My Top Ten Articles In 2020
By: Keara Lou
Tags: Motivation, Reflections, 2020, Writing, Reading

My Top Ten Articles In 2020

Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash

2020 turned into a challenging year for writing. I had moments where I questioned if I wanted to be a writer anymore, but I made it. I had some hits and a whole lot of misses, but I’m still willing to learn and grow.

Part of that growth is looking back on past stories and reflecting on what worked and what didn’t. So I’m taking a page from other famous Medium authors and looking at my best articles based on stats.

I’m not looking at percentages. I’m looking at how many people read through the article. If you’re wondering how much money I made with these articles, you’ll be disappointed.

Here are my Top Ten articles in 2020! If nothing else, I hope I give you a new library of articles to read!

Idiot: By Laura Clery

Of all my 2020 articles, this one’s the most read one on my page. But here’s the plot twist. It’s one of the two pieces in this article that isn’t curated! So how can it do so well? Laura Clery is one of the most popular internet celebrities. And she wrote a book not too long ago. People wanted to make sure it was a good read before they bought it themselves.

Why Does Thirty Feel Like a Deadline to Become a Real Adult?

Why did this one do well? It’s my one and only piece to get into Mind Cafe, it got curated, and it started a conversation. I didn’t make the piece about myself but about something that felt common with most people around the world.

Why Should You Start Endurance Training?

So why did this one do well? One part luck, one part curation, and one part making exercise comfortable conversation without bringing up weight loss. As long as someone left my article feeling like they learned something, I’m happy with how it turned out.

How Many Tesla Coils Does It Take to Fix the Ozone Layer?

Here’s why I think this one did well. It’s a topic that not many people know much about. If I had to guess, I’d say this one is my most commented piece of the year. And I had a lot of fun reading the comments and learning new things from them.

I Can’t Vote For Someone Who Thinks I’m Subhuman

At the time I wrote this story, people could get curated multiple times. This story got triple-curated in three different topics. It’s one of my more controversial stories.

I Finally Figured Out Why I’m In a Rut

This story was a surprise. I didn’t think it was a great story. It felt too much like a diary entry and not enough like a decent article. But people related to it, so they kept reading and commenting. It also ended up curated, which I didn’t expect at all!

Please Don’t DM Me Your Medium Article

This story is the only other story on this list that didn’t get curated. If you’re looking to get consistently curated, don’t write about Medium. However, writing about Medium is why this article did so well. And it’s something you’d think wouldn’t happen, but it does.

Relationship Advice From a Millennial to a Gen Z’er

Lots of people read this story. I didn’t get a lot of engagement on the article. When I’d promote it on other social media, the comments kept coming. You never know how people are going to react to random facts of life. Curation and getting into PS I Love You helped with this one.

Is Voting Third Party a Privilege?

So why did this one work so well? Curation, a relevant topic for the time, and having the title be a question. I loved learning about the subject and reading other people’s viewpoints on something so controversial.

The 14 Best Books I Read in 2020

I started with a book title and ended with a book title. Most writers are readers, and every reader wanted to build their writing list. If we’re going to be in lockdown in 2021, we might as well bring a decent book or two to read.

I’m not an expert, but I know a pattern when I see one

I’m not going to tell you that you’ll have success if you follow everything I do. I know better than that. But there are noticeable patterns that show some promise in success on this platform.

Curation helps. As random as it feels, it does help get more eyes on your pieces.

Titles with questions work if you can start a conversation with your title. If it’s overly obvious what your answer is, you’re not going to get the engagement you want.

If your audience comes out of your article feeling like they learned something, then you did well. I’m not sure the audience wants to hear about our lives, but they want to listen to our ideas. There is a difference between the two.

Be yourself. Do whatever you have to do to make yourself comfortable letting your weird flag fly.

Pay attention to what publications give you the most engagement. These places can help you find your niche.

Even after a year and a half on this platform, I’m still learning. Sometimes, it’s luck. Other times, it’s your passion for a topic.

I may not have the same level of success as other writers, but reflecting can help clear the path to get to that level.