Writing on Medium

There is Gold in the Comments, Jerry. Gold!

But sometimes the nuggets you unearth are something else.

Do you want to know where most of my article ideas come from?

The comments.

I’m referring to both the comments I leave on other writers’ work and the ones they are so kind to leave on mine. They are almost like bits of rough drafts on sticky notes and when I find that I’ve said the same thing a few times, such that I could just be copying and pasting, I know that I am onto something.

For me, the interactions with other writers are the best part of this, right up there with the monthly bank deposit. 99 times out of 100, they are energizing.

I really try to avoid back and forths over differences of opinion. Thankfully, I haven’t run into too many trolls here or the type of dickheads that one typically associates with the internet. But every now and again, I do encounter someone who just has to know better and is not reluctant about sharing their perceived superiority. You can’t argue with people who are leading lives so pathetic that they want to take part in arguments online. I don’t always really know if I’m right anyway and what does it gain me if I am? So, taking people like that on is nothing but a fool’s errand.

“Ok bud, thanks for commenting” is a good enough response in those cases. The “bud” is key to throw in where I come from, as it is beyond dismissive and will likely be recognized as such by anyone with half a brain. That’s usually the end of it.

But you know what I can’t stand and can’t let go of when I see it? When someone who is relatively new to this is pumped about what they are doing, about finding a bit of success and about what they have accomplished so far and someone (or a few of them) assigns themselves the task of disabusing the excited newbie of the notion that they have done anything special.

I fucking hate that. One or two of them tried to do it to me, when I was new to this and trying to figure out the myriad of information you get about how to do this, often nonsensical, from people who don’t know shit. They know who they are.

Ah yes…the Medium Gatekeeper. There seem to be a few territorially-minded people who have set themselves up as such, though as far as I know, it is not a salaried position. But they go at their self-appointed roles hammer and tongs, making sure everyone knows that they’ll decide how you should react when you’ve had a bit of positive feedback and want to share it. Be glad if you haven’t encountered them yet.

They lurk in the weeds, coming out at night.

Early on in my experience here, I realised that I had to decide two things: a) why I was doing this and b) what success would look like to me. I considered being able to pay for my membership with my writing to be a success, and I said so in a comment.

An unnamed writer with 3.4k followers at the time responded with her explanation of what success as a writer actually was and also managed to throw in that “writers don’t usually write about writing”.

I responded to that politely, but unmistakably that she could kick rocks.

She clapped back, obviously satisfied that her work was done.

But lions aren’t concerned with the opinions of sheep and in the end, while she still follows me and comments, I do none of the above for her.

Yesterday, I got into it with a couple of such gatekeepers who wanted to make sure that a relatively new writer (who didn’t yet understand the difference between external reads and internal ones) didn’t get too excited about what it meant to have a “viral” article.

They told her what it means to be a writer too. And that writers don’t write about writing. That old chestnut again.

I commented to her that viral means whatever you want it to mean and of course, those who know better had to chime in, doing their best to bring her low and make sure that she knew that there were dues to be paid before she could blow her own rusty trombone.

I guess because they suffered, it means that others have to suffer as well.

What is with these people? Fucking beat it and leave people alone and let them enjoy a moment, without you putting your oar in. What is with this need to make sure that everyone gets knocked down a peg or two? Honest to Pete, who the fuck cares what “viral” means? What does it matter, really, in the big picture?

Moving on…

The past few months, I’ve noticed two people engaging in highlighting wars with each other, within my articles about 30 seconds after I publish. I want them to know that I have nothing but gratitude to them both and they know who they are. One of them leaves a comment probably once every 10 articles, the other leaves the same comment every time, usually with my name spelled incorrectly. And then they leave that same comment on everyone else’s article that they highlight.

When they are finished highlighting, they’ll also throw me a clap. But I won’t get a read, because they haven’t read the article.

But whatever, I am grateful and I’ll take what I get. I’ll leave it up to other people to bring up the numbers and keep the deluge of nickels and dimes pouring in. I’m sure gatekeepers will feel the need here to explain that highlights don’t increase revenue and blah blah blah.

Speaking of putting bums in seats, it looks like I’ve figured a few things out as I continue my inexorable yet Sisyphean climb to the lofty heights of 1.3k followers.

Meanwhile, stats are through the roof, followers continue to find me and of course, total revenue earned is down down down. Followers are nice. It turns out that readers are better.

Fair enough, I follow just over 600 people and I think I read about 20–30 of them regularly. You know who you are, too. You make my day. A few, I even notice when a few days go by without anything published.

Two things in closing:

Don’t forget that we are the vast majority of us are in the same boat here:

And I still have never seen Frank T Bird and Mike Knittel in the same room at the same time. Anyone else?