Being curated is WAY over-rated. For me, it usually only means a 10% boost in views and a 1 to 5% boost in claps. The only thing it’s good for is getting your work in front of a small, tiny handful of new eyeballs (unless, of course, you’re writing about computer programming). Plus it seems that Medium has completely stopped curating fiction. The last time I had a fiction piece curated it wasn’t curated under fiction but rather the subject matter the fictional story was about. Fiction is a dirty word to Medium.

In my very unprofessional opinion the biggest problem writers have is that they think too much. Writing is not a mental exercise! Let your stomach, heart and fingers do all the work and keep the brain out of it. The only use for the brain is in editing. Nothing will stop and block the spewing forth of words more so than thinking. When Cezanne was painting one of his masterpieces I guarantee you he was not thinking. He was painting. It’s the same with writing. Turn off the thinking and it will be so much easier for the stories to come through. Write for the stories, NOT the audience. Once the brain gets turned on the judging starts and that ruins everything. Also, sometimes it helps to write with your eyes closed.

My advice runs contrary to what any other human being will tell you so it may be wise to disregard it — especially considering that my writing has garnered me almost zero success. You would no doubt do better listening to the advice of others — provided you don’t get too caught up in it. Follow your heart and listen to the Universe. The Universe, by the way, has a surfeit of stories looking for an opening into this world. Be that opening.

You are definitely one of my favorite writers on Medium. Sadly, I’m limited to how much I can clap. Fifty claps just isn’t enough. You deserve more.

By the way, I’m beginning to wonder if Sunny and James got kidnapped or something. No pressure but I need my fix.