My Above-Average Medium Success Story

An honest account of a new writer’s Medium experience

I’ve read many stories about people who are making thousands of dollars a month on Medium. These are wonderful success stories, full of awesome tips. When I started my Medium journey, I read almost all of them for inspiration.

I decided to write about my own Medium success story, which is rather average income-wise, but has many highlights that are not related to money. It’s still worth reading if you want to be noticed by other writers and publications. The way I look at it, we can only go “up” from here.

I‘m not going to tell you how to hack the system or become rich from Medium because I am neither a hacker nor rich. However, I can give you some tips on how to become better at writing on Medium in general.

I started on Medium on December 8, 2019. It was my first time writing professionally. I wanted to build my writing portfolio and get to know other freelancers while making some extra money along the way.

In my first month, I was picked up by “The Startup” and “Noteworthy Journal” publications. One of my articles was very well received, with around 4K views as of now. It was a proud moment since it was about the stigma that Canadian Indigenous women face in regards to the law. This is a subject I’m extremely passionate about.

My first month was good and my second month was better. I did small numbers on some days but I did double my income, from gas money ($50) to phone bill money ($100). Not too bad for a beginner.

What meant the most to me in these last couple of months was being curated several times and having an article written about me by a professional writer, whose work I really admire, Jerry Nelson.

These experiences indicated to me that I wasn’t kidding myself and I can actually write stories that people enjoy reading. You can too.

So now to the middle of the Oreo, how did I make $100 on Medium last month? How did I turn my writing into something I’m proud of?

I Wrote…You Guessed It, Every Single Day

This seems to be the holy grail of Medium advice and it has worked for me thus far. I write every day, not just because of monetary gain but because I love it.

Writing is a learned skill. The more you write, the better you get. When I re-read my first story “Effective Communication With Your Doctor When You Have a Chronic Illness” and my latest piece “A Montreal Parole Board Granted a Murderer Permission to Use Sex Workers”, I notice a big difference in quality between the two.

Ironically enough, I noticed I had more pieces curated in the beginning than now. To be honest, I hear this from many fellow Medium writers. So in the beginning, try to publish something daily, twice if you can. Allow the curators to see your stories frequently.

Be a Generalist, Not a Specialist

I write about several different topics because it’s fun. I never become bored this way and I get to research different subjects. Being a huge nerd, this is my idea of a fun Saturday night.

Most advice I see on Medium states to pick a niche and stick with it to become a top writer, which makes perfect sense. I’ve chosen to write about many different things and as a result, I’ve attracted a diverse group of people to my profile. I’m also a top writer in the subjects of parenting and racism.

Writing about different topics is an excellent way to connect with writers and readers from all walks of life.

The variation in subjects keeps your readers enthralled. When you jump around to different topics people wonder, what will they write next!? It keeps people on the edge of their desk chairs. Thrilling!

Read Your Fellow Medium Writer’s Stories

Again, this is something I do because I like it, not for the followers or beer money. There are some really amazing writers on here, from poetry to narrative stories, people are very talented on this platform.

I see some writers question if Medium is worth the $5 a month if you’re a writer. To me, it’s worth more than $5, even if you’re not a writer.

In addition, reading other writer's articles is a sure-fire way to find out how to format your stories correctly. I recommend the work of Casey Botticello and his Medium Blogging Guide for awesome tips on writing like a Medium pro.

Curation Matters but Don’t Get Obsessed With It

Curation is how you get your work to reach more publications and readers. If you want to impress the powers that be, review the curation guidelines frequently.

These guidelines tell us what the curators are looking for.

Keep in mind, that you can follow the rules perfectly and not be curated. Curation is mysterious to me. I’d think part of the job is deciding whether you like or agree with the tone of a piece after the official guidelines have been met. Different people prefer different types of writing, so don’t take it personally if you’re not curated.

Continue to write, keep your grammar and punctuation tight, and write your truth. Regardless if you’re curated or not, you’ll have a nice portfolio of quality pieces to use as samples for jobs.

Be Your Authentic Self

Don’t try and imitate other writers. Write as much as you can until you find your voice. Since most Medium readers are also writers themselves, they’ll see through anyone who is putting on an act.

