Would I be a Sellout?

Summary

The author reflects on the dilemma of potentially sacrificing personal writing integrity and originality for the pursuit of increased viewership and income on Medium, ultimately deciding to remain true to their passion for storytelling and fiction.

Abstract

The author joined Medium with the intention to share personal experiences, fiction writing, and to create passive income. Initially tempted by the possibility of quick growth through the Medium Partner Program by following popular trends, they chose not to compromise the authenticity of their posts for the sake of gaining followers or income. They express a desire to be recognized for their unique content, specifically their fictional worlds and characters, rather than resorting to clickbait or repetitive topics that are prevalent on the platform. Although they acknowledge the potential benefits of writing status-style posts for monetary gain, they prefer to enhance their writing skills and technique to naturally attract an audience that appreciates their genuine style and stories.

Opinions

The author values authenticity and originality in their writing, prioritizing personal stories and fiction over writing solely for increased views and follows.
There is a clear aversion to producing content that feels like clickbait or is repetitive of commonly seen articles on Medium, as the author aims to avoid contributing to oversaturated topics.
The author is torn between the desire for increased readership and the temptation of more income that could come from writing less authentic content, and staying true to their creative voice.
They maintain that gaining followers and readership should be a byproduct of quality content and storytelling, rather than the primary focus driven by statistics and monetary rewards.
Despite the internal conflict, they are committed to improving their craft and trust that talent and dedication will lead to organic growth and success on the platform.

The enticing temptation of more views and reads

I primarily joined Medium for 3 reasons:

To share some of my life story and experiences

To begin sharing some of my fiction writing

To start creating some passive income from doing what I love

At first, I, like everyone else, wanted so much to jump on that MPP bandwagon, so I read many articles on getting to 100 followers, and shamelessly clapped and followed dozens of people.

But I refused to write an article on “Help! I need 100 followers!” or “Yay! I made it! Here’s how!”

Now, don’t get me wrong — if it works for you and it’s your thing, then more power to you.

But I really wanted my posts and stories to be true to numbers 1 and 2 above. Especially number 2. I didn’t want to gain followers (beyond 100), views, reads, or claps by writing one of those types of posts. It’s the reason I also haven’t written anything about my current statistics or Medium-generated income.

I do not want to betray my growth and writing with such common, repetitive, clickbait-style posts. I want to be recognized for the new worlds and characters I bring to life.

Having said that, even as I write this I wonder, “am I selling out?”

Would I be a sellout if I were to write more of the “status” posts? All for more money at the end of the day?

My heart says yes — I would not be true to the writer that I want to be. But my stats beg me to do just that. To create something that everyone else has seen, over, and over, and over, from thousands on Medium.

For now, I’ll continue my path, hoping that my skills and technique will increase to such a level that I will gain followers and thousands of reads — solely because people enjoy my style, my imagination, my stories.

If you enjoy reading my content, consider subscribing to my feed. Also, if you are not a Medium member and you would like to gain unlimited access to the platform, consider using my referral link right here to sign up. It’s $5 a month and you get unlimited access to my stories and many others like mine. Thank you! :)

If you would like to follow me on social media (a work in progress as of 1/26/22), I will not only be posting links to my Medium work, but will also be providing updates on my first in progress Fantasy novel that I hope to have published in 2023, and my series of short stories in 2022.

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Twitter: @AgapeErosStorge