Happy Friday, Good thing we’re allowed to change our minds. In late October, I read a post in which some guy challenged writers to publish on Medium every day through November. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, of course. Know what I’ve never done in all my time at Medium?
I do not publish daily, Linda. I do comment daily, though, a lot. I've been on Medium since February 2020 and I've published 300 stories and 2288 "responses" aka comments. When I was on vacation, I found that continuing to read and comment kept my overall numbers up. If someone likes a comment, they'll often check out one of my stories. I do the same thing. Sometimes, it also leads to a follow. Keep going with that book. I'm someone who needs it badly!
You've hit on the worst part of publishing daily. No time to read and comment. It's an interesting perspective shift - in the Medium system, comments are counted as stories. So I guess if I read and comment daily, I'm still publishing every day, right? lol
I too find myself unable to publish daily; in fact, I've got twenty-five first drafts that I've been ignoring for weeks. Instead, I write multiple, often lengthy, comments daily in support of my favorite writers. I know it's counter-productive, but we are a community of wordsmiths and these exchanges are pretty much the totality of my social life these days.
Oops, I forgot the most important question: 'What do you say no to?'
Um, a lot of things? Recently I've made a deliberate push to unsubscribe email newsletters I almost never read.
I'm saying no to returning to my local board game meetup. I love playing board games, I don't like playing them online, and the local group has put in some anti-covid safety measures, I just don't think they're enough. Drinking tea and reading books aren't the same as playing board games and studying people's faces in real-time, but the covid risk is zero.
I also say no to most social media. I said no to FaceBook in 2010 (early quitter!) and I've never had an account on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, etc. This gives me more time for websites like Medium.
I'll be honest, I'd rather buy that book from you than subscribe to a paid SubStack. But you know what's right for you and your project.
I wish I could say no to housework, but it doesn't do itself. Incidentally, if I do the Substack, it will just be to push me to get the book done. Once it's all written, easy to copy/paste into a book. I forgot to mention that part. :)
Linda, you hit on an issue that I have been grappling with since I first started writing and reading on Medium. I quit writing online for several months. I needed time to sort out all the nonsense advice and my purpose for sharing my thoughts whether in stories or comments to other writers.
The drama online becomes overwhelming and distracting. I no longer look at stats and publish when I find the words that may offer hope, perspective, or something interesting. I don't have to appeal to everyone, but I need to know I gave my best at that moment.
I can't even think about publishing every day. I write every day, but I'm working on a memoir now, so I'm kind of sidetracked. What I put on Medium is narrative essays. No opinions. Even if I did opinions, I'd have to think long and hard about what I put on the page and make sure I've said it the way I mean to say it. I usually can't even publish once a week because I have to feel like it's ready before I'm willing to put it out there. I'm amazed at your output. You don't need to do everyday. Your pace is just fine. And I'll be looking forward to that book you're writing. :)
I know exactly what you mean. I am very familiar with "that's not what I meant..." lol. And thank you for the kind words about my pace. It's not daily, but it works for me.
I'm a longtime member of NOvember. I only publish when a poem is Ready. But, like you, I write darn near everyday. And, like Denise, I read/comment daily.
I get it, re the book. Just let me know if you substack!
I'll join you in the NOvember. I've been a great fan of Nanowrimo for years, planning, plotting and hoping to scrabble out a few hours or weeks to work on my novel, but if I get 5 to 10 days out of the month it is about double my normal productivity on the book so not all that bad, but nowhere near publishing on Medium every day nor even writing every day as there's that full-time bill-paying job and the rest of life to consider. So I think my contribution to my NOvember is to say no to being disappointed with myself.
Good to see you, Rasheed. I did a similar thing when I started, too. I'd joined a 100 day challenge, and fell off the wagon repeatedly. But even still, after 100 posts I left for 10 months. I'd show up to read, but wow it was a long time before I wrote again. I write for work, too, so that adds to the amount of words I churn out.
I do NOT write daily. I was writing/publishing about one poem a week in the beginning of 2020 - Then the COVID situation in our nation put me in a real funk. Sadness for the deaths of so many people (none of whom I knew) washed over me and I felt cognitively paralyzed by the increasingly bad news.
No, I wasn't depressed...just sad.
While I write poems for myself - maybe one a week - I do not publish most of them. Maybe twice a month for publishing. That's enough to keep me engaged with others here at Medium.
