Writing

What It Is Like to Write 600 Articles

Another milestone — my 600th article on Medium!

Today marks another milestone in my writing career. This article is number 600 published on the Medium platform!

My first piece was published on Medium in February 2020, less than two years ago. At the time, I had no idea I would write and publish nearly every day. During my career, I wrote a few magazine articles and published one book after retiring. But I never dreamed I would be at this point in my writing! How long will I continue? I wish I knew!

Why do I write? For several reasons, although it started by working on my book after nearly dying from four consecutive severe heart attacks within a few hours. My mind was in a terrible fog for many months, and I felt I could work my way out of it by exercising my brain. It worked!

I started writing and published my book two years ago, titled Uncommon Sense. Soon after, I began writing articles for my website and posting on LinkedIn. Within a few months, I discovered Medium and have not looked back!

Back to the reason I write. In this final season of life, I want to give back. My objective is to help others have a better career and life by sharing some of the many lessons learned during and after my long career. It is how I want to give back to the world. It is also part of the legacy I wish to leave. My life has been extremely blessed, so how could I do any less?

The journey

I started down this path well before retiring. For many years I helped others with their careers and lives as a mentor of sorts. When I retired in 2013, I went back to school and became a certified executive and leadership coach in large part because of my desire to help people with their careers and life.

I write because if I can help only a few people have a better, more fulfilling career and life, it is worth it. Every time someone comments on an article letting me know how it has helped them, I feel a sense of deep joy. Fortunately, this happens routinely! My book has helped many people as well, which was my original intent. I have never looked at writing as a money-making proposition, although it has turned into one. This blessing allows me to continue to pour more out more than I could have dreamed!

The results

Since I started publishing on Medium, I have published or repurposed several hundred additional articles on NewsBreak, ManyStories, LinkedIn, and on my website. Who would have guessed such a thing would happen!

On Medium alone, I have published more than 600,000 words. The average article has been over 1,000 words, with an estimated average reading time of about 5 minutes per article. It would take someone nearly 50 hours without a break to read them all. That is a lot of writing! The majority of my articles cover life, leadership, and personal development topics.

About a year ago, I started using Grammarly, which has improved my writing considerably. It is well worth the modest cost each month. While it could never replace a real editor, it comes close enough for me.

Grammarly claims to have checked more than 4.4 million words in the past 12 months and states I am more productive than 98% to 99% of all Grammarly users! I find that fascinating as I do not consider myself a prolific writer, but the stats say otherwise!

So far, I believe I have responded to 100% of the comments on my articles. I see every comment as a gift, complimentary or not. To write a comment took precious time to compose and type, and if you read much of my writing, you know how I value time!

My best to date

Before ending this article, I want to share my #1 story to date. It is probably the most personal piece I have written, and I am grateful for every comment. The title is Regret.

For a quick peek into my life, check out this short article written soon after joining Medium. The title is Introducing a Survivor — Just call me Bill.

I often tell people if they have a question about any leadership subject, google the subject name along with Bill Abbate, and you are almost sure to find one or more articles I have written on various platforms. Give it a try, and let me know if you find something I have not covered. It could be the topic of my next article!

Final thoughts

I wish I could tell my many faithful readers how long I will continue to write and publish on Medium and other platforms, but in the end, it is not up to me. I hope to live a good many years into the future and look forward to writing as often as possible. The funny thing about life is it has a way of changing things on us at times!

I will soon start a new YouTube channel following my wife’s lead. You can find hers at My Mentor Jane.

I want to thank all of those who read what this old man writes. I sincerely appreciate you giving a portion of your life by spending some of your invaluable time reading, liking, and commenting, as so many of you do! I hope to be here again to celebrate another milestone in my writing career ending with two or maybe three zeros! See you then!

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Bill Abbate Leadership Writer and Editor in ILLUMINATION

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