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A Tip For New Writers On Medium
Get a good map
When I first saw this prompt from Ellie Jacobson in Flint & Steel, I didn’t think it was one for me because I’ve been writing on Medium for less than a year. But it made me think about what helped me to find my feet on the platform. And there’s one tip I believe is worth passing on. It’s not exclusive to Medium, it’s something I’ve passed on in many different contexts to a diverse range of people over many years.
If you’re heading somewhere, you’ll get there quicker if you find a reliable map than if you put on a blindfold and head out at random.
Unless you’re a specialist researcher who has spent years learning all there is to know in your particular field, there will be people out there who have already trodden the ground you are exploring. Many of them will have left roadmaps and advice on how they tackled the sorts of problems that you are going to face.
Why start from scratch, struggling with the basics, and falling into traps that you could avoid?
Medium looks straightforward at first glance, but it springs surprises. Unexpected changes have taken me unawares several times, but I found this useful (and entertaining) article by an Argumentative Penguin who has been around much longer than I have. It doesn’t explain everything, but it makes some sense of the…