The month of October has been especially crazy for me, for a lot of reasons. Mid-October was wonderful as I received numerous phone calls, texts, emails and FB posts from friends scattered to the winds (well, not all of them are scattered from sea-to-shiny-sea). I turned 70... Then my spouse and I had our 31st wedding anniversary a week later.
There's been a lot of drama related to the leave-of-absence of the Rector at my church, especially during the month of October (her LOA began in mid-March and it's ongoing as I write this). I am on the Vestry, the governing body in Episcopal 'speak', and signed up to be the Church Treasurer in March of 2021. Too many meetings related to that LOA in October.
So, what I've been saying "no" to of late are meetings that really aren't necessary for my time. I sent an email outlining my thoughts in advance of the most recent meeting and said "I cannot attend" on Tuesday afternoon (Nov 2nd) without any explanation as to "why." It felt really good to say NO. The drama is just wearing me out.
So, that is why I especially liked your statement: "I have officially dubbed the month NOvember." To that I say YES.
Oh, I've been saying no in the last few years to family members who are into drama. They are no longer invited over for celebratory dinners on special occasions. Life is much saner since then.
Hurray to you for saying no to meetings if an email will do the job. I'm with you on eliminating drama. Lord knows, the less of that, the better. Good to see you, Linda -- and Happy, happy belated birthday. :)
Nope, I don't publish daily. (There have been a few times when I've published daily for a week on my blog, but those were pre-planned projects where I had a reason to publish every day. But since those were limited time periods, they don't count).
I've encountered claims that the Medium algorithm favors writers who publish at least 3 times a week, especially if they publish daily. If true, that explains why it can be so difficult to find the most appealing writing. I'd rather read something by someone who published only once a week and had something insightful to say every week than someone publishing daily because goals (the exception are people who write on Medium full time, like Shannon Ashley, and even she has had to drastically cut back her schedule to take care of her health).
Know what's bizarre? I find that my results are better at about 2-3x a week. The extra work to try post daily doesn't escalate results by much. Thank heavens. lol
There's some people on Medium who churn out multiple posts a day, and they're not really puting a whole lot of thought ( or effort) into their writing.. I'd rather save it for when I actually have alot to say. :)
Me, too. That's what I discovered this week. I'd rather take the time to work on something that's a little more off the wall. The research adds time, but I enjoy it.
My plan is to write every day from now on. We'll see. I haven't been on SS long. But now that I've settled on "Gratitude Every Day of the Year," I'll be able to start with a story then link it to gratitude, even if the story is sad or tragic. A week ago, a pickup going the wrong way slammed into a bus full of band students, burst into flames, then ricocheted into another vehicle. Three adults were killed--pickup driver, bus driver, band director. 20+ students sent to the hospital. Gratitude? Only 3 died, when it could've been the whole bus if the flaming truck hadn't spun away.
Good comes from all things. I'm guessing all the band members on that bus and the two following, won't feel immortal while driving after such a horrible disaster.
The important part of "Gratitude Every Day of the Year" is that gratitude is free and healthy. So, I'm not charging anything for what I write. It will be free every day of the year. Motivation to write and share and hopefully help others see life as full of gratitude, and getting to know a lot of readers who want to be thankful, even when it's hard.
Write when you can, Linda. Comment when you can. You're wonderful.
Over the 15 months on Medium, there were at least 3 times I had the grand plan of publishing daily for 30 days, and each time it failed and backfired. My mind was stressed out. I felt like a failure and questioned myself and my grasp of English! No kidding.
If I want to write a piece I feel satisfied, it takes me about 7-10days.
Now, I have decided, screw the daily publishing thing. The most I will try are short-forms but even those, I feel meh about it, so I stopped.
Decided now to focus on living life, engaging in meaningful reads and conversations.
(I just checked that I have "published" 609 responses and 89 stories published to date! LOL. )
Thank you for admitting this. Too many people publish daily and so much of it is not original. My stats go up when I post daily, or nearly daily, but I agree, the quality is just not the same.
I do not publish daily, Linda. I do comment daily, though, a lot. I've been on Medium since February 2020 and I've published 300 stories and 2288 "responses" aka comments. When I was on vacation, I found that continuing to read and comment kept my overall numbers up. If someone likes a comment, they'll often check out one of my stories. I do the same thing. Sometimes, it also leads to a follow. Keep going with that book. I'm someone who needs it badly!
