NOT A MEMBER YET? Why not Join Medium and subscribe to Justiss Goode?

___________________________

Okay, my current footer is kind of long, with my 3 different “Friends of Medium” notifications and linked images.

Plus, I also display the text message with the call to action to join Medium, as well as the custom image for my directory of stories.

In some instances, if my story included a lot of affiliate links or numerous images, instead of identifying them one-by-one, I’ll provide image attribution, and/or post the following link disclaimer.

The final actions that I take, prior to publishing all my stories, is to click the three dots, for the long drop down menu and:

Select “Change Topics”, so I can take advantage of choosing ALL FIVE of the TAGS we’re allowed.
Select “More Settings” so I can choose the “SEO Settings” and type a separate opening paragraph, specifically for Google (no more than 155 characters long).

FINAL THOUGHTS

That’s pretty much it folks! When it comes to my story writing on Medium, that’s my standard process from beginning to end.

Of course, sometimes, depending on what activity I’ve got going on, or what venture I’ve talked myself into, there may be other unique things I do to or for my stories.

I didn’t discuss things like inserting videos, using automatic story cards, or including mentions of other writers.

Those are the type of basics that all of us are pretty much used to using in our stories.

However, the fun, creative, and unique little twists that you can give to your stories can be yours and yours alone.

Create your own style, or start using it, if you already know what it is and how to show it off.

Hopefully, this story has got you thinking creatively.

Are you starting to consider the idea of giving more attention to your own formatting and writing style?

If you are, there’s much fun to be had in 2024, once you begin creating and developing your own signature way of doing things.

With a little time and effort, you can establish your own customized style of story writing on Medium; a style that ALSO helps you pop out stories more quickly.

Thanks again for reading…

REMEMBER THE “CTA“ ABOVE