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Abstract

I also try to clap and get to everyone in a timely manner.As my audience has gotten bigger, it has been harder to do it quickly like I used to but I still want to go in and full-ass (engage meaningfully) the conversation. I don’t want to half-ass the interactions that I make with other people. It’s not in my nature. I’m a 100% genuine article. The person you see online is most definitely the person I am when you meet me, just maybe a tad bit more awkward.If I can’t get to someone right away, I usually try to leave a trace that I was there by clapping for their comment. I’m a compulsive 50 clapper and I won’t go any less, despite what others tell me about the algorithm and such.Anyway, I know people have tried to show me shortcuts and have shared their “tricks” to engaging with others, including writing canned responses, reading something and clapping without finishing the article, following people just to take it back after they follow back, and other shady tricks. I don’t do that shit. It’s dishonest, it’s a tad immoral, and people can see through it. Just don’t do it.If you’re going to follow someone and engage with them, be genuine. Find the connection. Everything else that follows will sort itself out.<h2 id="62ce">Hey, it doesn’t hurt to own your own stuff</h2>The publication family, International Indie Collective, was started because I wanted to connect with more people, read more stories that I may not have necessarily been able to access before and build a community within the larger one in the process.As a brand new writer, I didn’t even know anything about the protocol, the rules, or even the basic principles of submitting articles to publications. As I became more acquainted over time, I started my first publication, Digital Global Traveler, in January 2022, almost five months after I started. By that time, I had an idea of the basics.I also just wanted to start niching stories together without formally doing that to my own writing. I was still proudly “nicheless” at that point. The publication would include travel, geography, culture, and language stories. I felt that all four of these topics were interconnected very strongly and it was a great way to meet worldly people as I’d always been fascinated by the world around me and learning how to connect with people from every walk of life. From there, it has grown into a decent-sized and respectable publication with a team of dedicated editors, including myself.My other publications that followed suited many of my other interests including sports and community engagement. I even started a publication for literally all comers. I wanted anyone to feel welcome and welcome any topic within reason. I’m proud that I house writers from a wide range of genres in my set of five publications. This has helped build my audience to a wide variety of styles and topics.<h2 id="ab17">Write consistently and write often</h2>The fact that I have access to many topics is why I can come up with plenty of ideas to write about. I write an average of two stories a day, often writing 5–7 at times when inspiration strikes. I still write on a wide range of topics and usually try to house them in one of my own publications or the various other ones that I am a writer for. I’m never short on where I can write.That’s the thing, too. Don’t limit yourself by only writing in one or two or three publications. Find the ones that interest you and sign up for as many as you’d like. Then you will have a wider selection of which pub to submit to when the time comes.There are definitely publications that I personally favor because of their attention to detail or their publishing turnover time. The faster ones usually gain my favor but also the ones that are quality and that I want more attention to are the ones that I don’t mind waiting for since it takes time to make sure everything’s right.Keep in mind, though, that just because something is published quickly or slowly, doesn’t necessarily correlate with the quality of the piece or even with the skill of the editor. It just is what it is. Writing often definitely helps you gain more readers but also allows you to figure out which stories go where and which ones will publish on your schedule.Let me give one piece of advice before I move on. As an editor, the one thing that I find extremely annoying is when someone presses me to publish something. You don’t know what’s going on in my life. I might not have had time to get to it yet.Be patient, be cooperat

