Hi Linda, happy to hear On Reflection is doing so well!! Would appreciate it if you can explain the 3 mistakes so I have that in the back of my mind when I submit - thanks!
Another great piece, Linda. I’ve written a lot that I’ve felt is good, and years later, cringed at parts of my manuscripts, wondering what I was thinking. Time is always beneficial.
Congratulations on the wonderful, very successful articles in your new publication! I’ve enjoyed reading them and I look forward to reading more.
I am truly an amateur writer. Thank you for posting this, I needed the reminder. Writing shouldn’t be seen as a race, but rather as an opportunity to share a very intimate part of our soul. Again thanks.
Linda, thanks for the first half of this piece about new writers being in a hurry. It is a symptom of writing online, especially when your subjects have an expiration date. But if that is the case, as it is with my political and climate stuff, you have to learn to operate on an accelerated timeline. I started out doing how to books in the nineties for traditional publishers and you had no choice but to wait, even when your deadline for an 80k word draft might be three months. After that draft went in you were lucky if you had a book in your hands within a year. No more. I love the luxury of setting things aside, especially fiction. It’s actually a necessity in my opinion.
I’m very happy for you hearing your pub is going well. It’s my intent to submit but things have been nuts for me too, so I can relate! Thx again for your insights. M
I agree, with a lot of writing setting it aside really helps. The stuff that has a timeline is usually more in the lines of journalism, because man oh man, journalists learn how to crank out a story fast. But anyone who isn't a journalist struggles with that, and personal essayists most of all. They're too close to the story.
Great advice! I agree with keeping your article aside for a bit. I find that when I take breaks away from my article or story, I’m able to see what works or doesn’t and how I can make my points more powerful. That’s usually why I’m so surprised that some writers can post so many articles at once. We’re told that we should post more for attention especially on Medium, hence why I think people hurry.
That used to be Medium, for sure. Hurry hurry, publish more. Now they are asking people to slow down and turn in quality not quantity. I suspect some folks didn't get the memo lol
Hi Linda, I'm interested to learn the three mistakes. I'll stay tuned. I'm wondering, do you get back to every writer to let them know if their submission is accepted or rejected? I know that must be a lot of work for you. I'm not sure how else we'll know. Thank you.
Hey Karen -- so far, yes, I've been responding to every writer personally. And you're right, it does take a lot of time, which is why I'm almost always behind. It's a lot with working full time, but it's a learning experience and I'll figure out how to make it faster and easier for all of us. :)
Very good advice! I find even sitting on a story overnight makes a huge difference. There are times when I'll leave an article on my desktop then forget about it. I can always create something nice out of those (if I happen to stumble across them later). I guess I should learn from that and clean up my desktop more often...
For me it's notepads. I keep one on my desktop to throw ideas into because they always show up when I'm doing something else. Then I can mine them later. I so agree that even overnight can make a big difference.
I open a google doc, write a title that reminds me what the idea was, and a subtitle and then get back to it when I can. I think that often is enough to get the gears turning on how I am going to handle the topic. Then I’ll draft the whole piece in one sitting (these are 500-1000 words), set it aside for as long as I can and then do an edit. Then a second, then publish. It’s fun compared to the days when you waited months for an editor to respond.
Learning not to be an impatient writer can be difficult- yet it's clear to me now that it's an absolute necessity for powerful writing.
I think for me, the impatient phase was also necessary- otherwise I'd never stop sitting on them! Getting the words out there broke through that perfection paralysis. But after a year and a half of consistently publishing *something*, I can agree paralysis isn't an issue anymore.
As Medium grows in it's desire for better writing, so shall we. 😉 Thank you for sharing your perspective- and so much of your free time on developing a good publication for readers, not just for writers. It's a lot of work for one person! Make sure you pace yourself. It sounds like those willing to wait are more likely to be better stories BECAUSE they wait. So on the other side of that, I hope you're being patient with yourself as well. 🤗💕
Very good advice that IMO a lot of people would benefit from. Hammer out your draft and then let it sit for (at least) 24 hours. it's amazing what you'll see with a fresh set of eyes.
Also: I can totally guess what the 3 biggest reasons are, and bet they're the same three that make me want to tear out what little hair I have left!
Resisting the urge to hurry takes a looooong time to overcome, and I'm not sure it ever completely goes away. But letting stuff sit a minute is crucial. HUGE congrats for the 40% Boost rate — which shows that On Reflection is kicking literary @$$ in exactly the way you envisioned, Linda.
