I Decided to Stop

Summary

The author is contemplating whether to continue writing on Medium or to focus on writing a fiction book after experiencing minimal engagement and financial return from their Medium articles, despite a recent spike in views.

Abstract

The author has decided to reevaluate their writing career after facing disillusionment with their progress on Medium. Despite having some success with a previous book on senior life, the financial returns from Medium were negligible, not even covering the membership costs. This led the author to consider returning to their original ambition of fiction writing, armed with resources like "The Story Grid" by Shawn Coyne, "Write a Novel" by Nigel Watts, and "Writing the Novel" by Lawrence Block. However, a surprising surge in readership on Medium has left the author uncertain about which path to pursue. They have decided to give Medium another chance, with the understanding that if their latest piece does not gain traction, they will shift their focus to writing their envisioned masterpiece in fiction.

Opinions

The author feels that their efforts on Medium have been largely unrewarding, both in terms of engagement and monetary compensation.
There is a sense of frustration and urgency as the author perceives they are wasting time on Medium and not progressing towards their dream of becoming an author.
The author values the quality of writing on Medium and plans to maintain their membership despite their personal struggles with the platform.
The recent unexpected increase in views on Medium has reignited a glimmer of hope for the author's success on the platform.
The author is prepared to invest a significant amount of time into writing a novel, indicating a strong commitment to their ambition of fiction writing.
The decision to give Medium "one more shot" suggests the author is open to changing their strategy based on new developments and is not entirely ready to abandon the platform.

I am wasting my life chasing a dream

I must get this down before it disappears from my brain. I stopped attempting to write for Medium. I plan to keep my membership because there is some good writing here, but I was getting little or no response from my words.

I would turn to my first true ambition and write a book of fiction. I had previously written a book about senior life and it made some sales. So, I knew that I was in for a year of hard work. But what the hay. I was not getting anywhere with medium. 3 cents 6 cents even 10 cents one time. I could not even cover my cost of membership.

I pulled some books I have on writing. The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne, Write a Novel by Nigel Watts and Writing the Novel by Lawrence Block. I do not know if any of these books are good. I must start somewhere because I am losing my lifetime in my current direction.

Tonight, I casually looked at my stats on Medium again. I expected to see the usual totals running, 2–6–2–1–3–2–2–2 then BING — TWENTY-ONE!

A big total for me. I had written nothing in days, yet people are looking at my stuff.

Now I am in a quandary. Should I backtrack and go for Medium once again, or should I pursue my dream of becoming an author?

I decided to give it one more shot. If this little piece does not get any attention, then it is my time to write my masterpiece and forget making it on Medium. I will check my stats one more time.

Still 21. Someone in Calcutta must be reading my words.