A New Way to Write Stories for Medium
By: Jason Weiland
Tags: Writing Life, Writing, Process, How To, Writing Tips

The headline was almost: “My Secret Process for Success on Medium,” but I couldn’t go with it because it was a little too clickbaity for me. As you will soon see, there is nothing secret about my process, and it hasn’t been proven to be successful.

Yet.

“It’s a bizarre but wonderful feeling, to arrive dead center of a target you didn’t even know you were aiming for.” ― Lois McMaster Bujold

Before you get too much further into the article, I want to warn you that I am in no way a “Medium expert.” I’ve been on this platform since October 2018, and while I’ve had some successes, I don’t want you thinking I know it all.

This process is what is working for me, and I think it could work for anyone.

What I’ve Done in the Past

If you’ve read anything written by me, you would know what I write leans more towards the personal side of things. I normally do very little planning into what I’ll write on any given day. You could say I like to fly by the seat of my pants.

Yes, I’m a pantser.

What I usually do is get up in the morning, and while I’m drinking my coffee, I decide on a topic for the day. While I’m getting my daughter ready to go to school, and on the ride there and back, I am thinking about what I would like to put in my article.

That was the limit of my planning.

When I got home, I would sit and write for a few hours. I didn’t think about it much, it was more “spray and pray.” I sprayed words on the page and prayed it would come out all right.

Most of the time, it did.

What I’ve found out

I’ve been reading a lot about being in the zone to write. Some people call it “being in flow.” For the past week, I’ve paid more attention to getting myself in the right frame of mind to create. As William Kenower puts it:

“It (the mind) is relaxed, patient, receptive, curious, intuitive, and interested. You don’t go to the ideas — they come to you.”

-and-

“I have learned that nothing I write outside of this frame of mind is worth sharing. Everything I write before I enter that state is forced, mechanical, and disjointed. All my years of craft can’t change this. So I’ve learned that when I write, my first and most important job is to shift out of that frame of mind I normally inhabit bopping around the world. Not one word is written until that shift occurs.”

You could say now, I’m constantly writing. When I’m in the time of day I do my reading, I’m thinking about what I am going to write. When I’m driving, I am writing in my mind. Everything I do throughout the day is preparing me to write somehow!

The more I work at it, and the more I make sure I’m in the zone to write, the better my writing is. I think about doing before I actually do it.

But, how do I do it?

My Writing Process

Since I’ve been thinking about what I want to write the whole time, when I do sit to type, I make sure I’m in the right frame of mind to create. I’m not really a morning person. It takes some time for me to get to a place where my creativity is turned all the way up.

Schedule

6:00am — 8:30am : I spend this time getting my body ready to write. Coffee and breakfast are an important part of what I do this early. While I nourish myself and get my daughter ready, I decide which topics I want to write on.

: I spend this time getting my body ready to write. Coffee and breakfast are an important part of what I do this early. While I nourish myself and get my daughter ready, I decide which topics I want to write on. 8:30am — 11:00am : This is when I plan what I want to write. I research and outline. I write ideas for introductions and conclusions and start to get my mind into a place where the creativity is flowing.

: This is when I plan what I want to write. I research and outline. I write ideas for introductions and conclusions and start to get my mind into a place where the creativity is flowing. 12:00–4:00pm: These four hours are spent doing nothing but writing. I lock myself in my office, put my head down, and write for all I’m worth. Depending on the length of the stories and articles, I can usually finish 2 to 3, 750-word pieces. With the time I have left, I proof, edit, and format what I’ve written. When everything is perfect, I publish.

From 4:00 pm onward, I usually read as much as I can and catch up on my social media. Since I’ve been on Medium, I’ve mostly read the authors there. I can read, clap, and comment on anywhere from 20 to 30 stories a day.

The jury is still out whether this process is going to make my work better because I’ve only been doing it a week. If I compare the work from the last week with what I’ve been doing up until now, I would have to say that my articles and essays are better. The time I’ve spent in research and rumination is helping me to be more effective and engaging.

“To write, I must forget about the world outside my window, about my family and my friends and my job and even the chair in which I sit. All my stimulation, interest, and energy must come from within me, must flow from a fount only I can turn off or on.” — William Kenower.

This new process is much different than the process I normally use to write, but I’m hoping it will make a huge difference. I think what I’ve written before is good work, but I know it can get better.

I know one of the marks of a great writer is the ability to adapt and try new things. My processes are constantly changing because I’m always trying to publish the best possible work I can.

I hope one day when I am famous, people will say I’m a great writer. If they do, it’s only due to the processes I put in place today.