How to Sugarcoat A Bitter Pill

That essential for all new writers here

In my 40 days in this platform, I have read a good number of articles in this genre, but wondered whether I wanted to write one, or for that matter when was the right time for it. But two good articles that I read this morning got me started. One by Dr. Abdel-Kader Ben-Mohamed

And another by Yana Bostongirl, which arrived on the wings of Medium Daily Digest today:

Yana is already a celebrated writer in this platform, but Dr.Abdel’s article left me wondering, why in this world, good things are not rewarded the way they should be. I chanced upon his name in my ‘Following’ list and checked out one of his pinned articles. Before I say anything kindly give a read to the article I have shared, and you will know what I am talking about.

I started publishing my writing mainly in social media outlets about an year ago, like many, following lockdown. I found a surprisingly good response to what I wrote from my family, friends, acquentances and also made new friends on the go, who started visiting my page for everything I posted.Clamour grew for publishing, which is not really difficult in todays scenario I gathered, but still a question remained: Where are the readers?

I was advised by a very well meaning Well Wisher to test waters in Instagram, which was more commercially viable (until then I posted mainly in Facebook).While researching how to set up my Insta-Poetry blog I came across three articles, all by Medium Writers. I was carried away by their sheer writing quality and used their insight in setting up my own Insta Poetry Blog Shots.@Mocra. My first feed

landed me the offer to co-author a anthology, which is now released and available in Amazon. And consecutive feeds gave me the chance of hobnobbing with other publications with whom I am collaborating for four more co-authored anthology.

Power of writing internalised.

‘Medium’ did not leave me for good few days till I figured out how to join this amazing writing fraternity. I became a member and ,downloaded the app on my phone and on an instinct posted a poem and forgot about it.

It was past a month when a mail suddenly landed in my inbox, detailing me the rules of submission and I followed suit. It was from Emma Fradgley from Wordsmith Library.

But this time I waited for THE mail to arrive and was crestfallen that did not happen for another twenty days.

On the twenty-first day, in the third week of July, a mail came as an acceptance note to my poem. My first poem ‘IF ‘,published in Wordsmith Library was up №2 in the trending list and garnered me15 friends in a day (not comfortable with followers):

I also take this opportunity to specially thank Emma Fradgley for finding my words from the brilliant heap of wordsmith-ing that goes on in this platform.

The trouble started there after. Being bombarded with articles on how to reach 100 followers in a week ( I took one month to get there),how to enter $100 club, How to set SEO right for curation, How to ensure your articles will be chosen for distribution, how to make your article viral (!), how to become Top writer in 3 months so on and so forth, I found my cranium stuffed with everything related to writing except Writing!

I was feeling claustrophobic!

After struggling for a good one month I have finally succeeded in freeing myself of the cranial hammering those articles provided and got back to the reason I joined Medium: to write, to read others writers and be a part of this august community, leaving illuminated in the process.

And Medium does not disappoint there. Reading David Rudder, Dr. Amy Pierovich, Chris Noonan, Pierre Trudel ,Franco Amati, Thomas Plummer, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Connie Song, Somsubhra Banerjee, Priyanka Srivastava, Orla Kenny ,William J Spirdione , A.H. Mehr ,Radhika Iyer, Penelope Mayfield, Carolyn Riker ,Leilani Belle, Dazzling Shene is an experience I look forward to.I hope to add on more names with each passing day.

This article is not complete without the mention of my editors Dr Mehmet Yildiz, Denise Larkin, Thomas Plummer ,Ivette Cruz, Gurpreet Dhariwal, Diana C., Somsubhra Banerjee, Priyanka Srivastava, who gave a new writer like me a space to park my thoughts.

VOICES OF THE LOST, Teresa Young, Gerardo Rene Paz — our interactions are witty, soulful and I enjoy them immensely.

I do not earn my bread from Writing.Well not yet.Like many others I aspire to reach that spot someday.Writing for me is cathartic and every word I type is a process towards Healing.

I write because I want to write.

Finding my name in the trending list almost everyday, amongst the ‘Top Writers’ is just the impetus I need to carry on and in that process, if the other ‘materials’ come my way I will be grateful. As Yana Bostongirl rightly points out everybody doesn’t have to be a Tim Denning or Zulie Rane. That would be boring. I will rather be an uncut, unabridged,First Edition of myself. May not be the best, but that unique me adding that fragrance the world is yet to experience.

I just wrote that kind of an article which I don’t enjoy reading, but realised how important it is to get the monkey off your back sometimes and show Gratitude where its due.

Finally Breathing.

P.S. Decided on a title “When pills are bitter your sugarcoat”, but taking cue from Dr. Abdel-Kader Ben-Mohamed and changing it to” How to sugar coat a bitter pill”. (LOL)

Thank you for suffering me!

Thought of Tagging a few of my poems which got 10 fans badge.Don’t know why is this celebrated here!