Yet Another Take on Your Reading and Writing

Before you get drowned in too much of a good thing

Over the years, Medium has attracted an ever-growing troupe of established, budding and aspiring writers of all genres. Thanks to the countless numbers of unlimited writers-in-residence on this platform. This comes as no surprise because readers are spoiled for choice on Medium. Literally.

For many years, I limited myself to the basic three articles per month allowed to free members before I finally jumped in with my two feet into the waters — going pro last August. My annual subscription opened up a world of possibilities that more than compensated for my sacrifice.

All ye bibliophiles, welcome to this paradise.

But, like a child entering a toy shop for the first time, the choices and options that readers beckon could be so overwhelming that one can go on savoring one good writ after another for hours on end in an entire day.

Again, I’m reminded of that same toddler on a trip to the beach. Lost in wonder, he picked up and admire one colorful seashell, the best he thought he could ever pick up. One after the other, he kept on discarding his latest find in search of some better ones. Tell him that infinite unique seashells are still awaiting his exploding curiosity. Contentment.

The question of how we read articles on Medium is pertinent to all members and most especially to recent entrants into this tribe. The answer to this subtle question is vital if readers are to derive the best nourishment from this restaurant that offers thousands of unique menus.

My daily Medium binge

Reading any subject at all or any of Medium stories is not rocket science. There is something in store for all cadres of readers on the platform. The point I’m making here is that, in an atmosphere that offers so many options, the paradox of choice — switching reading channels like a butterfly flickering from one colorful flower to the other are real pitfalls. Such a butterfly approach offers less than optimal benefits.

Here’s how I do it.

• Read one story at a time. (Any other way?)
• If the story from an author engages me enough, I follow through to read several more stories from the same writer.
• I immediately follow an author whose writing adds value to my life and writing experiments.
• Clapping is free, you won’t find me hoarding them (or anything else). I regularly max out my claps. Even if you are not depending on others for validation, it is highly motivating to know that your essays struck some pleasant helpful tones in at least one reader.
• Ours is an ecosystem of superabundance and free. Let us help our fellow writers (and others out there) to level up to the inexhaustible jewels we’ve found. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Parler, etc, are waiting in their wings. Share with them now.
• Standing on the shoulder of giants, snippets of wisdom find their way into my Trello cards, Microsoft OneNote, note-taking apps, and even my journals.
• Curation is dead, but curation is alive and well. Long live curation. I curate links to grand stories from other writers for my publication visitors.
• And of course, the more you follow and share, the more the pie expands for the satisfaction of all. So, where is the room for envy? Banish the thought.

Writing on Medium

It’s been less than three months since I started walking (sorry, writing) on Medium. I dare not presume to give writing advice to veterans and giants here or elsewhere. While on this journey, I’ve shared a few tips on what worked for me in my writing journey. These few tips will come in handy for my fellow Medium wannabes.

You’ve never read these tips until now? (Hmm, maybe.)

• You may need to let your essays and stories rest for a day or two before you hit the publish button. My stories always come out better (to me) that way.
• Unless of course, you are a professor of English Language (British or American), grammar editors will burnish and polish your rough writing diamonds into glistening gems. I use Pro Writing Aid and Hemingway app. These two among others offer free, okay, enough, though limited browser versions.
• Medium minimalist writing app on my Android devices is clean and fast but I always get back to my laptop for tidying up before clicking on the publish button of the browser version.
• They told me to write and publish every day if ever my hope — that the all-knowing algorithm detection of my shadow in planet Medium is to be realized. Some even report writing two or three articles per day on a regular basis. I don’t know how they do it. Me, I don’t want to flame-out or burn-out before my time. I’ll rather leave that to the experts. Two or three quality articles per week are OK for me now. Don’t get me wrong, I am now growing my average weekly output. The point here is, first things first. The first thing for me is quality.
• Writing for myself first is the best way my writing flows. No. I don’t mean being narcissistic. My mentors taught me to chart a path that finds my writing interests intersecting my readers' interests. That’s one of the best pieces of advice for thriving here.
• The quality versus quantity debate never closes. For me, give me quality any day, any time. I think new writers on planet Medium should aspire to write qualitative articles first. As we grow up we effortlessly transit into combining high quality with prolific writing. Ayodeji Awosika and Tim Denning are two of the writers that attracted me to writing (or learning to write) on Medium. What got me hooked is the high quality of almost every piece they churn out of their writing foundries.
• And special thanks to all my new friends and mentors like Dr Mehmet Yildiz and Anangsha Alammyan, among others that covered me in the shade of their publications when I was struggling and mixed up everything during my first few weeks here. No, I’ve not graduated yet.

Conclusion

Now, over to you. How do you go about growing in this our Medium reading and writing calling? Do share your tips and ideas on how we can move this craft further. And hopefully our earnings, too.

While at it,

You will do well by always remembering that it is not how much you have read or written that matters. Neither is it the tons of greenbacks you have rightfully sweated out of your labors.

People want to know how much you care more than how many stories you have written or read on Medium. We are ever at risk of reversing the order of priority by making reading, writing and making money the means to our ultimate writing ends.