Writing, Quitting, This Happened To Me
For All The Frustrated Writers Thinking About Quitting Medium
I Feel Your Pain, so let's Take a Deep Breath and Figure this out Together
Last October, as a Medium newbie, I was killing it! Forget the hundred-dollar club; I skipped that step and was on the fast track to one thousand dollars. Only three months in, with a handful of articles and it appeared that I hit a gold mine with a story about British versus American language.
This article is my highest earning piece to date, but I still do not know how it managed to do so well.
I was new on Medium.
I did not optimize my story for search engine organizations without a clue regarding SEO.
I did not research keywords or promote my article.
I self-published my story, and after a month of silence, it took off.
Flash forward to today, one year later, and I am currently sitting on my lowest Medium earnings in several months.
Not a thousand dollars, not even one hundred.
I have not been a consistent member of club one hundred over the past year, and sometimes I think about quitting Medium altogether.
Moreso recently.
After a pandemic and surgery recovery break, I am back at work full-time in hotel hospitality.
I work three days a week but accumulate full-time hours.
Do the math; it is a lot.
I am not publishing as many stories, and my reader engagement is down.
It is tough to readjust to work life, and my Medium experience suffers.
So, lately, I have contemplated throwing the towel in and quitting Medium.
Why not, right?
I had a stroke of beginner's luck. I had my heyday, and now it is back to reality.
Perhaps my dilemma sounds familiar.
- you are a newbie writer not earning much
- you've been on Medium a while and still not earning much
- you were doing great, and now you are where I am
- Your work life to Medium writing is off balance
Yes, giving in can be pretty tempting, but before you call it quits, let's pause, take a deep breath, and try to figure this out together.
A Quitter's Mentality
A quitter is defined as someone who gives up quickly, lacking the courage to complete a task.
Ouch!
Now that is pretty harsh!
But that is what a quitter does; they give up, throw the towel in, and say, “sayonara, nice to know you, but I am on my way.”
Waving the white flag of defeat; the ultimate surrender.
However, there are positive instances of quitting.
For some, this entails giving up bad habits like smoking, junk food, or overspending.
Others resign from their job, end a relationship or retire their sports jersey after exhaustion or injury.
The first set of examples of quitting is positive, making a way to healthier living with self-discipline.
The second set also makes a pathway toward better living, transitioning to a positive mindset, and relieving emotional stress and turmoil.
Pretty relatable; I've been there before.
Then, there is premature quitting, a giving up without thinking everything through.
Yes, jumping the gun early, disregarding long-term consequences.
This is the quitting I am referring to in this article.
The overeager to bail writer who abandons ship when the ship has barely set sea.
The discouraged creator because The "dream" doesn't match the results.
The author running for the hills with the false notion that writing is an all-or-nothing deal, thinking if nothing is the current now, then the future must be bleak.
The writer whose work-related duties leave little time for platform publication.
Yes, these are the potential quitters I am targeting.
And, for the sake of transparency, I must include myself.
Honestly, I have been tossing around the idea of leaving Medium throughout the last month.
Why, you ask?
- Well, because I had high hopes that I would be further along on my writing journey, meaning a steady monthly Medium payout
- I thought that I would have more published articles by now
- I haven't earned the top writer's badge yet that I desire most — poetry
In short, I am disappointed in myself.
Adding a return to work into the mix, I have somehow given myself the green light to self-bash and talk myself down from writing.
Negative self-babble, like "you don't have what it takes" or "you gave it a shot, and now it is time to move on."
Indeed, I could close out my Medium account, put the pen and pad aside, and say arrivederci (goodbye), but deep down, I know that the desire to write will not go away!
For me, it isn't that simple.
The creator in me will never die.
As my mum always says, "It is time to stop cutting my nose to spite my face."
To all of you would-be quitters, you writers on the brink of exiting Medium, resigning your creativity, STOP!
You are considering exactly what my dear mum advises against, and you will regret it.
Maybe not today or tomorrow, but assuredly, the day will come when you realize that quitting; prematurely quitting, was a huge mistake.
Fast-forward the Tape
Big decisions should never be hasty, and overthinking sometimes leads to regrets.
