My Biggest Temptation on Medium? Writing about Medium.
By: Dawn Bevier
Tags: Marketing, Writing, Writing Tips, Freelance Writing, Medium

My Biggest Temptation on Medium? Writing about Medium.

Image by Picjumbo_com on Pixabay

This is the first article I’ve written about Medium in months. And I almost despise myself for it. But I had to finally embrace the longing that nags at me each time I sit down to write. It’s almost like a recovering alcoholic who thinks about having a drink when they first wake up in the morning.

Why do I despise myself for writing this article about writing on Medium? To be honest, it feels like a cop-out.

I write on this site to test out and hone my writing “chops” on the real-world issues that I experience in my own life and see in the world around me. And for some reason, writing about Medium feels like too easy of a “sell.” Sort of like a prostitute in a pair of booty shorts and crop top who walks past a man who has been in prison for a decade. How can he not look, right?

After all, most of the people on Medium are writers for Medium. (I would actually love some statistics on this if anyone has them.) And most of those writers (including myself) want to make money on this site.

So I have fantasized each day when I sit down at the computer about what I would say if I did give into this constant longing.

I would talk about what it takes to be a writer on Medium (hard work and an almost obsessive loyalty to writing and publishing every day).

I would talk (aka brag) about the fact that since my second month of Medium I’ve been one of the few 8–9% to enter the 100 dollars a month club.

I would talk about the fact that I now have over a thousand followers. ( I know that’s nothing but a drop in the bucket, but it feels like a major milestone for me. And I do brag to my students, who think I’m god-like for this, even though they don’t quite understand that it is a bit different than the superstars they see on Instagram or YouTube!)

I would frequently mention that I teach writing and hint that you can learn from me (aka follow me and learn some awesome tips).

I would talk about the fact that out of every 10 articles I write, about seven are curated (and I would give you some good tips and tricks to boot). And about the fact that I’ve been published in most of the big Medium publications — The Startup, The Ascent, P.S. I Love You, Better Marketing, and I’ve even been published in Better Humans twice (where I earned 500 dollars for each story and even did a podcast). I still pursue the elusive pubs like Elemental and Gen, but that’s another story.

I would talk about the fact that I’ve written almost 300 stories and I’m now finally starting to see days where I don’t write and my stats don’t go down (these days are few and far between, but to me, it’s a sign of success).

Image by Steve Buissine on Pixabay

I would write about all these things to draw you to me, dear readers. But again, I’m stopped by a sense of inner integrity (well, until now) that, once again, feels like an easy way to make money and gain followers.

And let’s not forget the fact that writing about Medium is almost always non-curated and could even land me back where I first started when I began writing for Medium — the dreaded “curation jail.”

But the more I write, the more I see the possible value in putting on my “booty shorts” once in a while and writing about Medium. Here’s why: