Why I Chose Medium Over Quora (Even If It Can’t Pay Me)
I can’t make even $0 from Medium.
I joined Medium last year.
I stumbled into this writer’s heaven when I read an article of Sean Kernan (yeah, that guy from Quora) which he shared in his Quora account.
As an aspiring writer, I found Medium to be an interesting place for sharing my ideas. When I read Medium also pays its writers without an invitation or approval, my excitement doubled. I thought I can make a few bucks from it. Boy, I was wrong!
I am from India. When I wished to join the Medium Partner Program to make some bucks, I was devastated. Medium doesn’t pay in India. It can’t pay any writers writing in India.
Although Medium’s payment partner Stripe has included India in its list, it is still in preview mode.
It means I can’t make anything from Medium even though my articles generate thousands of views. Who knows if Medium will add India to their partner program in the future?
This news came to me like a bolt of lightning. My interest slowly died within me. My passion to write on this newly discovered platform ended with disappointment. I didn’t post a single article on Medium in 2020.
With the start of 2021, I was wondering how to hone my writing skills. I wrote fairly well but not like the popular writers out there. I wanted to be like them. I wanted to follow their writing style. There was only one way I found to hone my writing skills — write regularly.
I had tried this advice, way before I found Medium, on Quora. But I failed miserably. I wasn’t consistent. I thought I may fail this time again. But one thought struck my mind.
I knew I can write consistently on Medium without any failure. Writing consistently helps to improve your writing skills and find your true writing voice. I decided to give this a try.
I started my journey on Medium on March 23 and till now I have posted around 16 articles (including this one).
Here’s what I found special in Medium.
I didn’t have to care about questions anymore
I noticed I wasn’t consistent on Quora because I couldn’t find relevant questions for me to answer. Most of my time was spent finding the right questions that I can answer. But I didn’t.
However, Medium was completely different from Quora. Here, I didn’t have to look for questions to answer. I can write whatever I can. I can share my thoughts without any restrictions.
No one was asking me weird questions nor I had to tell them to stop asking such questions.
Medium is filled with the best writers I ever read
There is no denying, Quora was once great for writers. It had helped improve many writers and given their dream job — writing. It had helped them to make their career out of it.
But as I said, it was, it’s not now anymore. Quora is losing its quality. Most popular writers have stopped writing there. Some of them have shifted to Medium.
The day Quora started paying for questions is the day it started to lose its traction.
Medium, on the other hand, is improving a lot. It is filled with the best writers I have ever read. Their writing style has inspired me to write like them. Especially, I admire Tim Denning and Sean Kernan a lot. Their writing style has always inspired me to write more. Thanks to their advice, I am writing a lot better now.
Medium gave a peek on my inner self
When I started writing on Quora, I struggled to write for myself. I wasn’t being vulnerable. I saw many other writers telling about their flaws, their embarrassing moments, their happy moments, with confidence.
One thing I learned in my writing journey is — being vulnerable is good. But I lacked the courage. I won’t say it's Quora’s fault. It was just I never tried to find such questions and answer them.
Being in Medium, I learned to write about anything I wanted to say. I started to become vulnerable. I started to write about myself. I didn’t care if I was getting any views or reads. All I cared about was writing consistently. Some days, I would write about productivity and some days I would share my thoughts and opinions. It helped me to understand myself a lot better.
Medium helped me to improve myself in many aspects. I came across wonderful readers and followed their wonderful advice. I haven’t left Quora yet. I still write there. But mostly, I share what I write here on Medium.
I don’t care if Medium doesn’t pay me in the near future. I will continue to write here because I am in awe of this platform.
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