My 30-Day Challenge Results
The winning combination of 23 articles with increased followers found in a supportive writing community
Stairs: a series of steps or flights of steps for passing from one level to another — defined by Merriam-Webster
When I was young, my grandma and I were on an escalator at the mall. I don’t quite remember what caused us to fall down the escalator. I just remember the sensation of falling down and deciding then I would never step foot on an escalator again. Of course, I did when I was older, but for many years I refused. I was scared. Fear held me back.
This challenge forced me out of my comfort zone to get past my writing fears. Prior to this 30-day challenge, I wrote a few posts but never through a publication because I simply didn’t know how all that worked.
I will admit there were a few days when I wanted to give up. I ended up taking a few days off because of being out of town for the 4th of July, which helped to recharge my writing when I got back.
You can view my initial challenge post here:
The Results
Overall, I’m thrilled with my results. I gained more than I thought I would. Yes, I gained followers, but I also met amazing, supportive writers throughout this challenge.
Followers
I had 50 followers as I started the challenge with a goal of 100 followers y the end of the challenge. At the end of the 30 days, I had 194 followers.
Articles
My goal was to submit 30 articles to 30 different publications with 80% acceptance. I didn’t meet this goal. I write 23 articles and all were published during the challenge. A publication rejected one article, so I resubmitted it to a different publication. Halfway through the challenge, I decided not to stick to 30 different publications to have more flexibility in what I was writing. I published my articles in 15 different publications. You can view my challenge publication timeline at the very end of this article.
Earnings
Before this challenge, I made $0.07 in January 2021 and $0.02 in November 2020, so my financial expectation was not a major goal of this challenge. I ended up making $4.03 in June and $2.81 so far in July up to July 14, 2021 (the last day of the 30-day challenge).
The Unexpected Result: Finding a Writing Community
I wasn’t expecting to meet some amazing people along the way of this challenge. One of the other goals I pledged was to read and comment on five articles each day.
Each morning, I would start with those who clapped and responded to my stories. I returned the favor. I was a reader of Medium long before I wrote on Medium. But I didn’t interact as much with the writers of those articles prior to this challenge. I clapped, highlighted, responded in comments and tweeted articles that I really enjoyed. Because of this interaction, I’ve met some amazing writers here on Medium and on Twitter.
By doing this challenge and submitting to various publications, I got to know some outstanding writers and writing communities within each publication. I wasn’t expecting that at all when I started this journey.
30-Day Challenge
When I posted my original pledge, I wasn’t expecting the support I found via comments, claps, highlighting, and followers. It’s a fun community that supports each other. When I see a writer posting their pledge post, I tried to return the favor by commenting and clapping back.
Microcosm
Over the past year, I’ve been writing flash fiction, so I was excited to find the Microcosm publication. Zane Dickens also was kind enough to help me with the title/subtitle thing for the headline title. I will continue to submit my flash and serial stories. Check out their challenges and prompts; they get the creative juices flowing!
Thank You Notes
I’m so thankful for this publication and Trista Signe Ainsworth. Her support and kindness are everything when you’re feeling like no one reads your words. For the past few months, I had been writing a piece about the passing of my mother. But I wasn’t sure I would ever publish it. It felt too raw. Because of this challenge, I took the time to research the different Medium publications. I knew when I stumbled upon Thank You Notes, I found my home for the piece about my mom. When I pushed “submit,” I wasn’t sure what to expect. Trista’s feedback and support made my week. It’s difficult to submit such personal pieces but I encourage writers to take that risk. Like with any article, you need to find the right home.
The Daily Cuppa
Katie Michaelson and the team at The Daily Cuppa have created a comforting publication home, featuring short-form articles. Before the challenge, I was a reader of the publication. I loved the shorter pieces infused with humor in these daily muses. This is another community where writers support each other, which is priceless. I’m excited to keep submitting to this publication and keep reading the excellent posts.
Final Thoughts
I recommend completing this challenge as it forces you out of your writing comfort zone. The challenge is flexible where you can tailor it to your needs. I ended up not sticking to the original rule of submitting to a different publication with each article. But I recommend you submit to as many as you can and ones you don’t normally submit so you can expand your Medium horizon.
For example, I don’t normally write poems. I love reading poetry but never felt comfortable writing it. My inner critic would warn, “You’re not doing it right!” when it came to poetry.
One day this piece came to me in a poem form and I went with it, turning off my inner critic.
The aspect I loved about this challenge was the freedom and space to write whatever came to me each day. I did have some pieces already written ahead of the challenge (about 10 stories). But by doing this challenge, I created a daily writing habit of writing a post each morning, editing it in the afternoon and submitting it by evening.
I won’t be posting every day like that since the MFA program I am in starts on July 26th but I definitely will write and post two to three times a week.
Publication Timeline
June 15: Submitted initial challenge post to 30-day publication. Published the same day.
June 16: Submitted “About Me — Ellie Jacobson” to About Me Stories. Published the same day.
June 17: Submitted 6 Ways Writers Prepare for Camp NaNoWriMo to Writers’ Blokke. Published the same day.
June 18: Submitted Taken for a Ride(flash fiction) to Centina Pentina. Published on June 21.
June 19: Submitted Snap: Part I to Microcosm. Or I thought I had submitted it on the 19th but really I didn’t push to the final submit to add the draft to the publication. Published on June 23.
June 20: Submitted Nervous to Fly (short story) to The Lark. Published and chosen for further distribution on June 21.
June 21: Submitted Dear Mom to Thank You Notes.
June 22: Submitted Resources for Writing Flash Fiction to The Writing Cooperative. Initially rejected. Will edit the article and resubmit.
June 23: Submitted Blogging My Way to a Book to Synergy. Published on June 24.
June 24: Submitted When Darkness Persists to Illumination. Published the same day.
June 25: Started a Medium Publication documenting my journey to writing my first novel. Published Two Book Ideas: Decisions, Decisions
June 26: Submitted Cracked Cocoon to Illumination’s Mirror. Published on the same day.
June 27: Edited Resources for Writing Flash Fiction and resubmitted The Writing Cooperative.
June 28: Published Deciding Which Fiction Book to Write to My Novel Journey
June 29: Submitted Jumpstart your Creativity to Synergy. Published the same day.
June 30: Submitted a short-form post (thought I would try that out!) to Illumination.
July 1: Submitted The Storm Within to Poetry’s Home.
July 2–4: I’ll be out of town. Will post again on July 5.
July 5: Submitted Resources for Writing Flash Fiction to Writers’ Blokke. Published on July 6.
July 6: Submitted Google to the Rescue to The Daily Cuppa. Published the same day.
July 7: Submitted Thanking My Husband to Thank You Notes. Published the same day.
July 8: Submitted Wiping the Death Off to The Weekly Knob. Didn’t hear back from this publication.
July 11: Submitted Wiping the Death Off to Sky Collection. Published the same day.
July 12: Submitted Writing Prompts, Challenges & Contests, Oh My! to Illumination. Published the same day.
July 13: Submitted Celebrating my 25 x 2 -2 Birthday to The Daily Cuppa. Published the same day.
July 14: Submitted I’m Filing a Divorce from Perfection to Gentleness Ambassadors and Thank You to the Rain to Thank You Notes.
For more information about the 30-day challenge visit David Majister original challenge post.
I would love to connect with you. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram.