Why it’s so hard to write on Medium.
Mixed Messages.
Medium touts itself as a one stop shop catering for both readers and writers. Yet a noticeable issue (at least on the writer’s end) is that there’s a direct correlation between length (shown as the time to read the piece) and views. It’s something akin to the old days of Youtube, where brevity is encouraged. That’s the reason I didn’t start with an introduction. To add to this observation is that fact that writers can see the average read time on articles (yes, we can tell when you skimmed).
While brevity isn’t a bad thing, it doesn’t lend itself to deep takes on issues, instead encouraging…
Trends.
If you’re going to write anything, it better be the hottest and latest topic on everyone’s mind. I’ve wanted to touch on a take about The Last of Us Part 2 and how it introduces male players to the “Fridging” for a while now but I feel a two-month-old game (though still being discussed) will be drowned out by more recent developments, even in the game industry (for example, news of Fortnite suing Apple and Google). As with Brevity, the drive to write only the latest news doesn’t help lend itself to slow, thoughtful, and nuanced interpretations, especially as the story develops and articles become dated.
There’s more than one Medium.com.
While there are many free articles and unpartnered accounts for non-paying readers to enjoy, they are often hidden within the search bar and aren’t as promoted as the premium content. While it’s understandable this is to encourage paying for the premium experience (that or saving your free articles for next month and choosing wisely what you spend them on), this still has the effect of turning your efforts into trying to get the attention of either the big boys who will promote you or the few cheapskates (hello) who will skim your article because the headline caught their attention enough to entice their curiosity (hello again).
You’re not supposed to be relying on Medium.
Much like my earlier comparison to Youtube, creators and users soon learned to diversify their inputs and outputs. Even traditional mainstream talent have learned that they need to keep as busy on social media as they are on set or in the studio. There’s a reason actors are writing books or singers are getting into fashion (hell, even Zac Effron is starring in a travel/food show for Netflix); it shows range, but more importantly it give options. If one thing goes, you can always jump to the next project. Even now, as Tik Tok’s future looks dubious, there’re talks of its stars jumping ship for Youtube and Instagram. If you’re writing on just one platform, one genre, or (pun not intended) one medium, you’re more likely to confine yourself and less likely to hit on the route that’ll lead you to your fullest potential.
