Photo by Cristofer Maximilian on Unsplash
My brain swims with ideas of stories, anecdotes and exciting characters. I can’t wait
to get them written down, but the thought of sharing them with anyone else in the
world can make my head freeze and my fingers feel like rigor mortis.
Do you sometimes feel this way about getting your words out there?
A few years ago, I decided to get my brave on and look for ways I could start sharing
the stories in my secret worlds. I came across a website called medium.com, who’s
aim is to provide a safe space for readers and writers to connect and enjoy each
other’s work. They welcome writers of all styles and genres by providing an easy-to-
use platform to write to their heart’s content.
How Medium Works
Writers can post articles on their own page inside the platform or in a publication.
There are several ways writers and readers can connect on Medium. For example:
- Following a publication or a writer.
- Posting comments on other writers’ articles.
- Subscribing to a publication or a writer’s newsletter.
- Tagging other readers/writers in articles.
Articles have the potential to reach a large audience both within and outside of
Medium, particularly if the content is well-written, currently relevant and especially if
it is controversial.
My Story on Medium
When I joined the platform, I was still very hesitant about sharing my work and spent
some time reading other articles and comments. My first impression was that this
was an encouraging, supportive environment. The articles I read were empowering
and most comments were positive toward the writer.
By this time, my fingers had loosened up a little, so I decided to join in with the
comments. Many of the writers replied with a simple, “Thanks for reading” comment,
however one writer wanted to connect further. She told me she was just about to
launch a new publication on Medium and was looking for writers to join her. I felt
pretty chuffed. I had not yet written one article on the platform, but someone thought
my writing would be fit for her publication!
Now, granted, there are all kinds of levels of writing on the platform, but I had read
several of this writer’s articles and I loved what and how she wrote, so I was more
than willing to join her.
Of course, the next obstacle was actually pulling my fingers out of their rigor mortis
state and typing words on the screen. The publication I was writing for had specific
guidelines around how they wanted submitted articles to be written. This made the
process easy for me to achieve and there was no word limit to worry about.
I finally pressed the button to submit to the publication. When the article appeared
the next day, I was over the moon. The publication owner had highlighted some of
what I wrote and posted a meaningful, encouraging comment. Then others started
highlighting and commenting. And I realised that others wanted to hear what I had to
say, and I needed to keep writing.
Do you ever doubt that what you write will be valued or accepted? Or you just can’t
quite get your fingers to unravel themselves and press the submit button?
Millions of people use the Medium platform every day. Out of the thousands of
available publications, there is a good chance you will find the one that’s right for you
and find connections with other writers and readers.
Advantages of Writing on Medium
- If you are not ready to put your own name to your writing, you can set up an
account with any name you like. Many writers on Medium use pen names and
some even have more than one account, so they can separate out their
writing genres. - You can open a free account on Medium to read and write. However, for
unrestricted access, the joining fee is affordable. - You can connect with many other writers and readers from all over the globe.
- You can use the platform to gain subscribers to grow your email list.
- You can add links in your articles to direct readers to your own or other
websites.
Not Ready for an Online Platform?
If a platform like Medium is not what you are looking for right now, how about
meeting with a small group of other writers who you feel safe connecting with? You
could meet at a café or someone’s house and break the ice with some fun writing
prompts and exercises.
Or, why not join us for the next GCWA Critique session?
Rochelle Miller – Bio
Rochelle works as a Virtual Assistant after holding various administration roles
throughout her life.
Her current Work In Progress is fueled and inspired by her travels around the world.
You can connect with Rochelle on Medium at
https://medium.com/@rochellemillerwrites