Happy Friday,
Hope you had a great week. 3 things for you today.
1) Mayhem and Medium Publications
Have you noticed some Medium Publications aren’t what they say they are? I was talking to a writer that’s dipping a toe in. She found a publication that seemed perfect. Poetry, short stories, etc.
But when she went to the publication home page — gah! It was full of self help and success tips. Which is fine if that’s what you like, but if you’re looking for a home for creative writing, it’s a bit frustrating.
Then she found another. It looked great— until she realized there’s been no new posts in 6 months. And another one that did have new posts, but the people who requested to be added (in comments) haven’t been added for months.
Apparently, it can be frustrating for new writers to try find publications that fit.
If you’re struggling to find publications that fit your work, here’s an idea for you. Instead of looking for publications, look for writers that write the type of stuff you do.
You know, the way Amazon works.
People who like this book also like that book. Use tags and topics and search Medium to find writing similar to yours. Similar feel and topics. Then see where the writer is publishing. If you can find a small handful of writers, you should be able to find some great publications that are already publishing writing similar to yours.
If you try it, leave a comment. I’d love to hear back!
2) I have offended God and mankind…
A lot of writers struggle with impostor syndrome. It’s so common, 70% of adults have struggled with it. Leonardo da Vinci’s dying words were “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.”
Here’s a flip in perspective.
If you struggle with impostor syndrome or lack of confidence, you probably don’t have Dunning-Kruger, which is a cognitive problem that makes people unable to assess their own performance.
Because people with Dunning-Kruger are unable to assess their skill, as soon as they learn a little, they think they know more than they do. Typically, people at the 12th percentile think they’re up in the 62nd percentile or higher.
Ironically, while the people at the bottom of the skill pool are thinking they’re at the top, people who do have above average skill are worrying they’re not good enough.
3) May I ask a wee favor?
I wish Medium would let writers sort content by tags like publications can. But nope. So I made a collection of my top 20 posts for writers, Medium writers and authors. If you’d have a look and throw some love at it, I’d appreciate it. There’s a P.S. at the bottom for you, too.
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend
xo
Linda