Yet, life is full of decision-making.
Some are easy peasy, and others test our limits.
Knowing which path to take when life gets hectic or when a solution to a problem isn't simple sometimes causes one to throw their hands up.
However, giving up doesn't make the problem disappear; the issue still nags at one's conscience like an annoying ear whisper.
That little internal voice will continue to haunt you when you quit prematurely.
Especially when you quit doing something that you love.
You can avoid the unnecessary "What ifs," "I should have," and "I could have" altogether by doing one simple thing.
Hit pause on the whole surrender idea and play out your scenario to the end of the tape.
A dear friend of mine used to give me sound advice.
He said, "Play the scene to the end of the tape whenever having trouble decision making."
Take the time to consider a potential decision's circumstances from all angles.
Look at all possible endings.
Then, ask yourself, "Are you okay with your playback?"
My friend's words have weighed heavily on my mind the past week.
I have played out multiple quitting Medium scenes in my mind, and each possibility shares one common theme.
REGRET
Yes, every outcome I could imagine left me with cause for concern.
In my heart, I know that writing is my passion, and knowing this means one thing; I cannot quit.
And neither should you.
Simply put, if you love writing, and I will assume that you do, otherwise you wouldn't do it, then do not give up!
But, take a few minutes and envision your life without writing, without Medium.
Fast forward life to a few weeks from now, then a few months.
Sure, life goes on.
Work, family, friends, and other interests fill the gaps, but are you truly happy, or are you left longing for the keyboard, your followers, and your next final draft to hit the screen?
Take the time and play out your quitting mindset to the end of the tape.
I am willing to bet that you find at least one instance of AHA!
Reset and Refocus
Once you realize that quitting is no longer an option, you must prepare a fresh outlook.
It is time to hit the reset button and refocus your writing energy.
If you look at writing as an art form, what I say next will make things easier for you.
Change your brushstroke, try a new canvas, alter your lighting, or experiment with a new palette.
My point is to do something different with your writing.
Evolving from a quitter to a hitter mindset means that failure only comes by giving up. Otherwise, as the artist that you truly are, your growth and progress are assured by moving forward.
And moving forward means being willing to try new things and make changes by continuously challenging yourself.
Using myself as an example, I am refocusing my Medium writing time due to a new job.
I am resetting goals with more reasonable, attainable ones and ditching the notion that if I don't do such and such in an x amount of time, then I must be a lousy writer.
Reflecting on my early writing days, I recall the free-flowing motion of my words without any pressure from looming stats, monetary expectations, or self-pressure to outperform my previous published story.
So, I hit the reset button, and my vision couldn't be more precise.
And guess what? It isn't that hard to achieve.
Now it is your turn.
Reset and refocus
- Shuffle that hectic schedule and find a writing slot that works — before or after work, when the kids go to bed, or perhaps a little less Netflix and a little more writing.
- Adjust goals from high reaching to more attainable — Start with small weekly goals and work up.
- Find a consistent publishing schedule — It doesn't have to be daily, but find a number and stick to it. Even if publishing means only once or twice a week, commit to that number!
- Read, research, and learn — Writing is an ever-learning journey for the creator. Make use of the internet. There is a world of free knowledge via the net for the writer. Take workshops, learn new styles, and read, read, read.
- Be willing to push beyond your comfort zone — Yep! Writers must be courageous enough to practice new techniques and take on writing challenges while keeping in mind not everything will work, but experience and knowledge are power.
- Relax and have fun — The pressure you previously felt was self-inflicted. Okay, getting the hang of this writing thing may take a while, but you will get there much faster if you enjoy the journey.
We all have moments of writing frustration, but does this mean we must give in and quit on our dreams?
I know that many writers have considered leaving Medium at one time or another.
But does momentary doubt or reservation warrant throwing in the towel?
No
The fact is, quitting is easy.
Anyone can walk away without batting an eyelash.
Sticking around through life's ups and downs no matter what takes enthusiasm, courage, and a little fire.
Do you have that fire? 🔥
Are you courageous enough to see this writing thing through, or are you a quitter?
I am rooting for you, so please don't give up. 😊
Now, please take a deep breath, and let's do this together!
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