Curation Isn’t the Holy Grail of Medium
What matters isn’t magically bestowed upon you.
The most heavily talked about topic in regard to writing on Medium is curation. So many people try to figure it out. Time pieces perfectly. Figure out the algorithm.
It. Does. Not. Matter. One more time for the folks in the back: it’s not your bread and butter.
Without a doubt, curation can do wonders for a story. No one can deny that. My most popular story on Medium was curated in two different topics. I can say, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that it would not have gone as far as it did without curation.
It set a trajectory in the right direction. I am thankful as hell. But, once that happened, it was on me to keep the trajectory going.
Curation is an addictive thing. It is incredibly easy to chase that high.
That chase can come with a horrible crash. There were moments when I was writing a piece or making final edits that I thought to myself, “I don’t think the curators are going to like this.” Bottom line, it should not affect how I edit, what I write, and if I hit the publish button.
There is something far more valuable than curation. Engagement.
