Part 2 of 2
The Thrilling Conclusion to My Answers to Roz Warren’s Twenty Questions
Hint: it’s both bigger and smaller than a bread box. May it make a little bit, too
Yesterday I started answering Roz Warren, Writing Coach’s twenty questions. You can read them here:
I got as far as #11:
So to continue…
12. What’s my favorite Medium publication?
That’s a no-brainer. It’s a Hardback Life. I’m not stupid. Fickle yes. Stupid, no. Besides, I love puns.
13. Have I ever gotten a 100% read ratio?
Why yes, thank you very much. Almost all my stories do. At first. When David views, reads, claps, and highlights. 100%. It might stay that way all day, with the one loyal reader. But, come on, Roz. Per cents aren’t everything.
14. Do I respond to every single comment on every single post?
Why yes, I do, thank you very much. That’s how I roll. If I miss one or two, it’s not intentional. I appreciate my readers and want to make sure they know that. Now at this point, there are not that many of them. So this is still doable.
If that changed, who the heck knows? But I’ll cross that Rubics Cube when I get there, which, at this rate, might be never. So don’t worry, fans. We’re still good, right?
15. How many posts do I link up at the bottom of my stories?
This was another visual funny of Roz’s so I’ll share that here.
In my case, I don’t always wait till I get to the bottom. If I’m making a point and a previous story of mine explains or deeps it, I’m not waiting till the reader gets all the way to the bottom. They might never get there. So I stick it right where it fits in the post.
16. Did I know that Roz made herself into a Medium tag?
Why yes, thank you. I did. But only after I read her post.
Yes, I suppose that means I could make myself a tag. But why? It’s more fun to use Roz Warren. After all, she’s got 10.6K followers.
17. One change the poo-bahs should make on Medium?
I’d make the top-writer badges 3-D real.
By that, I mean real physical badges. Like Girl and Boy Scouts have. I’d have a Medium sash we can sew them onto. And we’d get to keep the badges even when we’ve been bumped off the list by some young upstart.
There would be little icons displayed handsomely on our profile, too. We could collect and trade them. And propose new Top Writer topics. Like white supremacist man-eating amphibians, legends of crystal meth, and secret plagiarizers. I came really close to earning that one.
18. Do I think Tony Stubblebine is listening to us?
No, I don’t think he’s listening to us. Most of us don’t like the AI voice that reads our posts out loud. I don’t think Tony does either.
He might read us if we’re lucky. Or figure out how to get his attention. Several friends wrote him; most did not hear back. At least not yet. But it’s only been a year or so. Let’s give the busy guy some time, more wine, and less whine.
19. My advice for Medium Newbies?
First of all, welcome aboard!
And second of all, why?
By that I mean, know your why. If it’s money you’re after, there are specific ways to do that. I don’t do any of them, so don’t emulate moi.
If it’s money you’re after, it helps if you can morph yourself into a millennial white male in tech or something equally obtuse. If not, good luck.
Just kidding.
There are lots of successful women writers on Medium. Some even beyond millennial years. Like my buddy Roz. She’s made a bundle here. Especially if you count laughs. And why not? We all need them. Like oxygen. So go, Roz!
20. If I won the lottery tomorrow, would I continue to write on Medium?
Hell yes!
Of course, I’d have to write about winning the lottery.
And that’s true if I don’t win it tomorrow. But say a week from Wednesday. I’d still write about it. And how/where I bought my ticket, how much I won, what the taxes are, and how I plan to spend it.
Wouldn’t you?
I might change where I write from.
My byline might be from Santorini or Prague.
My topics might include travel and exotic food.
I’d probably have lots of funny stories. And hopefully, I’d finally be a top writer in This Happened to Me. Which might make up for the lost luggage, stolen credit cards, and dysentery. But then again, maybe not.
Besides this Top Writer badge thing is jinxed.
I wrote a poem a day for a month and never got a top writer badge in poetry whereas I wrote two stories making fun of how I dress and got a top writer badge in fashion.
Go figure.
And while you’re at it, go figure how you think I did answering Roz’s questions. Give your score in the comments. Thank you!
Marilyn Flower is a sacred fool who writes every day — fiction, poetry, and blogs — inspired by a process called SoulCollage®. She’s the aut hor of Creative Blogging: and Bucket Listers, Get Your Brave On. Follow her Sacred Foolishness or SoulCollage® for Writers, and Stay in touch!
