Meet the Writer Who is a Mentor to 4.000+ Users on Medium

— and find out how she can motivate you to write more and better articles!

Let’s be honest: We’re here for the same reason.

Medium is a big community, and we all love it — yet, the great articles, personal stories or poems that make the platform as unique as it is, aren’t the only things that unite us.

We’ve all signed up with the same dream. We want to be writers. We want to be read. We want to generate views. We live for the claps, the follows, and yes — the curation.

My path is probably very average

I’ve been on medium for about six weeks now. I have immediately signed up for the Medium Partner Program to make some money, I’ve looked for publications to submit to — some of my articles actually got accepted, while the big ones have rejected them for now. I’ve been enthusiastic about my first little cents earned by my articles. And yes, I do admit it, I’ve joined several Facebook groups, signed up for newsletters, participated in a Zoom-Conference and watched all the videos that Zulie Rane provides on her adorable and absolutely amazing YouTube-Channel.

Zulie’s videos are a must for every newbie

If you ask me, nobody who is taking their first steps on Medium will get by Zulie — which is amazing, because she is fantastic. Not only has she been writing articles on medium for more than two years now, but she also knows anything there is to know when being a newbie. She will explain what Curation actually is and what publications look for, she will tell you about her own struggles and successes and give some extra tips on how to improve your writing.

Her videos are normally released about once a week and about ten minutes long. Plus, as the icing on the cake, you will most likely get a glimpse of her super cute cats, stealing the show in the background in basically every single video.

One great piece of advice? Focus on diversity

Just like on medium, where Zulie writes about a variety of topics and publishes in a diversity of publications, she also likes to try new things on her YouTube-Channel. While she interviewed some of Medium’s Top Writers in Zoom-Meetings and also introduced the editor of “Mind Café” last week, she has established a new format, which I absolutely love.

Zulie’s new format: “Write with me”

The title totally holds its promise. Twice already, Zulie has hosted a live video on her channel, where she shares her screen with the audience and writes a new article for Medium right there and then. In the chatbox, her viewers are able to ask questions which she will answer in between, before returning to developing her newest blog post. Needless to say, they always turn out perfect.

She encourages her followers to write along with her and also create a story while watching the video. I’ve participated in both of her live sessions — and it has been a blast.

Seriously, it was like writing with an old friend and extremely productive. Both of the sessions took about two hours, which tells you a lot about the professional level that Zulie Rane writes in. While writing, she talks a lot to her audience, answers every question there is, and still manages to finish her structured articles.

Zulie’s success is insane

After she finishes writing, she rereads it aloud to catch any errors or sentences she wishes to rewrite. Then, she submits it to a publication and — what should I say? Both of the articles immediately got accepted into big publications: One in P.S. I Love You and the other one in Better Marketing.

It is absolutely motivating to watch her videos and her live sessions take the experience to a whole different level. Zulie seems like the friendly girl from next door you always wanted to be friends with. She really cares about her followers and her articles are always fun to read. While she has no professional training in writing and normally works an average day job, she still managed to earn a lot of money with her writing.

Yet, she always stresses that this is only her hobby and that she still enjoys it every time she finds the time to write something.

When we break it down — isn’t that the reason while we all signed up for medium in the first place? Doesn’t it sound pretty perfect to you, too?

I’ve managed to write two articles while writing along with Zulie Rane. I sometimes even rewatch the live stream when writing articles now, just so that I feel as if I am not writing by myself. Her 60+ videos have definitely had an impact on my writing skills.

I cannot wait for the next live session and Zulie’s new articles. She just wrote one about how she saved 60.000 $ at the age of 25 —and it’s by paying for her living expenses with her medium earnings only, making it possible to save her normal job salary entirely. Crazy, right?

Zulie makes it sound like anyone could do it.

She is definitely a role model for me.

One of her main tips when starting on Medium? Just keep writing. Publish almost every day. Try out new things, don’t stick to a niche. And — one thing which I struggle with frequently — Zulie doesn’t check her stats til the end of the month. This creates an environment of writing without any pressure, without comparing this month to the last one and without having to doubt yourself while enjoying what you love: Writing.

Zulie’s example has played a huge role in my ongoing journey on Medium. I am very thankful to her, for keeping me motivated, for being a mentor without even knowing it and for keeping the dream alive.

P.S.: Did I rewatch the live session while creating this article? That’s a secret I’ll never tell…XOXO.