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.
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.
Wish I could highlight here. I like that -- if the reader can't find themselves in it, it's not art. Well said. Now I kind of want to write an opinion piece. See if I can challenge that. lol. Sorry, couldn't help myself.
Took this one so to heart: emotion and pace. Haven’t tripped over it in any writer conferences or wise guides—making it so much more useful than any hack, technique, structure….Will now run all my writing through that emotion and pace filter, starting with the pieces that worked and their distant relatives. Happy New Year!
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!
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.
It is absolutely okay, Glenna. When I'm done work I will pop over to Medium and see what suggestions I can make. I don't buy the "go somewhere else" nonsense. You've been at Medium a long time and I'm sure we can figure out what's happening. I will pop back later. :)
I haven’t been on Medium writing consistently as long but I think we are all feeling frustration at the lack of direction. I can only speak for myself. But Medium’s direction feels a little directionless to me.
I think it has to do with read ratio. My theory is that Medium wants to boost academic articles, however, the readers love narrative style articles. So, you have to get as close to being a narrative style article that still has elements of an academic article (obvious takeaway for example). It's like alchemy. The read ratio is a very helpful bit of data.
I've revisited that event a few times, it's never going away. We have moments in life when we come face to face with reality and mortality and they are both terrifying and humbling. It underscores the need for kindness every day.
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.
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.
You’re inspirational, practical and so entertaining. So accessible. I love your writing.
Here’s my most-read 2023 Medium post.
The Pro-Choice Argument Should Start When Clothes Are Still Onhttps://medium.com/modern-women/the-pro-choice-argument-should-start-when-clothes-are-still-on-67bac59b50cd
Happy New Year to you, too, Sam!
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.
Linda are you available as an editor for my essay?
"Nothing should be longer than it needs to be." Exactly...
Emotion and pace - got it, Linda! And happy new year! 😊💙✨✨✨
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.
Wish I could highlight here. I like that -- if the reader can't find themselves in it, it's not art. Well said. Now I kind of want to write an opinion piece. See if I can challenge that. lol. Sorry, couldn't help myself.
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.
I love this, Roman.
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!
Appreciate all the wisdom you share.
Took this one so to heart: emotion and pace. Haven’t tripped over it in any writer conferences or wise guides—making it so much more useful than any hack, technique, structure….Will now run all my writing through that emotion and pace filter, starting with the pieces that worked and their distant relatives. Happy New Year!
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
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.
It is absolutely okay, Glenna. When I'm done work I will pop over to Medium and see what suggestions I can make. I don't buy the "go somewhere else" nonsense. You've been at Medium a long time and I'm sure we can figure out what's happening. I will pop back later. :)
I really appreciate that, Linda. Thanks for understanding. That was my first real rant on the subject. Thanks for giving me the space to do it.
Glenna I've boosted at least one of your pieces but it wasn't accepted.
:-(
Marilyn, thank you so much. That was very kind of you.
I haven’t been on Medium writing consistently as long but I think we are all feeling frustration at the lack of direction. I can only speak for myself. But Medium’s direction feels a little directionless to me.
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
Also, my top article list in terms of earnings is completely different!
Same! It's the weirdest damn thing. In some cases the difference defies anything that makes sense at all.
I think it has to do with read ratio. My theory is that Medium wants to boost academic articles, however, the readers love narrative style articles. So, you have to get as close to being a narrative style article that still has elements of an academic article (obvious takeaway for example). It's like alchemy. The read ratio is a very helpful bit of data.
Walter -- that third one. Pretty sure I nominated that one. That was so powerful. Going to read the others, too. Probably that one again, as well.
I've revisited that event a few times, it's never going away. We have moments in life when we come face to face with reality and mortality and they are both terrifying and humbling. It underscores the need for kindness every day.
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.
100% yes to all of this. If I had a nickel for all the purple prose I wade through as an editor, well, I’d have a lot of nickels.
I think a lot of writers feel they need to add that sort of thing because they think it’s what readers want.
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
Linda,
You’re inspirational, practical and so entertaining. So accessible. I love your writing.
Here’s my most-read 2023 Medium post.
The Pro-Choice Argument Should Start When Clothes Are Still Onhttps://medium.com/modern-women/the-pro-choice-argument-should-start-when-clothes-are-still-on-67bac59b50cd
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