ILLUMINATION gave me my best month ever!
Two weeks ago I wrote a story. It took me a couple of days to write and check all the details, but it was fun to write, and fun to read.
It was about a trip down the California coastline, and brunch at a delightful little spot in Malibu called Paradise Cove. So, a good travel story.
But there was an element of sexual tension between my work partner and I. These things have a way of bouncing around and making molehills into mountains. I felt I had to do something about it and that may have led to a poor decision or two. Don?t call it a love triangle, so much as a lust triangle. So, a bad sex story.
And that?s what I called it:
My Good Travel, Bad Sex Story
Purgatory in Paradise Cove
medium.com
This turned out to be a longer story than my usual. Medium thinks it?s a 17-minute read, but the average time is a bit under five minutes.
Screenshot from the detailed stats page.
I published it in ILLUMINATION and went on to write more articles. I was aiming for two articles a day, to make up for my earlier drought during the lockdown when I was worried sick over all the pandemic drama, and because ILLUMINATION and its many inspiring writers were lifting my enthusiasm to record levels.
Five days later, the story was curated into travel, which made sense. I?ve had fifteen stories curated out of 159, which is nearly one in ten. I pay attention to the rules, always attribute my images, never have affiliate links and so on. On this point I am indebted to Casey Botticello and his Medium Blogging Guide publication, which is crammed full of excellent advice.
And then the readers started pouring in. Maybe it was my superb writing ability, maybe it was the catchy headline, maybe it was the bikini blonde lead image, maybe it was the curation into a popular topic.
Whatever. I could hardly believe my eyes as the numbers climbed higher than anything I?d ever done before. So far, with this one story, I?ve not only paid for my year?s subscription to Medium, but made a profit. Granted, I won?t be placing orders for a sexy Jaguar convertible any time soon, but I can dream a little, right?
Pure sex on four wheels (CC image by Paul Hudson)
Now, I know that the seasoned veterans here will chuckle into their mugs of Red Bull, but this is a big deal for me. The sort of writing I do for pay is dry and technical, and not half as much fun to write as what I?ve been doing for Medium. And, so far, it?s paying a lot better with less effort than self-publishing my erotica on Kindle.
So, win-win all round.
I?ve been writing on Medium for exactly six months now, exactly one month on ILLUMINATION, and having a grand time.
Thanks to everybody who has helped, thanks to those writers who inspire me, thanks to those who have lifted me up with highlights, claps, and comments. Medium might not make me rich in the bank account, but the feeling I get from seeing readers enjoy my work is better than gold.
I guess that my decision now is just how much of my awkward sex adventures do I need to share with the world?
So that?s my best Medium story ? so far.
What?s yours?
Britni
More embarrassing awkwardness:
