I Found a Writing Strategy That Works: It Could Work for You Too.
I’ve been trying to find my way to write consistently on Medium for over a year.
I’ve been trying to find my way to write consistently on Medium for over a year.
Why do I want to write in the first place?
I want to write to connect with like-minded people. It’s exciting for me if I read someone’s article and that writer seems to point thoughts directly to me. It makes me want to respond either by commenting or writing another whole new article along the same ideas.
Since I’ve retired from my daily job, I often ask myself; “What do I want to do with my time?” I’m not in favor of eating out in restaurants very often, and I choose not to spend my time drinking or gambling. Since most people are in such a hurry all the time or very busy, I don’t visit with many people. Shopping doesn’t make me happy either. I allow time for my family.
But I do like crafts, camping, outdoor events, reading and writing. So, it breaks down to my writing every day. I have to learn how to achieve this new habit. It’s not easy, but doable. I just have to learn how to set my priorities in order of importance.
Writing makes me feel useful, caring and excited. That’s why I choose to write.
What do I want to write about?
Some days, I want to write, but I don’t know what I want to write about. Another medium author wrote (I don’t remember who said this) that she makes a list of 30 topics to write about at once. I’m trying this strategy, so I can bypass the excuse of not being able to think of what to write about. Logging into Quora is a good place to find questions that need answers and I could write an article from there.
Since, I’m a senior citizen, I like to write about problems that seniors often face. It makes me excited to help share my solutions to common everyday Senior problems that may help someone else.
Develop your writing routine.
Everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you. And vice versus. I would suggest you find your best time of day to write and form a writing habit from there. For me, it’s early morning, since my energy level is at its best. It’s important to make a plan and stick to it. For example, I want to write a 500–600 word article the first thing in the morning, before I take on other chores. The hard part is being able to put everything else to the side until after I finish writing.
After writing consistently for a few weeks, you will start to feel the flow and want to develop other skills to be successful on Medium. Just writing alone is not enough. You need to know about branding, finding your audience, how the algorithm works on Medium and how to pin your articles to your profile.
I’m learning the correct way to pin my articles to my profile and do some housekeeping for visuals. It’s vital to read, comment and interact with other like-minded authors to keep your momentum up.
Take Away
You need to find a writing strategy that works best for you. Even though so many writers try to tell you how to write, ultimately you need to find what works best for you and be consistent. Just do it! Most people try this and try that and eventually stumble upon something that works for them.
Believe in yourself is the most important thing after all.
Thanks for reading!