Well that's disappointing

What do Covid, climate change and writing sites have in common?

Hi again,

Yesterday I was reminded of something I read long ago. It was a thread —somewhere, probably Reddit— that asked readers the most disappointing part of becoming an adult. I didn’t expect where it went.

“Other adults,” someone said.

The number of upvotes left me without words.

Yesterday I read a post that reminded me of that.
It was a thank you post, of all things.

Someone relatively new to Medium posted a “thank you” post. She said Medium changed her life. She went from being a newbie struggling to pay her bills to earning over $2000/month from writing on Medium.

So I looked at her profile, to see what she writes about.
You know what’s coming, right?

Almost all her posts are about making money. Sites that pay for submissions. Sites where you can earn. Side gigs. Side hustles. How to make money, money, money.

I get it. Half of America lives hand to mouth. No savings and one emergency away from dead broke.

So many people complain about people writing about Medium on Medium. Which is funny, because they’re doing the same thing they’re complaining about. They say stuff like “you don’t go to Forbes and see articles about writing on Forbes”

(If Forbes allowed it, you would.)

It’s the same thing, though, isn’t it?
They’re all pushing the same buttons.

Here’s a riddle for you...

What do Covid, climate change and writing sites have in common?

Answer. They all prove humanity is a collective.
We all live with the end results of each other’s decisions.

Especially on the internet.

Doesn’t matter if it’s Google or Facebook, popularity is an algorithm.

The irony is that so many people complain about the people writing the crap, when it’s the people clicking on it that makes it rise to the top.

Curiosity is the biggest human motivator.
Pair it with money and it’s pretty hard to beat.

Here’s a question for you...

I mostly write about feminism, writing tips and history. Feminism gets a lot of response and pays well, but I don’t write it often because the hate in the comments get to me. Ironic that it’s probably hate reads that make it pay well.

Some days I have the stomach for it. Not all days.

So, here’s a question for you… What topic does well for you?

Not genre. Topic.

I doubt Rupi Kaur would have had the same “success” if she wrote poetry about types of trees. The Birch. The Maple. The Elm. You know? Maybe that she writes about abuse and rape (albeit in poetry) is part of her success?

I don’t know.
I’m pondering.

But also curious.

Which topics get the best response for you?
Maybe there’s a light in the dark yet.

---

More reading

• “Georgie Porgie” Was A Rhyme Mocking The Prince Of Wales

• Beauty Rituals of 7 of the World’s Most Beautiful Women

• If You’re Sick of the Nonsense, This Is For You

---

Did you know if you click the heart or leave a comment, Substack gives you stars for being responsive? You can’t see them, but I can. They make me smile. Weird, but true.

Thanks for reading and have a great Halloween weekend!

xo,
Linda