Very well-written, Linda. And timely. I'm writing one now. It's hard to even get it on paper because I know how much of it will get cut in editing. I'll take your points to heart. Thanks.
Hi Linda. I hope it's okay to ask you for some advice. Ever since I've started writing on Medium in 2018, all my stories have been personal (memoir-type) stories. When everything at Medium changed, my monthly payments are now only 1/4 of what I used to make there. I used to be boosted 2-3 times a month but nothing for the past 3 months.
I read in a Medium article from somebody that works there that if our earnings are cut way down, maybe we should just find someplace to go. It was very different from the warmth and security that Medium had been for the previous five years. I realized that they've changed and I maybe haven't, but honestly I don't know how to write any other way. It's the only thing I've always been good at.
Any advice on how I could continue to share my stories but in the way that Medium is looking for (in addition to the great advice you have shared here)? I have gotten really discouraged and even have questioned myself that maybe I have lost my talent. I'm here on Substack, too, but it has really been slow going.
Medium used to feel like we were all on the same team, writing and sharing other people's stories along with ours and forming connections. There used to be social media groups where we all read each other's writing and commented for each other. These days, it's been hard for me to figure out what Medium really wants from its writers as far as content. Why is the work that was perfectly good a year ago suddenly not able to make the cut?
Sorry to vent, but I thought it couldn't just be me. I guess I was just looking for encouragement to stay on Medium. I really appreciate you reading this. Your articles are wonderful.
Emotion and pace. Kill your darlings. I think the thing you said that hit me most was m: now it’s not just your story, it’s ours too. The reader needs to feel it’s also their adventure. After all, writing and reading is about finding yourself in what’s presented. If the viewer or listener or reader can’t find themselves in it (which is identification) then it’s not art. Then it’s just another essay. May as well be academic. And I don’t go to Medium for academia. I go to expert journals and professional sources for research. I go to Medium for emotional storytelling. Frankly, I think people confuse what Medium is for. I don’t give a damn about opinions. I care about well-framed experiences.
One of the many things I appreciate about you, Linda, is the way you demand the best of writers without giving up hope they can achieve it. Cheers to you for setting the bar high, and then pointing at how to get over it.
We love to follow on your writing every Friday week.
Even with all the difficulties we have here with the internet connection.
Still we love to communicate with important american writers like you, to send a simple heart to heart message to all the american people that we love you ALL.
Hi Linda! I went to look through my stats after seeing this posting, and my highest read story on Medium wasn't really a personal essay. It was about race, human rights, and politics of the patriarchy. I guess that is relatable to a LOT of people? 992 people read it!
I had that exact same issue a month ago, and reading this I was like... Is she taking about one of MY stories? Thing is, I don't think I wrote about that. Maybe I did as part of something bigger, but it certainly wasn't a play by play.
And my mom doesn't have dementia.
BUT, I'm tempted to take your advice. I think I'm calm enough now to actually write something about it rather than spew catharsis over the page. If I do, I'll let you know.
Happy 2024, btw. Good to see you still firing us up so soon after the holidays. 😉
I definitely agree that emotion and pace play a big part in attracting more readers. I also noticed that when I offer a different perspective along with those, it makes the piece more powerful.
Last year, my most viewed story was actually a fiction piece I wrote called “I Found Death At A Nightclub”. Although some of my personal essays came close as well.
Very well-written, Linda. And timely. I'm writing one now. It's hard to even get it on paper because I know how much of it will get cut in editing. I'll take your points to heart. Thanks.
Triple excellent advice, Linda. Thank you.
When I finally get around to writing these essays currently in my head, I will have saved this Substack of yours for my first consult!
"Nothing should be longer than it needs to be." Exactly...
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024
TO ALL
JOHN SAM
IRAQ
Hi Linda. I hope it's okay to ask you for some advice. Ever since I've started writing on Medium in 2018, all my stories have been personal (memoir-type) stories. When everything at Medium changed, my monthly payments are now only 1/4 of what I used to make there. I used to be boosted 2-3 times a month but nothing for the past 3 months.
I read in a Medium article from somebody that works there that if our earnings are cut way down, maybe we should just find someplace to go. It was very different from the warmth and security that Medium had been for the previous five years. I realized that they've changed and I maybe haven't, but honestly I don't know how to write any other way. It's the only thing I've always been good at.
