Summary

Linda Kowalchek reflects on her second month of writing on Medium, celebrating her progress despite facing challenges with confidence and productivity.

Abstract

In her second month on Medium, Linda Kowalchek published a total of 13 stories and three short posts, surpassing her January count. However, she experienced a bout of insecurity, leading her to delete six short posts she felt did not meet her standards. Linda's journey through February was marked by a struggle with self-doubt, which was mitigated by the supportive community on Medium. She learned the value of sharing her experiences and accepting reader support, which she considers the essence of positive social media interaction. Despite not having a set writing schedule, Linda achieved a significant milestone by writing and submitting two articles in one day. Her focus remains on writing about her writing journey, and she is committed to enjoying her craft rather than forcing topics that do not interest her. Linda exclusively publishes on Illumination and Synergy, grateful for the opportunity to share her stories in these publications. She acknowledges the importance of submitting to publications that align with her values. With an increasing number of subscribers and interactions, Linda is building her email list and setting goals for March, including writing one article each weekday. Her earnings from the Partner Program have increased, reinforcing her belief in progress over perfection.

Opinions

Linda values the importance of engaging with the Medium community and appreciates the support she receives from readers.
She believes in writing about topics that genuinely interest her to maintain enjoyment in her career change from law to writing.
Linda is grateful for the opportunity to publish in the Illumination and Synergy publications and recognizes the statement made by choosing where to submit her work.
She views her earnings from the Partner Program as a bonus and emphasizes the importance of progress in her writing journey over financial gain.
Linda acknowledges the challenges of building a writing career but remains committed to her growth, setting realistic goals, and celebrating small victories.

My Second Month Writing on Medium

A few reasons to celebrate

February was my second month writing on Medium.

I published 13 stories and three short posts that link to some longer stories during that time. I also published six other short posts that linked to some longer stories, but I deleted all the posts because I didn’t like them.

I’m not sure exactly why I didn’t like them, but I felt like I had to rid my profile page of them during a newbie anxiety attack, so I deleted them.

I intended to remove the posts only from my profile page, but I ended up deleting them entirely. Oops.

So, those six short posts are gone. Therefore, I’m not counting them in my tally for February.

In January, I published 11 stories in 31 days.

My productivity is up for my second month of writing on Medium, which is a good thing. I would have preferred it to be a little better, but February was of a tough month for me to write.

Around the second week of February, I got hooked on checking my stats. I thought everything I wrote sucked, and I used my stats to either confirm or disprove my belief. I lost all confidence in my writing.

My insecurity and lack of confidence was an unexpected bump in the road. I wrote a story about what happened.

I received many kind, supportive, and encouraging comments from readers, which helped me keep going. As a result, I kept writing and came out on the other side. From that experience, I learned the importance of sharing my experience with others and accepting the Medium readers’ support. This is social media at its best.

I still don’t have a set schedule for writing. I do my best to begin writing in the afternoon when my husband leaves for work, but some days I have an empty brain with nothing in it to write about. I’m still developing my writing muscles. I was stronger in February than I was in January.

One day in February, I wrote and submitted two articles in a single day. I impressed myself with that. Of course, the next day, I wrote nothing because it burned me out. I currently have the writing muscles of a 98-pound weakling, but I’m working at getting stronger. The only way to do that is to keep writing. I’m still new at this, and I’m trying not to be too hard on myself.

For March, I’m going to try my best to write one article each weekday afternoon. That is a goal of five posts a week for my third month. I’m curious to see how that turns out. I will do my best to reach my goal.

I continue to write only about writing and about my writing journey. That’s what interests me, and I think it engages and helps many Medium readers, too.

I promised myself that I wouldn’t force myself to write about topics that don’t interest me. I want writing to be a career that I enjoy, not one I have to suffer through. If I wanted to suffer, I would still be a lawyer, which I did for over 20 years. Having to work at a job you hate destroys your soul. It’s horrible. I don’t wish that on anyone.

I continue to publish only on Illumination and now on Synergy, which is like Illumination, except it focuses more on articles about writing, freelancing, and blogging. Dr. Mehmet Yildiz continues to allow me to share my stories in his publications, and for that, I am so grateful.

I have not submitted my writing to any other publications at this point. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Illumination and Synergy are exactly what I am looking for, so there is no reason to go elsewhere. I believe in submitting only to publications that I believe in and respect. Where you submit your writing makes a statement. Be mindful of where you submit your stories, as it says a lot about you.

Readers continue to clap, highlight, and comment on my stories. I love the interaction. The kind words and positive activity helps to keep me going.

People who have never met me take time out of their busy days to read what I wrote. That means so much to me. I cannot thank them enough, but I will try. Thank you to all the readers.

I continue to build my email list. I still don’t have a freebie to offer those who opt-in, but I am working on that. That is another one of my goals for March.

In January, I had three subscribers. I now have eight subscribers, which I am thrilled about. It may not sound like a lot, but that is eight strangers who liked my writing enough to want to join my list.

I am so excited and thankful to everyone who signed up. Thank you to all of those outstanding people who clicked.

Now, let’s talk about money and the Partner Program. Recently, I got sucked into my stats and how I was progressing in the Partner Program.

I took the time to get back on track and remind myself that the Partner Program is a bonus; it is not the primary aim of writing on Medium. It is the icing on the cake.

Some cakes have lots of icing, and others have none. It would be nice to have heaps of icing, but that rarely happens for a very long time and after a tremendous amount of work. Currently, I am one of those tiny little cupcakes that only has a little icing on them, if any.

Last month, I earned $9.54 for my first-month of writing on Medium. In terms of real-world money, that is a pittance. In terms of Medium money, that’s not so bad for the first month. It’s sort of like human years versus dog years.

This month, my second-month writing on Medium, I earned $27.46. I am pleased with this as it is an increase from last month.

My goal for each month is to make more than I made the previous month. I met that goal, so I am satisfied with that. It’s not a lot, but I’m headed in the right direction.

For me, it is about progress, not perfection. My writing is improving, my writing muscles are getting stronger, I’m writing more frequently, and it’s becoming easier. I even got a bit of icing.

There are going to be bumps along the way, but I will get through it. I keep going, and everyone who reads my stories on Medium helps me to do that.

Everything is moving in the right direction. This is a reason to celebrate. Onward and upward!

Please click here to join my email list. Thank you.

Linda Kowalchek is a work in progress and a member of the typewriter generation. She spends her time with her husband and her rescue cats, waiting for golf balls to crash through their windows. PSA: Don’t live next to a golf course.