Summary

Linda Locke, a writer from Southern California, achieved her goal of publishing 70 stories on Medium within 7 months, driven by a commitment to prioritize her personal writing aspirations and overcome past inhibitions, and has since created an online writing course to help others do the same.

Abstract

Linda Locke, a seasoned writer and Medium member, embarked on a personal challenge in February 2022 to publish 70 stories on the platform by the end of the year. By early August, she had not only met but exceeded this goal, with her 70th story reflecting on the impact of Star Trek on her life. Motivated by a desire to pursue personal passions, which intensified during the pandemic, Locke overcame previous negative experiences with a toxic writing teacher and self-doubt to make her writing dream a reality. Her journey included embracing vulnerability, silencing negative self-talk, and believing in the value of her contributions to readers and writers on Medium. Additionally, Locke created an online Medium writing course to assist others in overcoming their own barriers to writing. She emphasizes that achieving goals is a matter of taking the first step, persisting, seeking help, and believing in one's dreams.

Opinions

Locke believes in the transformative power of giving oneself permission to write and the importance of not waiting for external validation.
She values the lessons learned from the pandemic about prioritizing personal goals and passions.
Locke has a positive outlook on the benefits of writing, viewing it as a means to inspire and encourage others.
She acknowledges the role of self-belief and the willingness to be vulnerable as key factors in her success.
Locke is passionate about helping aspiring writers through her online course, aiming to fast-track their success on Medium.
She reflects on the past with a sense of growth, having moved beyond the impact of a toxic creative writing teacher.
Locke is committed to continuing her writing journey, with a new goal of publishing 100 stories before the end of 2022.

Mission Accomplished — 70 Stories Published on Medium in 7 Months

What you can achieve when you decide to just go for it!

In February 2022, I made a great big decision. I decided to start writing on Medium. And I set myself a big goal to write 70 stories by the end of the year.

Fast forward to early August 2022 — I achieved that goal easily with my 70th story about the original Star Trek TV series and the effect it had on me.

How Star Trek Changed My Life

It inspired me to dream bigger and believe in the possibility of a better world

medium.com

I’ve been a member of Medium for a long time and loved reading and making comments, but just never got around to writing anything myself.

Too busy with my job and family health emergencies, I just kept putting off my dream to start writing for myself until this year.

I’ve been a writer all my life, but mostly on the job as a journalist and a technical writer/training manager. But, during the pandemic something changed for me. I decided that I needed to pursue the things that mattered to me personally.

I didn’t want to put those things on the back burner anymore. I wanted to make them my #1 priority. The pandemic clarified a lot of things for me and made me really rethink how I was living my life.

I’m Missing the Lock Down

But only the good parts :)

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I also decided to banish some of the past bad experiences I had with a toxic creative writing teacher and just go ahead and give myself permission to write.

Are You Waiting for Permission to Write?

Go ahead and write your own permission slip

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So how did I achieve my writing goal so quickly?

I committed totally to making writing a priority in my life.
I believed in myself and my writing talent.
I stopped listening to my negative self talk about writing.
I was willing to be vulnerable and push myself past the fear to publish my stories on Medium.
I decided that I had something to share of value to both readers and writers on Medium.
I stopped waiting on the sidelines and put myself in the game.
I just trusted myself and decided to go ahead and just write already!

Stop Waiting on the Sidelines and Just Write Already!

Get off the bench and start now

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Bonus Goal — I also created an online Medium writing course for others who are stuck on the sidelines and want to start writing.

I’ve wanted to create an online course for a long time, but got stuck in the weeds of how to do it.

Why I Chose Payhip to Create my Online Course

I finally found a course platform that’s just right for me.

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So I decided to put everything I learned the hard way into a course to help other aspiring writers to fast track their results on Medium. I love helping people and encouraging them to stop procrastinating and just start writing.

If you’re interested in learning more about the course, you can check it out here: Get Visible on Medium and Fast Track Your Writing

Key Message: There is no secret to achieving a goal, it just requires you to start the journey with one step. Then keep going, ask for help along the way and believe in the power of your dreams. They can come true!

So what’s next on my goal list? Keep writing and teaching and publish 100 stories before the end of 2022 :)

Linda Locke is a writer and mentor/teacher. She lives in Southern California in Ventura County by the Coast with her husband and lots and lots of books.

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