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ive, and build those synergistic relationships with your editors. You don’t want to be known as “that writer”. If you can find a way to publish at least four times a week or if possible, somewhere close to my insane production while following all of this, then go for it. Also, don’t be afraid to self-publish. Publications aren’t the end all, be all.<h2 id="45e3">Convey a personal connection to your stories</h2>I don’t know if this even really needs to be said, but I feel with many of the submissions that I’ve read in some publications recently, that it does seem like it. If your writing is very robotic, people will get bored of reading you.This is also true of reading so many of these productivity bros, or as I coin them, probros. Thanks for helping me coin that phrase, by the way, <a href="undefined">Victor Cardenas</a>. Those people that sell you on the best ways to get rich quickly or to make money doing A, B, and C and to buy their writing course on how to become a better writer. You can only become a better writer by doing the previous point, writing. That’s it.If we don’t see a true connection in your writing, we’ll tune you out. Even when I’ve written on specific topics that require research, stats, figures, and other technical aspects, I can still find ways to personalize the story to myself or at least let you see that I’m a real person even if just in the slightest.It’s becoming more important to do that with the rise of AI machine learning and writing tools. These bots can help you write any topic and could potentially replace many of the previously mentioned writers. Do you want to end up being replaceable or do you want to find a way to make your mark?Do not fall into the trap of making your work sound overly technical. Those stories are now being overlooked more and more. Being authentic and human is in.We, readers, your audience, want to feel like we’re reading a real person and not reading something that a machine could’ve busted out in five seconds. I am currently resisting these stories in my publications and usually give feedback to the writer to make it more personal when I sense that it’s almost robotic. This advice will certainly serve you well to remember.<h2 id="e987">Be yourself/Conclusion</h2>This one isn’t just sage advice from an not that old yet, disabled man who’s been through the wringer a few times. It’s the way you should live your life. It ties into everything else I’ve said too. You can’t try to be something you’re not just because you think that it’ll get more clicks, views, and money, and bring you more fame.I mean it might work for some. We can never genuinely know because there are people out there that will peddle you the most unlikely stories and will have little to no evidence to back up their claims.<blockquote id="b80a">I made $32,000 in one month writing three stories and engaging very little.</blockquote>Okay, Karen, you might be able to fool the desperate or stupid ones, but you’re not fooling all of us. Then that story ends up actually being the one that gets them ill-gotten gains. What did you gain from that? Did you become a better writer? Did you grow as a person? Did you learn anything from this interaction? Or is money the only thing that drives you? If you’re the last person, I won’t judge you but it may not work out for you in the end.This platform is designed to boost the people who have something valuable to say to their audience. The readers and those with any power to magnify your voice value the honest and the brave.It may not seem like it now, at least, but they eventually reward the ones with the courage to spread a real message with whatever they are searching for, a bigger audience, a community, more views, reads, and money (I’m not monetized at all but I don’t knock it). If you stay true to yourself and the message you want to put out there, you’ll eventually find your people and get to where I am or even greater heights than that.These are the things that I’ve learned from writing and just being true to myself. Don’t write to try to make yourself something you’re not. Be yourself from the get-go and let your writing come from that place. You know that place when you find it. That will also help you find your voice and your tone and your writing style.Don’t get discouraged by the valleys and dips in earnings or views. Just keep going. You’re bound to find exactly what you’re looking for and you don’t have to impersonate someone successful to get there.</article></body>

WRITING ADVICE FROM A RELUCTANT ADVICE GIVER

How Can I Give Writing Advice When I Don’t Like Telling People What To Do?

I was told that my story is inspirational and that I have a lot of wisdom to offer to newer writers but I was hesitant at first

Is this an advice piece on how to get views and grow your audience? Yes, it will most certainly transform into that. Am I selling out and making a productivity, get rich quick/self-advertising article? Not on your life. I’m too principled to do that.

It was just that I was posed with an interesting proposition today. A writer, Radia Hennessey, approached me in a chat today and asked me the following:

Why don’t you share your knowledge with others? You have so much to say and to offer. People are already inspired by your story and your work ethic. New writers would benefit from your advice.

I initially bristled at the offer and the possibility that I could give any valuable information to writers pertaining to the platform and how to engage and grow an audience. Then I thought about it a little longer and then said that I would consider giving it an honest shot.

I don’t feel like my advice would work universally but who knows? I’ve had a rough life and a rough last couple of years. Maybe through some stroke of luck or through the lessons that life has taught me, I can provide some valuable wisdom that not many others can.

Even if my advice sort of sounds like some of the other advice that I was given in the past, I think that just sharing some of the things that I’ve learned and implemented might help someone else out who is stuck and thinking of what to do.

Here’s a list of the things that have worked for me and I will expand on them further.

