WRITING

Sound the Trumpets, Bring On The Marching Bands . . . A Million Dollar Book Contract? A Lottery Win?

Well no. Just my 100th story on Medium

Sorry, that was probably a bit anticlimactic, but writing my 100th story on this platform does give me a sense of accomplishment and a subsequent need for fanfare.

Much more so than the endless queries to editors that seem to go nowhere and romances that can no longer find a home. . . but let’s not dwell on that.

I started writing on Medium last November. Since then, I’ve marked a couple of milestones — reaching 100 followers which allowed me to join the Partner Program and earn money. No expectations there, but pleasantly surprised anyway. Over the next few months, I watched those numbers grow to 1k, the second milestone, and continue to grow.

It’s been rewarding and inspirational in so many ways. Most of all perhaps for the sense of community I’ve gained. I live in a small French village where the opportunity to meet and interact with other writers is, to say the least, limited. Every story I post on Medium and every story I read is now an opportunity to engage and get to know new people.

Adrienne Beaumont summed up the feeling of knowing people through their writing and responses. I’d written a story about my preference for responses rather than claps because I love the interaction — which sometimes even overshadows the story.

She wrote:

You’re special to me, Janice. I feel like I “ discovered” you but reading through the comments it seems you have a fan club of people I follow and read and comment. It’s a weird sensation realising that other people I read and who read my stories are also your readers. I don’t think I’m explaining myself very well. I didn’t mean this to be a novel. :-)

I understood perfectly, Adrienne.

My first few pieces on Medium were essentially an effort to motivate myself to write. I’d been in a slump for months and found little joy in returning to the desk every morning. I read something about writing on Medium and decided to experiment by writing about the small moments in the day, the ephemera.

No expectation that it would be read — I just wrote to get the words down.

To my surprise, the little green bell lit up — people were clapping (I had no idea what that meant) and responding. I was thrilled. Even better, some of the responders to those early stories have continued to read and respond and, although I’ve never met them, feel like friends.

It’s always a risk to single out names because, inevitably, someone is left out, but I want to mention Klara Jane Holloway, Michelle Scorziello, and Sara Burdick who were among the first responders to those early stories; 100 stories later, they’re among the names I’m always happy to see pop up when I’m notified by the green bell.

But that’s only part of the reward — Medium is full of talented writers whose stories entertain, inspire, and make me laugh out loud. Through their stories, I’ve learned a little about their lives — the ordeals of Klara’s big move, for instance.

And I’ve admired Michelle’s elegant style and wicked sense of humour. A difficult combination to pull off, but she does it time after time.

Sara Burdick writes about living abroad, as do Jill Francis, Brendareeves, and many others whose stories I enjoy. It’s always interesting to read their pieces and to exchange comments on the things (mostly food) we miss and the advantages we enjoy.

After my first couple of experimental pieces back in November, I decided to focus my writing on my move to France at 68 and the adjustments to life in a foreign country. I was also dealing with (still am) my feelings about reaching 70 — to what writer May Sarton describes as the Foreign Country of Old Age.

A few links to those early stories . . . that will, I hope, eventually become a memoir.

Over my eight months on Medium, I’ve gradually expanded my subject matter to include stories about:

Eczema, is a skin condition I’ve battled throughout my life.

Family visits

Village Life

And much more . . .

As I decide what to include, I’m realising that 100 is a lot of stories — too many to list here, but if you have nothing more engaging to do on, say a Saturday night when the rest of the world seems to have interesting and exciting things going on, you could scroll to the bottom of my story list and dig out a few pieces that sound interesting.

Or clean out your fridge. I won't take it personally.

If I start to list all the followers who make writing on Medium so rewarding and, although I’ve never met any of them, seem like friends, I’ll forget people who I should have mentioned and wake up in the night thinking about it and wanting to send apologies and bottles of wine for being so forgetful — so, I’m not going to list anyone.

Please don’t unfollow me in a fit of pique, I still love and appreciate you. Yes, you too. In fact, tell me your name and I’ll do a follow-up piece. . .Three Cheers To My Shamefully ignored but Faithful Followers.

And one other chance to offend by omission, the publications on Medium do a terrific job of increasing exposure to our stories. Many thanks to those who have cleaned up my headlines, checked on photo credits, and then published my stories — Crow’s Feet, Globetrotters, Illumination, Modern Women, The Authentic Eclectic, The Book Cafe, The Ex-Pat Chronicles, The Memoirist and Writers’ Blokke

I wanted to end this story with a celebratory picture — me raising a glass of champagne to say let the party begin. But Medium seems to be having a glitch with photos — nothing will upload. So cheers anyway.

Off to write story one hundred and one.

If you’d like to take me along on your walk, or wherever you’d like to go. Just press the listen button at the top of the story to hear it read aloud.

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Many thanks!

Note: After publishing this story, I realised I hadn’t deleted part of my rough notes at the bottom of the page, mostly names of some of the writers I’ve interacted with during my Medium adventure— I was at the point of realising that I couldn’t really list everyone.

Now I’m re-editing, but I feel bad about removing the names of people who might have already been notified by Medium. Anyway, here they are: Jill Francis Maria Rattray, Lorie Kleiner Eckert, Jean Anne Feldeisen,Mary Lou Heater, Elena Tucker.

And of course, so many more.