Get your friends or family to read your writing. Ask them if it sounds like “you.”

I can always tell when I’m not being my authentic self in my writing. If I’m not present while writing, I usually notice it in on my final read through. I know my writers' voice now and it’s because I write a lot.

Write Through Pain, Stress, and Sickness

When I lost my dog a few weeks ago, I experienced my first bout of writer’s block. I had an entire list of ideas for articles written and I didn’t feel passionate about any of them.

So I wrote about my dog, my pain in losing him and how lost I felt without him. This eventually relieved my block.

I continued to write and wrote some pieces that didn’t reflect my best work. They didn’t sound like me and I’m not proud of them. However, after a week of continuing to write through my agony, I hit my stride and found my voice again.

Write Your Complete Truth, Even if It Hurts

When I started writing, I was determined to not share anything too personal. I’m a private person. I didn’t even have a Facebook account until recently.

I decided one day I needed to write about my battle with postpartum OCD. I couldn’t stop thinking about my experience and how I could help other women by telling my story.

I really wanted to educate people on POCD, but I hated the idea of admitting to the world that I had mental health issues. It felt very invasive to me and truthfully, I was terrified of people judging me.

I’ve always admired people who can put their struggles out in the open. I think it’s a brave thing to do.

Post-partum OCD is common but misdiagnosed often, so I hoped that sharing my story would inspire other women to seek help. I spoke to my friends and my mother and they encouraged me to write my story. I’m thankful they did.

I opened my raw wounds and exposed my pain to everyone in my life by sharing the story on Facebook and on Medium once it was completed.

I received so much support from family and friends, most of whom had no idea what had happened to me.

Although it was difficult, my effort paid off. Motherly is going to publish “Mothering while having Postpartum Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder” on their website. This will pad my novice writer's resume as Motherly is a well-recognized parenting site.

Most importantly, I feel like this article will help many women.

A bigger accomplishment for me was when I heard from a reader who said she was sending my article to two different women in her life. She recognized the signs of POCD in her friends after reading my article. She said she believes they’ll seek help once they realize what is going on with them.

The idea that my writing helped someone is worth more to me than any money in the world.

A Few Final Tips and Tricks

• If you cannot concentrate because of a personal issue, write about it. You don’t have to share it, but save it in case you’re ready to share it someday. This cathartic process can help relieve writer’s block due to stressors.
• Make your articles “skim-worthy.” This means using white space, headers, short paragraphs, and lists or bullet points.
• Use online resources, my favorites are: Title Capitalization Tool, Unsplash for beautiful images, and Resize Images (Medium’s article image size is 1400px).
• Cite your sources. Brian Dixon wrote an amazing article on citations and footnotes that I reference daily.
• I highly recommend ending your editing process by reading your piece out loud. I catch most of my errors this way. It keeps your writing tight.
• Before you publish your draft, check it over on your smartphone. Sometimes paragraphs are longer on your phone than on the computer.
• Reply to your readers. If they say something unkind, reply with respect. Thank them for their input and move on. You can explain your point of view but some people are trolls and want a reaction. Don’t give them one.
• Remember to support your fellow writers, never stop reading, it will only make you a better writer.

My journey on Medium thus far has been really rewarding for my self-worth and has helped me kick off my freelance writing career. Medium is an excellent introduction to the world of freelance writing. I’m learning as I go, coping with rejection and criticism.

Writing your truth means that you stick to your vision even if it’s unpopular or not a mainstream opinion. Writing your truth involves a level of integrity and being willing to stand alone.

Many of the top writers on Medium are being their authentic selves and they’re willing to show us some vulnerability as well.

I may only be making enough money to top up a bill or get some new makeup, but what I’m gaining in non-monetary ways is immeasurable.

I’ve developed a daily writing habit. I’ve gained self-confidence, toughened skin, and I’m learning new things about the world of writing on a daily basis.

I’m no longer worried about what people think of me. I’ve exposed my true self to the world through my writing. I’m proud of who I am and the struggles that got me here.

You can’t put a price on that.