This was always my biggest issue at Medium. I could only rarely find publications that corresponded to what I felt my strengths were as a writer, so I got shy about submitting to many. That was why I mostly self-published or went with stuff with my own publication.
Substack is different, though. Writers here typically don't solicit material from other writers, instead putting things out solo through their own publications. That works better for me.
Linda. What if I think I’m a good writer but I’m not? When should I just bag it, take my baseball mitt and head home? Heck, how do I know if I’m a good writer? What does that mean? And with so many voices and styles, how do I define good? And how do I pick one?
1) What if you think you're a good writer but you're not? You keep writing, because we all improve with time. We write because we have to.
2) When do you take your bat and ball and go home? Never. We write because we have to. People who aren't compelled to write probably shouldn't. There's Bukowski quote for that ;)
3) How do you know if you're a good writer? You don't. Hell, I think I'm a crappy writer. Lucky for me a few people don't agree.
4) What does that mean? It means there are people who love what comes out of you.
5) How do you define good? You don't. The readers do.
I don't think we pick a style of writing. I think we have a style of writing. Sometimes more than one. I recognize that I have more than one style of writing. I think a lot of people don't stop and think about where their writing fits, and fit is the greater issue.
Funny you should ask. Some time ago, I wrote about a NY literary agent who has a knack for finding strong new voices. He said good writing is subjective but all bad writing is the same. Filled with purple prose, rambling, fluff, overuse of adjectives, lame old tropes, and cliché. Of course, some people don't know what those are in the first place but that's a different topic, yeah?
Great advice Linda! Earlier I used to publish with The Start Up and other bigger pubs - but that was not the writing I was into - that is not my style - also, I think you are right - when I look at some pubs I am interested in, it does not exactly fit with my writing unless I go way out of my comfort zone and try something completely new -
I have a qn for you - what do you think of followers? Do you think followers matter - just curious because a lot of ppl seem to be celebrating their followers these days
I did the same Yana. I was invited to write for a self help pub. I think I wrote two or three posts. It just didn't suit me so I stopped.
I think followers can help, but they matter less now with the boost program. Little while ago I found a brand new writer and nominated her first post. She had 20 followers maybe. But the post I nominated got boosted and wham - thousands of views. So while followers can help to some degree, I think they're less important now that the boost program exists.
You're very welcome. The stats page has some new sorting options that can give interesting insights. Looking at the stuff that paid best was eye opening to me.
Lovely advice! I hadn't thought to evaluate my own writing this way. I really enjoy and appreciate "On Reflection," and I feel (though I haven't tested) that one submission a week is about the right amount of volume. I start to feel a certain energy around Tuesday or Wednesday that inclines me to think I'll write something that will fit with that publication. Usually on Friday I do something for The Writing Cooperative, and I'll sprinkle in some social justice stuff for An Injustice or Cultured. There have been times when I've started out writing a story thinking it would be for one publication, only to realize it belonged in another. I'm not entirely certain about the alchemy of creativity. There are days I know that writing a submission for "On Reflection" would be impossible, so I wait for the days when I can. For me, a big part is the ability to recognize what I'm capable of writing that day. Always pick whatever fruit is easiest to reach!
Second last sentence rang a bell. I have to write what shows up and figure out where it goes, too. For the life of me I cannot sit down and write for a specific publication. I have to write what shows up and figure out where it goes, too.
Thanks Linda. I know I commented before, but I think I’m dead to Medium now for whatever reason. Not to be a whiner, but my writing was just fine with them for over five years, and now suddenly it’s not. My last article got pretty much zero claps.
I’ve also heard that people have recommended me for a boost only to have Medium reject it. Honestly, I don’t feel welcome there anymore. Sorry for the rant. I just wonder if anybody else is going through the same thing?
Glenna!! I have a sticky note on my desk with your name on it. I really want to help you figure this out. You have a really easy writing style and I think we can get Medium on track for you again. Right now work is insane. I have worked until 11 pm so many nights it's not funny. I've only posted once on Medium in the last 5 weeks because of work. We're in the middle of some tech problems and they aren't going away until *I* fix them. Ugh. But I wanted you to know that you're on sticky note waiting for a moment of sanity. It will come. lol.
The only rush (for me) is getting these tech issues sorted because man, they are weighing heavy on my shoulders. And I sure understand your frustration. :)
You may have addressed this issue, but could you offer some insight into the pros and cons of setting up an individual publication? I realize the obvious: that a publication provides a larger audience, but is there any other value, or none, in taking that approach or simply posting on your account? I suppose the real question is can you build an audience without submitting to publications? (Hmm, I probably know the answer to all my questions, but just checking.)
Let's start with building a publication. If it's only for you, then there's not much advantage over just publishing to your profile. If you accept writers, it's a ton of work. So much work. There is a way for it to be less work, and that's to have a "cooperative" publication with 30 or less writers and let everyone be an editor and publish their own stories. But it's hard to manage quality that way. You can build an audience without submitting to publications, but it's harder because boosted posts get good traffic and if you're not in a publication it would be harder for editors to find and nominate the posts. Does that help, or create more questions?
Thanks for verifying what I suspected. Here is my conundrum: I have a website with a blog, a Medium profile, and a Substack account. I’m using Substack for my weekly newsletter, but I can’t determine how to integrate Medium and my blog. Originally, my plan was to use Medium as a way to distribute my blog posts, but that doesn’t work when you’re submitting to pubs. If I publish only to Medium, how do I use my blog? What purpose does a blog serve? Then there is another world of lit mags that I have yet to tap into, but want to add in the mix. Do I have to put all my work in one basket, or is there a logical way to design a better process?
Have I approached this wrong from the beginning? If so, I’m open to being set straight.
Kevin, that was my original strategy when I joined Medium. Most pubs don't want previously published articles especially if their queue of posts backs up. When you repost the original date remains embedded. Copying the text to create a "new" post becomes problematic since now your content resides in two places on the internet and search engines don't like that, at least that is what I have been led to believe. The final pinch is that our blog is our home. We own that space. On Medium, substack, and similar platforms, we are at best renters, and at worst made to feel like squatters. Then, there is the issue of how to draw an audience to our blog. I'm looking for guidance and a strategy that doesn't look like content marketing, funnels, and all the other buzz words for jockeying for attention. If that is the only answer, I would be interested in how to do that gracefully (or is that an oxymoron?).
I'm not a fan of any of those, either! That's why I created a mastermind course on how to avoid them. :)
Kidding of course.
Jokes aside, I've found that cross-posting has not affected any search results, especially when adding a canonical link to the Medium piece. For tactful funneling, I also add one CTA at the bottom, drawing people to my newsletter.
As I've come to expect from you, Linda, this is specific and actionable writing coaching — particularly useful for Medium but applicable anywhere. We all need to learn to set our hooks where the fish are.
Out of my top ten earning stories, three are self-published and the rest are in "dead" publications. It's been two years since I earned over $100 on a story. On the plus side, I earned over $500 last year on Poshmark selling my old clothes.
Wow Denise. I'd never even heard of Poshmark so that was new to me. I've had 3 publications that did well for me go black. It really sucks. One left, two folded. Took me a while to get traction again, but two years is a long time!
Good points. Never really thought of it that way. 🤔 I'm a writer for a couple pubs I probably don't belong in. One of them rejected an article I thought for sure belonged there, confirming I'm just not built for satire. I still enjoy reading it, but my voice doesn't pair well with comedy. 🤷♀️
But some genres are easier to bend my writing to fit in. And after reading this, I think I'll have to really scrutinize whether I truly fit or if I've stretched myself to look like I fit. The worst is when it really looks like I fit to me, but not to the editors. I end up wondering what I'm missing. But ultimately, I'll probably never know. That's the way it goes, eh? Better to move on and find a pub that has less doubt and confusion so I can focus on the writing part. 😉
Many editors are willing to give feedback if asked. Not all, maybe. But a lot. Many of us have had our heads bitten off for suggesting anything. But it sure couldn't hurt to let them know you are open to feedback
There's another issue I'm dealing with that has me scratching my head - comments. Some ppl leave comments that would easily pass for a review, or commentary - they are dry, boring and - to me - useless wastes of space. I never know how to deal with them, so I don't even clap for them. I think the ppl who write them are surreptitiously looking for follow-for-follows. Sorry - ain't gonna bite on them. But how do I encourage them to write from a real-person point of view?
