Writing On Medium Is Not About the Money, It Is About Growing as a Writer

The Growing Process Takes Time and There Are No Short Cuts

In the beginning

I did not magically think being a writer was something I wanted to be when I was a small child or a teenager, or even when I arrived at adulthood.

For me, it happened much later in life, after I retired. I was not searching for this calling or life direction. Writing found me. It simply happened one day.

Writing was never one of my strong points. Both English and History were not my strong subjects in school.

Writing reviews for my team during my employment was painful. I procrastinated writing the reviews by starting at the last moment before they were due to be delivered. Each review was rewriting umpteen times. Edited too many to count. And then I would ask my lovely wife for edits.

She would edit them, and I would feel like I was back in high school. The final version was tremendous. She has an excellent grasp of the English language and grammar. She did not enjoy editing my material but loved me and was my editor for years. I will not consult her today because I developed my writing process, which does engage her. We are both happier.

It was in 2011 when the inclination came to me where I wanted to become a writer.

I started collecting everyday thoughts and ideas to write about in OneNote and a collection of word docs. The collections consisted of personal stories, thoughts, and opinions. This went on for three years. I have found that in late 2010 I was keeping notes, so I journaled that far back. I am excited today to have a recorded archive of my thought, a collection of over eleven years.

January 2014

I recall when I told my brother I had started a website and was going to become a writer, he asked, “how are people going to find you?” I was silent for a moment and said, “I did not know.”

May 2014

I discovered or stumbled upon Medium.com. Started reading and then established an account. This became the place where I would read the articles of other writers and learn. I began subscribing to some of the writer’s email list and began receiving emails from writers. Weekly emails from Medium also added to suggested reading material.

January 2018

I joined the Medium Partner Program because I wanted to contribute to the writers whose articles I could read behind the paywall. The thought at the time was one day I too would publish articles.

April 2019

It took me until April 1, 2019, fifteen months before I arrived at the point where I published articles. I spent time on the creating and editing process, and 11-day straight publishing. A series of “Life Happens” events temporarily halted my streak.

Two years later, on March 30, 2021, I reached sixty-two articles. I have added three more articles recently, reaching sixty-five to date.

My Next Milestone is to Reach My 100th Article.

Happy with the results so far, I will put in the time and effort to reach my 100th Article. Next, I will analyze both the articles and my progress. Refine and document my process, publishing the analyzed results and the process, current and proposed changes for all to see, stay tuned.

You might like this article by Stephen Moore

https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/anything-worth-doing-takes-time-4582f9c6072f

Or this article by Roger Skibowski

https://medium.com/the-post-grad-survival-guide/anything-worth-doing-takes-time-4582f9c6072f

Join Roger’s email list to stay in touch.

My time to celebrate as a seasoned writer is in the future.