I Wrote At Least One Article Every Day for a Month

Here’s what I learned

Last month, I decided to experiment with writing more on Medium. I am a neuroscientist and science communicator by training, but I love to read and write. It lets me share my sense of wonder for the universe, microbiology, psychology and the brain. What would happen if I set an ambitious goal for myself?

I decided to see if I could hit at least one article per day on Medium. At the same time, I decided to pitch some ideas elsewhere (albeit unsuccessfully). I work in a very chaotic manner, so I didn’t set any strict deadlines for myself. Whenever I found something interesting to write about, I’d sit and write.

I wrote >30 articles by the end of April (with 29 being published within that month), making more through the Medium Partner Program than ever. I became a Top Writer in a few categories and reached 1000 followers. I continued to learn about what makes my writing successful. Let’s break down these discrete takeaways.

Takeaway #1: Write What You Love

Medium is full of fantastic writers focusing on personal development, finances and life lessons. They mix a combination of prose and quotes, showing their mastery of the craft. But this isn’t my niche! When I tried to write about these popular topics, I didn’t succeed. My best-performing articles focused on my niche: science, genetics, microbiome, mental health and psychology.

When I write about the topics I love, the words flow free. My thoughts turn into words quickly, busting out 600–1000 words in a writing session. Depending on the topic, I could elaborate or keep the article short. I don’t want to extend a short science finding into a six-minute slog-fest. In fact, my best performing story of the month only had a 3 minute read time.

A note on inspiration

So much exciting things are happening in the world at any moment. I find inspiration all around me in nature, in the newest scientific findings and media. I listen to a lot of podcasts and read a lot of books that expose me to even more of the world. The best part about finding your writing muse is sharing it so that everyone else comes to love it as much as you.

Takeaway #2: Jot Down Ideas for Another Day

It’s 11:00 P.M. and I’m relaxing, reading some science fiction. Just then an idea flashes through my mind. I want to keep reading but the idea is too good not to flesh out. I quickly pop open my laptop and jot it down on my list of future article ideas.

It’s not always possible for me to write about every single idea I have on the same day. Keeping a record of these ideas lets me store them for another time. Additionally, they provide an easy out on days where I experience writers’ block. Even with writers’ block, I still feel like writing. Luckily I have a list of ideas that I can pick and choose from.

Often my more complicated ideas stay on this list for a while. It lets them marinate while I figure out how to do them justice. Some of these ideas, I felt so confident about that I pitched them elsewhere. Unfortunately, most of them got rejected but of course, I will persist.

Takeaway #3: Write For Different Publications

I have a lot of weird interests ranging the gamut of cryptocurrency and NFTs, neuroscience and neurotechnology, philosophy, microbiome and anything else science. I diversified the publications I submitted to because of their unique audiences. Someone who likes my stories about NFTs might click on my profile. They might end up reading about how octopuses sense light with their tentacles.

Here I can use tags strategically. I use toppub.xyz to track the growth of these publications and to let me know the most popular tags for them. By reading a few of the articles, I learn to quickly match my ideas to the appropriate publications. I began looking for popular articles in the publication for headline inspiration. After all, a good headline can make or break a story.

Takeaway #4: Some Days Your Writing Will Suck

By making a habit of writing every day, you hone your craft. Still you’ll run into days where your writing stalls. Your sentences are scattered and incoherent. But it’s important to continue to push through and finish up that piece. Persevering through the bad days will build momentum. Besides, the surefire way of getting an article to go viral (>5k views) is by writing a lot of quality content.

Sure, some of the pieces will suck. You might misunderstand your audience, leading to a decent story being ignored. But you will also find some stories skyrocketing. One of the science stories I wrote hit more than 200 fans and 6,000 views halfway through the month. It helped build momentum and sustain me to keep writing about what I love.

Conclusion

Writing an article every day was fun for me. I learned a lot about what it takes to succeed on Medium as a platform and tips for writing in general. To summarize the main takeaways:

• Write what you love, not what’s popular
• Keep a list of extra ideas handy, use in-case of writers’ block
• Write for different publications that fit your niche to expand your skills and audience
• Sometimes your writing will suck, that’s absolutely normal

Everyone has different conditions that make for the perfect writing environment. I have intrinsic motivation to write everyday, but I understand that not everyone does. There are many different ways to succeed on Medium and with writing. Find a pattern that works for you, build up your skills, build momentum and stay curious and persistent.

“Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. You must travel it by yourself. It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere — on water and land.” ― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass