How To Be Crazy Successful Writing In Medium (Part 2 — Duration of Story).
This is Part 2 of my writing series. This story focuses on the duration of stories. To be successful in Medium, we have to write. We have to learn to write to scale. Are you comfortable writing long-form, short-form, 3-minute reads, 6-minute reads, etc?
I started this series to create a starter pack for all things writing in Medium and for all novice writers starting their journey here. Part 1 focuses on ideas and the ideation process. You can read it here.
Part 2 of this series is about the various length of writing, which is the focus of this story. When we are done with the ideation process, the next logical step is to put pen to paper or finger to keyboard.
There are a couple of ways we can express ourselves, namely long-form and short-form. You might ask how long is long and how short is short?
This is a genuine question that needs to be contextualized. I will use Medium’s Short Form Feature as a guide to drawing the lines between long-form and short form. Thus, anything longer than 150 words is considered long-form.
We can be more flexible when it comes to a time-duration perspective. Would you consider a 3-minute read long-form?
That is totally up to you. At the end of the day, it depends on the time we have in our hands.
I have attached writing materials presented in 3-Minute Read, 4-Minute Read, 5-minute Read, 6-Minute for your reference in the section “Related Stories from the Author” below.
Please feel free to refer to them. As you read the stories presented in various formats and time-duration, pay attention to your comfort level. What is your mind telling you in terms of the effort required?
Specifically, till which point are you comfortable writing without feeling laborious? This is key. Let me explain before I get into the nuances of the various formats.
I believe in the longevity of the work I do. That includes writing in Medium. I write because I enjoy it. The income is a beautiful addition. In fact, it is kind of amazing that I get to exchange alphabets for digits behind the dollar sign.
As such, I tend to work to the point where I scratch the Wall of Fatigue and stop there. I have been a student before. I know that Point-Of-No-Return-Burnout-Never-To-Do-It-Ever-Again feeling.
Therefore, this is the point where I deviate from conventional thinking. I have read many stories indicating that a story length between 5–8 minutes is ideal in Medium.
The ideal for the general population might not be ideal for me. In short, cookie-cutter solutions do not work if you are not a cookie. I guess I am an odd-shaped chicken nugget.
And so, I stick to writing 3-minute and 4-minute reads predominantly. 5-minute reads can be a stretch to my state of flow and focus. Writing a 6-minute read necessitates a pee break to relieve the tension of my biological pipe.
I enjoy writing 3-minute and 4-minute read because that is the optimal time-box for me in one sitting. Throw in an additional 5 minutes for image mining on Unsplash, 10 minutes on Grammarly for error eradication, and I would be done between 40–45 minutes before my workday begins.
Life is not linear in this aspect.
Let me explain.
To have a 1-minute increment, pushing a 4-minute read to a 5-minute read will require me to spend an additional 10 minutes on Grammarly and 5 minutes on other editorial checks such as splitting sentences.
Naturally, I have more sentences to split as the story length gets longer.
From 5-minute to 6-minute read? A rough computation on the back of my MacDonald’s napkin says 75 minutes in total writing-creation expenditure.
Putting all things into context based on a review of my daily effort: -
- Writing a 3-minute read — 45 minutes from start to publish.
- Writing a 4-minute read — 45 minutes from start to publish.
- Writing a 5-minute read — 60 minutes from start to publish.
- Writing a 6-minute read — 75 minutes from start to publish.
I have found my sweet spot based on my personal experience. I encourage you to do the same too. We need to know what works for us, not for others.
For full disclosure and sharing of my embarrassment, I did write a 10-minute story previously. It is attached below for your reference.
In truth, I didn’t feel accomplished. I felt that it took forever to finish, and my soul left me after hitting the publish button.
I hope this sharing helps. Remember, what works for me may not work for you. Embrace active experimentation.
For Part 3 of my writing series, I will be focusing on the topics to write.
Stay tuned.
Get Started And Happy Writing.
Aldric
Related Stories from the Author — Starter Pack for Duration of Story.
1-Minute Read.
3-Minute Read.
4-Minute Read.
5-Minute Read.
6-Minute Read.
The ULTIMATE SOUL-SAPPING 10-Minute Read.
About the Author:
As a content contributor, I write my observations from daily life and my business exposure.
Because our life experience is the bedrock of our unique perspectives.
As a Consultant by training, I believe in making the complex simple.
Because simplicity adds value.
And with clarity — We grow.
Follow me for my stories on Medium!
This is more “About Me”.
