avatarBill Myers

Summary

The website content provides a comprehensive Table of Contents (TOC) with links and synopses of the author's articles on writing, Medium publishing, and various other topics, along with insights into writing techniques, Medium's features, and reader engagement strategies.

Abstract

The webpage serves as a detailed index to the author's writings, offering a structured overview of his articles on diverse subjects such as content creation, writing methodologies, and specific Medium platform publishing strategies. It includes a TOC methodology that addresses the challenges of showcasing a writer's portfolio on Medium and presents a curated list of articles with descriptions and links. The author shares his experiences and findings on various aspects of writing and publishing, including the importance of proofreading, the use of links in comments, and the impact of titles and pictures. Additionally, the page provides guidance on using Medium's features effectively and discusses the importance of clear communication and the value of reader feedback.

Opinions

  • The author emphasizes the importance of a well-organized TOC to enhance reader experience and navigate through a large portfolio of articles.
  • He suggests that the placement of titles and pictures in articles is crucial for reader engagement.
  • The author values the role of proofreaders and the significance of editing every article meticulously.
  • He advocates for the judicious use of links in comments, arguing that they can be professional and informative when used appropriately.
  • The author provides a checklist for writers before publishing, highlighting the need for a pre-publication routine to avoid mistakes.
  • He offers insights into Medium's specific features, such as the List feature and the pinned feature, and how writers can use them to their advantage.
  • The author believes that every article reflects on the writer's reputation and that it's essential to maintain a high standard of quality in all published works.
  • He expresses a desire for Medium to provide a simple list of

Navigation Links

Writing — Table of Contents (TOC)

A brief synopsis & links to my stories about my methods of writing, publishing, and content on Medium and other publications

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

Synopsis

  • Topics: Content, approach, tools and methods
  • Approach: Some articles are specific to Medium and others apply to a much broader range of writing and platforms

TOC Methodology

  • Medium has made it extremely difficult for a new reader to see your entire portfolio. Even a TOC with all of my articles is long. This post is a sub-category with descriptions and links to my articles.
  • Sections: Writing, Medium
  • Example:

Writing in General

  • I edited every article after making this discovery
  • That’s true on any platform
  • Comments represent your writing just like any other article
  • A Google search can find everything that you post, even comments
  • One author, following stereotypes & prejudices, accused me of self-promotion
  • I asked readers to comment with their opinion for a future article
  • What to include and where to put them
  • Clarity is the most important
  • Some messages clear to the programmer are meaningless to the user
  • Some were the most hate-filled, ignorant posts I have ever seen
  • Is this how you want to be viewed?
  • Making use of other reader’s comments and claps
  • Writing advice articles are worth reading, but may not fit your process
  • Expect that you will need to adjust tips for you
  • You must be able to speak and write so that a vice president, with limited technical background, will understand.
  • You need to be able to sell your ideas!
  • In my experience, programmers and engineers have problems doing that.
  • Independent proofreaders find things you overlook
  • My writers club made 102 unique suggestions on one of my submissions
  • Will the reader get your points?
  • Will grammatical issues be annoying enough to prevent them from finishing?
  • Is the structure irritating?
  • How to be consistent when assigning stars in a book review
  • Use pre-release reviewers post reviews
  • Buyers will see how the early readers responded
  • The easiest — Medium

Medium Specific

  • How does a new writer get followers?
  • Create a “New Writers” publication
  • I print this checklist and cross items off, every time
  • One time, I forgot a heading picture!
  • There is no ironclad industry standard for displaying a shortcut subtitle to your story
  • Describes the Table-of-Contents methodology using Story and List technology
  • Replaces story-only version as of July 21, 2021
  • The page took over a minute to display with 5 lists.
  • Easier to add and reorder stories
  • New readers & followers wanting to see latest articles
  • Lists has no way to add a section title, so I invented one
  • Step-by-step
  • I always said, “I explain things so clearly that a vice president can understand.” Some people laugh!
  • Here’s my description of Medium for non-writers.
  • One author, following stereotypes & prejudices, accused me of self-promotion
  • I asked readers to comment with their opinion for a future article
  • How readers can include personal story links in comments
  • How authors can request links not be included.
  • According to my survey, 91% felt links in comments are ok if: - done professionally, relevant, - and not specifically forbidden by the author
  • Set the story order a reader sees on your profile
  • Every article reflects upon you no matter how old or where published
  • Some articles did not even have a chance to get curated
  • Learn from your own mistakes & use a pre-publication checklist
  • I would like a simple list of where my stories were curated
  • Even now, when “Distributed” — It is not always easy to find where.

Note: This is the final sub-TOC in the series at time of publication. Here are links to the other sub-categories:

· Women’s Issues · Romance · Philosophy · Retirement — The Villages · Project Management · Leadership · Politics & Government · Money Decisions · Travel · COVID · Diabetes · Medical/Health · Satire · Questions

I’m planning a future article explaining the process and easiest way to build yours if you have many published articles. It will address the new Lists feature which partially performs the same function.

Full Table of Contents (all stories)

List version

Story version

Historical. Will not be updated after July 21, 2021

Writing Tips
Content
Methods
Tools
Table Of Contents
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