You've hit on the worst part of publishing daily. No time to read and comment. It's an interesting perspective shift - in the Medium system, comments are counted as stories. So I guess if I read and comment daily, I'm still publishing every day, right? lol
Right! And, for me, a comment with real feedback has more reading value than a half-baked opinion piece.
Excellent observation. I can always count on you to bring kindness. Thanks for that. :)
I too find myself unable to publish daily; in fact, I've got twenty-five first drafts that I've been ignoring for weeks. Instead, I write multiple, often lengthy, comments daily in support of my favorite writers. I know it's counter-productive, but we are a community of wordsmiths and these exchanges are pretty much the totality of my social life these days.
lol Jeff. They are my social life, too.
Oops, I forgot the most important question: 'What do you say no to?'
Um, a lot of things? Recently I've made a deliberate push to unsubscribe email newsletters I almost never read.
I'm saying no to returning to my local board game meetup. I love playing board games, I don't like playing them online, and the local group has put in some anti-covid safety measures, I just don't think they're enough. Drinking tea and reading books aren't the same as playing board games and studying people's faces in real-time, but the covid risk is zero.
I also say no to most social media. I said no to FaceBook in 2010 (early quitter!) and I've never had an account on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, WhatsApp, etc. This gives me more time for websites like Medium.
I'll be honest, I'd rather buy that book from you than subscribe to a paid SubStack. But you know what's right for you and your project.
I wish I could say no to housework, but it doesn't do itself. Incidentally, if I do the Substack, it will just be to push me to get the book done. Once it's all written, easy to copy/paste into a book. I forgot to mention that part. :)
Linda, you hit on an issue that I have been grappling with since I first started writing and reading on Medium. I quit writing online for several months. I needed time to sort out all the nonsense advice and my purpose for sharing my thoughts whether in stories or comments to other writers.
The drama online becomes overwhelming and distracting. I no longer look at stats and publish when I find the words that may offer hope, perspective, or something interesting. I don't have to appeal to everyone, but I need to know I gave my best at that moment.
Thanks for opening the discussion.
You are very welcome! I think it's a conversation worth having, for sure. :)
I can't even think about publishing every day. I write every day, but I'm working on a memoir now, so I'm kind of sidetracked. What I put on Medium is narrative essays. No opinions. Even if I did opinions, I'd have to think long and hard about what I put on the page and make sure I've said it the way I mean to say it. I usually can't even publish once a week because I have to feel like it's ready before I'm willing to put it out there. I'm amazed at your output. You don't need to do everyday. Your pace is just fine. And I'll be looking forward to that book you're writing. :)
I know exactly what you mean. I am very familiar with "that's not what I meant..." lol. And thank you for the kind words about my pace. It's not daily, but it works for me.
Lol!!! I've tried to publish daily. Failed every time. Trying again this month with shorter pieces of quality. We'll see how long it lasts!
Best of luck to you. 5 days tapped me out. lol
I'm a longtime member of NOvember. I only publish when a poem is Ready. But, like you, I write darn near everyday. And, like Denise, I read/comment daily.
I get it, re the book. Just let me know if you substack!
I discovered NOvember late. Like, today. But I think I'm a lifer now. If I decide to substack it, I'll let you know for sure. :)
I'll join you in the NOvember. I've been a great fan of Nanowrimo for years, planning, plotting and hoping to scrabble out a few hours or weeks to work on my novel, but if I get 5 to 10 days out of the month it is about double my normal productivity on the book so not all that bad, but nowhere near publishing on Medium every day nor even writing every day as there's that full-time bill-paying job and the rest of life to consider. So I think my contribution to my NOvember is to say no to being disappointed with myself.
I've tried the daily publishing, and I find it exhausting and promotes, as you put it, becoming "disappointed with myself." No to that for me as well.
That last sentence is perfect. That's one I could work on, too.
I churned out 400 stories in 2020 and then got burned out. I haven't published anything in seven or eight months.
Good to see you, Rasheed. I did a similar thing when I started, too. I'd joined a 100 day challenge, and fell off the wagon repeatedly. But even still, after 100 posts I left for 10 months. I'd show up to read, but wow it was a long time before I wrote again. I write for work, too, so that adds to the amount of words I churn out.
I do NOT write daily. I was writing/publishing about one poem a week in the beginning of 2020 - Then the COVID situation in our nation put me in a real funk. Sadness for the deaths of so many people (none of whom I knew) washed over me and I felt cognitively paralyzed by the increasingly bad news.
No, I wasn't depressed...just sad.
