I’ve been writing here for 5 years - my bet is that I’ll be writing here after you burn out. Every year there is a new intake of writers who learn the secret of success and announce it to everyone. Usually it is about writing more volume.

Success here, in my opinion, is not about how much money you make or how much content you churn out, it’s about practicing the craft, having something to say and enjoying the process.

The bit of the pattern you haven’t seen yet - is the Medium pivot. They happen every year or so, medium tweaks the algorithm or changes what they’re after. Suddenly, after earning $800 a month for two articles a day, they get cut down to $300 a month, so they add another article… and then it’s $500 dollars a month for 3 articles per day from a writer with a generally bored audience. I had a chat with a guy who has 40K followers (I have 4K) and we earn roughly the same.

Once this drop in income happens, people get unhappy. Their genius isn’t recognised and they burn out. This happens every year, without fail. The Great Goddess Algorithmia is fickle, the only defence is to forget the followers and the finance and just enjoy yourself.