Me too. But lately I'm getting ones that are summaries of my story - like, 'this shows that the actions of the person does...' - like - what??? Did I ask for a commentary? And some are just simply unintelligible garfu. I think I shall write an article about it.
I had an experience with your publications that illustrates yout point about fitting a publication.
I submitted a story to On Reflection, but it was lost. So, per your request, I sent it again, attached to email. I forgot to tell you it was meant for On Reflection.
You thought it was sent to History of Women. You rejected it because it didn't fit!
I had promised to send a story to Nicole Akers at Publishous, so I sent it to her. It fit perfectly.
Book editors often get science fiction when they don't publish SF/F. When the writer gets the rejection, they may be angry, when the fault was theirs.
When submitting to a publication (books, magazines, Medium publications, the first thing to do is read a LOT of what's been published.
Keep these reminders coming, please, Linda. They're gold nuggets!
Good point Sam. The world is full of friends with many faces. We should take advice from people we trust, not just anyone who gives it.
This was always my biggest issue at Medium. I could only rarely find publications that corresponded to what I felt my strengths were as a writer, so I got shy about submitting to many. That was why I mostly self-published or went with stuff with my own publication.
Substack is different, though. Writers here typically don't solicit material from other writers, instead putting things out solo through their own publications. That works better for me.
I hear you on that David. The only publications I write for are ones that reached out to me and asked me to write for them.
Linda. What if I think I’m a good writer but I’m not? When should I just bag it, take my baseball mitt and head home? Heck, how do I know if I’m a good writer? What does that mean? And with so many voices and styles, how do I define good? And how do I pick one?
1) What if you think you're a good writer but you're not? You keep writing, because we all improve with time. We write because we have to.
2) When do you take your bat and ball and go home? Never. We write because we have to. People who aren't compelled to write probably shouldn't. There's Bukowski quote for that ;)
3) How do you know if you're a good writer? You don't. Hell, I think I'm a crappy writer. Lucky for me a few people don't agree.
4) What does that mean? It means there are people who love what comes out of you.
5) How do you define good? You don't. The readers do.
6) How do you pick one what?
A style of writing.
I don't think we pick a style of writing. I think we have a style of writing. Sometimes more than one. I recognize that I have more than one style of writing. I think a lot of people don't stop and think about where their writing fits, and fit is the greater issue.
Okay but if I don’t pick a style of writing, how do I know if my writing is poor or if it is just different?
Funny you should ask. Some time ago, I wrote about a NY literary agent who has a knack for finding strong new voices. He said good writing is subjective but all bad writing is the same. Filled with purple prose, rambling, fluff, overuse of adjectives, lame old tropes, and cliché. Of course, some people don't know what those are in the first place but that's a different topic, yeah?
That’s a fascinating statement from the agent. Would love to discuss that more.
Great advice Linda! Earlier I used to publish with The Start Up and other bigger pubs - but that was not the writing I was into - that is not my style - also, I think you are right - when I look at some pubs I am interested in, it does not exactly fit with my writing unless I go way out of my comfort zone and try something completely new -
I have a qn for you - what do you think of followers? Do you think followers matter - just curious because a lot of ppl seem to be celebrating their followers these days
I did the same Yana. I was invited to write for a self help pub. I think I wrote two or three posts. It just didn't suit me so I stopped.
I think followers can help, but they matter less now with the boost program. Little while ago I found a brand new writer and nominated her first post. She had 20 followers maybe. But the post I nominated got boosted and wham - thousands of views. So while followers can help to some degree, I think they're less important now that the boost program exists.
