One Year at Medium

In Which I Offer Heartfelt Thanks, Shameless Self-Promotion, Peanuts and a Prize

I have to start with a hearty thanks to Mediumland for letting me in the door. Thanks for the tiny free microphone, the book to stand on and my very own corner. I’ve made mad use of it and I’m still here.

One year ago today, November 19, 2014, I tentatively hit the publish button on this piece, a mad rant about mid-life hell. After a few years of hurling various ravings into the abyss of the freelance world and coming up largely unloved and empty-handed, I decided to give Medium a try.

It would not be an overstatement to say that it has changed my life.

For the last year, I have been happily, busily, building a profile here — a portfolio of sorts — and it has been great fun and terrific practice. (Has Trump forever ruined the word ‘terrific’?) Medium has been, for me, like a giant ongoing workshop, a graduate seminar in creative writing, a wonderfully supportive writer’s group — and, most excellent of all, I never had to change into real clothes and I could attend with a mug of PG Tips or a tumbler of gin and no one cared (or knew, unless I mouthed off about it). I’ve found instructive feedback, a bit of applause, and lots of crickets. I’ve ‘met’ some brilliant writers and editors, read a lot of quality writing, yammered away at Pomqua, learned about editing at Made Up Words and — most of all — I’ve written.

Before Medium, I wanted to write. I love to read and, all my life, I aspired to write. But I did it in fits and starts, with no direction and little confidence. My world was littered with scraps of poetry, half-baked essays and lists of ideas. Then, this lovely place gave me — a tech novice who doesn’t know and doesn’t want to — a beautiful, simple way to ‘publish’ my experiments and watch. Nothing happened at first, it was very slow and quiet for what seemed like a very long time, but gradually people stopped by. I threw a wide net, trying on various styles, and I started catching fish! This community is filled with voices — fabulous, interesting voices — who have taught me much but have also paused to listen. They have commented and responded and given me little green hearts and made me feel as if I might actually have something to say.

A big fat shower of heartfelt thanks to all of you, the citizens and the lords— it’s been a very interesting ride.

I have chronicled many seemingly unrelated and diverse subjects, like education, food, menopause, and alcohol (perhaps there’s a thread there, after all). I’ve tried on fiction and poetry, humor and snark. I’ve written a few things that resonated a bit and more than a few that fell flat on their quirky little faces (hormones and snakes — tell me, how does that miss?).

I’ve tried to help, I’ve annoyed my daughter, and I made some sporty people kind of mad (that was actually a bit of delicious fun, though there are some very creatively rude boys out there in internetland, aren’t there?). I’ve even written about writing and Medium.

My fingers have been in no fewer than 7 publications (thanks everyone for letting me in all those doors) and I’ve responded to many other writers, a fun feature of Medium.

And now, after all this self-congratulation and shameless advertisement, I want to tell you something, give you a bit of advice, a gift of sorts.

WRITE IT DOWN. Write it all down.

Whoever you are, wherever you are, if you have ever wanted to write anything at all for any reason at all and you have one of these appliances from hell at your disposal, jump on this Medium thing like it’s your last chance and write. Throw up all over this beautiful clean page and send it into the world. Do it again. It is the most grand fun and there are people out there who will find you and say, “me too!”, and you will feel like maybe there’s a tiny space for you in this big bad ridiculous amazing world. I’ve made virtual friends and a wee bit more than a dollar. I’ve learned about writing and I’ve learned about me. I sometimes, quietly, even call myself a ‘writer’ now. It’s terribly cool.

And now I’ve written a piece with more first-person pronouns than anyone should use in their whole life. Another box checked.

So, thanks Medium. It’s been a great year and I’m not going anywhere. I’ll keep writing stuff down and sharing it and waiting very patiently for my checks and my stock options. And if any publishing fairies are watching, I’m open to suggestion.