Why Not Get Off Your Soapbox and Support Fellow Writers?
By: Vishnu S Virtues
Tags: Creativity, Writer, Digital Marketing, Nomad, Writing

Get a life

Why Not Get Off Your Soapbox and Support Fellow Writers?

The Medium elites tell us what to do

Photo by Stephanie LeBlanc

There are many writers on Medium who are doing the work.

We show up here every day to write our heart’s content. We work on our craft and put our best quality work out there.

We didn’t go to Ivy League colleges for English literature, and we are sure the heck, not the next Hemingway.

We come here to share our stories, inspire other people, educate and entertain other people. We come here to improve our craft and make some money doing it.

The elites show up

The elite writers show up on Medium and walk around these parts like the royal family, tolerating us commoners who share the same territory they inhabit.

They tell us what topics to write about, what we should do with our headlines, and what we should stay away from writing about.

They tell us not to bore them with our petty stories and the same old boring, repeated advice. They approve of certain topics and demand we stay away from others. They tell us that we are not good enough for their royal writing blood.

Sometimes, they will let us know that they are only clapping barely because they want us to reciprocate. They will entertain us with their mild interest so we can continue to pay them homage.

Writing is hard

You sit for hours on end, creating and trying to pour the words out in your head.

You follow the best advice you can. You imitate the best writers you see. You try out different genres and writing styles. You try out different tones and search for your voice.

You start on Medium with the skills you have. You want to improve and get better. You want to get better at your craft and tell better stories.

That’s why most of us are.

Yes, there are the annoying “how to get rich” folks and “look at how much money I made folks,” but we should try to tolerate them and just about every kind of writer and writing out there.

Medium is a blank canvas. People come here to write, practice, learn and grow as writers.

Not everyone is at the same level, and you don’t need to bring your A-game to Medium. Bring your C game and improve by writing more.

Ignore the elites and write

The elites will pooh-pooh us and pity us with their attention or lack of attention.

They will tell us to do x and y and not to do z.

As writers, we have to band together and ignore the elites.

We do need to make better art that resonates with our audience, but we’ll get there with time and experience.

We don’t need the people sitting behind fancy castles tossing out bottles filled with advice on what we should or shouldn’t be doing.

We’ll figure it, thank you very much.

We will stumble, struggle, and fail enough to improve our craft.

Maybe the elites may even pause one day and find something we did worth reading or gasp, worth clapping for.

Until then, let’s keep writing in this space of mediocrity. Let’s write the trite and mundane until we get sick of it ourselves and step it up.

I wish the elites would go write for the New Yorker and leave us alone.

A better way to Medium

I call for a different kind of writing experience.

Let’s encourage each other to become better. Let’s support each other and push each other forward.

Let’s clap and highlight for each other, knowing the writer’s path is lonely and uphill.

Let’s democratize writing and make it something that everyone can participate in. Let’s improve together and succeed.

Let’s throw the elites out and claim this Medium as our own.

Are you fed up with the Medium elites? Let them drink English breakfast tea as you leave me a comment below.