Just Write and Hit Publish Already
If this introvert times ten can do it, anyone can.
Guess what? Most of the things we worry about never happen. You can ruminate over them for a while, and worry and fret, but most likely, your darkest fears will never materialize.
Writing
Writing is a tough gig for an introvert because we want to be read. However, some of us introverts don’t like attention. We want to be famous for our writing while remaining anonymous at the same time. At least, that is how I feel about it; I’d rather be good than famous.
That’s a tight spot to be in because to be read, you need to hit publish. You need to share your stories, your ideas, your perspective on the world through your unique upbringing and experiences.
What works on Medium
Personal stories work on Medium. Stories that have vulnerability weaved into them for your audience to feel. Personal stories grab people.
Humans share one common thread — we want to be heard, and we want to know we aren’t alone. That’s why the relatable stories you share do well. People are searching for connection.
The stories I write from the heart, about deep personal episodes in my life, do the best on this platform. It can feel like oversharing at first. The first draft should feel like oversharing; then, you edit without mercy.
Think of your reader, turn personal pain into a story that will help your reader with their struggles, and then, maybe that story will turn your “sorrow(s) into treasured gold” thanks to the Medium Partner Program. Cue Adele.
Or Hamilton, who wrote his way out of poverty and into a boat headed to the colonies, as an immigrant, who ended up Secretary of State.
Why it took me so long to hit publish
I was scared, scared I wasn’t good enough, or talented enough. But that is the beauty of Medium. You don’t have to be good to share. You can get good through sharing, and Medium is rare in that they allow anyone to share — professional and nonprofessional, seasoned writers and unseasoned alike, influencers, and the writer with zero followers.
The beauty of writing is that writing is not a talent; it is a skill.
A skill can be learned and honed through practice. Most writers, I would say all writers, get better with daily practice.
Writing is a skill that can be acquired and learned through practice, just like standing on the foul shot line, throwing a basketball into the net, or practicing the piano. The more you throw that ball from that spot, the free-throw line, and the more you tickle those ivory keys, the better you’ll get at making that shot, and the better you’ll get at playing that song, respectively.
Keep going. You will have a higher chance of success if you keep going.
You will have zero chance of success if you stop now.
I was scared to be judged.
You will be judged in the arena of social media, any, and all. Whether you are tweeting your opinion or writing an Instagram caption for a photo shared with only people you know, you’ll be judged.
You’re writing from your views based on your experience. You may get comments you don’t agree with, or comments to provoke you — just like in life.
I have some strong opinions and beliefs when it comes to politics. I can’t stifle them to make others feel comfortable because they are my firm beliefs and nonnegociable. The only advice about negative criticism with the intent to provoke — criticism that isn’t productive or helpful — is you get used to it, it eventually rolls off you.
How to succeed
Write on Medium for a year and don’t look back. Don’t tell yourself you will have instant success; you won’t.
There are stories on Medium about making gobs of money, but those writers have put in a year at least, some three years to make that kind of income, except for one or two.
Medium is more crowded these days, so it may take longer to stand out.
While it’s possible to make over $1,000 in three months, it takes a lot of work and posting at least once a day, unless you have a loyal tribe firmly established outside the bounds of the platform before joining.
Secret: I haven’t looked at my stats or my curation rate in three months. Not once. The only way I know I’m making money is because money keeps hitting my bank account. I’m pleasantly surprised each time. I’m genuinely shocked, but I don’t check my numbers, ever.
I don’t worry or expect clicks, claps, followers, comments, shares; they aren’t in my sight or even my peripheral view. The only focus I have is writing.
I follow writers on this platform who have mega success, like Tim Denning. His advice is some of the best I’ve read for newbies on Medium (and what I had been doing naturally) here it is, “write for one year consistently and then see where you are in a year from now.”
If you don’t like writing nearly every day for a year, or you fizzle out in two months, or you can’t fit a lot of writing into your schedule, then maybe making money from writing is not what you want. And that is OK.
Perhaps you want your writing to be a part-time thing and write when and where you can fit it in simply because you love to write. Perfectly fine. But if you want to make a writing career from writing, you need to do it daily or close to daily. And not worry about other distractions right now, simply start.
Start today.
December marks my 6th month on Medium. I had the most significant payout this last month. I’m over the $1,000 mark, which was my original goal to hit after a year of writing.
If I can get out of my head and share my work, you can too.
Write on.
Click to get my 100 Things To Get Started on Medium Now List.
Jessica is a writer, an online entrepreneur, and a recovering type-A personality. She lives in Los Angeles with her extrovert daughter, two dogs, and two cats.
