Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of analyzing personal writing statistics on Medium to improve content engagement and income, and learning from both successes and mistakes to grow as a writer.

Abstract

The article "Live And Learn Which Of Your Stories Find Fortune, Fame" discusses the significance of monitoring one's writing statistics on Medium to understand what resonates with the audience. It suggests that while writing is enjoyable, it is also a source of income for many, making it crucial to track views, reads, and earnings to enhance performance. The author shares a personal anecdote about learning from a mistake, stressing the importance of moving on without dwelling on the error, understanding the cause, and committing to prevent future occurrences. The piece acknowledges that statistics don't tell the whole story but are a valuable tool for understanding content performance. It also highlights the unpredictable nature of a story's success, which can sometimes be influenced by external sharing. The author recommends using personal documents or spreadsheets to track progress towards writing goals, drawing a parallel to a basketball team that found success despite adversity, reinforcing the message that persistence and effort are key to achieving writing success on Medium.

Opinions

The author believes that writing statistics are a crucial feedback mechanism for writers on Medium.
Learning from mistakes is presented as a valuable life lesson that can improve one's writing and financial outcomes.
There is an appreciation for the unpredictable nature of a story's success, which can be bolstered by reader sharing.
The author advocates for the use of personal tracking methods, such as documents or spreadsheets, to monitor writing progress and stay focused on goals.
The article conveys a positive message about the value of persistence and effort, even in the face of challenges, using the metaphor of an under-resourced basketball team that still managed to find success.

Live And Learn Which Of Your Stories Find Fortune, Fame

Your current stats explain a lot these days

Sometimes you just don’t know when writing success is going to happen to you.

That’s the truth.

Your stats and numbers can sure lead you to what is working well and what is not connecting with your audience. That’s why it’s so important to check that information on a regular basis.

Writing can be great fun, but for many writers it is a big source of their monthly income, so information about how to improve views, reads, and income has become so important and significant. You need feedback and Medium provides this information to us.

Recently I made a mistake. Without going into detail about what happened, it taught me a valuable lesson.

First, don’t cry about it and move on. Understand what happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Appreciate the experience and learn from it, and move on quickly.

Second, understand why it happened. If you’re in a hurry and not careful, things can happen that you don’t anticipate. Last month I was driving in a parking lot and somebody pulled out a little too quickly and almost hit us. Also, I could have driven slower myself.

If you make a mistake that costs you money, accept that it happened and commit yourself to making sure it doesn’t happen again. That’s a valuable life lesson.

Numbers Don’t Lie

Your story stats explain a lot, but they don’t describe everything that’s going on with your content. The numbers don’t lie, but they don’t tell you everything.

Sometimes you might see a boost to a story you wrote a month ago and you could be trying to figure out what happened. Honestly, it is almost impossible to figure out.

Sometimes content clicks with readers at certain times and they share it with others. Thank goodness for that.

Anything that helps your story get more views and revenue is a good thing. More power to any person or group that shares Medium content with others because that helps all of us find success.

Check Your Stats, Track Your Progress

If your goal is to find more success and earn your money, you may want to consider tracking your progress in some way.

A personal document or spreadsheet is an excellent way to monitor your daily, weekly or monthly progress. Once you have that started, you can see if you are on track to achieving your goals. It certainly helps me a lot to see how I am doing and what I need to do differently.

Yesterday I watched a basketball team play and they only had five players show up. The other team has eight or nine. The first team didn’t win, and that’s fine, but they put forth a lot of effort and found success in different ways.

At one point in the game, the first team could only play four players against the five on the other team.

“This is not going to go well," I said, because of the mismatch.

Surprisingly, the second team was not able to score any points during the time the first team played only four players.

The point is that often you don’t know where success is going to come from or how it is going to happen, or even when or where. All you can do is show up every day and keep trying.