How to Become a Top Medium Writer if You Have Less Time to Commit?
Believe in your potential, not your limitations.
Give yourself a 1-hour writing challenge.
“Suppose you’re in a coffee shop, and it’s your 12–1 pm break on a Monday afternoon.”
Task: you have 1 hour to write an article for Medium.
A 1000-word article can take some writers more than an hour to write. Most writers waste their time and effort on the wrong things. Writing is not time-consuming. It’s a process involving thinking, brainstorming, and writing. Since (many) distractions are ready at our disposal, our thinking tempo is impaired.
Most writers never even write every day. The main reason is that they have made writing a huge unattainable task in their mind. Since we all come from different career backgrounds, giving full-time to writing is super hard.
A writer who spends less time writing is also a writer. The catch is spending a portion of your day writing and making the most out of the piece. Below are four tips for staying consistent as a Medium writer without committing more time.
1. Note down when you have ideas
There are two types of writers:
- Those who already know the topic to write on
- Those who are still searching for what to write
The second kind of writer often relies on Twitter or BuzzSumo for ideation. Think for one second: when you force yourself to write, the motivation suddenly vanishes.
Happens to me every time. For that, plan your ideas beforehand. Fetch your thoughts from books, podcasts, or series, and write down your concepts. Your ideas can be in the form of the following:
- Words
- Idioms
- Sentences
- Titles
Whatever catches your eye, write it down. I sometimes take snapshots of book quotes to ensure I didn’t miss anything.
Next, when you feel like writing, open your ideas and give them meaning. With this method, you have already skimmed down your favorite ideas, which makes writing effortless.
2. Take the title/subtitle from your article
As a beginner writer, I spend almost the same time on the title/subtitle that I spent on writing the article.
If I write 1000 words in 40 minutes, I spend another 40 minutes deciding on the title and subtitle.
This stretched my per-article completion rate to 80 minutes. Think for one second. I could have written (two) articles in 80 minutes if I had been strategic. Intentionally, I spend and waste my time on the title/subtitle. Most of us are guilty of this.
I know the title and subtitles are important. Let me show you the perfect way to create titles/subtitles in less time.
Subtitle:
- Pull a line from your article and name it your subtitle, Zulie Rane’s method
Title:
- Create a draft title, and if you’re unaware of attention-grabbing verbs, take suggestions from ChatGPT
- Next, check your score at headlines.coschedule.com
This whole process takes less than 10 minutes. If you’re still unsure about your title and subtitles, take a break and give yourself time. Most writing confusion arises when we’re too overwhelmed.
You don’t want that for yourself!
3. Indulge in the image fountain when you’re bored
Some writers are part-time photography finders. — ask Yana Bostongirl.
I’m ready to spend my whole day looking for a picture. Not only does the pictorial hunt inspire me, but it makes me feel fresh. You can use images from free tools like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay and heart/add/save them on the website.
I start my hunt for images when I am bored and don’t feel like writing (usually midnight). I look for pictures related to self-improvement, writing, and marketing. This process can help you complete your article in less time when you already have a picture vision.
Find the best image you can use in your article someday. In short, use your efforts and time in the right place.
You can also use other free stock image websites such as:
- Freepik
- Vecteezy
- Stockvault
- Burst (by Shopify)
- Foodiesfeed
- Freestocks.org
4. Reread it on the subway
- I am always a fan of using my time wisely.
That’s why I proofread my content on the subway or train. Your Medium offers an offline mode to access your articles on mobile. If you have a laptop, use the same medium articles in MS Word format.
Since subways and trains are distraction-free and you’re likely alone, you can proofread your articles. On subways and trains, reread your content to ensure it’s:
- Error-free
- Have no spelling mistakes
- No repetition
Subway cuts your connection to the world. From now on, you can make the most out of your commute time.
Writing is all about using your time wisely.
Remember that every hour you waste can indirectly help you to create another article. The choice is yours.
Bonus point: connect and communicate
Medium writers are magical.
- Some write more but earn less
- Some earn more but write less
No one knows what influences the algorithm. Some writers have even lost hope in finding this answer.
But one thing’s for sure: connecting on Medium is never a bad idea. Connect with like-minded people, and leave thoughtful comments on their posts.
These are the people who are in the same boat as you. Because the path to becoming a well-known writer is long and having friends guarantee you’re not alone in the dark.
(Respect)
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