Wow, congratulations on the 40% boost rate and high views for On Reflection! :) I'm usually in the perfectionist mindset where I need to hurry up and let go. XD But there are some stories I feel a lot more casual about, and just want to get them done so I can move on to the next thing. So I admit that I don't value my stories equally...Or I put in different amounts of effort depending on how seriously I take the particular story.
Actually, I'm a bit stuck in the perfectionist zone right now, so I can only bring myself to write the lighthearted stuff that I know won't get boosted. (They are choose your own adventure chapters that can't be read as stand-alones, and are not the first chapter, LOL.) And I'm actively avoiding writing more serious stuff that I know can get boosted... I know I'm going through some stressors outside of Medium, so I'm deliberately choosing to write stories that feel relaxing and low stress. But I'm not sure how long this phase will continue. I'll need to encourage myself to "write trash" again, or I won't be touching serious subjects for a while, because I'm so avoidant of them right now. (It's not literal trash, but telling myself I can write trash, helps me break out of the perfectionist mindset.) But when it comes to editing, I agree with giving it time before publishing it. Writing and publishing a story on the same day definitely sounds too rushed!
Boosts are depressing. It's like we're dogs and some non-literate industry boss -- instead of taking the risk of assigning a piece to a writer in response to a pitch -- are holding out pieces of kibble for us to try to win with completed works that bring eyeballs to their site.
If Medium assigned stories to writers based on a pitch, the vast majority would have no reads and no assignments. There are thousands of blogs that accept writers on assignment and many pay a paltry $50. Medium is a great place for writers to learn the skill. When a writer is not getting boosted, it's depressing. But as they learn to write better or they get found by someone who can nominate if they're already strong writers, boosts become a very nice compensation. My opinion, of course.
Yes, letting your writing sit for at least a day or two and coming back fresh is advice I always give my students for editing/revision in comp classes! How often I follow that advice myself... 😂
Hi Linda, happy to hear On Reflection is doing so well!! Would appreciate it if you can explain the 3 mistakes so I have that in the back of my mind when I submit - thanks!
I sure will, Yana -- I will add it to the submission guide when I get a minute. By early next week for sure. :)
Another great piece, Linda. I’ve written a lot that I’ve felt is good, and years later, cringed at parts of my manuscripts, wondering what I was thinking. Time is always beneficial.
Congratulations on the wonderful, very successful articles in your new publication! I’ve enjoyed reading them and I look forward to reading more.
I'm glad you are enjoying them Joy, that does my heart good to hear. I feel that same cringe looking at some of the stuff I wrote 5 years ago. lol
I am truly an amateur writer. Thank you for posting this, I needed the reminder. Writing shouldn’t be seen as a race, but rather as an opportunity to share a very intimate part of our soul. Again thanks.
Yes exactly. So well said. That's it. :)
Linda, thanks for the first half of this piece about new writers being in a hurry. It is a symptom of writing online, especially when your subjects have an expiration date. But if that is the case, as it is with my political and climate stuff, you have to learn to operate on an accelerated timeline. I started out doing how to books in the nineties for traditional publishers and you had no choice but to wait, even when your deadline for an 80k word draft might be three months. After that draft went in you were lucky if you had a book in your hands within a year. No more. I love the luxury of setting things aside, especially fiction. It’s actually a necessity in my opinion.
I’m very happy for you hearing your pub is going well. It’s my intent to submit but things have been nuts for me too, so I can relate! Thx again for your insights. M
I agree, with a lot of writing setting it aside really helps. The stuff that has a timeline is usually more in the lines of journalism, because man oh man, journalists learn how to crank out a story fast. But anyone who isn't a journalist struggles with that, and personal essayists most of all. They're too close to the story.
Great advice! I agree with keeping your article aside for a bit. I find that when I take breaks away from my article or story, I’m able to see what works or doesn’t and how I can make my points more powerful. That’s usually why I’m so surprised that some writers can post so many articles at once. We’re told that we should post more for attention especially on Medium, hence why I think people hurry.
That used to be Medium, for sure. Hurry hurry, publish more. Now they are asking people to slow down and turn in quality not quantity. I suspect some folks didn't get the memo lol
Some folks absolutely did not get the memo.
Hi Linda, I'm interested to learn the three mistakes. I'll stay tuned. I'm wondering, do you get back to every writer to let them know if their submission is accepted or rejected? I know that must be a lot of work for you. I'm not sure how else we'll know. Thank you.
