My Six Month Journey Writing for Medium

Read, write, eat, sleep, and parent but maybe not in that order.

I started my journey on Medium on May 20th, 2021, by submitting my first article. A dear friend, fellow accomplished writer (he’s written movies and books), and mentor sent me some links a week before. He thought I should write on the platform and wanted me to pursue my dream of writing.

I think he was sick of me badgering him with ideas and telling him what he should write about 🙄🤣.

I had looked at the links he sent and read through medium articles on setting up my account and how to format it. It was a bit overwhelming in the beginning, but I was determined.

I read articles from other authors. I googled questioned, and it seemed that I could find a medium piece to address everything.

I set up a business Facebook page. I joined Medium Facebook groups. I tried the “you read my article, and I will read yours” thing in the groups, and it was wasted time.

Many people don’t reciprocate, and you find you’ve read articles for people who won’t read yours. 😠🤷🏻‍♀️

I made a Twitter account and discovered what #writerslift and #writingcommunity was. If you don’t know about the writing community on Twitter check it out!

I learned about the publications within Medium and sent a couple of my pieces to them. I was astonished when, they accepted my articles and even tweeted them.

I lived it and breathed it. I was intimidated learning about curation and all the top writers. When imposter syndrome set in, I told myself just to do it and not care!

Reading posts by people that made thousands of dollars during their first few months of Medium was discouraging. But, I kept telling myself that I was there to create, learn and connect with other writers and readers. I am thankful for the money I have made and hope that it continues to increase.

I tried not to focus too much on the curation and accolades. I have been writing a book at the same time so, I was doing this all to become better at my craft and get my creative juices flowing.

I had focused for years on my healthcare profession and not the arts that I was passionate about since I was young. I could hardly sleep because, in the beginning, I kept brainstorming the topic of my next article. It was so liberating.

My eleven-year-old son is my biggest fan and tells his friends to google me so that my pieces come up. Thankfully he’s been understanding because sometimes I’m a bit distracted since I’m always typing ideas in my phone notes.

I was excited when someone read my article and clapped or commented. I had no idea how to reply in the beginning, and I think some of my replies landed somewhere else. 😂

Also tip: Always proof read responses because some of my replies made no sense. 🙄😂

It’s all been a learning process. I’ve been so thankful that some veteran and top writers were kind enough to give me tips and read some of my pieces.

I don’t always get a lot of reads. I’m still figuring out what works and hope to have articles eventually go viral. 🙏

I followed top people to see what publications they were submitting to, and how they formatted. I continue to read their helpful articles on getting more followers and such.

This is my 60th article, and I had a few curated, which was exciting. I can’t complain about Medium or the changes because I had no expectations.

Medium has been such a supportive community, and I’m glad that I can connect with people from around the world. I also find it so interesting to read about other countries and perspectives.

I am not here to compete or compare myself with others. I’m taking this journey for myself, so I can learn, grow and evolve. Writing has helped me to heal and gain clarity in my life.

Reading fellow authors’ articles has been inspirational, and I’ve met a wonderful spiritual community within Medium.

My time writing for Medium is about living my dream, completing and publishing my book, getting my message out, and possibly changing someone’s life with my words.

I am thankful for articles like this one from Yana Bostongirl that have helped me as a writer here on Medium.

If you enjoyed my story you can support my writing by buying me a coffee! 😊☕️