Writing

Lessons Learned From My First Full Month on Medium

No. 1: Nobody cares whether you can write

Where will consistent posting on Medium for three months get you? That was the question I set out to answer, and I’m ready to report on the first month.

OK, technically, this isn’t my first month. A couple of years ago, I posted some work, saw little traction and decided it wasn’t worth my while. But on Feb. 22, I decided to give this another whirl. I would publish every day that I possibly could, and I would make every effort for three months and see what would happen.

March was my first full month of doing this, so I’m using March stats to see where I stand.

Stories posted: 27

Followers gained in March: 228

Total followers as of this writing: 268

Fans: 325

Views: 2.3K

Reads: 1.6K

Responses: 123

Earnings: $25.08

Approximate hourly “wage”: 32 cents per hour

Publication launched: Minds Without Borders

Stories curated: 0

This rather dismal showing (less than a buck per story!) doesn’t upset me. I knew this wasn’t going to pay off immediately, either in followers, attention or money, although I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was hoping I might do better than this.

I’ve “met” some amazing people and enjoyed some very good writing about all kinds of subjects.

All positive stuff, right?

Well, no. I’m having trouble wrapping my head around something surprising, which is how many people who freely admit they’re not here to post their best work are loaded up with followers and are making bank.

This is a space where anybody is free to post, so you’d expect the quality to be uneven. But you’d also expect anyone interested in posting their writing to be striving to improve their craft. I’m not talking about the occasional typo, which can happen to even the best writers, since most of us are posting here without the benefit of an editor.

I’ve read several pieces here lately in which the writer actually encourages others not to worry about the quality. Post, post, post, we are encouraged. Just get it online! Don’t worry about the grammar!

Wait, what?

Another writer complained that editors keep editing her stuff. I read her stuff. She needs those editors. (We all need an editor.) I stopped reading her because her writing was a bit of a mess. The world is full of wonderful things to read. Why should I spend my time reading stuff someone has dashed off rather than something someone cared enough to develop and polish?

Another person bragged that she just started writing one day and she posts without worrying too much about it, and she’s supporting herself this way. I believe it, because she has a very large number of followers.

I’ve also read some incredibly good pieces posted by people who don’t have many followers at all. They are people I’d have hired to write for me. They drop their well-crafted gems into the sea and almost everybody is too busy splashing in the waves to notice.

Look, I get it. I’m out of touch. Nobody cares that this old stick-in-the-mud writer wants everyone to follow a boring bunch of writing rules. Nobody reads literature anymore. It’s a TikTok world.

Before I started digging in, I assumed I’d do really well here. I have a degree in journalism and a minor in English. I worked in newspapers for 30 years. I had a nationally syndicated column. I’ve won loads of writing awards. I’ve written a number of books (using pen names) and have done a lot of freelancing, copywriting, SEO and magazine work. You name it, I’ve written it. I take my craft seriously and do my best. I never just throw something on here. Most of my pieces have taken me hours to research, write and polish.

So I figured I had a good chance of doing well here.

But as I looked at what gets read attention and what doesn’t here, I began to realize I might not do well here at all, because good writing isn’t what this platform rewards.

It’s possible that to reach monetary success, I might have to write things like, How I Turned One Really Good Idea Into Two Complete Book Series or How I Used A Reader Magnet To Grow My Mailing List or other how-to-monetize-writing pieces. I’d also have to brand myself and stick to that brand. I know how to do all those things. But I don’t wanna.

Mostly, I want to write about societal trends. I like to notice what’s happening and relate it to something I know about history or another culture or science, and try to show why you should care. If I have a brand, that’s what it is.

I’m going to stick to my goal of posting daily (or as close to that as I can manage) for three months. I’m putting two books and my freelance work on the back burner to do so. We’ll see how it goes. If things take off, I’ll prioritize Medium. If they don’t, Medium will become an occasional indulgence. I’m curious to see what happens, and I’m willing to put some time in to give this every chance.

To those who have clapped and responded and left positive comments, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Appreciative readers are everything.

Here are my March offerings. I’m always open to feedback!