Want to Be a Real Writer? Don’t Write About Medium.
By: Dawn Bevier
Tags: Creativity, Writing, Médium, Ｍedium, Medium Writers

I am a bit annoyed by those who write about Medium every day. I don’t mean to offend you if you are one of these writers, but like Jesus on the mountaintop being tempted, I have to write something like this article every now and then to keep myself from giving in.

I suppose on many levels your strategy makes perfect sense, which is why I have a hard time not doing it. After all, you are giving your audience what they want. And your audience is Medium writers. They want, and you provide. I get it.

And it makes you money. Which is another reason why I put my hands together in prayer against falling prey to this temptation.

Here’s my secret and shameful confession for those of you who write these articles. I read them. Almost every time. After all, I’m also looking for ways to make money in a profession that often seems extremely unprofitable. Right now, for example, I’ve got a kid in college, and a thirteen-year-old whose eyes I want to light up when she opens the Christmas presents under the tree.

But writing about Medium is not letting me know whether or not I’m a good writer. And I need that information more than money.

I’ll work a second job at a grocery store to get my daughter the super cool Doc Martins that cost one hundred bucks. And ten hours will get me there, as opposed to the month-long writing workload that I expend here on the platform.

I’ll make the sacrifice. Because I want to know if I’ve got the chops to be a real writer. And to me that doesn’t include tons of articles on achieving Medium fame.

Just so you don’t misunderstand me, I have lots of temptations that I give in to. Sometimes I write articles that make the complex and intricate details of achieving things such as thriving relationships and success and productivity seem like an A through Z process.

Reality?

It’s never A through Z. It’s about your goals combined with ingenuity, persistence, and a dedication to learning. But at least it’s food for thought about something besides claps and follows.

So many times I desperately want to submit to the seductive dance that those who write about Medium do. I want the bucks. I want to give the readers what they want, which is Medium money. But I want to give you the hard facts more.

And the hard facts are, that yes, you will make money writing about how to gain followers and how to make the one-hundred-dollar a month club. I've made that club almost the whole time I’ve been writing here, but it’s been damn hard. And I think some of the reason for this struggle is that I mainly avoid writing about Medium.

However, about twice a year, I allow myself this sinful luxury. This is one of those times, and since I know my articles won’t be curated because I am writing about Medium, it frees me to do things such as link ten of my articles below the actual article. (See me break my writer vows down below).

But the truth is, I want you to read and follow me for the insights and inspiration I give. And if you don’t like what I’m choosing to write about, leave me in the dust. It will help me understand what I need to change to be a better writer. And that’s where the real magic comes in.

Refusing to concentrate all my efforts on writing about Medium is a bit of a self-imposed sacrifice to my moral code, and sometimes I hate myself for following it.

One of the reasons why?

I’m a teacher. And I live from paycheck to paycheck. And I work a full-time job where I try to change people’s lives through the magic of literature. Sometimes I succeed. Often I don’t.

But in the end, I know I’ve put my time into a noble cause. Telling you how to get curated? Not quite so noble.

Quite simply, it is not doing you any favors to tell you how to make thousands of dollars kissing the asses of the Medium gods. You also already know the basics right? And I’m not going to say those same tired lines once a day to put pennies in my pocket. But oh my God do I want to. Christmas is coming, and as I said, I want to give my children all the magic that Santa can bring. Yet, I’m still going to confine myself to only playing my Medium melody a few times in the year, like now, when money is tight. And maybe it will mean that I slave away at articles that don’t get claps and follows.

The truth?

Deep inside, I know I’m a good writer. Not a great one, but a good one. I’ve certainly got much more work to do perfecting my craft, but I've also got talent. Maybe you will disagree with me. Check me out.

And whether or not you believe curation matters, I do. It tells me someone thinks I’m doing something right. And I can’t get that validation I need by writing about Medium.

So, if you really want to see if you’ve got what it takes to write the “real stuff,” shift your focus. Write about things that don’t have to do with Medium. At least occasionally.

If you still want to woo your audience of writers, write about the art of writing or marketing, not about Medium specifically. This is often what I do. After all, I’ve taught writing for twenty years and I know a few things. Not all things, but I do have a few tips you may want to consider.

And since this is me giving in to my bi-annual Medium article, I’ll list a few of my articles you might consider reading. I especially recommend my first bi-annual article this year entitled “Tips for Newbie Medium Writers.” It has a ton of useful links as well. So here, I go, doing what writers who write about Medium always do.

Damn this is going to feel good.