1. I wouldn't worry about either, keep banging out the work and don't focus on the metrics. I write down my monthly income on the last day of the month and I write how many followers I have - then I try not to check it between the 1st of one month and the 1st of another.

I would say you are far better off not to compare yourself with anyone but the writer you were last week. This is tough because there are other writers you can easily compare yourself to. And I've been here long enough to have been thoroughly depressed by now. I was a newbie at the same time as Shannon Ashley - and she's got far more followers than me. She also has far more output than me. Other writers have come and gone, some burn bright for a bit and then fade away, others keep a steady course. I think the latter is the best option - and that's why you need to compete with yourself.

2. Which brings me onto my second answer. I don't often link back to my older stuff because most of it is very poorly written. I've got far better since I began here. The only real exception is the Nazis in the Classes article I wrote in November 2018. That was my first viral article and it (broadly) stands the test of time.

When I get a bump from other stories doing well, that one tends to have a mini-bump as well. You've probably noticed that I tend to link to my own stories - and I'd rcommend doing this. I also throw links down at the end for similar articles. This seems to work with some people, as I'll have a reader go through a slew of articles at once. I suspect it doesn't work with everyone though.

Hope that helped. Keep up the good writing - and remember, you only have to be a bit better today than you were yesterday and you'll get a whole lot better real quick.