It's My Birthday, And I've Learned a Few Writerly Things While Publishing And Blogging On Medium🥳🎈🎈🎈🎂

A year ago, I told you I would stay the course. I have, and I've learned so much more as a writer, poet, and storyteller. Still, I have concerns. Is Medium right for me?

"My Birthday and Writerly Thoughts" Image by Author: Carmellita in Canva

I joined Medium in late March 2020 after the pandemic and shutdown. I wrote for about a month, and then I left. I returned 18 months later. I accidentally clicked publish on an article on September 19, 2021 — an article I didn't want to post until October 1, 2021.

During my first month on Medium, I made a whopping $8.18. I know, right? I couldn't buy a Kombucha! Still, I was committed. Last year, my birthday was pretty exciting because I checked in on my stats, gained 600 followers in 30 days, and one of my stories had a whole 25 reads. I'd only been on the platform for seven weeks and had 700 followers.

It was a good time.

I was also impressed with the number of great writers on the platform, and I'd read, commented, and made real connections. Many of them I still have fun exchanges with today.

Looking back with nearly 260 stories, what have I learned after writing, blogging, and publishing on Medium for over a year?

Just My Writerly Thoughts Here

I don't want to share growth hacks. I've shared plenty of those stories freely on the platform. Instead, I want to share what I have learned as a writer, storyteller, and poet trying to regain her writerly voice and build an audience.

I believe writers can earn on this platform. I have. I also believe that writers can make 4 and 5 figures monthly on this platform. The numbers are here, and no, it isn't easy.

Because, as I have learned, distribution is performance-based. Oh, honey, we will talk about that soon!

Despite a performance-based algorithm, I've done what most people would call decent. If only about 6% of writers are in the $100 club, then I must be in the top 4% or so. While I have not reached four figures consistently, I realize that it would require publishing more and well, yes — reading less.