Crazy but true. In the early 60’s, Desmond Morris bought a bunch of canvas and paints and gave them to some chimps. Morris is a zoologist and author who wrote about his studies with primates and humans. The chimps loved painting so much they lost interest in pretty much anything else. Sometimes, they were so engrossed in painting, they even forgot to eat...
Jun 3, 2022·edited Jun 3, 2022Liked by Linda Caroll
Being a writer of computer software, my written word pieces have been exceedingly few and far between. Before leaving Medium I published only one piece that got less than 100 reads. I do have a couple of pieces that I am proud of though. My first (and only) published work I wrote at the age of 16. It appeared in a fairly obscure magazine devoted to the tropical fish hobby. It did not pay anything, and they spelled my name wrong, but at that age I was overwhelmed just to be in print. My second piece, entitled "The Duck", was written nearly 40 years ago. It was a tale of a family pet that left a lasting impression. I spent several weeks writing it, editing endlessly. Finally I submitted it to The Saturday Evening Post, which was the only publication I thought it might appeal to. I had no expectation of fame or fortune, and was not at all surprised by the rejection letter that came back with the manuscript. It was the usual "does not meet our needs at this time" sort of thing, but handwritten on the manuscript were the words "Liked your story". I've kept it all these years just because of that. I've also given digital copies of the text to my sons, who have shared it with my grandchildren, so I guess in a way it's a family heirloom. Their delight means more to me than any money that might have come from it. The third piece was a eulogy for my mother-in-law, whom I dearly loved. I cried all through the writing of it, and even tear up now just thinking about it. I couldn't read it at the funeral, and asked a family friend to do it. Even the most stoic of the men attending shed a few tears. I felt then, and now, like I had captured the remarkable woman that she was.
That was really heartwarming, Jim. When I was a kid, I entered a contest to write a children's book. It was city wide. The winner would have their book printed and put into all the school libraries. I won. I was so insanely proud of that little book. Don't even have a copy, but makes me smile to remember it.
Rewards for writing aren't just monetary. There's also the endorphin rush of approval metrics. On Medium, that would be reads, claps, highlights, comments, etc. Many online writers find the social approval stats more motivating than the money.
This is also why I've decided to never monetize my main blog (I look at the stats, but try not to take them so seriously that they'll turn into my motivation). My main blog is the place where I want to write & publish for the sake of writing & publishing.
Why am I proud? First of all, I'm proud that I read over a thousand reviews for a single book, lol. I'm also proud that I found a deeper psychological insight than I expected among Amazon reviews.
Excellent point, Sara. "Rewards" are more than monetary over there. Approval metrics are pretty big, too. Funny how often the money follows the metrics, though. Thanks for the link!
I'm proud of discovering that I have a knack for poetry on Medium. I'm tired of writing non-fiction, but will do it once I've hit a few personal metrics. I'm not equipped with a "write to market" temperament. My latest 🌈 https://medium.com/p/b38f62b0a13c
Wow, I wasn't surprised that it happened to children, but seeing it happen to chimps as well amazed me! Yeah I clearly have a limited understanding of our primate cousins, haha. That sounds so cute, of them pushing his hand away because they weren't finished yet. And then dabbing a mark and lifting the canvas up to see how little they could get away with before getting a reward. XD Still sad how they lost the interest in creating for the sake of creating so quickly when rewards were introduced.
I'm thinking about writing contests, actually. For me, I know the chances of me winning are slim, so I do it for the fun and for the challenge of writing something I normally wouldn't write, to get out of my comfort zone a little. But I can relate to looking at other people's submissions and wondering how to write something that's more interesting, more daring, and more creative than my competitors', lol. Friendly competition can be fun, but yeah, if pushed too far, it can be a killjoy.
My proudest piece of writing on Medium, was "An Aromantic's Quest to Find a Stable, Loving Relationship." I love it because this was the story where I realized that you can be very vulnerable, and readers on Medium can still be so empathetic. Even readers who were not aromantic could understand my perspective and feel for me.
Performance-wise, this is one of my best performing articles, in terms of the number of claps, comments, and depth of discussion in the comments. This is especially notable as it's self-published and a 15-minute read! Moreover, some friends outside of Medium who usually don't comment on my work, read it and gave me positive and supportive feedback! (I just shared the link on Facebook; I didn't ask anyone in particular to read it, haha. So that was very flattering.)
I like your attitude towards writing contests. I think they're great to dive into as long as the writer won't be heartbroken or crushed if they don't win. Because it's all subjective, you know? It did my heart good to know you got positive and supportive feedback on a very personal post. I bookmarked to come back and read it when I get through comments here. I peeked when I bookmarked -- great response for a self published, too!
