There Is A New Way For Writers To Be Connected, And I love It
Not everything about writing is making money.
It is easy to get lost on Medium. As a Medium writer, do you spend more time reading or writing?
Do you bother to reply to all the comments and follow the writers who follow you?
Do you clap after reading a story?
Medium is also a community, and sometimes we forget about it. As writers, we are already doing solo work. We read by ourselves, and we write by ourselves.
Truth is, to be a writer can be lonely.
Some writers say all they do is self-publish their stories, and I do that too. But when I do, I miss the small talk that happens when I submit to a Medium publication, especially with the editors that help you become a better writer.
Or the experience of being rejected. Even Stephen King was rejected, so don’t take it too personally.
It is why I try to balance the way I publish my stories. Most of them I reserve for the ILLUMINATION family of publications. For anyone starting here, publishing on Illumination is like a hand that helps you with your beginner’s journey.
Even today, you will see big names like Tim Denning publishing stories on Illumination. So, it isn’t for beginners alone, but also those who have been on Medium for a very long time.
I love their curated list. It is also an opportunity to thank Dr. Mehmet Yildiz and the Illumination editors. I know they are putting a lot of work into choosing the best stories, again a chance to be part of a community.
Medium List.
When Medium released it as a new feature last year, I was excited about it but to be honest. I haven’t put a lot of work into creating my Medium lists.
The list is another new feature that I am beginning to explore, and it is another way for writers to repurpose their content and create a list of topics, authors, and stories they follow. — This is what I wrote in August 2021.
Casey Botticello of BloggingGuide.com has an extensive tutorial on the Medium list.
Writers are like chains; they are stronger when they are connected.
Today, I received a notification. Justiss Goode added my story to a list.
Not only did I receive a notification but also an email that says:
Justiss Goode added your story How Much Medium Pays for One Hour Reading Time? to their list SUNDAY 2/6/22 — What I Read this Week.
It also says,
You can clap, respond to, or share this list to show support.
I don’t know about you, but I have to click a link whenever I see a link. Aside from the fact that we can’t see all the stories even from the writers we follow, any chance to know what they are reading is a chance to know them better.
And when I clicked Justiss’s list, I read stories from writers I would not have known if not for her.
One can also share a Medium list on social networks, like on Twitter which I did.
While most of us here are writing to make money, we are also here to be with our tribe. Most writers are introverted; I know I am, and engaging with my fellow writers reinforces my belief that I am a writer.
When some of us may be struggling with our mental health, staying connected with fellow writers can help us navigate our feelings, even our fears, because we hear our thoughts through their stories too.
We are never alone here, and this is what I learned today.
If you are not yet a Medium member, you can sign up using the link below. I get a few dollars from it. Thank you.
