Medium | Writing | Money | Motivation

Do I Write on Medium for the Money?

The short answer is yes and no

A quick look at what motivates me to write here, and how my earnings vary throughout the month.

Okay, so I’ve exaggerated for dramatic effect. But you get the idea. Photo by the author, Autistic Widower.

My dream is to earn enough money from writing on Medium to get by.

But I’m a long way from achieving that.

So far away, in fact, that it makes no sense to carry on writing. (I could earn more by working an hour a week somewhere on minimum wage.)

But I’m still here.

So why do I carry on?

• There are stories in my head that I want to share
• I like the people here
• I don’t want to give up on my dream

Is Medium testing me?

Sometimes it feels like Medium is trying to find out how determined I am. It’s like I’m being pushed to the limit to see if I’ll give up.

Here’s an example of what I mean.

I’ve noticed a pattern in my daily Medium Partner Program earnings.

At the beginning of each month, things get off to a very slow start. So bad in fact that I start thinking I’ll earn ten times less than last month.

Then, around the middle of the month, things pick up again, and it looks like it might not be so bad after all.

Finally, by the end of the month, my earnings match or slightly exceed the previous month, and I’m glad I didn’t let the dismal numbers near the start of the month make me give up.

(Your mileage may vary, as the saying goes.)

Would I still write if I earned zero?

In the past, I’ve written a considerable amount on sites such as Blogspot and Facebook where I earned nothing.

So the answer is yes. I would still write even if I earned nothing.

But having some money coming in every month from writing does motivate me to spend more time on it.

Takeaway

• I like writing here and plan to carry on