Choosing Medium

The whys of a writer with an established platform

I’ve been writing on the web for more than a decade. I began my first blog back in 2000. Long before blogs were popular. Long before blogs were a part of businesses. And long before the idea of creating a platform existed.

I wrote because I needed to write.

There were no comments. There were no Google statistics. There were no niches.

The blogging community was small back then. People wrote because they needed to write for the sake of their own soul. It was the call to be fragile and brave and to tell our stories.

Despite the fact that there was no social media to speak of, I made friends through my blog. They did the old fashioned thing: email.

To this day, there are a dozen folks I know from back then, many of which I’ve talked to on the phone or shared a cup of coffee.

When I first saw a reference to Medium, my heart gave a little flutter.

I had, of course, used “Blogger” as my first medium for creating and delivering content. Though, to be honest, for many months I hand-coded my blog. I’ve been a Twitter user for a little over 5 years. My experience with blogging back in the “old days” showed me that embracing and supporting new formats was important.

I also have a deep trust and respect for Ev Williams and the teams he puts together. I know that the early days of Medium will be about creation and art as the priority.

Everything About My Life is Different Now

Personal. Professional. Location. Situation.

Back in 2000, I was living in Texas. I was raising two daughters, working a full-time office job, and struggling to keep my marriage on Life Support. My blog saw me through the challenges of parenting, life, and divorce. And when I began rebuilding my life, my blog went away.

Today, I am living in Ohio with my partner John. My oldest is a grownup with her own apartment, pets, and a full-time job working for Apple.My youngest is almost grown and in school. I work from our home as a Life Coach and writer.

I write more now than I did then, but my writing is completely different. Most of my writing is from the view point of “The Expert Life Coach”.

I write a weekly blog for my Life Coaching practice. I create a weekly newsletter for subscribers. I contribute guest posts for a couple of big collaboration blogs.

I also serve as the Editor in Chief to All Things Girl, where I am in the role of Knowing.

I need to write.

I need to grant myself permission to be in the role of Seeking the Answers and not knowing them.

I need a space to write publicly about being human. A space to open my closet and let a few skeleton bones fall out. A space where I can be a part of the collective I came to value back in the old days.

My soul needs for me to write. It is my core.

The invitation to post on Medium was like a permission slip from God.

I don’t need to buy another domain or set up another install. I can’t get distracted by design.

I can be just me.

Writer. Seeker. Silly. Fragile.

Human.