My best stories on Medium (so far..)
- This was my first story. For a decade I worked as a journalist and writer for organisations like the BBC and The Economist. Then I took another path, partly through choice, partly through necessity. I didn’t publish anything for 15 years. Based back in the UK I didn’t think I had anything to say. When Coronavirus struck I suddenly found my voice, and the time and compulsion to write. This was my first attempt:
2. This was my first story published in Illumination. Having read it, a number of friends reached out to me to discuss their experiences of trauma and PTSD. This means a lot to me — it’s a topic I know way too much about:
3. This is the very first piece of fiction I’ve ever written. I love the idea and the format of Justin Deming’s the Friday Fix as an accessible way of luring and supporting new writers into fiction. I was surprised at the direction my thoughts took when I considered how to respond to my prompt.
4. This was my first piece to be published in Journal of Journeys and my first piece to be curated — under Race and Equality. I was amazed to receive the email from the curators, I’d only been on Medium for about 5 minutes. This is also the piece that lead me to Medium. I’d shared it initially via social media. A stranger on the other side of the world reached out to me and suggested I try Medium to reach a bigger audience. So here I am (thanks Ben Salt). This piece triggered some really powerful conversation and reflection amongst my friends and neighbours:
5. This was a new departure for me, my first piece of nature writing. I’ve had really warm responses to it. The most common word used is “beautiful”. I really enjoyed writing it and it’s captured some precious memories for me:
6. This piece is very personal to me. It catalysed some really important conversations with my stepdaughter, which is priceless. And it also got curated!
7. I loved writing this. It brought back so many memories that I’d buried.
8. This was a painful, powerful one. It may have helped to unlock some new opportunities for my husband. Fingers crossed:
9. Reflecting on Brexit and Black Lives Matter got me thinking about how important the learning of languages is to breaking down prejudice and building bridges. I’ve ended up writing a series about my mis/adventures through language which are my first pieces in The Ascent:
10. Thanks to Medium I’ve started writing poetry. I’m surprised how much I love it, it’s so liberating compared to the long prose pieces I normally write. And the support and engagement I’ve received from other poets on Medium like Dennett and Daniel G. Clark have been wonderful and unexpected. This is one of my first poems, published in Weeds and Wildflowers:
I’m working on the next one now. It’s something completely different again. Thanks for reading and watch this space!
