Writers Are Easy Targets

Some believe we’ll fall for anything

There is a publication on Medium that has experienced a population explosion of both writers and readers, unlike anything we’ve seen on this platform. At least this writer hasn’t.

The pub has amassed gazillions of followers and a daily melange of new scribes sniffing it out like a badger sniffs out a beehive.

The owner of this publication has an “all-inclusive” approach to who and what he publishes. In short, he’ll share anything and everything from the truly great stuff to writing so bad that the stench lingers long after the reader has had the misfortune to step in it.

At first blush, “inclusivity” incites a “Hell, yeah!” response. Until it doesn’t. At least for a publication that boasts more “top writers” than Trump has toadies.

At first, I, too, drank the Kool-Aid. It was refreshing to get the attention I deserve and rarely receive from the Medium curators. I enjoyed being featured in the daily newsletter. And then the poo-poo hit the fan. The drama was thick as treacle, folks when a disgruntled writer attempted to defame the publication’s owner and bring the whole thing crashing down.

And the writer succeeded. Medium took down the publication in order to “investigate” the writer’s allegations, many of which were overwrought to the point where their emotional stability was in question. But now I have to wonder: How many of these allegations were actually on-point?

But the pub was soon up and running again because the outcry from the pub’s community of writers and outraged followers was just too intense to ignore and Medium complied and reinstated it. The collective joy was akin to the response to the Second Coming.

Perhaps the pub owner knows where the proverbial bodies are buried as I just don’t understand the reason for his mercurial success. I mean no disrespect. This individual has always been kind to me and from what I’ve ascertained, treats his writers with respect.

I still don’t get it.

Over the last few months, the quality of writing featured in this publication hit so many lows that I became hesitant to submit my stories. I’ve worked too hard to be associated with sub-standard material and writers who don’t give a damn.

That said, I feel sorry for those great writers who I’ve come to deeply admire and who have become friends and are still toiling away for the publication’s owner whose primary concern, I now believe, is his budding empire. These writers are putting their hearts and souls into work that deserves better.

Why? What is appealing about demagoguery? Here in the States, have we been worn down by the demagogue in the White House? So we’ll suck it up everywhere else?

Please. Just say, “Hell, no.”

Here’s the latest bit of nutso: The pub’s owner has created a sister publication for the sole purpose of curating stories from his original pub. And here’s why:

I firmly believe that writers shouldn’t be slaves of dumb algorithms. We are human and need to be evaluated by a human.

Unfortunately, many of the humans who are “evaluating” stories for this publication are turning a blind eye to crap. But wait, there’s more!

Stories curated by (pub name) will be transferred to this new publication addressing a special reading audience.

What the hell is a “special reading audience?” One that prefers to spend their time plowing through shite?

If you’re confused, please bear with me as it gets even loonier. I expressed my own confusion to my partner-in-crime, P.G. Barnett and he explained it, as so:

For any pieces that are curated by Medium, the pub owner is then asking the editorial staff on (pub name) to select the ones to be “highlighted” in the (sister pub). This means for any writer in “curation jail” on the real Medium, they’ll never make it to the sister pub.

Where is the “inclusivity and diversity” in this approach?

For those great writers who are currently enmeshed in this individual’s fuzzy universe, you don’t have to put up with this. And let me make the point that I mean no disrespect. The pub owner could be a saint for all I know. Someone who would share his last pitcher of Kool-Aid with a homeless person.

I’m just not feeling the supposed intention in this new endeavor.

So. How thirsty are you, fellow writers? How hungry? We all feel that growl in the pit of our stomachs but lowering our standards is not the path to “making it” here, or anywhere. There’s a limit.

If you’ve reached yours, you can give us a shot. And if you have what we’re seeking, we’ll return the favor.

Cheers. And thanks for reading.

Sherry McGuinn is a slightly-twisted, longtime Chicago-area writer and award-winning screenwriter. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and numerous other publications. Sherry’s manager is currently pitching her newest screenplay, a drama with dark, comedic overtones and inspired by a true story.

As always, thank you. We hope to see more of you, here!

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