If I made money on any of the articles, it would probably be spent by now. Getting 'reads' means way more, especially from people whose work I value. These I'll treasure. I'd love to be able to thanks them personally for highlighting things I wrote.
Diana Meresc, Margie Pearl, and Bebe Nicholson highlighted your stories.
Diana Meresc highlighted Bittersweet — Variations on a Theme
"The usual impression of Oscar Wilde, for those who might have one, was of flamboyance and disdain for the straight-laced Victorian world, like his brilliance was too bright to contain. A literary flame too close to the sun.:
Margie Pearl highlighted The Salt Path
"Globally, a small but growing minority evince outrage at how we humans squander our environment. But we squander our populations just as convincingly. Consistent behavior, but it comes with consequences. The more babies who come to those least able to…"
"The journalists will attribute homelessness to mental health issues and drug habits. Is it beyond the possible to think homelessness is at the cause rather than the result? Raynor isn’t crazy — even for a writer — oh, I kid. She doesn’t write like she is. But being homeless…"
"Don’t mess with a writer, no matter how ratty her hair, or you’ll end up in her book, and it may not be pretty."
"Birds by species become characters. A peregrine falcon makes several scenes by itself— and always the gorse is noted as they pass."
"When shame tags along with homelessness, is it fair? Like a dog with a lame leg, we don’t go there because we fear it for ourselves."
"…say you’re the corporate head of Monsanto or Archer-Daniels-Midland, aren’t eating ‘high on the hog.’ And the corporate suits aren’t so much farmers as commodity dealers. You get the impression Raynor and Moth weren’t financial wizards leading up to the demise of their farm..."
"… off the ones with the most experience. He’d become the office manager — congrats to him — oh shit. They even insisted I turn over the laptop inherited from our small firm — not a great loss, but it was the meanness that got me."
Bebe Nicholson highlighted The Salt Path
"Raynor and Moth have been punished through no fault other than the bad luck and misfortune of being friends with the wrong person. A not too uncommon tragedy. You want to believe they’ll do better turning the corner, but will they? Read the book."
Margie Pearl highlighted The Salt Path
"like in the next year, then you’re not that ill, are you, so I can’t call you a priority, can I?’ That was the moment when we knew we’d rather be in a tent.” from The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
I wish I could take credit for the one above, but I was quoting Raynor Will on one of her fine lines.
Bebe Nicholson highlighted The Salt Path
"The distance between Raynor’s written story and the lived facts of their current circumstance is hardly a distance at all. Without the grace of her language, who would read such a thorn of a story?"
William, I'm glad my highlights mattered to you. I do social science interviews for a living. The more exalted the job title the more diffuse the thinking. They don't take in the details.
Me, too, Robyn. It's easy to get confused about what matters. Especially for people who tend towards being people-pleasers. We all love when our writing is well received, that's just human. But there's a thin line between whether we like it because others did, or whether we like it because we felt we did a good job telling the story we tried to tell. I struggle with that, too. Thanks for the links!
Exactly! That’s why I loved the exercise of picking out two that I loved for my own reasons whether they were popular or not. So thanks for the opportunity
Lol as soon as you mentioned rewards and chimps I KNEW there would be a Medium reference at the end 😄
To be perfectly honest, what makes me the most proud is when I have connected and engaged with my readers. And sadly, since I began writing about grief and loss, that is when my engagement started going through the roof. I'm proud that I can touch people through mere words on a virtual page.
I'm not dropping any links though. I don't need to depress anyone lol.
Great story. Definitely supports the idea of Universal Basic Income (achieved by taxing the machines that don't need the money--let them pay Social Security, Unemployment and other payroll taxes equivalent to the number of people they displaced--It doesn't stop employers from replacing people, just changes the return on investment calculation).
As for my favorites, it's the Vin Diesel question: which character is your favorite? To which he responded "Can you really have a favorite among your children?'
I so agree, Tim. Universal Basic income would change so many lives for the better.
lol on Vin Diesel question... my experience is that most parents DO have a favorite child even though most would never admit it. It's good that parents tell their kids they are all loved equally. And they are. But there's always one kid they just connect with better. Usually the other kids can see it, too. It's just not talked about. I suspect writing works the same way.
