I Saw the Light

So it’s time to bring the heat.

Perhaps I should say, “more heat,” as my writing brother, P.G. Barnett, has ventured down a fiery, yet righteous path with his latest story, which I’ve linked to, below.

Talk about kismet. I’d been thinking of “sharing my feelings” about the inequities that I see taking place on this platform for a long time, now. P.G.’s piece inspired me to finally unload.

I’ve skewered Medium, before, hence my utter lack of curation. It doesn’t matter what I write, how many fans, views, or claps I receive because when it comes to the curators, all I get is crickets.

Why? Because I don’t pander and I refuse to write the same crap that I see coming and going in my inbox every single day.

The most insipid, rehashed content, amateurishly written and rife with typos. Now I know that everyone has a “typo moment.” I’ve had more than my share, but I’m talking stories that are loaded with them. When you’re one graph in and have counted at least five major “glitches,” there’s an indisputable problem.

And adding serious insult to injury, these are the stories that are routinely curated. The “Golly gee, guys, look at the shit-ton of money I made on Medium last month!” stories.

Followed by the “And here's how you can do it, too!” Yet, there’s no “here” there, you get me? No real advice worth a damn.

Really? Is this the crap people want to read? What happened to story-telling? Is that a lost art or is that relegated to the older folks, like me?

“Leave the yarn-spinning to the old farts.”

I’m not “old” and I don’t fart.

On one hand, I feel disdain for these lousy “scribes” and on the other, I pity them because one day, their incredible luck will run out. But that empathy goes only so far, especially when I read about the big bucks they’re making.

Why is this happening? Do we go to curation jail if we even hint that Medium is not the be-all and end-all for us “real” writers? Perhaps, if they really took our words to heart, they could learn something. Now there’s a thought!

In the spirit of fairness, I’ve tried to make myself believe that, perhaps the problem has to do with “volume” and not blind-eye rejection from the editors here but screw that thought. I’ve reverted to my original opinion that there is outright favoritism that goes on. How can there not be when the same bad writers are beloved for churning out the same bad crap?

I know I sound like a broken record. But damn it, I’ve made a lot of friends and garnered a lot of fans here, as so many other virtually ignored writers have. And I’m so grateful. Given this, why are we not appreciated for our contributions? For bringing significant attention to Medium?

We work damn hard. In fact, we bust ass to create content that we believe readers will actually enjoy and take to heart.

Of course, there are people who will read this and think, “Well, you whiney asses can always leave.”

Sure we can. But we’re not quitters. We’re writers.

This is why ILLUMINATION has caught fire on this platform: They appreciate and celebrate good story-telling from accomplished writers.

They lift us up and shine a much-deserved light on those of us who have been ignored and discounted. And they work at it…tirelessly. What a feeling it is to see our names in their daily bulletins. What a relief.

Finally. Someone gets it. Someone gets me.

Thank you, ILLUMINATION.

I don’t want this to be a diatribe, rather a reaching out to the community here in an effort to find out if this is stinkin’ thinkin.’

How many of you writers feel the same way? My feeling is that there’s quite a few of you out there. And I understand why you wouldn’t want to chime in, but for me, it doesn’t really matter because I’ll just keep at it.

I’ll keep writing my stories and hoping for that “big hit.” And if it doesn’t happen, that’s okay, too. And I know you’ll do the same.

But, what a shame that will be.

Sherry McGuinn is a slightly-twisted, longtime Chicago-area writer and award-winning screenwriter. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and numerous other publications. Sherry’s manager is currently pitching her newest screenplay, a drama with dark, comedic overtones and inspired by a true story.

Thanks very much for reading. If you enjoyed this, you might like the other stories, below, including the one by P.G. Barnett.

Also, if you’re seeking further distractions during this tough time, please consider subscribing to my new newsletter, where I’ll do my damndest to keep you entertained.