WRITING TOOLS

I Created a Free Success Guide for New Writers

I’m just another writer trying to share strategies for success.

Hey there, my name is Jasmine.

I’ve been writing on Medium since October 2021. Since then, I’ve published quite a few articles. At first, my articles completely flopped. I had trouble finding my groove; writing was something I’d never taken seriously before.

Over the past few months, I’ve done an insane amount of research, character-building, and writing. Since October, I’ve been reading, writing, and learning along the way. Medium is no walk in the park, but I've created some tools to help you out.

First off, I am no one.

As far as you know, I could be a random stranger offering you free tools for success. Some of you may have stumbled upon misleading articles in the past. You might have read the entire article to have to click on a link at the end. I fell for that same kind of trick before too. These days, it’s hard to differentiate the good sources from bad ones.

I believe in proving myself with actions instead of words. I included a sample page within this article for your convenience. In this case, it seems honesty is the best policy. Click on this link to preview the entire guide; no sign-in is required.

What does the success guide have to offer?

This success guide is centered around the principle of mindful understanding, creating, and writing. When I first started to write on this platform, I struggled with identifying who I was as a writer, what I was going to write about, and how I was going to earn money.

In my experience, I became overwhelmed by the idea that I had to write about popular topics to get views, likes, and interactions. I felt pressured to make everything perfect the first time. Essentially, I toned myself down to meet invisible standards.

As a new writer, I noticed three things—

(1) Most tips for new and upcoming writers are hidden behind a paywall.

If you were to enter new writers into the search bar on Medium, you would find that many articles are paywalled. The most popular reads are for Medium paying members only. When I first saw this, I immediately understood why it was restricted. I wasn’t the only one looking into writing on Medium to make some extra cash. New writers are looking for articles that have outlined everything they need to know to strike gold.

The little star guarantees that only paying members can view their content.

I respect that people are taking advantage of every opportunity they come across. Everyone is trying to make it and doing this means taking advantage of money-making opportunities.

At first, that little star was the most annoying thing in the world.

In my frustration, I went to YouTube, Quora, and various platforms to learn as much information as I possibly could. I checked out books from the library, and I even picked up material from other writers on Medium. The best takeaway from this was understanding that most information is free.

(2) A lot of free articles mentioned the same information.

I came across many articles that seemed to all mention three tips: 1) getting to 100 followers 2) how to optimize your articles 3) ways to make money on Medium with or without getting published.

All of this is valid, important, and worthy of being noted. Even after reading all of this, I still wanted more. At the time, it felt like I was missing something else, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.

(3) It’s easy to waste your free three premium reads.

Medium grants non-subscribers three free premium reads every month. At first, I clicked on articles without realizing this. I admit it was my fault for not paying attention, but still, three premium reads just weren’t enough for me. I wanted to read as many starred articles as I could. I desperately wanted to see what was behind the paywall, and when I did, I was often disappointed.

I was able to take note of some new information like freelancing, getting paid per word for articles, and so on.

I’m human, I make mistakes, but more importantly, I want to be better.

I’m open to suggestions, opinions, and criticism. I welcome the challenge that comes along with growth. In my writing experience, this is all that I’ve done. I failed, tried, failed again, and grew somewhere along the way. When I came into this, I wanted to receive it right away. I wanted the readers, likes, and money to come fast and easy.

My goal is to give to others as much as possible. I will support other writers on their journey, share their articles on other platforms, produce helpful content, and share knowledge with as many people as possible.

I’ve come across people who aren’t willing to share success strategies easily. Despite the challenges I’ve come across, it has inspired me to create for others. It’s motivated me to move beyond the challenge to achieve success. I hope this guide does the same for you as it did for me.

To my readers, thank you for supporting my work. I appreciate the time you put into this. If you’re a new writer, let me know more about you. I love meeting new people and making new friends! Peace and love.