Medium Top Writers’ Best Advice in One Sentence

Could a simple game of tag change how you write forever?

Do you remember what it feels like to play “tag?”

Can you recall that thrill of sprinting towards everywhere and nowhere at the same time, of twisting and arching your body like a circus acrobat to dodge hands lunging toward you at faster than the speed of light?

If you close your eyes, can you hear the echos of laughter and squeals bouncing off of the playground blacktop, rustling the leaves of trees standing sentinel nearby?

My guess is yes. You can remember what it feels like, even if it’s been decades since you last played because tag is one of the most universal human games ever invented.

Origins of the name hail back to the Middle English word “tek,” which dates it somewhere between the Norman conquest of 1066 and the late 15th century.

In addition to being really old, the game has been played across school playgrounds the world over. In France, it’s known as “touche touche” (translation: touch touch), in Romania, it is called “leapșa” (slap), and in Japan it’s おにごっこ or “onigokko” (demon tag).

What Does This Have to Do With the Single Greatest Piece of Advice?

Recently, with the world’s playground temporarily closed, I imagined up a virtual variation of the game, called Writers’ Tag and designed specifically for Medium.

Here are the rules:

1. Ask a Medium writer a question they must answer in one sentence.
2. Have that writer then tag another writer, asking the same question.
3. Keep playing until you reach the desired number of responses.

Just like on the schoolyard playground, Writers Tag is simple, fast-paced, and entirely unpredictable.

The first step was the hardest and most crucial: figure out a question that would pull in players and keep them playing:

Seeing as this is a game for writers, players were allowed to add a brief follow-up description to their one-sentence answer, if so desired. Unsurprisingly and thankfully, all players provided a description.

Who Joined in the Game?

Seeing as this was the world’s first-ever attempt at Writers Tag, the game started with two all-stars on Medium: Round 1 went to Niklas Göke, editor of Better Marketing and Round 2 to Shaunta Grimes, editor of The Write Brain:

So, What Is the Single Greatest Piece of Advice for You as a Writer on Medium?

Every response below was crafted by our players to help you, the reader, in your efforts to become a more successful writer on Medium. No matter where you are on your path, I’m sure there’s something in the advice below that can speak to you.

Round 1 started with Niklas Göke:

“Mine would be: Don’t stop.” “There’s a lot to be said about consistency, experimentation, grammar, and a million other things, but none of them will matter if you stop writing. So don’t stop writing. You can figure out the rest as you go — but you have to keep going.”

Niklas tagged Ayodeji Awosika:

“Make it to the tipping point.” “At first, you’ll get little to no views and building your audience will be an uphill slog, especially in the beginning & if you don’t already have an audience outside of Medium.

With iterative practice, studying and implementing blogging techniques that work, you can reach a point where you get more views and followers for the same level of effort as you exerted when you first started.”

Ayodeji tagged Jessica Wildfire:

“Write what you need to say to the real people out there.” “It’s easy to forget your audience when blogging. The best writers out there sit down and think about what’s going on in their lives, and what people need to hear.

When an article fails, I think it’s always because it wasn’t really speaking to anyone. There was no sense of personality behind the sentences. This applies to the kind of writing I do, but even journalists and other types of writers do best when they think about who they’re trying to reach and how.”

Jessica tagged Shannon Ashley:

“Quit waiting on external forces.” “Many would-be writers get stuck on the notion that someone else is standing between them and their writing career. They are convinced they can’t move forward until a more established writer takes them under their wing, answers their questions, holds their hand. But you have to take ownership of your effort. You have to do your own work and research.

The most successful writers on Medium didn’t wait for somebody to show them the ropes — they dived right in for themselves.”

Shannon tagged Kris Gage:

“Have something to say.” Too often people try to treat “writing” like something they can “will” themselves into with a few simple steps, like whipping up a batch of muffins or working up to 20 pushups or some other goal. But writing isn’t like that.

While day to day you have to “just write” (not “having something to say” is NOT an excuse for the nonsense people call “writer’s block”), overall, and in general, if you want to develop your voice and eventually write the occasional piece that really strikes people, you need to actually say something — thoughtful, emotional, interesting, etc.

Round 2 started with Shaunta Grimes:

“Figure out your superpower and write into it.” “Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone. And everyone has something that other people will gravitate toward. That gravitational pull is your superpower. Whether it’s the way you make other people laugh, your ability to teach, or your ability to finely craft a literary work of art, lean into it and you’ll find your people. Or they’ll find you!”

Shaunta tagged Meg Stewart:

“Be authentic and share your less than perfect moments” “Sharing your experiences in an authentic and vulnerable way with your readers enables them to connect with you on a deeper level. And when you share those things you may not have done perfectly, you give your readers facing similar obstacles, the confidence that they too can come through the storm and into the light.”

Meg tagged Marilyn Flower:

“For me, it’s all about community.” “Yes, I write my very best. Yes, I learn as much as I can about writing, specifically for this platform. Yes, I stay as true as I can to my authentic voice even when giving technical information. But having connections with writers I follow, study and get inspired by made a huge difference when I got started and still does.

Finding my peeps and tribes in my favorite publications anchors me in this vast sea of possibilities, even as I continually explore.”

Marilyn tagged Debbie Walker:

“Write to encourage, engage, and empower.” If you can write it, you can see, and be empowered to make changes in your life and others. Healing for ourselves, society, and the world.

Let’s Keep the Game Going

Speaking from years of childhood experience, the most epic games of tag were always those that lasted well past dusk; where the darkness of night started to blur the edges of the players and only the call for dinner could stop a game.

I’d love to keep it going by hearing what you, Medium writer, consider your single greatest piece of advice to your fellow reader writers, especially those just joining us on the playground.

So allow me to jump into the game with my two cents, by no means saving the best for last:

“Make sure you’re having fun.” There’s a lot of work that goes into writing successfully on Medium. The impressive group of writers that contributed above undoubtedly spend hours each day trying to be their best selves on the platform.

Make no mistake, there’s serious sweat and heartache that goes into building an audience but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun along the way. Make sure to stay true to your passions and your voice because without them the joy of freelance writing will soon fizzle and you’ll drop out of the game before the fun really begins.

I now tag you!