I’m going to figure out how to list my top ranked stories. I didn’t know I could do that. Thanks for the tip!
You're very welcome. The stats page has some new sorting options that can give interesting insights. Looking at the stuff that paid best was eye opening to me.
Lovely advice! I hadn't thought to evaluate my own writing this way. I really enjoy and appreciate "On Reflection," and I feel (though I haven't tested) that one submission a week is about the right amount of volume. I start to feel a certain energy around Tuesday or Wednesday that inclines me to think I'll write something that will fit with that publication. Usually on Friday I do something for The Writing Cooperative, and I'll sprinkle in some social justice stuff for An Injustice or Cultured. There have been times when I've started out writing a story thinking it would be for one publication, only to realize it belonged in another. I'm not entirely certain about the alchemy of creativity. There are days I know that writing a submission for "On Reflection" would be impossible, so I wait for the days when I can. For me, a big part is the ability to recognize what I'm capable of writing that day. Always pick whatever fruit is easiest to reach!
Second last sentence rang a bell. I have to write what shows up and figure out where it goes, too. For the life of me I cannot sit down and write for a specific publication. I have to write what shows up and figure out where it goes, too.
This makes perfect sense to me. Thank you for sharing because it explains much of my Medium frustration.
Thanks Linda. I know I commented before, but I think I’m dead to Medium now for whatever reason. Not to be a whiner, but my writing was just fine with them for over five years, and now suddenly it’s not. My last article got pretty much zero claps.
I’ve also heard that people have recommended me for a boost only to have Medium reject it. Honestly, I don’t feel welcome there anymore. Sorry for the rant. I just wonder if anybody else is going through the same thing?
Glenna!! I have a sticky note on my desk with your name on it. I really want to help you figure this out. You have a really easy writing style and I think we can get Medium on track for you again. Right now work is insane. I have worked until 11 pm so many nights it's not funny. I've only posted once on Medium in the last 5 weeks because of work. We're in the middle of some tech problems and they aren't going away until *I* fix them. Ugh. But I wanted you to know that you're on sticky note waiting for a moment of sanity. It will come. lol.
Linda, that is so kind of you. Please don't feel like you have to rush. I'm just frustrated as you can probably tell. :)
The only rush (for me) is getting these tech issues sorted because man, they are weighing heavy on my shoulders. And I sure understand your frustration. :)
I hope everything works out and you’re able to solve everything.
Linda, great advice and guidance, as always.
You may have addressed this issue, but could you offer some insight into the pros and cons of setting up an individual publication? I realize the obvious: that a publication provides a larger audience, but is there any other value, or none, in taking that approach or simply posting on your account? I suppose the real question is can you build an audience without submitting to publications? (Hmm, I probably know the answer to all my questions, but just checking.)
Let's start with building a publication. If it's only for you, then there's not much advantage over just publishing to your profile. If you accept writers, it's a ton of work. So much work. There is a way for it to be less work, and that's to have a "cooperative" publication with 30 or less writers and let everyone be an editor and publish their own stories. But it's hard to manage quality that way. You can build an audience without submitting to publications, but it's harder because boosted posts get good traffic and if you're not in a publication it would be harder for editors to find and nominate the posts. Does that help, or create more questions?
Thanks for verifying what I suspected. Here is my conundrum: I have a website with a blog, a Medium profile, and a Substack account. I’m using Substack for my weekly newsletter, but I can’t determine how to integrate Medium and my blog. Originally, my plan was to use Medium as a way to distribute my blog posts, but that doesn’t work when you’re submitting to pubs. If I publish only to Medium, how do I use my blog? What purpose does a blog serve? Then there is another world of lit mags that I have yet to tap into, but want to add in the mix. Do I have to put all my work in one basket, or is there a logical way to design a better process?
Have I approached this wrong from the beginning? If so, I’m open to being set straight.
So glad you asked that - I'm in the same boat!
Me too!
Why not publish first on your blog, and then crosspost to Medium & Substack?