Any advice on how I could continue to share my stories but in the way that Medium is looking for (in addition to the great advice you have shared here)? I have gotten really discouraged and even have questioned myself that maybe I have lost my talent. I'm here on Substack, too, but it has really been slow going.
Medium used to feel like we were all on the same team, writing and sharing other people's stories along with ours and forming connections. There used to be social media groups where we all read each other's writing and commented for each other. These days, it's been hard for me to figure out what Medium really wants from its writers as far as content. Why is the work that was perfectly good a year ago suddenly not able to make the cut?
Sorry to vent, but I thought it couldn't just be me. I guess I was just looking for encouragement to stay on Medium. I really appreciate you reading this. Your articles are wonderful.
Appreciate all the wisdom you share.
Emotion and pace. Kill your darlings. I think the thing you said that hit me most was m: now it’s not just your story, it’s ours too. The reader needs to feel it’s also their adventure. After all, writing and reading is about finding yourself in what’s presented. If the viewer or listener or reader can’t find themselves in it (which is identification) then it’s not art. Then it’s just another essay. May as well be academic. And I don’t go to Medium for academia. I go to expert journals and professional sources for research. I go to Medium for emotional storytelling. Frankly, I think people confuse what Medium is for. I don’t give a damn about opinions. I care about well-framed experiences.
Emotion and pace - got it, Linda! And happy new year! 😊💙✨✨✨
One of the many things I appreciate about you, Linda, is the way you demand the best of writers without giving up hope they can achieve it. Cheers to you for setting the bar high, and then pointing at how to get over it.
Excellent advice! I find the "sweet spot" is a moving target. Medium tends to like a really strong takeaway, and sometimes I like to bury the takeaway in the narrative... or give readers something to contemplate. Sometimes a good story sticks with you even if you don't recognize how good it is in the moment. Other times, I just miss :) Here are my most read stories from 2023 (I was kind of surprised): 1. https://aninjusticemag.com/american-is-a-nation-of-bullies-too-cowardly-to-stand-up-to-the-true-oppressors-f464351853c4 2. https://aninjusticemag.com/there-is-no-respect-in-the-united-states-bc5c12d7e2cd 3. (the only one that was boosted) https://medium.com/human-parts/a-year-ago-we-lost-a-child-and-i-was-among-those-that-found-her-3dfdfe76a50f
Dear Linda ;
Your friend from IRAQ John Sam,
We love to follow on your writing every Friday week.
Even with all the difficulties we have here with the internet connection.
Still we love to communicate with important american writers like you, to send a simple heart to heart message to all the american people that we love you ALL.
John Sam
Baghdad, IRAQ
Dear Linda
Thank you so much
From my sisters an me here in IRAQ.
With our best wishes.
John Sam
IRAQ
Hi Linda! I went to look through my stats after seeing this posting, and my highest read story on Medium wasn't really a personal essay. It was about race, human rights, and politics of the patriarchy. I guess that is relatable to a LOT of people? 992 people read it!
https://medium.com/an-injustice/america-was-never-meant-to-belong-to-everyone-36d7d7153077?sk=3901e987429193088aae9c5e5b516b25
I had that exact same issue a month ago, and reading this I was like... Is she taking about one of MY stories? Thing is, I don't think I wrote about that. Maybe I did as part of something bigger, but it certainly wasn't a play by play.
And my mom doesn't have dementia.
BUT, I'm tempted to take your advice. I think I'm calm enough now to actually write something about it rather than spew catharsis over the page. If I do, I'll let you know.
Happy 2024, btw. Good to see you still firing us up so soon after the holidays. 😉
Exactly. I always remind myself "It's not about me." I'm just using my personal experience as the lens to illustrate something lots of people feel/think/experience. Sometimes I get that more right than other times. This was my most read one of 2023 with 20K reads. https://medium.com/an-injustice/another-celebrity-posed-semi-naked-at-55-and-i-hate-it-5d473072497e
I definitely agree that emotion and pace play a big part in attracting more readers. I also noticed that when I offer a different perspective along with those, it makes the piece more powerful.
Last year, my most viewed story was actually a fiction piece I wrote called “I Found Death At A Nightclub”. Although some of my personal essays came close as well.
https://thekrakenlore.com/i-found-death-at-a-nightclub-f3570f10054e