Everyone Should Have a Chance To Do Better on Medium

A writing challenge for busy people.

Recently, I was invited by a fellow Medium writer, Berna Tural, to join her in a writing challenge. I was skeptical of my ability to stick with it, but I decided to try it.

The challenge is to publish 30 posts in 30 days. It sounds simple, but for someone like me who has issues with follow-through, I didn’t know if I could do it.

Shockingly, I’m only a week in, but I have already exceeded the goal for the week. Even better, I feel great that I’m publishing in Medium daily; I never do that. I always seemed to post in spurts.

I have been told that the algorithm doesn’t like spurts; it favors writers that publish consistently. Based on my current stats, that seems to be true because my stats are now significantly better than they usually are at this point in the month.

I never expected something so small to have such a huge impact on my confidence as a writer. One short week of publishing in Medium every day; one giant boost in confidence for me.

I strongly recommend that everyone take part in a challenge. I want everyone to experience this!

I’m so excited, I even wrote a story about it. Here it is.

But most importantly, I feel great about my accomplishment, and I am feeding off that energy to fuel my continued progress.

Even my husband commented that he could see that I’m working harder than usual on Medium; that made him happy. And if I don’t have to deal with a cranky husband, that makes me happy. So, this challenge is a win-win in our household.

Thank you, Berna Tural!

Now, if I could just get my husband to clean the bathroom.

I started thinking; publishing 30 stories in 30 days isn’t a practical challenge for everyone.

For some writers, that challenge is just too demanding based on the other obligations that they have. They need a challenge that is more suitable for their schedule.

The idea behind a challenge is that it be “challenging”; not too easy, but not so difficult that you go into it feeling defeated before you even start. It’s never fun to feel like a loser.

Eventually, I came up with a challenge for busy people. It’s easy to understand: publish on Medium every other day for 30 days.

It doesn’t matter which publication you use. The length of your story also doesn’t matter. The goal is to put your writing on Medium every other day.

That gets readers used to seeing your name regularly. Publishing regularly will also make you feel like more of the “real writer” that you are.

And the algorithm will probably like your consistent effort, too. We all need to keep the algorithm happy, you know.

I encourage everyone, no matter how busy, to give this challenge a whirl.

Successful completion will leave you with 15 published stories at the end of 30 days. That’s a sizeable accomplishment and something to be very proud of.

You might even find that this challenge results in a writing schedule that you can keep up with permanently.

And if you fall off track, hop back on. This challenge is not a life-or-death situation, so don’t beat yourself up if you stumble. Keep things in perspective and do your best.

Give it a try, and let me know how it goes. Or at least try it for a week or two.

Never in a million years did I think I would be writing every day due to a challenge, let alone encouraging other people to participate in a challenge that fits their schedule.

Next thing you know, I’ll be into meditation and yoga. If that happens, I’ll be sure to write about it and include a photo.

N’amaste.

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Linda Kowalchek is a work in progress and a member of the typewriter generation. She spends her time with her husband and her rescue cats waiting for golf balls to crash through their windows. PSA: Don’t live next to a golf course.