My Journey: A Year Writing on Medium

What I learned from it

It’s been a year. Wow. Time flies so fast. Honestly, I never thought I will ever write on Medium.

I started as a reader. Medium is like my go-to comfort read— when I wait in queue or when I was on a long ride — I can just open the apps and start reading.

In June 2018, I decided to subscribe to it. I think it was worth it because by paying only $5 a month, I can read unlimited articles.

Why I Started Writing?

I was in a bad place a few years back and there were times that the pains were so unbearable to me and I don’t know how to express it.

I used to write in my journal or record a voice memo venting it so that I understand what my emotions were. I feel much better after I write about my feelings.

When Covid-19 started, I spent my time on lockdown period in isolation. I work in a city far away from home and I had no choice but to be alone with myself. It was a stressful moment for me because I just lost my dad to cancer and my mom was sick.

It felt uncomfortable just sitting by myself because somehow it will end up with me overthinking and hating everything about myself. The only thing that comforted me at that time was writing.

Last year, I decided that I want to publish something on Medium just for fun.

My first article was “2021; A year of reflection”. I don’t even know the proper format for the title.

They said that the first article will be bad. I don’t believe it because I was so proud when I posted this last year. “There is no way that this is bad, I love this”, that’s what I thought. Fast forward to today when I reread it, it was bad. Ok, I understand it now.

My Feelings Writing on Medium

I self-published my first article. I remember being so excited when people clapped and responded to it. I appreciate it even more now knowing that my first article was bad and still, there were people reading it.

For someone who is still new to writing, I truly appreciate the support and encouragement that I get from the writers on Medium. What a great community to be in.

Publications like ILLUMINATION created by Dr. Mehmet Yildiz helps so many new writers including me. They gave me the opportunity to publish my story in a big publication. It was such a big deal for me because that was my first time submitting my articles to a publication.

“Your story has been accepted..” “Your story has been published…”

I love it when those kinds of notifications pop up. It’s the best feeling ever.

I also feel deeply grateful for the “Know Thyself, Heal Thyself” publication created by Diana C. I feel a strong connection with this publication because here, I can be so vulnerable without being scared of people judging me. Most of my articles were published here and I love it so much when the other writers give advice, feedback, positive comments, and all the kind words.

Not to forget, I’m thankful for the publication “Social Jogi” by Sheeba. I remember it clearly after I published my first article, she wrote me a note saying that I can write in this publication even though, I was still new at that time. It means a lot to me.

Lately, I prefer publishing in Coffee Times, a great publication created by Winston. One of the requirements to submit the story here is to do shoutouts for other writers. It’s great because these days I’m focusing too much on my own writing and have no time to read others. However, because of the requirement, I will spend my time reading articles here and choose the one I feel I resonate with and like the most to do the shoutout.

A year has passed, I still feel the same excitement that I had back then. It gives me the joy to know that there are people reading my articles. I still smile ear to ear when people responded to my story. I appreciate every genuine feedback.

My Journey

I published consistently in the first four months and then I started to lose motivation to write. There were times that I just stare blankly at my laptop. I had difficulties to write and I stop writing for a while.

In September, my article “Wealth Is What You Don’t See” that I published in April increased in views and reads. That is the first article that surpassed 1000 views. I get paid $100 just for that one article. And just like that, I’m motivated to write again.

I know it’s not much compared to others but this means a lot to me. I want to celebrate every small win that I had this year. I’m proud of myself for having the courage to put out my words and click the publish button. If I don’t publish it back then, this will not happen.

It is a beautiful feeling to know what your passion is and even more beautiful to know that you can earn something from doing your passion. Writing is like my therapy to me and knowing that my article can benefit other people sure makes me feel the warmth.

My Goals in 2022

I consider this year as a trial year for me. I published 47 articles this year including this one. Most of my articles published this year are me writing and expressing my bottled-up emotions and some of that just for fun.

Next year will be different. In 2022, I will do my best to publish more valuable and well-researched content and be more focused and disciplined. The goal for me next year is that I want my writings to give an impact and benefit to people.

Bottom Line

Last but not least, I’m so grateful for Medium. Medium is the first website that gives me an opportunity to write what I want. It is such a beautiful and wonderful year for me as a new writer in this supportive and encouraging community.

I believe that if we focus on creating valuable content, we will definitely attract readers. People want to read something that gives value to them. Why don’t we focus more on creating great content than worrying about views and writing about Medium is dying and whatsoever?

I feel lucky enough to be able to write whatever I want so I can’t thank you enough for the existence of this website. Thank you, Medium.

Consider subscribing to Medium if you want to get access to unlimited articles like this. If you want to get notified every time I write new articles, you can subscribe here. I’m grateful for your support for me as a writer. Love ya!