Update: Since I’m getting some comments along these lines, I understand that there will always be trolls. I understand people leave bad reviews and comments. But to attack a writer personally is unacceptable, and Medium needs to do better. Think I’m being too sensitive? Well, I’m an empath and an HSP, so I guess I am.

Guys, I am taking a Medium break.

I’ve tired of the shitty, abusive comments. They have gotten 10 times worse over the past few months.

My mental health is worth more than the two dollars I make each day writing on Medium. …

I have lost inspiration and focus as a writer. I’m tired, and I’m burned out.

Reading good material from other writers is essential to growing your writing skills. But reading the same thing over and over again is not helpful.

Half my feed right now is stories about Medium. And yes, here I am contributing to the pile. But looking at my stats, those are the only articles I write that people read, except for the rare breakout piece.

Sell the sizzle

Medium is great at selling the sizzle. It’s an old marketing trick.

Write on here and you will make lots of…

Do you feel like you need to explain your decisions to others?

I used to be the same way. I always felt the need to explain myself, providing way too much detail. But I’ve learned I don’t have to do that anymore.

The truth is—people don’t care about the reason for your decision if they disagree with you. They’ve already made up their minds, and you are wasting your time and energy.

We all have an inner circle of friends. Only share with those two or three safe people. …

I don’t handle stress well. So sue me.

Someone left a rude comment on one of my stories this morning, and I let it bother me WAY more than it should have.

Now I understand why writers like Tim Denning don’t read their comments.

Most people on here are polite, but now and then I get a troll. As I said, I let it bother me too much. These comments are usually from new members with few followers. Why should I care what they say? I shouldn’t, but it still stings.

When you are a creator, you are an easy…

My most popular current article is attracting a lot of conversation in the comments. A majority of commenters agree with my perspective, but there are a few people who have had different experiences on LinkedIn.

That’s great! But it doesn’t change the fact that my experience on LinkedIn has been poor. So who’s right? We both are!

Listen to Obi-Wan

“Luke, you’re going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”—Return of the Jedi

Obi-Wan was right. Truth depends on our point of view and is influenced by our life experiences.

One commenter…

I swear, if I see one more article about how to get curated, gain followers, or make money on Medium, I will lose my mind. No wonder I can’t get reads when I write about serious topics like health care, elder abuse, etc. Nobody cares!

Yes, I have cleared my reading history. Yes, I hide stories and unfollow people. It doesn’t matter. This drivel still makes up 50% of my feed. Medium has become the online National Enquirer and it sucks. No wonder people won’t pay to read content on here.

Look, I think people should be able to write…

I’ve deleted four stories this month due to low engagement. My stats made me feel like a failure, so I wiped out the evidence.

Three of those stories were topics I am passionate about. One was a celebration of my first year on Medium and a thank you to my readers.

Crickets on all of them, so I deleted them.

What’s worse, lots of views, but no reads. It’s a crime that I deleted them, but that’s what likes and views do—they make us feel loved or hated. I’m convinced that stats were designed to torture creatives.

It’s funny—my followers…

I’ve been writing on Medium for a year now. Before that, I wrote on a personal blog for a year and a half.

Two and a half years later, I’ve noticed 3 important things. So will you if you keep writing.

#1 Your writing will improve

It’s true. Practice makes perfect.

The more you write, the better you will become as a writer.

I’ve looked back at my posts from when I first started writing. I’m a much better writer now. My writing wasn’t bad before, but it was much less polished. I use fewer words now to say the same thing.

Grammarly has helped…