Being a writer of computer software, my written word pieces have been exceedingly few and far between. Before leaving Medium I published only one piece that got less than 100 reads. I do have a couple of pieces that I am proud of though. My first (and only) published work I wrote at the age of 16. It appeared in a fairly obscure magazine devoted to the tropical fish hobby. It did not pay anything, and they spelled my name wrong, but at that age I was overwhelmed just to be in print. My second piece, entitled "The Duck", was written nearly 40 years ago. It was a tale of a family pet that left a lasting impression. I spent several weeks writing it, editing endlessly. Finally I submitted it to The Saturday Evening Post, which was the only publication I thought it might appeal to. I had no expectation of fame or fortune, and was not at all surprised by the rejection letter that came back with the manuscript. It was the usual "does not meet our needs at this time" sort of thing, but handwritten on the manuscript were the words "Liked your story". I've kept it all these years just because of that. I've also given digital copies of the text to my sons, who have shared it with my grandchildren, so I guess in a way it's a family heirloom. Their delight means more to me than any money that might have come from it. The third piece was a eulogy for my mother-in-law, whom I dearly loved. I cried all through the writing of it, and even tear up now just thinking about it. I couldn't read it at the funeral, and asked a family friend to do it. Even the most stoic of the men attending shed a few tears. I felt then, and now, like I had captured the remarkable woman that she was.
That was really heartwarming, Jim. When I was a kid, I entered a contest to write a children's book. It was city wide. The winner would have their book printed and put into all the school libraries. I won. I was so insanely proud of that little book. Don't even have a copy, but makes me smile to remember it.
Rewards for writing aren't just monetary. There's also the endorphin rush of approval metrics. On Medium, that would be reads, claps, highlights, comments, etc. Many online writers find the social approval stats more motivating than the money.
This is also why I've decided to never monetize my main blog (I look at the stats, but try not to take them so seriously that they'll turn into my motivation). My main blog is the place where I want to write & publish for the sake of writing & publishing.
I've linked it in a comment before, but I'm still proud of it, so I'll link it: https://medium.com/mind-cafe/to-diminish-defensiveness-read-1000-book-reviews-d3cbf525a656
Why am I proud? First of all, I'm proud that I read over a thousand reviews for a single book, lol. I'm also proud that I found a deeper psychological insight than I expected among Amazon reviews.
Excellent point, Sara. "Rewards" are more than monetary over there. Approval metrics are pretty big, too. Funny how often the money follows the metrics, though. Thanks for the link!
I'm proud of discovering that I have a knack for poetry on Medium. I'm tired of writing non-fiction, but will do it once I've hit a few personal metrics. I'm not equipped with a "write to market" temperament. My latest 🌈 https://medium.com/p/b38f62b0a13c
That's amazing, Margie. Getting traction with poetry on Medium is really hard. How nice to see you're doing well with it!
Linda, 🌘 now that you’ve read one of my poems and clapped, getting on the New York Times best seller’s list seems feasible 🌓
Hey Linda,
Wow, I wasn't surprised that it happened to children, but seeing it happen to chimps as well amazed me! Yeah I clearly have a limited understanding of our primate cousins, haha. That sounds so cute, of them pushing his hand away because they weren't finished yet. And then dabbing a mark and lifting the canvas up to see how little they could get away with before getting a reward. XD Still sad how they lost the interest in creating for the sake of creating so quickly when rewards were introduced.
I'm thinking about writing contests, actually. For me, I know the chances of me winning are slim, so I do it for the fun and for the challenge of writing something I normally wouldn't write, to get out of my comfort zone a little. But I can relate to looking at other people's submissions and wondering how to write something that's more interesting, more daring, and more creative than my competitors', lol. Friendly competition can be fun, but yeah, if pushed too far, it can be a killjoy.
My proudest piece of writing on Medium, was "An Aromantic's Quest to Find a Stable, Loving Relationship." I love it because this was the story where I realized that you can be very vulnerable, and readers on Medium can still be so empathetic. Even readers who were not aromantic could understand my perspective and feel for me.
Performance-wise, this is one of my best performing articles, in terms of the number of claps, comments, and depth of discussion in the comments. This is especially notable as it's self-published and a 15-minute read! Moreover, some friends outside of Medium who usually don't comment on my work, read it and gave me positive and supportive feedback! (I just shared the link on Facebook; I didn't ask anyone in particular to read it, haha. So that was very flattering.)
Hope you like this article too!:
https://link.medium.com/hYL0OMp6yqb
I like your attitude towards writing contests. I think they're great to dive into as long as the writer won't be heartbroken or crushed if they don't win. Because it's all subjective, you know? It did my heart good to know you got positive and supportive feedback on a very personal post. I bookmarked to come back and read it when I get through comments here. I peeked when I bookmarked -- great response for a self published, too!
If I made money on any of the articles, it would probably be spent by now. Getting 'reads' means way more, especially from people whose work I value. These I'll treasure. I'd love to be able to thanks them personally for highlighting things I wrote.
Diana Meresc, Margie Pearl, and Bebe Nicholson highlighted your stories.
