Here is my latest Medium story, published last nite (Saturday). It was a day with waves of sadness and feelings of loss, in spite of my efforts to take in a wider view and more importantly, my clear knowledge that the story of Skippy’s life path is far from finished.
This flower title is
Addiction Recovery Story #24, Gladiola: Farewell to Shame
My day got brighter when I got out of bed and raked under the forsythia shrubs and around the struggling beach rose plants (which thrive on the Cape Cod dunes, not here).
Then our good friend M (husband to my good friend A) came over to watch the March Madness basketball game in our living room. He and A went to University of Virginia and UVA was playing. It was a good game, and I got lost in it. The three of us, with Sugar in our midst, ate dinner in front of the set.
But the addiction recovery writing--it called out to be written, even near 10 p.m. on a Saturday night, and it helped. I felt better having connected to my own feelings and I hope, to others, who might understand and have empathy.
Would you mind giving me a bit of Medium feedback, if you read the stories?
- Minutes. My flower stories range from 3 to 10 minutes (Tiger Lily, about taming jungle hunger, eating at night, like Dad did). Since the minutes are posted right at the top, does that affect your choice to read it, or maybe to hold off and read it later, when you have the time?
- The medium. Do you like reading on the Medium platform? I know our lives are so crowded, with NYTimes.com, Twitter, FB, etc. etc. etc.--and that’s just screen time, not real life.
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the time doesn't affect me. And I like reading on Medium. The only drag I experience is that I don't always get signed on, which means I can't always "clap" without signing on and then finding the piece. Maybe I'm doing something wrong...?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim. IDK, I think you probably do have to be signed on to clap. I leave myself signed in on my iPhone app and my laptop, but I know everyone doesn’t like to do that...thanks for the reads and the claps. Love Alice
DeleteI say this as a charter member of the Alice fan club: My only concern for you and Medium is that you'll never get paid what you deserve. The model just doesn't support it. I love your essays and I kind of like Medium; I just don't want to see you "give your words away." xo
ReplyDeleteMTM, I always thank you for your feedback and for believing in me. I have been thinking a lot about “giving my words away.” Dan tells me the same....I have done so since 2010 on my blog, except for the very brief period when I enabled ads, and it looked choppy and felt weird. I have the luxury of Dan being well paid for his science and neurology writing but were I supporting myself, I think my writer earnings models would have been very different. Medium was especially attractive to me with Skippy. Our lives felt erratic and I could squeeze in an essay and publish it at any hour. I also really like the editing platform mechanics.
DeleteHowever, with the Addiction Recovery story series, I have a plan. One, it’s really helping me to write these essays in real time, when I struggle with the food--and readers bear witness. Two, it seems to be helping others, also. Three, I have heard from people saying they look forward to the next story and that I should put them together in a book. Four, I might try to do that after 365 days have passed.
Sometimes I can go days without writing one of the flower essays and then once, I think I had to write 3 times within 36? hours (Girl Scout thin mints). This writing is a useful tool to me, helping me face Miss Sugar and see my own strengths and limitations more clearly.
That said, I’ve been trying to sell my essays--New York Times, Bonappetit.com, others.....so Medium is giving me great feedback that is prompting me to earn more money for the writing.
It sure is tricky. I have made a total of $500 on one controversial story published 12/23/20. It keeps earning more money, not a lot (“The Other Side of Karen”). I was not prepared for the fast and often furious responses that would generate, but I do think that the piece helped advance the White Privilege conversation, for Whites, Blacks, other POC and especially, me. Figgy made it quite clear to Dan and me that we have much White Privilege, and I now own that.
Thanks for your note. I’m also going to enter a short story contest. LOVE Alice
Your writing moves me. It speaks to so many emotions of the past, present and future. The time on the article does not influence me.
ReplyDeleteHello Just Because and I thank you. :)
DeleteI’ve been a paid subscriber to Medium for a while, because there are several writers there I like, and I support writers and journalists. But I agree with Eileen, I doubt you will get much financially out of it.
ReplyDeleteThe time on your pieces doesn’t affect me, but it might on a writer I don’t know.
Nan, you are the best, so openminded and good: “because...I support writers and journalists.” I forgot to add to my Eileen response that the other stories, aside from the racially charged one, do not earn much money....a few dollars here and there....for February, I earned $100 total on Medium and this month is lower.
DeleteRe. time. I like many other writers of Medium. But I also like to pick up physical books to hold in my hand. Some stories really grab me. One by a woman who worked at Victoria’s Secret and how much money she earned there? was captivating, and inside view. But with other writers, if I don’t feel like spending the minutes, I just scan the piece and then clap.
I responded to almost every single comment I got on the racially charged story, and there were a lot, some very insulting. That was hard to take, I won’t lie (insulting my knowledge, privilege--and even writing skills). And when I comment on other writers’ stories, I appreciate it when they take my point seriously and write back. Have a good day. Love Alice