While I write poems for myself - maybe one a week - I do not publish most of them. Maybe twice a month for publishing. That's enough to keep me engaged with others here at Medium.
The month of October has been especially crazy for me, for a lot of reasons. Mid-October was wonderful as I received numerous phone calls, texts, emails and FB posts from friends scattered to the winds (well, not all of them are scattered from sea-to-shiny-sea). I turned 70... Then my spouse and I had our 31st wedding anniversary a week later.
There's been a lot of drama related to the leave-of-absence of the Rector at my church, especially during the month of October (her LOA began in mid-March and it's ongoing as I write this). I am on the Vestry, the governing body in Episcopal 'speak', and signed up to be the Church Treasurer in March of 2021. Too many meetings related to that LOA in October.
So, what I've been saying "no" to of late are meetings that really aren't necessary for my time. I sent an email outlining my thoughts in advance of the most recent meeting and said "I cannot attend" on Tuesday afternoon (Nov 2nd) without any explanation as to "why." It felt really good to say NO. The drama is just wearing me out.
So, that is why I especially liked your statement: "I have officially dubbed the month NOvember." To that I say YES.
Oh, I've been saying no in the last few years to family members who are into drama. They are no longer invited over for celebratory dinners on special occasions. Life is much saner since then.
Hurray to you for saying no to meetings if an email will do the job. I'm with you on eliminating drama. Lord knows, the less of that, the better. Good to see you, Linda -- and Happy, happy belated birthday. :)
Thanks for the belated birthday wishes.
You're very welcome -- and here's to many more! :)
Nope, I don't publish daily. (There have been a few times when I've published daily for a week on my blog, but those were pre-planned projects where I had a reason to publish every day. But since those were limited time periods, they don't count).
I've encountered claims that the Medium algorithm favors writers who publish at least 3 times a week, especially if they publish daily. If true, that explains why it can be so difficult to find the most appealing writing. I'd rather read something by someone who published only once a week and had something insightful to say every week than someone publishing daily because goals (the exception are people who write on Medium full time, like Shannon Ashley, and even she has had to drastically cut back her schedule to take care of her health).
Know what's bizarre? I find that my results are better at about 2-3x a week. The extra work to try post daily doesn't escalate results by much. Thank heavens. lol
There's some people on Medium who churn out multiple posts a day, and they're not really puting a whole lot of thought ( or effort) into their writing.. I'd rather save it for when I actually have alot to say. :)
Me, too. That's what I discovered this week. I'd rather take the time to work on something that's a little more off the wall. The research adds time, but I enjoy it.
putting lol. :/
keyboard gremlins. lol
My plan is to write every day from now on. We'll see. I haven't been on SS long. But now that I've settled on "Gratitude Every Day of the Year," I'll be able to start with a story then link it to gratitude, even if the story is sad or tragic. A week ago, a pickup going the wrong way slammed into a bus full of band students, burst into flames, then ricocheted into another vehicle. Three adults were killed--pickup driver, bus driver, band director. 20+ students sent to the hospital. Gratitude? Only 3 died, when it could've been the whole bus if the flaming truck hadn't spun away.
Good comes from all things. I'm guessing all the band members on that bus and the two following, won't feel immortal while driving after such a horrible disaster.
The important part of "Gratitude Every Day of the Year" is that gratitude is free and healthy. So, I'm not charging anything for what I write. It will be free every day of the year. Motivation to write and share and hopefully help others see life as full of gratitude, and getting to know a lot of readers who want to be thankful, even when it's hard.
Write when you can, Linda. Comment when you can. You're wonderful.
Linda Carol George
Linda's Heart
Over the 15 months on Medium, there were at least 3 times I had the grand plan of publishing daily for 30 days, and each time it failed and backfired. My mind was stressed out. I felt like a failure and questioned myself and my grasp of English! No kidding.
If I want to write a piece I feel satisfied, it takes me about 7-10days.
Now, I have decided, screw the daily publishing thing. The most I will try are short-forms but even those, I feel meh about it, so I stopped.
Decided now to focus on living life, engaging in meaningful reads and conversations.
(I just checked that I have "published" 609 responses and 89 stories published to date! LOL. )
Thank you for admitting this. Too many people publish daily and so much of it is not original. My stats go up when I post daily, or nearly daily, but I agree, the quality is just not the same.
I'm glad you shared this, I always felt guilty for not publishing every day on Medium! I write every day too but publish twice a week. Thank you!!