Diana Meresc highlighted Bittersweet — Variations on a Theme
"The usual impression of Oscar Wilde, for those who might have one, was of flamboyance and disdain for the straight-laced Victorian world, like his brilliance was too bright to contain. A literary flame too close to the sun.:
Margie Pearl highlighted The Salt Path
"Globally, a small but growing minority evince outrage at how we humans squander our environment. But we squander our populations just as convincingly. Consistent behavior, but it comes with consequences. The more babies who come to those least able to…"
"The journalists will attribute homelessness to mental health issues and drug habits. Is it beyond the possible to think homelessness is at the cause rather than the result? Raynor isn’t crazy — even for a writer — oh, I kid. She doesn’t write like she is. But being homeless…"
"Don’t mess with a writer, no matter how ratty her hair, or you’ll end up in her book, and it may not be pretty."
"Birds by species become characters. A peregrine falcon makes several scenes by itself— and always the gorse is noted as they pass."
"When shame tags along with homelessness, is it fair? Like a dog with a lame leg, we don’t go there because we fear it for ourselves."
"…say you’re the corporate head of Monsanto or Archer-Daniels-Midland, aren’t eating ‘high on the hog.’ And the corporate suits aren’t so much farmers as commodity dealers. You get the impression Raynor and Moth weren’t financial wizards leading up to the demise of their farm..."
"… off the ones with the most experience. He’d become the office manager — congrats to him — oh shit. They even insisted I turn over the laptop inherited from our small firm — not a great loss, but it was the meanness that got me."
Bebe Nicholson highlighted The Salt Path
"Raynor and Moth have been punished through no fault other than the bad luck and misfortune of being friends with the wrong person. A not too uncommon tragedy. You want to believe they’ll do better turning the corner, but will they? Read the book."
Margie Pearl highlighted The Salt Path
"like in the next year, then you’re not that ill, are you, so I can’t call you a priority, can I?’ That was the moment when we knew we’d rather be in a tent.” from The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
I wish I could take credit for the one above, but I was quoting Raynor Will on one of her fine lines.
Bebe Nicholson highlighted The Salt Path
"The distance between Raynor’s written story and the lived facts of their current circumstance is hardly a distance at all. Without the grace of her language, who would read such a thorn of a story?"
William, I'm glad my highlights mattered to you. I do social science interviews for a living. The more exalted the job title the more diffuse the thinking. They don't take in the details.
True that, as the brothers would say. Just one more expression we owe to African Americans. Talk about people who love to play with language...
Loved this--before I was halfway through thought of the relationship to writing on Medium. Sometimes I get confused about what matters to me, so this was a nice reminder. These are two stories I'm proud of. The first one because I felt really vulnerable telling on myself, and the second because I think it's easy to become a little arrogant as a therapist, and this one put things into perspective for me. We can all be clients. Or at least I can. 1) https://medium.com/swlh/do-the-opposite-of-what-comes-naturally-and-change-the-course-of-your-life-462bd398b550; 2) https://medium.com/better-humans/how-to-use-the-big-squeeze-to-your-and-everybody-elses-advantage-8b5057fffb8
Me, too, Robyn. It's easy to get confused about what matters. Especially for people who tend towards being people-pleasers. We all love when our writing is well received, that's just human. But there's a thin line between whether we like it because others did, or whether we like it because we felt we did a good job telling the story we tried to tell. I struggle with that, too. Thanks for the links!
Exactly! That’s why I loved the exercise of picking out two that I loved for my own reasons whether they were popular or not. So thanks for the opportunity
Lol as soon as you mentioned rewards and chimps I KNEW there would be a Medium reference at the end 😄
To be perfectly honest, what makes me the most proud is when I have connected and engaged with my readers. And sadly, since I began writing about grief and loss, that is when my engagement started going through the roof. I'm proud that I can touch people through mere words on a virtual page.
I'm not dropping any links though. I don't need to depress anyone lol.
The angels one isn't depressing. lol. And honestly, the way you talk about grief is really helpful. Your writing helped me with losing my mom. xo
I'm glad to know that and I appreciate you saying it! I think it's one genre that is relatable to pretty much everyone.
Yup, we all lose someone we love at some point. ❤️
Great story. Definitely supports the idea of Universal Basic Income (achieved by taxing the machines that don't need the money--let them pay Social Security, Unemployment and other payroll taxes equivalent to the number of people they displaced--It doesn't stop employers from replacing people, just changes the return on investment calculation).
As for my favorites, it's the Vin Diesel question: which character is your favorite? To which he responded "Can you really have a favorite among your children?'
I so agree, Tim. Universal Basic income would change so many lives for the better.
lol on Vin Diesel question... my experience is that most parents DO have a favorite child even though most would never admit it. It's good that parents tell their kids they are all loved equally. And they are. But there's always one kid they just connect with better. Usually the other kids can see it, too. It's just not talked about. I suspect writing works the same way.
Terrific