Medium: Read & Write Stories 12+

Although I written privately, on and off, throughout my life, it is only recently that I have been sharing my words. I was daunted by the idea of submitting work to publications, so I started my own blog, then heard about Medium. I self published at first, then harnessed some bravery and submitted to publications. Medium is a wonderful place to reach an existing audience, to network with a community of writers, and gain confidence in your craft. I don’t earn much money (yet), I don’t think I write enough, but at the moment, the positive reactions to my writing are spurring me on, motivating me to keep going, and providing valuable feedback. Also, Medium is one huge magazine with more interesting articles than you have time to read, but no adverts! Not bad for the small subscription price. My one criticism would be that comments and highlights are all listed with your articles. That is a bit annoying and cumbersome. It discourages me to interact with others because it messes up my list of stories.

Medium is a rare site that’s enjoyable for readers *and* writers. There’s so much good content, and it’s easy to subscribe to topics of interest so the recommended articles are actually relevant. And for writers, the interface is so minimalist, it’s a joy to use. There are no distractions, the formatting is intuitive and straightforward. And the payment model is inspired - you’re not reliant on ad clicks, nor on generating your own subscribers ala Patreon. Rather, whenever a paying subscriber likes your work, you get paid. In less than a week and with a handful of articles I’ve earned over $20 - not huge sums, but from merely dipping my toe into the water it’s indicative of the potential.

The app, though, doesn’t deliver the full experience. There don’t seem to be the same formatting options (can i italicise text? If so, it’s not easy to find). It doesn’t seem possible to submit articles to publications through the app. Private notes don’t appear.

So, Medium is wonderful. The app is great for readers but incomplete for writers. I’d suggest it’s a good place to write drafts, but it’s not a complete enough offering to replace the website.

I’ve just finished reading A Reluctant Medium Part 1 - I read it over 2 nights and loved it so much, I can’t wait to see what happens next to Jane. Part 2 will be arriving tomorrow and I’m eagerly awaiting its arrival. I can’t believe I’m saying this but there were a lot of similarities in Jane’s book to my own life, so after the shock wore off that someone else in the UK experiences what I do, as well as having a family and having to stay in the house due to health matters, I really did enjoy the book. Even if none of it resonates with you, it’s still an enjoyable book to read, will let you know what I think of Part 2 in a few days! Rachel xx