Hey Karen -- so far, yes, I've been responding to every writer personally. And you're right, it does take a lot of time, which is why I'm almost always behind. It's a lot with working full time, but it's a learning experience and I'll figure out how to make it faster and easier for all of us. :)
I appreciate that. I'm juggling work and writing, too. Thank you for the one on one with responding to our submissions. We all appreciate you.
Very good advice! I find even sitting on a story overnight makes a huge difference. There are times when I'll leave an article on my desktop then forget about it. I can always create something nice out of those (if I happen to stumble across them later). I guess I should learn from that and clean up my desktop more often...
For me it's notepads. I keep one on my desktop to throw ideas into because they always show up when I'm doing something else. Then I can mine them later. I so agree that even overnight can make a big difference.
I open a google doc, write a title that reminds me what the idea was, and a subtitle and then get back to it when I can. I think that often is enough to get the gears turning on how I am going to handle the topic. Then I’ll draft the whole piece in one sitting (these are 500-1000 words), set it aside for as long as I can and then do an edit. Then a second, then publish. It’s fun compared to the days when you waited months for an editor to respond.
Learning not to be an impatient writer can be difficult- yet it's clear to me now that it's an absolute necessity for powerful writing.
I think for me, the impatient phase was also necessary- otherwise I'd never stop sitting on them! Getting the words out there broke through that perfection paralysis. But after a year and a half of consistently publishing *something*, I can agree paralysis isn't an issue anymore.
As Medium grows in it's desire for better writing, so shall we. 😉 Thank you for sharing your perspective- and so much of your free time on developing a good publication for readers, not just for writers. It's a lot of work for one person! Make sure you pace yourself. It sounds like those willing to wait are more likely to be better stories BECAUSE they wait. So on the other side of that, I hope you're being patient with yourself as well. 🤗💕
Very good advice that IMO a lot of people would benefit from. Hammer out your draft and then let it sit for (at least) 24 hours. it's amazing what you'll see with a fresh set of eyes.
Also: I can totally guess what the 3 biggest reasons are, and bet they're the same three that make me want to tear out what little hair I have left!
Resisting the urge to hurry takes a looooong time to overcome, and I'm not sure it ever completely goes away. But letting stuff sit a minute is crucial. HUGE congrats for the 40% Boost rate — which shows that On Reflection is kicking literary @$$ in exactly the way you envisioned, Linda.
Wow, congratulations on the 40% boost rate and high views for On Reflection! :) I'm usually in the perfectionist mindset where I need to hurry up and let go. XD But there are some stories I feel a lot more casual about, and just want to get them done so I can move on to the next thing. So I admit that I don't value my stories equally...Or I put in different amounts of effort depending on how seriously I take the particular story.
Actually, I'm a bit stuck in the perfectionist zone right now, so I can only bring myself to write the lighthearted stuff that I know won't get boosted. (They are choose your own adventure chapters that can't be read as stand-alones, and are not the first chapter, LOL.) And I'm actively avoiding writing more serious stuff that I know can get boosted... I know I'm going through some stressors outside of Medium, so I'm deliberately choosing to write stories that feel relaxing and low stress. But I'm not sure how long this phase will continue. I'll need to encourage myself to "write trash" again, or I won't be touching serious subjects for a while, because I'm so avoidant of them right now. (It's not literal trash, but telling myself I can write trash, helps me break out of the perfectionist mindset.) But when it comes to editing, I agree with giving it time before publishing it. Writing and publishing a story on the same day definitely sounds too rushed!
Boosts are depressing. It's like we're dogs and some non-literate industry boss -- instead of taking the risk of assigning a piece to a writer in response to a pitch -- are holding out pieces of kibble for us to try to win with completed works that bring eyeballs to their site.
If Medium assigned stories to writers based on a pitch, the vast majority would have no reads and no assignments. There are thousands of blogs that accept writers on assignment and many pay a paltry $50. Medium is a great place for writers to learn the skill. When a writer is not getting boosted, it's depressing. But as they learn to write better or they get found by someone who can nominate if they're already strong writers, boosts become a very nice compensation. My opinion, of course.
Nah nuts friend, think of it as a determined toddler wanting to skip and run. Barriers only exist when you believe them.... Peace, Maurice
If only people could apply the same principle to the act of speaking, i.e., think first speak second.
I'll wait as long as it takes to hear about my story, submitted to you about 10 days ago. I hope it meets your requirements!
Hugs
Linda
Yes, letting your writing sit for at least a day or two and coming back fresh is advice I always give my students for editing/revision in comp classes! How often I follow that advice myself... 😂
Thank you Linda!
Always happy to see you here. I'm working up the courage to submit. :)