Summary

Cathy Coombs, an experienced writer, expresses admiration for the "About Me Stories" publication on Medium, emphasizing the importance of community, mutual support, and personal connection among writers and readers.

Abstract

Cathy Coombs, a writer with a background in English Journalism and Creative Writing, shares her appreciation for various Medium publications, including "About Me Stories: Tell the world who you are." She values the platform not just for potential earnings but for fostering a sense of community and mutual support. Coombs highlights the significance of personal stories in creating emotional connections with readers, noting that such connections can lead to meaningful interactions and a dedicated fan base. She acknowledges the challenges of engaging with all followers due to the volume of content but stresses the importance of reading and providing feedback to improve writing. Coombs credits the writing community for motivating her to publish eBooks, build a website, and work on a true-crime book, expressing gratitude to her supporters and encouraging writers to connect through "About Me" stories.

Opinions

Writing on Medium is not solely about earnings but also about building a community and forming connections.
"About Me Stories" allows writers to introduce themselves on a personal level, fostering emotional connections with readers.
Engaging with readers who are genuinely interested in the content is more valuable than expecting family or friends to read one's work.
The writing community on Medium provides support and motivation for writers to pursue their projects and improve their craft.
It's challenging to read content from all the people one follows, but personal stories can help writers prioritize and connect with each other.
Feedback from readers, including constructive criticism, is crucial for a writer's growth and the value of their work.
The author encourages writers to seek out "About Me" stories to strengthen the writing community and form new connections.

One Publication I Admire on Medium

I don’t even write with this one

I have written for the following publications which I value for a variety of reasons: The Writing Cooperative, Illumination, Synergy, Illumination’s Mirror, The Mystery Box, Writing Prof, New Writers Welcome, The Shortform, and What is Love to You. I’m not trying to overly self-promote my writing. I’m including these publications because it’s not my intention to say I dislike them because of the publication I’m promoting herein.

Writing on Medium or any online writing platform isn’t all about any potential earnings. It’s about community, commonality, and mutuality. If you’re a writer reading this, you get it.

One publication I don’t write with but really like is the About Me Stories: Tell the world who you are. Let me tell you why I like these stories.

Aside from other publications that provide an introduction to a writer and a writer’s talent, the About Me Stories publication introduces you to who the writer is. You have an opportunity to see the person and learn more about that person. So what does that mean?

The value of meeting the writers in your writing community

You get to say things like, “hello, how are you,” or “nice to meet you,” and the greetings are endless. If you feel an emotional connection, you might read further into the pieces they post. That’s a benefit to them. And if you really liked their written material, well, then, it’s a benefit to you too.

Many of these people might have helped you during times when you couldn’t leave your home, or you just had a bad day or unexpected experience. One of them might have read about your experience and you get to learn more about this writer, this person, if there is an About Me Story about that person.

While it may not be hard to express your reasons behind why you have late night or early morning hours where you tap your keyboard with your thousands of words, only a dedicated and passionate writer will understand that determination.

You might publish something at 1:00 a.m. and get a notification about a published piece from someone you subscribe to during the same time frame. You think, “wow, you’re up writing too.”

You could be having an issue with a subject you’re writing about and if you have an email address to any of your favorite writers, you could reach out to them. You couldn’t reach out to your Uncle Marvin because you already know he won’t know the answer or maybe even understand why you’re asking.

Your real fans

I’m sure this comment isn’t going to surprise most of you. Your readers are your real fans. If I want a family member to read one of my pieces, I’ll have to email it to them.

I read a piece not too long ago indicating not to expect family or friends to read what you write. I must agree it’s close to the truth, nor can you expect them to. You have to understand, too, that there are many people out there who just don’t read content whether it’s online in a news article or published in a book — they just don’t like to read.

There are readers who only gravitate to subjects associated with pop culture. Every subject out there has a particular fan base and those fans will go to those sites for information or anything particular to their searches.

In the writing community on any online writing platform, the focus is on readers’ interests as best can be determined, and whether its readership is internal or external.

Your fan base in your follower count

This is a tough one. You can’t assume everyone who follows your content reads your content and this can depend on other factors like how many writers they are following. It’s impossible for me to read in any single day something that was written by all the people I follow, let alone the number of followers I have (I have over 700 currently). There are some writers I subscribe to and I might read them routinely.

I also have a strategy to get material read even if it’s going to take me days or weeks. I also go to my follower list and search for material to read and I now look for any About Me story they might have written so I can get to know a little more about them.

Some of the people who follow you did so with the expectation you might follow them back. There have been a number I have followed back for a couple of reasons: (1) they were gracious in their requests in an honest attempt to meet a requirement plus I read one of their well-written pieces, or (2) I read their pieces and the writing quality or emotion evoked was present. If a person has followed me, and I didn’t follow back, it’s chiefly due to not being able to read their content yet.

I assume we all have dedicated readers and I applaud them because we need them regardless of the expectation of earning potential. For me, I want the comments of feedback. As a writer, I need to know if the piece I wrote actually had value. After all, that factors into writing improvement; I also value constructive criticism.

Because of this community, I pushed myself to start publishing eBooks. I pushed myself to finally build my website. I pushed myself to finally start completing my true-crime book. I push myself because of your support.

Lastly, I appreciate all the writers I follow and those who have followed my writing, especially if you’re able to keep up with reading my content. I can’t thank you enough.

The next time you read someone’s content, consider searching for an About Me story and introduce yourself as another writer in this vast community.

We all have something in common. We reach, we preach, we share, and we care, all with dedicated determination.

Thank you for reading.

About the Author

I have a B.A. in English Journalism & Creative Writing that affirmed my love for literature, language, and writing; I sought early retirement to write full-time. Quick link to my articles on Medium.

Connect via Twitter or LinkedIn. Website: https://writerallday.com/