Kevin, that was my original strategy when I joined Medium. Most pubs don't want previously published articles especially if their queue of posts backs up. When you repost the original date remains embedded. Copying the text to create a "new" post becomes problematic since now your content resides in two places on the internet and search engines don't like that, at least that is what I have been led to believe. The final pinch is that our blog is our home. We own that space. On Medium, substack, and similar platforms, we are at best renters, and at worst made to feel like squatters. Then, there is the issue of how to draw an audience to our blog. I'm looking for guidance and a strategy that doesn't look like content marketing, funnels, and all the other buzz words for jockeying for attention. If that is the only answer, I would be interested in how to do that gracefully (or is that an oxymoron?).
I'm not a fan of any of those, either! That's why I created a mastermind course on how to avoid them. :)
Kidding of course.
Jokes aside, I've found that cross-posting has not affected any search results, especially when adding a canonical link to the Medium piece. For tactful funneling, I also add one CTA at the bottom, drawing people to my newsletter.
Tactful, that's a good word, too. Thanks.
As I've come to expect from you, Linda, this is specific and actionable writing coaching — particularly useful for Medium but applicable anywhere. We all need to learn to set our hooks where the fish are.
Thanks, Jan
Out of my top ten earning stories, three are self-published and the rest are in "dead" publications. It's been two years since I earned over $100 on a story. On the plus side, I earned over $500 last year on Poshmark selling my old clothes.
Wow Denise. I'd never even heard of Poshmark so that was new to me. I've had 3 publications that did well for me go black. It really sucks. One left, two folded. Took me a while to get traction again, but two years is a long time!
Good points. Never really thought of it that way. 🤔 I'm a writer for a couple pubs I probably don't belong in. One of them rejected an article I thought for sure belonged there, confirming I'm just not built for satire. I still enjoy reading it, but my voice doesn't pair well with comedy. 🤷♀️
But some genres are easier to bend my writing to fit in. And after reading this, I think I'll have to really scrutinize whether I truly fit or if I've stretched myself to look like I fit. The worst is when it really looks like I fit to me, but not to the editors. I end up wondering what I'm missing. But ultimately, I'll probably never know. That's the way it goes, eh? Better to move on and find a pub that has less doubt and confusion so I can focus on the writing part. 😉
Many editors are willing to give feedback if asked. Not all, maybe. But a lot. Many of us have had our heads bitten off for suggesting anything. But it sure couldn't hurt to let them know you are open to feedback
There's another issue I'm dealing with that has me scratching my head - comments. Some ppl leave comments that would easily pass for a review, or commentary - they are dry, boring and - to me - useless wastes of space. I never know how to deal with them, so I don't even clap for them. I think the ppl who write them are surreptitiously looking for follow-for-follows. Sorry - ain't gonna bite on them. But how do I encourage them to write from a real-person point of view?
I know you were asking Linda, but I pass by any comment that is along the lines of "thanks for sharing" or "great read."
Me too. But lately I'm getting ones that are summaries of my story - like, 'this shows that the actions of the person does...' - like - what??? Did I ask for a commentary? And some are just simply unintelligible garfu. I think I shall write an article about it.
Thanks for telling the truth.
I had an experience with your publications that illustrates yout point about fitting a publication.
I submitted a story to On Reflection, but it was lost. So, per your request, I sent it again, attached to email. I forgot to tell you it was meant for On Reflection.
You thought it was sent to History of Women. You rejected it because it didn't fit!
I had promised to send a story to Nicole Akers at Publishous, so I sent it to her. It fit perfectly.
Book editors often get science fiction when they don't publish SF/F. When the writer gets the rejection, they may be angry, when the fault was theirs.
When submitting to a publication (books, magazines, Medium publications, the first thing to do is read a LOT of what's been published.
Keep these reminders coming, please, Linda. They're gold nuggets!
Hugs,
Linda
My top 3 earners are one about politics (ack!), one about the Airbus A380, and an update to the guidelines at my pub.
None of those are things I write about very often. Now what? Lol.