End of year writing reflection and reader gratitude.
Today, I reach 200 followers! Yay! Reaching this personal goal inspired me to reflect on Medium’s incredible influence on me and my writing in just two months as a writer.
2023 was a year of tremendous change in my life. It was my first year as a wife and stepmother (not an evil one!) My husband and I moved from the United States to Colombia. And we both changed careers.
After seven years of teaching High School Spanish, several of those years during a pandemic, no less, I was more than burnt out. I was done.
I’d been thinking of leaving teaching for more than a year. The only thing holding me back was my paycheck. I didn’t want to take another job that would run me ragged, but I also had bills to pay, and entry-level positions in a new field don’t typically come with large salaries.
So, when my husband and I decided to move to Colombia, I started saving every cent I could. Between our savings and the lower cost of living in Colombia, it was the perfect time to take a shot at the dream. Writing.
In the past, I’d thought of writing as a pipedream. Something I’d love to do, but it didn’t seem possible or practical. As I started looking into it, though, it seemed more and more like a realistic possibility and something I would truly enjoy.
I began researching writing jobs, freelance opportunities, and other ways to make money writing as I was wrapping up my final school year. I started taking writing, editing, and SEO courses on sites like Coursera and UDEMY. I borrowed writing books from the Kindle library, watched YouTube videos on writing, and listened to podcasts by authors. If I was going to leap into writing as a career, I wanted to do it right.
It was on YouTube that I learned about Medium for the first time, thanks to Zulie Rane at Zulie Writes. I was watching her video, The 5 BEST Writing Platforms that Pay Beginners, when I decided Medium sounded like an interesting platform to look into.
At this point, I had landed my first freelance role writing. The company paid less than a penny a word. The company required a minimum of 2000 words daily in addition to multiple rounds of editing and revision of content “flagged as AI” by an “AI checker” that frequently flagged content I’d personally written.
Since I was new, I hadn’t yet realized how ridiculous it was. I was starting to get disheartened and looking for any other option to get paid for my writing. I had even checked out a few websites that “pay” bloggers, but few seemed legitimate or seemed to pay well.
So, I joined Medium and the partner program. I wanted to start writing about my experiences living in Colombia, and it seemed like the right platform to give it a try.
One day, however, I decided to write about a topic my mom and I had been discussing, and I couldn’t get out of my head — Things you shouldn’t say to someone with a terminal illness.
My mom has stage 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), a form of brain cancer. According to The Glioblastoma Foundation, “only about 5 percent of glioblastoma patients survive more than five years.” So, terminal illness was a topic I had first-hand experience with.
This article showed me how valuable a resource Medium really is. I decided to submit the story to the publication Grief Book Club since it was relevant, and I only had two followers then.
Once submitted, the publication’s editor provided me with extremely helpful editing suggestions and thoughtful, encouraging feedback on my writing.
The story ended up getting boosted. So, I gained followers and saw my first earnings through the Partner Program. That and the kind, thoughtful, and heartfelt comments I received motivated me to keep writing and bolstered my wavering confidence.
I requested to be added as a writer to more publications, read and followed other writers, learned about the platform, and, most importantly, kept writing.
As 2023 comes to an end, I decided to reflect on what I’ve accomplished here on Medium in just these past 2 months since that first article was published.
Here are some of my top accomplishments as a Medium writer in 2023.
- I reached 200 followers! (Today!)
- I’ve written 22 stories.
- Seven of my stories have been boosted!
- I was accepted as a writer by 11 publications.
- In November, my stories received over 2.2K reads and earned $354.
- I’ve received amazing feedback on my writing from editors and readers.
- I made sincere connections with readers who shared their similar experiences with hardships and losses.
- I learned a great deal by reading stories from other writers on Medium.
- I became a “Friend of Medium” to support other writers as I’ve been supported.
- I built confidence in my writing abilities and improved upon them — enough to acquire an excellent new freelance writing job.
I sincerely thank anyone who has taken the time to read my stories. Every day, I’m grateful to have stumbled upon Medium and excited to see what 2024 brings!
BLEW WRITING LLC 