Mocked With a Top Writer Award
Ten months after my first Top Writer in Writing I ironically got it back a few days ago.
My first Top Writer on Medium came with a successful story, ten months ago. Top Writer in Writing.
At the time I thought it was kind an award. It felt deserved. I even put it on Facebook.
Since then, several useless Top Writer came and went on my profile, and I understood that getting the Top Writer is just a matter of quantity over a period and tagging. Nothing to do with the quality or engagement metrics of your stories.
The name Top Writer is misleading, maybe baiting. It’s just a way to invite newbies to write more.
It suffices to say that you can get the Top Writer just by commenting.
That temporary label is so highly esteemed that it can just bring you a couple of additional readers who boringly scroll the Top Writer’s list of that topic, or the attention of other writers interested in getting the Top Writer themselves but are not really interested in your writing.
When I got my first Top Writer, I had written just a few stories on Writing. Afterward, having written dozens of stories on Writing (many of them successful and with several appreciative comments), that Top Writer usually was no more there.
A few days ago, just before reaching the psychological threshold of 1k followers — and in the middle of a pause away from Medium — , Medium gifted me with the Top Writer in Writing again. They even bothered to notify me, this time.
Were it not ironic, I’d have considered it an insult.
That’s how ungrateful I am.
I wished there was a way to return that to the sender, but it wasn’t necessary. The day after, the Top Writer was gone. It didn’t last even 48 hours.
Then the 1k followers mark was hit, carrying another bitter taste, after 15 months of an active presence on Medium. I hope Medium won’t take that away too. Even if it wouldn’t matter much anymore.
The moment I’m writing, my profile sports two Top Writer: Reading and Humor. After nearly fifty stories on writing, most of which with dozens of fans and excellent comments.
Reading is probably there as advice from Medium to read more featured stories, possibly from their flagship publications.
Humor is probably the shade of that advice. Or the grin accompanying the warning.
Update the moment I’m publishing: Writing is back again on my profile. Maybe the blinking has a meaning itself. Or is it winking?
