avatarDestiny S. Harris

Summary

The author was introduced to Medium and Substack by a friend, which significantly impacted their writing career and reader interactions.

Abstract

The author recounts their journey with blogging platforms, starting with ehow.com nearly two decades ago. They credit a former best friend for introducing them to Medium in 2017 and Substack a year later, which has transformed their daily interactions with their mailing list and readers. Despite the friend not using these platforms consistently, the author believes these introductions were pivotal signs that led to the growth of their writing career. The author emphasizes the importance of consistency in writing, citing Tim Denning's advice to maintain a writing practice for at least five years to see significant results, a strategy they have applied to both book publishing and blogging.

Opinions

  • The author values the role of serendipity and personal connections in professional development.
  • They express gratitude for the temporary use of Medium and Substack by their friend, viewing it as a guiding sign for their career.
  • The author suggests that platforms one encounters casually could be the key to unlocking new levels of success.
  • They endorse the strategy of consistency over time, as evidenced by their own experience with publishing and blogging.
  • The author implies that being attentive to signs and seizing opportunities can be crucial for a writer's growth and impact.

My Best friend Introduced Me to Medium

Pay Attention To Signs That Can Elevate Your Writing Career

Photo by Nastya Dulhiier on Unsplash

ehow.com

I don’t know if any of you remember ehow.com, but that was my first experience with blogging almost two decades ago (my second experience was for a Christian teen site that is no longer online). Ehow has completely transformed since then, but in the beginning, it was similar to medium and offered a way to get paid for your articles similar to the medium partnership program. After the ehow blogging model changed, I focused mainly on teaching music and eventually publishing books again. I journaled, but I was not blogging as I do on here today.

Intro to Medium

I was not introduced to medium until 2017 by one of my former best friends — a great writer, but also a sporadic writer. I serendipitously saw one of her posts on here, got inspired, and hopped on the platform immediately. I didn’t start to publish consistently on medium until 2019, though. The same thing happened a year later with substack; she introduced me to that as well. Though she does not utilize the platforms as I do, I took both accidental introductions as a sign. And I am eternally grateful to her for introducing me to both platforms.

Purpose

I find it interesting how some people come into our lives for specific reasons. Although our friendship dynamics changed over time, she introduced me to two pivotal blogging platforms that I now use daily; both have heavily impacted how I interact with my mailing list and readers daily.

Pay Attention To Signs

As a writer, you want to continuously learn new ways to reach new readers who your writing can positively impact. Signs will come into our lives (like my friend becoming a temporary user of medium and substack), and you shouldn’t ignore them. You never know how a platform might take your writing career to new and impactful levels.

This might sound selfish, but I feel my former best friend used medium just so I could become aware of the platform, because she no longer uses it.

Remember to Stay Consistent

As Tim Denning states in several articles, it’s rewarding to be consistent with your writing for at least 5 years to experience above-average results. I’ve seen this work with my book publishing, and now I am utilizing the same strategy with my blogging.

Final Thoughts: The something that someone is only trying out, could be the very something that could be the catalyst you need to achieve your goals.

Thank you for taking the time to #elevate your life with this quick read. Grab your free books here — Destiny S. Harris’ Free Amazon Book Page. Wanna keep in touch online? Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, or my Website.

Writing
Consistency
Inspiration
Writing Tips
Serendipity
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