Summary

The author expresses a personal philosophy of focusing on the craft of writing and continuous improvement rather than obsessing over curation or monetary success on Medium.

Abstract

The author of the article discusses their approach to writing on Medium, emphasizing the importance of mastering the craft of writing over the pursuit of curation or financial gain. They share their journey of consuming knowledge, the impact of a hurtful comment that initially discouraged them, and the subsequent motivation to write. The author values the advice of experienced writers to keep writing and reading extensively, acknowledging that writing is an art form that improves with practice. While they recognize the benefits of marketing one's work, their current priority is to write and improve without being overly concerned about the number of reads or making money. The article suggests that quality content will naturally attract readers and opportunities, much like successful products in the market. The author aspires to become an authority in writing, inspired by the depth and following of writers like Zat Rana, and is committed to the process of learning and producing "good" content daily.

Opinions

The author prioritizes becoming an authority in writing through consistent practice and learning rather than focusing on immediate rewards.
They believe that the essence of good writing lies in reading extensively and writing frequently, which aligns with advice from successful Medium writers.
Marketing one's writing, such as sharing articles on social media or in Medium groups, is seen as secondary to the actual process of writing and improving.
The author acknowledges the value of getting articles curated but doesn't consider it the primary goal, suggesting that quality writing will eventually be recognized.
They are inspired by the work of Zat Rana, using his success as a benchmark for the depth and consistency they aspire to achieve in their writing.
The author views Medium as a platform where consistent production of quality content can lead to a successful writing career and potentially larger opportunities.

Why I Don’t Bother So Much About Getting Curated On Medium

I Just Want To Write.

I want to make a living as a writer, but I want to be an authority at the craft. I don’t want to feel inadequate or not worthy of the reward that comes with good writing.

I have been reading on Medium since 2016; I wrote some articles in 2018, then took them down after an incident.

Since I have been consuming so much knowledge, I thought it time I share some of mine.

I have read a lot on writing from very talented writers here on Medium, and they all teach the same lesson: keep writing.

Some writers advise you should learn the marketing side of things like putting your articles out there; on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook. I might do these later, but all I want to do now is write.

I have seen some writers share their articles in some Facebook Medium Groups I am in. Truth be told unless the article piques my interest, I don’t click it.

It is not wrong to share your published articles on Facebook. But are you sharing it to be helpful or garner more reads to your essay? Whatever you share should help.

Some writers advise you to work towards getting your articles curated, and that is great, but how? I have a theory.

I realize that being a writer is an artist.

Yes, there are some basics for good writing, but writing words that can influence people is nothing short of art. And I know the one way to write that good is to do a lot of reading and write a lot more. (And eventually, you might get curated.)

There is much to learn in writing. When I think I am ready to write another article, I stumble on an article on Medium, I just sit back and read some more.

By all means, put yourself out there. Pitch to popular publications, but never stop honing your craft. And don’t bother too much about making money on Medium, because when the time is right, you will.

Sometimes, I am marveled at the knowledge some writers share on Medium. I keep asking, how do they know these things?

How do they keep such amazing articles coming? How do they keep the flow going?

I know one thing, knowledge is never innate, you learn it. One common factor is talented writers are voracious readers; they read more than they write and write so much that they just become very good at it.

I stumbled on an article by Zat Rana the other day, Let me be frank with you, I felt dumb.

I really tried to comprehend what he was saying, I couldn’t. I was just amazed by how he could convey his thoughts with a thousand words, repeatedly.

I tried to read another topic that seemed interesting, but I didn’t get the idea.

But with over 200,000 followers on Medium and 40,000 subscribers on Substack, obviously, Zat reads a lot and writes a lot. And people love what he puts out there. Even though my mind cannot just grasp what he shares. Do I have a low IQ?

If you are like me and you get overwhelmed by the amount of information on writing and making money as a writer, these tips stand out the most:

Read a lot.
Write a lot.
Edit a lot.
Rinse and repeat.

I have been in the e-commerce industry since I got out of the University, and what thing I have learned about marketing is excellent products always sell themselves.

Meaning after your initial marketing, if what you offer lives up to expectations. Customers will definitely tell their friends, and their friends tell their other friends, and your product keeps selling itself.

An excellent example is Canva.com.

I can’t count the number of times people have recommended Canva to me without me asking.

I recommend them too. I’ll be like, “Are you into Instagram management? You should try Canva, you’d love it!”

Bring that idea back to writing. If you write well enough, people will share it with their friends, and someday you might land a writing gig with a multinational company. Fingers crossed.

I don’t know how long it might take, but I’ll keep working hard to get there.

If my articles ever get curated fine, if not, fine. All that matters is I am putting out good content daily.

Medium is a brilliant place to start a writing career. You can earn living writing on Medium, or it can be a stepping stone to better opportunities; you never know who might be reading.

Thank you for sharing your time reading this.