Summary

The author reflects on their two-year journey of gaining traction as a writer on Medium, emphasizing the challenges, ups and downs, and the importance of persistence.

Abstract

The author, who joined Medium's Partner Program in 2018 with aspirations of becoming a successful writer, shares their experiences and lessons learned throughout their two-year journey. They admit to initially underestimating the time and effort required to make progress, as well as facing numerous obstacles and setbacks. The author acknowledges the emotional rollercoaster they've been on, from moments of elation to periods of discouragement. Despite the challenges, they remain optimistic and emphasize the importance of persistence, hard work, and enjoying the journey towards achieving one's dreams.

Opinions

The author believes that success as a writer does not come easily and requires significant time and effort.
They acknowledge the emotional ups and downs that come with pursuing a writing career.
The author recognizes the importance of persistence and hard work in achieving one's goals.
They express the need to enjoy the journey and not get disheartened by setbacks.
The author suggests that success in writing is not an overnight process but a long-term commitment.
They caution against comparing oneself to top writers on Medium, as their achievements may distort one's understanding of what it takes to succeed.
The author encourages writers to learn from both their successes and failures.

It’s Taken Me Two Years to Gain Traction on Medium

And even at that, it’s nothing to write home about.

Excitement, optimism and a determination to succeed are just some of the feelings coursing through your veins as you take that leap of faith and put your dreams of becoming a writer into motion.

But there's one thing that is almost always underestimated; the time in which it takes to make any sort of progress towards your goals.

July 2018. I mustered up the courage to become a member of the Medium Partner Program in the hope of one day escaping the normality of a 9–5 and pursuing something different, something intriguing, something that challenged me each day and put me outside of my comfort zone.

Writing and the English language has always been an interest of mine.

There is something about a well-crafted piece, chapter, paragraph or even just a sentence that appeals to me and triggers a sense of awe.

The careful selection of words by the author. The exact, precise order in which they have been placed, with purpose and all with only one intention; to goad the reader.

But as much as I enjoy the written language, it wasn’t until I reached my thirties that I decided to pursue these interests and see where they could take me.

I first heard of Medium by accident.

After discovering Gary Vaynerchuk on YouTube and becoming infatuated with his content, I stumbled upon an interview with American bestselling author, Ryan Holiday.

As these two legends in their own right conversed there was mention of the online publishing platform Medium.

And, being the curious individual that I am, of course, I couldn’t help but check it out.

After hitting the subscribe button and receiving that mint green circle around my profile picture my emotions took over.

Plans of making a name for myself on this unfamiliar yet captivating site began to conjure within my mind.

“This would be my only focus.

Every second of free time that I had would be spent growing on this platform, learning the lay of the land and perfecting my craft.

It wouldn't take long before I was enjoying the same success as the writers that I looked up to and took inspiration from. (Or so I thought.)”

Naivety is a wonderful thing.

Life has a habit of ignoring your ‘well-thought-out plans’ and imposing its will upon you.

You can try to fight against it, but nine times out of ten you will give in to its demands.

I began my Medium adventure full of passion and confidence that I would achieve my writing goals sooner rather than later.

Two-years on and I can safely say that things have not gone as expected.

There have been ups, downs and many loop-de-loops.

Times that I have been on top of the world, relishing in the small yet satisfying victories as a result of my writing prose which boosted my spirit and encouraged my drive to succeed.

Then there have been times were a kick in the teeth would’ve been more enjoyable.

Times were all my hard work has fallen upon deaf ears and I’ve been left staring at the stats page feeling demoralised and asking the question, “What’s the point?”

There have been weeks gone by and not a word did I write. Others where I could publish two articles per day.

It’s been a rollercoaster ride of emotions but I’m still here.

As I approach my two-year anniversary on Medium things are beginning to look up.

I’m by no means anywhere near achieving my goals or becoming the ‘big name’ that I had once envisioned, but progress is being made.

Looking at some of the top writers on Medium and their achievements can easily distort your understanding of what it takes to succeed as a writer.

They make it look easy. As if anyone can do it. All you’ve got to do is pump out a few articles per week, sit back and reap the rewards.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot more to it than that.

But just because it won’t come easy doesn’t mean that it won’t come at all.

Success doesn’t happen overnight; you’ve got to be in it for the long haul.

Put in the work, be persistent and never give up.

Do this and over time you will see the results of your efforts, gain the traction that you’ve been searching for and begin to make progress towards achieving your goals.

And remember; achieving your dreams is supposed to be fun, so don’t forget to enjoy the ride.

Embrace the good times and learn from the bad, it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Happy writing.