Don’t niche down like many of the top writers try to tell you to do.
Engage with the community in a meaningful way frequently
It certainly doesn’t hurt to own at least one of your own publications but you don’t need to do that immediately. This also helps you read more.
Write consistently and write often
Convey a personal connection to your stories
Be yourself

To niche or not to niche?

When I first started on Medium in August 2021, writers who were “in the know” told me to niche down. They said to find the topic (or several topics) that I want to write about and stick to that. That way, you retain more of your audience that way. That’s cool if you want to make a business out of it to the point that you want to market yourself as a professional travel or finance writer or something.

If you just want to build an audience and grow within the community with lower aspirations than that, it is good to just write what you know and things that you’re passionate about. You don’t want to try to force yourself into one niche and have that end up not being what you were meant to write.

As I told my counselor in college when I first started with my teaching scholarship, “I know what I want to do but I don’t know what I’m going to focus on first.” I ended up changing my major a few times before landing on the one I liked.

Even if you find what you like as you go along after writing on a variety of topics, you can still just go back and focus on those later if you decide you’re more comfortable with writing in a niche.

Engage with your audience

Another thing that has helped me immensely here is that I have a true passion for connecting with others. I want to read others' stories and comments and participate in a larger community so that I can find inspiration and find new friends.

I have personally published over 900 stories and have made a total of nearly 9000 comments in almost 19 months. That is a lot of comments daily. The engagement that I participate in isn’t just token or polite conversation either.

If I see a comment on one of my stories, I try to find something meaningful and engaging to say to the person who took the time to read my story. I also try to clap and get to everyone in a timely manner.

As my audience has gotten bigger, it has been harder to do it quickly like I used to but I still want to go in and full-ass (engage meaningfully) the conversation. I don’t want to half-ass the interactions that I make with other people. It’s not in my nature. I’m a 100% genuine article. The person you see online is most definitely the person I am when you meet me, just maybe a tad bit more awkward.

If I can’t get to someone right away, I usually try to leave a trace that I was there by clapping for their comment. I’m a compulsive 50 clapper and I won’t go any less, despite what others tell me about the algorithm and such.

Anyway, I know people have tried to show me shortcuts and have shared their “tricks” to engaging with others, including writing canned responses, reading something and clapping without finishing the article, following people just to take it back after they follow back, and other shady tricks. I don’t do that shit. It’s dishonest, it’s a tad immoral, and people can see through it. Just don’t do it.

If you’re going to follow someone and engage with them, be genuine. Find the connection. Everything else that follows will sort itself out.

Hey, it doesn’t hurt to own your own stuff

The publication family, International Indie Collective, was started because I wanted to connect with more people, read more stories that I may not have necessarily been able to access before and build a community within the larger one in the process.

As a brand new writer, I didn’t even know anything about the protocol, the rules, or even the basic principles of submitting articles to publications. As I became more acquainted over time, I started my first publication, Digital Global Traveler, in January 2022, almost five months after I started. By that time, I had an idea of the basics.

I also just wanted to start niching stories together without formally doing that to my own writing. I was still proudly “nicheless” at that point. The publication would include travel, geography, culture, and language stories. I felt that all four of these topics were interconnected very strongly and it was a great way to meet worldly people as I’d always been fascinated by the world around me and learning how to connect with people from every walk of life. From there, it has grown into a decent-sized and respectable publication with a team of dedicated editors, including myself.

My other publications that followed suited many of my other interests including sports and community engagement. I even started a publication for literally all comers. I wanted anyone to feel welcome and welcome any topic within reason. I’m proud that I house writers from a wide range of genres in my set of five publications. This has helped build my audience to a wide variety of styles and topics.

Write consistently and write often

The fact that I have access to many topics is why I can come up with plenty of ideas to write about. I write an average of two stories a day, often writing 5–7 at times when inspiration strikes. I still write on a wide range of topics and usually try to house them in one of my own publications or the various other ones that I am a writer for. I’m never short on where I can write.

That’s the thing, too. Don’t limit yourself by only writing in one or two or three publications. Find the ones that interest you and sign up for as many as you’d like. Then you will have a wider selection of which pub to submit to when the time comes.

There are definitely publications that I personally favor because of their attention to detail or their publishing turnover time. The faster ones usually gain my favor but also the ones that are quality and that I want more attention to are the ones that I don’t mind waiting for since it takes time to make sure everything’s right.

Keep in mind, though, that just because something is published quickly or slowly, doesn’t necessarily correlate with the quality of the piece or even with the skill of the editor. It just is what it is. Writing often definitely helps you gain more readers but also allows you to figure out which stories go where and which ones will publish on your schedule.

Let me give one piece of advice before I move on. As an editor, the one thing that I find extremely annoying is when someone presses me to publish something. You don’t know what’s going on in my life. I might not have had time to get to it yet.

Be patient, be cooperative, and build those synergistic relationships with your editors. You don’t want to be known as “that writer”. If you can find a way to publish at least four times a week or if possible, somewhere close to my insane production while following all of this, then go for it. Also, don’t be afraid to self-publish. Publications aren’t the end all, be all.

Convey a personal connection to your stories

I don’t know if this even really needs to be said, but I feel with many of the submissions that I’ve read in some publications recently, that it does seem like it. If your writing is very robotic, people will get bored of reading you.

This is also true of reading so many of these productivity bros, or as I coin them, probros. Thanks for helping me coin that phrase, by the way, Victor Cardenas. Those people that sell you on the best ways to get rich quickly or to make money doing A, B, and C and to buy their writing course on how to become a better writer. You can only become a better writer by doing the previous point, writing. That’s it.

If we don’t see a true connection in your writing, we’ll tune you out. Even when I’ve written on specific topics that require research, stats, figures, and other technical aspects, I can still find ways to personalize the story to myself or at least let you see that I’m a real person even if just in the slightest.

It’s becoming more important to do that with the rise of AI machine learning and writing tools. These bots can help you write any topic and could potentially replace many of the previously mentioned writers. Do you want to end up being replaceable or do you want to find a way to make your mark?

Do not fall into the trap of making your work sound overly technical. Those stories are now being overlooked more and more. Being authentic and human is in.

We, readers, your audience, want to feel like we’re reading a real person and not reading something that a machine could’ve busted out in five seconds. I am currently resisting these stories in my publications and usually give feedback to the writer to make it more personal when I sense that it’s almost robotic. This advice will certainly serve you well to remember.

Be yourself/Conclusion

This one isn’t just sage advice from an not that old yet, disabled man who’s been through the wringer a few times. It’s the way you should live your life. It ties into everything else I’ve said too. You can’t try to be something you’re not just because you think that it’ll get more clicks, views, and money, and bring you more fame.

I mean it might work for some. We can never genuinely know because there are people out there that will peddle you the most unlikely stories and will have little to no evidence to back up their claims.

I made $32,000 in one month writing three stories and engaging very little.

Okay, Karen, you might be able to fool the desperate or stupid ones, but you’re not fooling all of us. Then that story ends up actually being the one that gets them ill-gotten gains. What did you gain from that? Did you become a better writer? Did you grow as a person? Did you learn anything from this interaction? Or is money the only thing that drives you? If you’re the last person, I won’t judge you but it may not work out for you in the end.

This platform is designed to boost the people who have something valuable to say to their audience. The readers and those with any power to magnify your voice value the honest and the brave.

It may not seem like it now, at least, but they eventually reward the ones with the courage to spread a real message with whatever they are searching for, a bigger audience, a community, more views, reads, and money (I’m not monetized at all but I don’t knock it). If you stay true to yourself and the message you want to put out there, you’ll eventually find your people and get to where I am or even greater heights than that.

These are the things that I’ve learned from writing and just being true to myself. Don’t write to try to make yourself something you’re not. Be yourself from the get-go and let your writing come from that place. You know that place when you find it. That will also help you find your voice and your tone and your writing style.

Don’t get discouraged by the valleys and dips in earnings or views. Just keep going. You’re bound to find exactly what you’re looking for and you don’t have to impersonate someone successful to get there.