Here’s How Much I Make From 30 Articles on Medium Writing for 1 Year

It has been exactly a year. What started as a “let’s give it a shot” became a long term commitment and a hobby. I started writing on 23 June 2020 and it is 23 June 2021 today.

The Reveal

Ok, let us just jump straight into why most of you guys are here.

How much money did I make from writing on Medium for a year?

Just a disclaimer: I tend to receive (on average) about 60 views and 30 Reads per article and I currently have 72 Followers and published a total of 30 articles.

Here is it. Ta-Da.

My Grand Total: $8.43

A Grand Total of $8.43

Yup, that’s it. Discouraged?

I get it. It is not a lot. I am sure most of us came across Medium articles showing us that it is possible to earn hundreds per article and thousands per month just by writing consistently for a couple of months.

And here I am, writing 30 articles for a year only to be paid $8.43. Of course, I understand that the quality and topic of the article matters a lot. Topics like money and tech tend to get more traction. Experienced writers tend to have better engagement with their readers.

However, I have seen new writers racking up thousands of views within their first few articles.

And it stings.

Yes, I am human after all. It naturally pains me to see my efforts not being recognized despite putting in seemingly more effort than others.

After all, effort is the most important factor for success right?

Of course not, dimwit. There is something else called talent. Still, it stings. I mean my articles are great too, right? I think? ok maybe not.

So here comes the part where I start to feel bad for myself and doubt my own talents (if any). But this is also the part when I start to impart a great deal of wisdom and knowledge to readers who are still reading.

After feeling bad about myself for a couple of hours, I was contemplating if I should even continue writing. I mean, what is the point? I’m just not gifted to write a good article. I am just not talented.

The Realization

And this is when the lightbulb in my small brain went off.

I realized that this is the part where you should not stop and continue. This is the part where things start to compound and things skyrocket.

Exponential Curve. Success seems far away.

In an exponential curve, growth always seems slow in the beginning. You may be working hard and smart but growth is slow.

Success seems distant, far away.

And perhaps this is also where many of us give up. We can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel and just don’t have the faith to carry on. But what if you are close, just one article away?

This is when I realized that I cannot stop. If I trust my own work and that I will improve over time, I should continue.

I will never know which article will take off. Maybe none. Maybe the next one. Who knows? But if I know there is a chance, why abandon it?

The Second Realization

And yes, there is more to learn than just not quitting.

A second bulb went off.

Does it matter? Why did I start writing? Oh, wait, you dimwit… You wrote an article on this. Ok, I remember now.

I guess sometimes in the process of trying to churn out articles after articles, I lost the reasons for why I started writing in the first place. And now I remember. It is important too. It is important to step back and look big. By doing so, I am grateful that I started this journey.

I mean look at this! I am actually imparting some form of knowledge to others. It may not seem much, but it sure feels good!

I am thankful that people are reading.

I am thankful that I am even paid for writing.

I am thankful for the opportunity to express my thoughts.

What’s next?

This one year journey has been fun. I realized that I came one full circle. I started writing with a clear purpose of why I want to write and ended off with a reminder of my purpose of writing. I guess life is indeed magical.

So yes, that $8.43 may not seem much monetarily, but it serves as an important reminder and recognition for myself.

With that, here’s to another year of writing!

—

This post was previously published on Change Becomes You.

***

Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.

All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.

A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.