Summary

Tom, the author, shares his personal approach to writing a Medium post, emphasizing the importance of a compelling headline, emotional connection, and an iterative writing process that allows the narrative to unfold organically.

Abstract

The article "How To Write A Medium Post — From Start To Finish" by Tom provides an intimate look at his creative process when writing blog posts on Medium. It begins with a headline that strikes him, often inspired by real-life emotions or experiences, such as a conversation with his friend Peter who struggles to identify his passion. Tom advocates for a free-form writing style, where the introduction sets the scene and presents the problem without obsessing over perfection. He frequently re-reads his work to ensure a natural flow and to guide the direction of the post. Tom's writing is not pre-structured; instead, he allows the narrative to develop as he writes, a method he finds more authentic and exploratory. He cites Anne Lamott's advice from "Bird by Bird" about focusing on the immediate next step in writing, rather than the end goal, as a guiding principle. The article concludes with Tom encouraging other writers to embrace this more spontaneous and personal approach to writing, prioritizing self-discovery over strategic considerations like curation and audience growth.

Opinions

Tom believes that a strong emotional response to an idea is a good indicator that it will make a compelling blog post.
He values the process of setting the scene and presenting the problem in the introduction without getting caught up in making it perfect.
Tom often re-reads what he has written to ensure the piece flows well and to inspire the next sentence or idea.
He prefers a more organic and unstructured approach to writing, finding it more enjoyable and authentic.
Tom dismisses the importance of structure, research, and strategic writing tips typically recommended for success on Medium, such as curation tips and growing a following.
He is influenced by Anne Lamott's advice about writing in small, manageable steps, comparing it to driving home at night focusing only on the next 30 feet.
Tom encourages writers to focus on the journey of self-exploration through writing rather than obsessing over view counts or strategic writing tactics.

How To Write A Medium Post — From Start To Finish

A headline pops into my head, then I see where it takes me…

It starts with a headline — always.

I’m walking somewhere to get fried Philippine bananas.. or groceries, and an idea hits me. It reveals itself in one sentence.

“How Do You Not Know Your Passion?”

This idea came to me because while chomping on my banana and scrolling through Facebook I saw an update from my friend Peter. Peter is a great guy, but he never seems to do much with his life. I ask him what his passion is sometimes when he’s looking for answers and he says it..

“I don’t know, Tom.”

Then I think, ‘how do you not know, brother?’

It’s aggravating to me. It’s sad. Most of all, it’s shocking. I’ve known what my passion is for years. I mean, how do you NOT think of it sometimes??

The main takeaway here is it’s affecting me emotionally.

Good. This is the perfect idea for a blog post. So I go home and put the headline into Medium (after devouring the last bite of my delicious banana).

“How The Hell Do You Not Know What Your Passion Is?”

I add “The Hell” because it sounds better.

And away we go.

How I Write My Introduction

The post itself starts with something quippy.

I let that blinking vertical line blink about 30 times. I stare it down. Writing a new blog post is like driving through “big sky country” in Utah and Idaho. There’s so much space for activities.

A lot of people hate that white space, but I love it.

Then I tell the story, in this case, of my friend Peter who doesn’t know what his passion is and doesn’t seem too bothered on finding it.

I talk about how excruciating his “I don’t know, Tom” response is to my ears. I bring in sensory details and write out about 10–13 paragraphs (similar to my above intro for this post).

I do NOT think about whether each line is perfect.

I’m setting the scene. I’m presenting the problem. The rest of the article is the solution to that problem.

Now I Re-Read My Introduction

I’m a weird writer (I think).

I’m the type of writer who re-reads their article over and over again while they write it. I do this because I want to see how it flows. Does it change focus too quickly? Is the intro too short? Am I abrupt?

I could edit at the end. But for me writing a blog post is like editing a video. I CONSTANTLY watch my video while editing it. That’s because videos need pacing. If I’ve put too many montages in the first 5 minutes of my vlog, the last thing I want to do is give the audience more montages.

I need to insert a shot of me talking to the camera for 2 minutes. I need to lay off those addicting drone shots. I need to switch it up.

When writing — re-reading it and cleaning it up as I go helps me to do the same thing.

It also helps me get more familiar with it. I notice new errors every time I re-read my blog post. Doing it once isn’t good enough.

This process also shows you where to go next.

I heard that Ernest Hemingway used to write half of a sentence at the end of the day and then stop.

Naturally, when we read a half-sentence our brains want to finish it.

If I wrote, “I hate grocery stores because” …

You’d finish it with something like “the long check-out lines.” I’d wager it would come pretty easy to you. The same is true for re-reading posts. As I read, my brain tells me where to go from there. In short, it gives me the key to the next sentence.

Now, Well, I Have No Idea Where My Blog Posts Are Going

And I love that.

I love “discovering” why I feel the way I do about something through the act of writing.

All I know when I start writing is that I feel strongly about something. The rest of the blog post is for figuring out why.

Even if you viciously outline your points, you might find yourself sputtering off into a tangent every now and then.

A story you write might jog your memory of another story which may turn into a brand new point — maybe even your best point. My point here is that good writing can certainly be structured beforehand, but it can also come out of nowhere.

My writing does come out of nowhere. I never structure my pieces. It’s boring for me. In this post-modern version of Medium, that is probably a bad thing. They want structure and statistics and research.

I don’t like doing that.

Sure, I could spend 30 minutes doing some light researching to double my chances at being curated, but I’m not writing to get curated.

I’m writing to explore myself. I enjoy telling my stories. I don’t like telling you stories you’ve heard before of how this successful President handled people well or some crap like that.

These are my stories.

The Best Writing Advice I’ve Ever Heard

The best writing advice I’ve ever heard comes courtesy of Anne Lamott, the writer of Bird by Bird.

In the first few pages of the book, she says writing is a lot like driving home at night. You don’t need to see your home to get there — you only need to focus on the next 30 feet.

You’ll get home eventually.

Good writing can be structured, but it can also be felt out. Line by line. Word by word. Bird by bird.

Each paragraph diving further and further into your subconscious. That’s how I like to write. I don’t care about my views anymore. I only care about where a simple headline can take me.

Leave out headline strategy, Medium strategy, curation tips, and “growing” your following — this is how I write. I don’t know where I’m going. I worry about all that strategic stuff later. I think you should, too.

Sign up for my newsletter, maybe?