Heartfelt Cries

Summary

The author laments the overabundance of money-driven, prescriptive "You" and "How To" articles on Medium, advocating for a return to genuine storytelling and literary expression.

Abstract

The article titled "Heartfelt Cries" expresses the author's dismay at the prevalence of formulaic, financially-motivated advice articles on Medium, which seem to prioritize profit over authentic writing. The author, who has been on Medium since its inception, reminisces about a time when the platform was more about passion for writing than about monetization. They fear that the current trend reflects a societal distress, with readers desperately seeking life solutions and writers exploiting this need for financial gain. Despite this, the author remains hopeful, citing initiatives like Scribe and Vagabond Voices as evidence that there are still spaces for true literary craft, where the love for words and stories takes precedence over monetary rewards.

Opinions

The author feels alienated by the trend of writing stories that are more about making money than about genuine content.
There is a concern that the popularity of personal development stories indicates a collective search for meaning and guidance, driven by existential unease.
Writers who produce "You" and "How To" content are perceived as potential manipulators focused on viral success and financial gain.
The author believes that true wealth comes from intellectual fulfillment rather than from chasing viral content for profit.
Nostalgia for the early days of Medium is evident, where writing was less commercialized and more authentic.
The author has taken action by creating Scribe, a publication that promotes different kinds of stories and thoughts, suggesting a proactive stance against the commercialization of writing.
There is an acknowledgment that not all "You" and "How To" stories are disingenuous, but the author prefers more nuanced storytelling that doesn't masquerade as life lessons.
The author identifies with being a writer who values literature, poetry, and unpretentious storytelling over popular, money-driven content.

Please don’t let money take over writing

I must be a UFO. Or an anti-conformist, a reactionary, a rebel. I’m not sure what label could be put on me. Am I really the only one on Medium who never read stories whose title includes the words “You” and “How”, or to be more precise, whose title includes the words “You” and “How” and challenges the reader by telling him how to behave in his life?

What has happened to make everyone develop a taste for advising others on all aspects of personal and professional life? Why has personal development become the norm in today’s world?

I’m afraid I already have the answer: money. If more and more writers are starting to write these kinds of stories on Medium, it’s because they seem to be the most lucrative. And if these stories generate money, it’s because the readers are there. The demand is there. Sadly there.

Would the success of this kind of content, however modest, be indicative of a form of distress on the part of readers, who are seeking, by all means, a solution to their existential problems?

Why are people so fond of these stories that have only one hidden purpose, to serve the interests and only the interests (mostly financial) of the writers who write them? Are they too naive to believe that these writers want to help everyone? Would we head towards a beautiful land where everyone reaches out their hand generously? That would be too beautiful!

In reality, behind most of these writers are hidden manipulators capable of writing anything and everything to explode statistics and go viral, in the hope of getting a shower of dollars.

What needs to be done so that money is no longer at the heart of all things and dictates creation? Can we get rich (intellectually and financially) without having to start writing and reading this kind of content seen and reviewed millions of times?

I knew Medium when it first started about seven years ago when we were maybe a hundred curious people discovering a fascinating new world. A world where the money had not yet darkened the horizon with its dark and threatening clouds. A world where writers were still writers, and not pseudo-writers in search of money and fame. I liked that sky more.

Does the future bring hope? Here again, I already have the answer, and it does not frighten me this time: yes! I wouldn’t have imagined and created Scribe if I didn’t feel that there are other ways of thinking, behaving, dreaming, reading, writing, and growing.

I think that all the talented writers who revolve around the publication have understood this, even if some of them have fallen or are falling at times into the trap of these stories based on “You” and “How To”. And I am not alone in this state of mind, I think of the brilliant Trisha Traughber, who created her publication Vagabond Voices.

If we look around, there are still small havens of peace where real writers exist and where words and money still keep their distance. Is it wrong to want to make money from writing? Of course not, but only when the motivation comes first and foremost from a passion for words and stories, not for money.

Maybe the problem is only the form of the stories I am referring to. Maybe the intention is not always bad. But there are so many more subtle means to get messages across, to engage and move our readers, without addressing them in the form of life lessons.

Am I doomed to be a poor Medium writer? Probably, if I can consider myself a writer at all. But it suits me well. I prefer to continue not to do like everyone else. And as a reader, I choose to learn from the experience of others through literature, unpretentious written stories, and poetry. Not through the soup kitchen served by all the dollar-obsessed lecturers.