I write short stories and poetry. The poem about my body image after breast cancer surgery is on Medium, but I don’t feel comfortable posting the fiction I have already published on WordPress. I haven’t been found here by many, and while I do recognize that many may not come to Medium to read such things, I feel the need to ask as an artist — do you want me here?

Of course, my focus is on being read because we all need to make a living, but I feel left out of this article. Maybe it’s all the ‘business-speak’. If this is the place for me as well as all the business writers and journalists, I need the courtesy of some things being written in my language to explain how my needs are being addressed.

First, why can’t I find simple instructions, in one place, for the things you say I can do here to make my space look the way I want it to? For example, I read that I can put my poem at the top of my list of articles so potential readers see it first. I get no prompts for this on my user page and the process isn‘t intuitive. I also can’t find these instructions in your help section. I’m able to find and use Appearance tools on WordPress, though WordPress has other problems. (Why would I be trying Medium, if they didn’t?) I’m not fluent in tech-speak, but I’m very good at following simple, clear instructions. Can you put them in one place and make them easy for me to find?

Second, if you value artists and want them here, could you come up with some articles that speak to us and address our needs? I feel lumped in with writers whose motives are to advertise products and services. Also, as a reader, I hate when I begin to read a Medium-recommended article and then realize it’s about sales advice masquerading as something else.

When my writing doesn’t communicate what I want it to (and I hope I’ll improve until the day I die), every teacher I’ve ever had says that it’s up to me to work harder to improve. So I end with this: I’m obviously not excited about your news; but if it has any positive bearing on my life as an artist on Medium, and you didn’t communicate that to me, it’s a problem you need to work on.