Chapter 1: The Reality of Writing on Medium

Engaging in writing on Medium is, in fact, a business endeavor. If you're not treating it as such, you might be shortchanging both yourself and your fellow authors.

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It's true: writing on Medium is a business. You might encounter individuals who claim they don't write for financial gain, but often this is simply not the case. Many of those who espouse this idea have left Medium due to insufficient earnings from their stories. Now, some have returned with statements like, "I'm not interested in sports, so I won't be commenting on NFL updates."

However, to his credit, he engaged with my article on "Alice in Borderland," which has an estimated reading time of six minutes. This interaction enhanced my exposure by almost four minutes, which is beneficial for my business. So, thank you!

Numerous readers express dissatisfaction with their articles on cryptocurrency, lamenting that no one pays attention to their listicles about celebrities. While there are certainly writers who create purely for enjoyment, it remains a business.

As Stephen King once stated, "I've written because it fulfilled me. Maybe it paid off the mortgage on the house and got the kids through college, but those things were on the side — I did it for the buzz. I did it for the pure joy of the thing."

I find joy in writing on Medium as well, and this joy is amplified when I see a significant deposit in my account around the 8th of each month. Let’s support each other in covering our bills while enjoying the process!

Supporting Fellow Writers

You may have noticed that I frequently review indie authors or promote my friends' articles and Amazon links. I only provide reviews for books I genuinely enjoyed. It takes just a moment to share my friends' Amazon products or links alongside my own.

I also make an effort to read, highlight, clap, and comment on articles from those who engage with mine. This reciprocity is essential in our business.

As Toni Crowe suggests, are you on board with RHC — read, highlight, and clap?

Do I relish reading a lengthy article about someone making $1,000 their first month on Medium? Not particularly, and it’s unlikely I’ll read it. However, I will take the time to check your profile and find something that piques my interest.

Conversely, I don’t expect you to read topics that don’t resonate with you either. Just as I wouldn’t purchase pig's feet at the corner store simply because I like the owner, I won’t read about subjects that don’t captivate me.

Since we are in the same business, you likely have something that will appeal to me. If nothing captures my attention, I may listen to your content while working out, which serves as a win-win.

The Importance of Engagement

Engagement is vital for our business. When you receive a notification that I have read, clapped, highlighted, and commented on your article, you can then click on my name to find something you enjoy with a similar reading time, allowing both of us to benefit.

This collaborative approach helps us maintain our writing careers instead of seeking employment at fast-food chains, where automation is taking over.

Now, I mentioned reading, clapping, highlighting, and commenting. There’s no need to clap multiple times; I typically clap around 50 times unless the article is subpar. If I don’t clap that many times, perhaps you could use Grammarly — I might suggest that in a direct message. That’s what the lock icon is for after highlighting something.

I’m not rude enough to make such comments publicly, but you shouldn’t hold a grudge against those who do. "Don’t shoot the messenger."

The Importance of Editing

Remember to utilize the necessary tools for improvement. By the way, Grammarly isn’t infallible, nor are we.

"Done is better than perfect," as Sheryl Sandberg says.

Don’t be afraid to set your drafts aside before editing. "Write without fear, edit without mercy," advises Tom Albrighton.

I learned this when I rushed to publish an article and fluctuated between past and present tenses. Grammarly won’t catch every mistake, nor will you.

However, I could have improved my piece had I not hurried to get it out there. Yet, I had a strong urge to finish it. Ideally, I should have let it rest for a while.

"You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write," says Saul Bellow.

"If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word," Margaret Atwood reminds us.

But remember, editing is essential!

I once read a title multiple times without noticing it said "where" instead of "wear." Did you catch that?

Special thanks to Dawn Bevier and Robin Christine Honigsberg for having the courage to point out my mistakes. So, don’t hesitate to speak up — just do it respectfully.

That’s all for today. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you back soon. Alternatively, you can subscribe to receive notifications about all my new stories via email.

This post contains affiliate links. When you click on a link and make a purchase, I earn a small commission that does not affect your price. Please refer to my disclosure statement for more information.

About the Author

Photo by Jean Springs from Pexels.

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and is a certified US English Chicago Manual of Style editor. He is also a Top Writer in various categories, including Bitcoin, Business, Investing, Nutrition, Travel, Fiction, Transportation, VR, NFL, Design, Creativity, and Short Story.

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