What I’ve Learned In Two Years Writing Full Time
To celebrate my two-year write-a-versary, I share tips & top stories
Oops, I did it again
I only kinda-sorta missed my two year anniversary of writing on Medium. Last year I was a full week late, this year I’m only a day late, so… y’know. Progress.
I’ll share what I’ve learned in two years, summed up in my top four writing tips, as well as a list of my 10 most popular articles in 2022.
What I’ve Learned
1. Passive income is a misnomer
When I began on Medium, people talked up the idea of earning a passive income. Apparently you write some stuff, get lots of followers, and then sit back and watch the money roll in.
Ha! Yeah, right.
Nothing in life is free and writing is certainly no exception. In fact, writing is probably one of the hardest ways to earn money, especially when you’re not a professional writer, or an already well-known published author.
When it comes to writing online, you have to write regularly, lest you drown in the ever-growing pool of articles floating around the Internet. You have to write regularly to keep yourself visible and relevant.
There is nothing passive about it.
2. You really do need to write a lot
Not only do you need to write daily to keep yourself visible online, you also need to write every day because amateur writing sucks.
Your writing has to be good enough that people want to really spend time with it, learn from it, be entertained by it, and share it.
When I go back and read my earlier writing, I can definitely see where my ideas were good, but my writing needed some polishing. I am fortunate because I’ve had several years of post-secondary education, am a major bookworm, and reading and practice both make for better writing.
Write, then write some more.
When you’re not sure whether you have much of an idea, start writing. If it fizzles, you know you need to go read some more, or try a different idea. If once you start writing, the ideas start flowing, then you know you’re on the right track.
Write a lot. Read a lot. Sorry, there’s no easier way to earn money writing, you actually have to work at it.
Don’t rely on the online groups for views or earnings. They’re a great way to share stories, for sure, but going around clapping and commenting on each other’s stories is not going to do the trick.
Your writing has to be good enough that people want to really spend time with it, learn from it, be entertained by it, and share it.
Write a lot. Read a lot.
If you don’t love both, you’ll want to seek out other means of earning money, because you’re wasting your time.
3. FFS, proofread, people!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an article submitted to me, or have read someone else’s story, and found a multitude of typos. I’m not saying I’ve never published writing with mistakes, I certainly have, but they’re very few and far between.
I write an article and save it. I go do something else for a little while, then come back and read it over. I get it, it’s hard. Our eyes glaze over and we tend to miss our errors because we’ve read the same sentences repeatedly.
Here are some tips:
- Have a friend or fellow writer proofread and provide feedback (and offer to return the favour for them)
- Copy and paste the article into a word processing document, check spelling and grammar, and change the font
- Reading the article on a different device or changing the font will help you catch errors you were scanning past before, because your brain will register them as new
Bad writing can make even the most fascinating topics hard to read about, so take your time and make the effort.
4) Be authentic
Be yourself. Write with an authentic voice, rather than trying to be somebody you’re not, or someone you think people are looking for. (Trust me, someone’s already written those).
Don’t look at what’s already popular and try to emulate that, because someone already did it better — that’s why it’s popular. Write something you’re good at, something meaningful to you. Choose a topic about which you can write fervently and intelligently.
People can smell a phony a mile away — (especially we neurodivergent folk, we’ve got amazing bullshit detectors).
Don’t look at what’s already popular and try to emulate that, because someone already did it better — that’s why it’s popular.
Be a little vulnerable, but don’t trauma-dump on your readers. Be passionate, but be careful not to turn your story into a rant. A bit of intensity is good, but your reader will want you to get to the point eventually.
Be real, be genuine, be honest.
My Top Ten Stories of 2022
10) Why OCD Is Considered Highly Comorbid With ADHD
O.C.D. is not always “I have to wash my hands and check locks constantly”, although these can be compulsions people feel compelled to perform.
What Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, ADHD, and Autism have in common.
9) Autistic Mirroring, Masking, and “Unstable Personality”
Yet another ‘ah-ha’ moment for me.
Clearly being myself was a liability at that time. It makes perfect sense we’d try to find someone who seems to be getting through life much more easily, and try to mirror their personality, in the hopes that our lives could be made easier too.
8) Behaviourism Is Not Inclusion
PBIS is just ABA with different letters
I break down a program called Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS), identifying some very concerning aspects about this “positive” approach to inclusion and supporting “positive” behaviour in students.
7) Why ADHD And Autism Can Look Like Trauma
Trauma, autism, and ADHD are more connected and similar than you may think.
In my article, I explain why there are so many similarities, and how one can look like the other.
6) Autistic and ADHD Differences
Differentiating Between ADHD and Autism: How they are similar and how to tell them apart.
While ADHD and Autism have a lot of similarities, many of the traits which seem the same have very different underlying contributing factors. Because neurology is so complex, there is a vast spectrum of traits and individual experiences.
5) My Hearing Loss Is Also My Gain
Deaf culture, Deaf pride, and Deaf gain
This article was featured by Medium editors in September 2022!
I am 17 years old and volunteering as a camp counsellor at a sleepover camp. This week is for our youngest group of campers, aged 6–9, so there is a parent and caregiver visiting day halfway through.
4) Autistic PDA: Persistent Drive For Autonomy
Autistic Demand Avoidance: Is the PDA Autism profile helpful, or does it further pathologize Autistics?
Why many PDAers and Autistic self-advocates have chosen new names for the out-dated PDA acronym.
3) How To Know If You’re Autistic
Step one: learn from the experiences of actually autistic people
How to know if you’re autistic. Some autistic traits described by an Actually Autistic Adult.
Spoiler alert: If you clicked this article, have been wondering if you might be autistic, and have been trying to research autistic traits — you probably are.
2) The Highly Sensitive Person Is Still Code for Autistic
Most “Highly Sensitive People” are actually just heavily masked Autistics
At the beginning of 2022, I wrote a piece entitled The “Highly Sensitive Person” is Code for Autistic, after reading a popular psychology article which claimed to differentiate the two, then described all the ways in which they are the same thing.
At the end of last year, another article surfaced in the form of a blog post containing even more ableism, functioning labels, and even quoted a Nazi supremacist.
Last but not least
My number one article for the entire year of 2022 was…
1) Atypical Autistic Traits
Challenging stereotypes and describing some lesser-known Autistic traits
Autism in cis-women, trans women, non-binary folks, and anyone who doesn’t present the typical way.
Many non-conforming and marginalized people are misdiagnosed in healthcare, (including mental health) and psychological diagnoses. This makes it all the more important for us to share our experiences for others who may relate, and to educate clinicians.
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