100 Followers in 2 Weeks — Gratitude & Reflection
Thank you to all my Medium overlords
THANK YOU
Thank you to all my Medium overlords
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
100 followers in two weeks! I didn’t expect to reach 100 that fast, so thank you all so much!
In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a huge accomplishment. The first will be last and the last will be first, and many are called but few are chosen.
But for someone like me, who is just starting out their online writing journey and would love to make this pursuit into a career one day, reaching 100 followers is a major milestone because you’ve all helped keep this poor writer’s dream alive.
So thank you so much to everyone who followed me or has commented/responded to me on Medium. You all are amazing!
I also want to give a heartfelt thanks to everyone who reads on here but don’t feel comfortable messaging. I’m old enough to know that there are so many of you who are shimmering gems, hidden below the dark evil surface of the internets…
You may feel like you are just an old chunk of coal, but you are gonna be a diamond someday! ❤ Thank you!
I am also very grateful to the people who help run this place and allow me to publish my weekly shenanigans.
Thank you Medium for creating this platform!
Lastly, before I get into the meat of this post, I would like to give a quick shout-out to Carrie. A. Kelly from the 100 and under publication for giving me some prompts to make writing this post a lot easier to create.
Thank you! Let’s goooo!
Can you share your writing advice with us?
Yes. Yes, I can.
Some might argue that whenever anyone publishes on Medium, they are inadvertently sharing some of their writing advice with us all.
For less obtuse answers, please see below.
What advice would you give newer writers?
The first thing that comes to mind is:
Consistency is key.
Set a realistic goal for how many times you want to publish a week and then stick to it. Also, be sure to allow yourself to adjust every month or so because everyone’s schedule and desire to write can rise and fall with the tide.
But if you happen to be very consistent and are still miserable(this happens more often than we all hope), my advice would be:
Work on knowing yourself. Know your reasons and be brutally honest with yourself.
Ask yourself:
* What do I want out of my writing?
*Why am I writing?
*Why do I want to write?
and most importantly,
*Who do I want as my supporters?
I feel that the last question about supporters is the most important because we often forget that the more you put your writing out there, you will eventually build some sort of audience.
The type of audience you get will be completely dependent upon two things: Your content and your attitude.
So I’d advise new writers to work on understanding yourself and your goals first. Then you will have a much higher chance at building an audience that you can tolerate and put up with long enough to not quit writing. ;)
What do you think you should have done first on Medium?
I wish I had read more articles and commented on more articles from other writers. This would have given me a better sense of the vibe in the community(s) I was planning to publish around.
Luckily, Medium’s “beginner writer” community has been nothing but full of positivity and support so far. It is definitely the vibe I was looking for, so it has all worked out.
Once I make it to the big leagues, I may change my tune, but for beginning writers, this community has been amazing.
It speaks volumes towards the potential growth for the platform’s future when the majority of new writers are welcomed with a kind and supportive attitude upon joining Medium.
What shouldn’t you have done on Medium?
This is a tough one to answer…
I try to ingrain in my mind that mistakes are just learning opportunities, otherwise I just end up crying all the time.
In that vein, I have done everything I was supposed to; warts and stinkers included.
Hmm… I guess if I was a near-perfect writer, like Clark Kent with his Superman brain and typing speed, I would have put more effort into sending drafts to multiple publications.
Publications and how Medium’s communities work with publications are two subjects that are still very unclear to me. I feel I still have a lot to learn about Medium publications and how I should work with them.
What method do you follow when you write?
I like to create a structure first and then brainstorm thoughts and ideas to plug into that structure.
Currently, my basic structure is:
1) Title + Subtitle + Quote
2) Introduction
3) 1st thought + Quote
4) 2nd thought + Quote
5) 3rd thought + Quote
6) Conclusion + Quote
7) Edit, then publish
But I would not recommend sticking to a set structure every time. I soon found myself annoyed with following my own structural rules, so I made a half-assed publication called Listicles & Laughs to help break the monotony.
I also don’t limit myself to 3 main thoughts or sections per article. I just try to hit that mark, but some articles need less or more than 3 main sections.
In my opinion, most successful artists will never be 100% bound to any creative rules or methods.
What should new writers not do?
This is also a tough one because we are all unique writer snowflakes ready to melt at the drop of a clap. It will be different for everyone.
I guess if I had to give advice, I would tell new writers that they should always work at finding happiness and peace within themselves and not base it on anything they do not have control of.
Don’t write for others first, write for yourself first. This will help create the foundation of what type of writer you want to be from there.
If you jump into writing for others first, you will lose yourself before you ever get off the ground. And you can never become the best writer you could be without what makes you uniquely you.
Once you have made a foundation for yourself and your style of writing that sparks joy in you, then you can begin to write more towards your audience without the fear of losing yourself.
I still agree with those who tell you to find your niche and find what your audience likes. But if the audience likes something that you don’t enjoy creating in the first place, you are setting yourself up for long-term failure.
TLDR: Be yourself and believe in yourself. Don’t fake it to make it.
What’s your writing routine — why does it work?
I have only been writing consistently for a couple of weeks now. I’m now in the process of working on my second book with a goal to publish at least 3 Medium posts a week.
Here is my current writing routine:
1) Make some time in the morning to write. (Publish an article if possible)
2) If any extra time is leftover, read some Medium articles and write comments/responses.
3) Do everything else in life.
4) Make time in the evening to read and respond to Medium comments.
5) If any of my articles are close to finished, edit and publish an article.
My writing routine is still a work in progress with many tweaks and adjustments to be made sooner rather than later.
So I think the only reason this messy routine works, is my efforts to not judge myself when I stumble and to not listen to the voices in my head expecting myself or others to be even close to perfect according to my desires.
How can newer writers use Medium?
It’s simple, make an account and start writing. Find your birds of a feather, then flock together.
Conclusion — Be Kind & Sociable, Especially to Yourself
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.”
Your harshest critic will always be you, so always remember to give yourself a lot of empathy and kindness about your writings.
If you want to build a community faster, be kind and sociable to others on here that seem to write about similar things or have a similar vibe that you do.
While Medium is covered by a beautiful cloak of awesomeness, the truth is that it still is at heart a social media platform. And when it comes to being social, kindness is undefeated.
So be kind, rewind. Much love & God bless. ❤
One More Thing…
“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
In closing, I’d like to give some love and appreciation to all who helped me on my journey to 100 followers.
In the vastness of the internet, it can be hard to ever believe that any single random person can make a difference, but I truly believe that anyone and everyone can. It takes every kind gesture, whether large or small, to create the whole picture.
So thank you all who commented or clapped for my existence on this platform. I am truly honored and blessed that you took the time to do so, and you have my deepest gratitude.
Publications: New Writers Welcome, 100 and under, The Publication Station
First Responders:
Jane Grows Garden Rooms (Jane Frost)
Abigail Wright - Time for Change Enterprises, LLC
Supporters: