My Uplifting Perspectives on New Changes of Medium Platform
As someone deeply devoted to reading, a fresh wordsmith, and an enthusiastic volunteer editor, I’ve garnered numerous benefits from the recent transformation on Medium.
I wholeheartedly welcome change, as it opens new doors to endless opportunities in my life. Every moment of change with my curious mind and optimistic outlook presents a chance for new possibilities, reflecting how life’s essence thrives in its ever-shifting nature.
In July, I shared my first monthly update on Medium — a significant milestone for me. It was titled Brutal Fact: No Writing, No Audience.
The support I received from the writing and reading community overwhelmed me and warmed my heart. I am grateful for this embrace.
Joining Medium was a serendipitous encounter for me. I am glad serendipity knocked on my door, and I graciously opened it to find these nice surprises and enjoy their effects
However, come August; remarkable progress graced my statistics — followers, reading times, views, and engagement all soared.
These skyrocketing numbers filled me with hope, joy, euphoria, and inspiration as a new writer and editor on this incredible platform.
The changes that Medium implemented on August 1st turned out to be in my favor, multiplying my audience and income.
While I prioritize quality over quantity, statistics are more than just numbers; they signify progress and kindle motivation.
I’d like to briefly share some of my stats, not to boast, but to offer insights and inspiration to fellow new writers.
I’m still an absolute beginner here, continually refining my voice with the valuable feedback from the community.
The most remarkable progress was in earnings, which leaped from $14 to $64. While this may not compare to the earnings of top writers, who make thousands, it holds immense value for me — a clear sign that my content resonates with Medium subscribers and motivates me to continue and grow enthusiastically and optimistically.
I don’t write on Medium for monetary gain, as I’m a retiree with various sources of income with grown-up children and grandkids.
Instead, this humble earning is a modest gift — a way for me to share something special with my grandchildren, perhaps for toys or books.
This small gift might also show these digitally brilliant kids that their grandfather is capable of making money in cyberspace with his stories.
I also love sharing relevant stories I find on this platform for their education, exposing my children and grandchildren to new cultures.
Apologies, I veered off track with paternal sentiments.
The next important metric is my followers. In August, I gained an additional 184 followers, totaling 648.
I could only write seven stories this month as I spent most of my time helping melt the growing submission queue of Illumination.
I now have a total of 14 stories in my Medium writing portfolio. This is a tiny amount, but it means a lot to me.
As I mentioned in last month’s update, it was only after I began posting articles that readers started following me. Fourteen stories brought me over 600 followers in fewer than three months.
Before May, I had about 20 followers, stemming from my role as an active reader who frequently commented on stories. That was positive, but I’ve realized that writing is the primary path to gathering followers on Medium — a key lesson from my experiences in this post.
As of today, I have 648 followers, which means a lot to me.
I became a part of the Medium partner program through an invitation from Dr Mehmet Yildiz, who generously offered to guide me in my journey to become a writer and editor on this platform. Fueled by his encouragement, I began sharing my important life lessons through short stories.
Here’s an indication of my best-performing stories this month.
Although I’m new to Medium, writing isn’t a new pursuit for me. I’ve spent over 60 years crafting primarily scientific and business content.
However, I’m now in the process of cultivating fresh writing skills for creative non-fiction, notably in storytelling and essay composition.
Beyond writing itself, my Medium experience has yielded another valuable facet: an introduction to the intricacies of editing and publishing.
With Dr. Yildiz’s unwavering support and mentorship, I’ve taken on a role as an editor and publisher with Illumination Integrated Publications on Medium, further enriching my engagement with this platform.
I joined the team operating on a Slack workspace which is free and moderated by editors. It has over 16,000 members.
The editorial team is remarkable. I met wonderful editors like Brooklyn Muse (editor), Suzanne E., The Sturg, Kurt Dillon, Dr. Preeti Singh, Surekha Chandrasekhar, Bill Abbate, Lawson Wallace, Fahaz Hameed, Annelise Lords, Abhishek Biswas, Yogesh Haribhau Kulkarni (PhD), Michael Patanella, Nurma Komala-Hadi, Patrick OConnell, Dennis De Silva, Josh Balerite Acol, Philip Writes, Annie Wegner, Joanie Adams, Liam Ireland, Joe Luca, Jussi Luukkonen – your curiosity guide, Neha Sandhir S, Lanu Pitan, Dr Michael Heng, tarun bhatt, Dr John Frederick Rose, Julius Evans, Indra Raj Pathak are a few out of 135 volunteer editors. You may check the bios of editors.
In fact, Suzanne’s proficiency and compassion shine through, evident in her creation of our fresh submission guidelines that harmonize seamlessly with the evolving landscape of Medium.
For those who might have overlooked Illumination’s recently introduced submission guidelines, I wholeheartedly endorse them to all budding writers.
These guidelines serve as a definitive path to achieving success on Medium. In my observation, few publications exhibit the level of dedication to newcomers that Illumination does.
Currently, Illumination Publications boasts a community of more than 22,000 writers, a testament to its commitment to the writing and reading community. Now, more than 71,000 readers follow Illumination.
Due to recent changes on Medium, Dr. Yildiz also provided an update on boosting, as it is a critical success factor for new writers to grow their audience and start earning income on Medium. If you haven’t seen this inspiring and educational piece, please review it ASAP as it is a game-changer.
Dr Yildiz also advised new writers on How to Write Content to Generate Steady Income, which is a comprehensive guide for content developers. It is an important article for those aiming to make writing as primary or full time profession.
He posted an article titled Why Creating an Audience for New Writers Is Hard and how to Crush Challenges in 7 Steps. I believe these guiding stories will be very helpful for new writers to start earning a steady income while growing their audience rapidly and sustainably.
You may check his writing guidance on the attached list, which covers over 100 inspiring and educative stories.
I’m equally grateful for the supplementary endeavors such as YouTube, Podcasts, and gaming content, spearheaded by my friend from Down Under, Aiden (Illumination Gaming). His incredible storytelling delves into the world of media, ensuring our readers stay abreast of captivating updates within the realms of tech, media, and design.
The supportive and inventive community here on Medium is something I hold dear. Furthermore, the ongoing enhancements on this platform serve as a wellspring of inspiration and motivation for me to continually evolve as both a writer and an editor.
I also joined the first Medium Day this month and enjoyed it very much. If you missed updates by Buster Benson last month, you might find them in a bulletin titled New Partner Program Incentives focus on high-quality human writing.
Thanks, Medium, ILLUMINATION, ILLUMINATION-Curators, ILLUMINATION Amplifiers, Dr Mehmet Yildiz (chief editor), readers, writers, and editors, for giving a new meaning to my life.
Please review our updated guidelines.
Thank you for reading my story. I look forward to your feedback.
If you enjoyed this story, you may also check out our good editor Aiden (Illumination Gaming)’s inspiring story about his celebration of August stats. It is an eye-opener.
I like Aiden so much that I wrote an open letter to him in an Australian accent, which you might find amusing.
About Me
I am a retired scientist in his mid-70s and a new writer on Medium, but I am not new to writing. As a giveback activity, I volunteered to be an editor for Illumination publications, supporting many writers recently joining Medium like me.
If you want to write for these publications, you may send your Medium ID via this weblink. I will be happy to read, publish, and promote your stories.
You may connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Quora, where I share stories I read. I plan to share stories I read and edit on the Quora Space of the Illumination-Curated publication.
Here are the links to my recent stories.
