Why I Have Challenged Myself to Write 24 Medium Posts in 28 Days?
I tentatively joined Medium in October 2021 with the vague idea that I wanted to write on a different platform and write about different things. Since then, I have published the grand total of 5 posts, 3 of which have been within the last month.
When I pressed publish on my first post in October, I wasn’t sure what to do next. I didn’t really understand the platform or how I wanted to use it. For that first post I received the grand total of 1 clap. I didn’t publish anything else for a while but dipped in and out reading others posts, mostly those that talked about how quickly the writers were making $1000’s dollars and gaining 100’s of followers. For someone who still struggles to even call herself a writer, this was not overly encouraging or helpful to me, and left me feeling a little overwhelmed and daunted.
February arrived and I plucked up courage and pressed publish again. For my second post called ‘Daring to Travel Again’ I received 2 claps, which if you think about it is 100% better than the last one. Small gains. March was little better as I committed to writing almost one post a week, and I received a new, albeit very small flurry of followers. This was enough to get me thinking about what I wanted do next
I think the idea to challenge myself to publish 24 posts in 28 days initially came from a conversation in a Creatives Group to which I belong (The Confident Creative Club, led by Helen Redfern). The subject of Medium and how a few members of the group used it had come up, and I was curious to try it out a little bit more. I also knew I needed a new challenge
WHY NOW?
In my head I want to answer that question with Why Not Now? But, as I sit down to write this first post with 23 still ahead of me, not to mention the other writing projects and work I have on the go, plus an Easter break, I do feel slightly unsure.
I have been writing a blog for almost eight years. Blogging is part of my writing life. Publishing twice a week, most weeks is what I do. I’m comfortable with it, and would not be without it (more about that in tomorrow’s post). Consequently, I suspect I have become a little stale.
At the end of 2021 I completed an e-book ‘Quiet Walks Through London — 5 Themed Walks’ Although not a huge tome, It had taken lots of research and I had been working on it for some time. When it finally went out into the world and people began to buy it I felt a huge sense of relief but also creatively vulnerable.
Since then, I have continued to churn out pieces for my blog and, and write newsletters and other articles but I lacked any creative spark or desire to try anything new. That uncomfortable feeling in the pit of the stomach which is equally scary and exciting, but familiar to most creatives, was buried beneath the aftermath of my e-book.
Now, is the time to reignite that spark and see what happens
HOW WILL I DO IT?
Planning
Well, I have a plan and I have a time table. An A4 piece of paper all neatly marked into squares with the dates carefully written in. I have planned the first 7 posts I want to publish, and the titles of these are also written down. In my writing ideas notebook I have some other half thought out ideas for posts scribbled out. I’m quite organised you see!
I already have lots of content and plan to repurpose and rewrite some of this to make it ‘medium appropriate’ — Although I’m still working out what that means.
Accountability
I have shared my challenge not just here but with my writing group, I have made myself accountable. Accountability is a huge motivator for me and the one which I hope will give me that extra push when the words won’t come.
WHAT WOULD I LIKE TO ACHIEVE?
I am hoping this will be a chance to expand my writing repertoire and re discover what it is I really enjoy writing about. I look forward to seeing where my thoughts and musings written down here will take me
I would like to gain more followers and build connections. Engaging with other writers and creatives can be incredibly inspiring, and of course I want to hit the magical 100 followers so I can join the partner programme and maybe, just maybe, make some money. I am under no illusions that this is a get rich quick gig, but as a writer who wants to find new ways of making an income from what I do, of course this is important
On a postit stuck on my desk is this quote by Martin Luther King Jr
“If you can’t fly then run, If you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward”
This is how I feel about my writing I just need to keep moving forward. I am hoping that the challenging of writing and publishing 24 posts in 28 days will do that.
I am excited to see where this takes me. My fingers are itching to tap away at the keyboard and I can’t wait to see what comes from it. For now I will just keep moving forward, one post at a time.
Some other Posts by Me
