Marilena, I am by no means an expert but happy to share what I know. In reading your article, I completely understand your sentiment. I often have and still sometimes feel the same. I have been writing on Medium since 2018 and have seen many good writers and friends come and go. If I were to offer advice, I would consider why and who you are writing for, as this will define your focus. I know when I write because it feels good and because, first and foremost, it is for myself, it means I am in a much happier place. That said, I know what it feels like when you have written an article you are proud of, publish and tumbleweed. When this happens, I remind myself that writing for followers, views, and recognition is out of your control. Sure, you can write listicles and write about topics to get views, follow trends, publish on social media, but at the end of the day, it all means nothing if you are not happy and don't love what you do. I am sure you know this, but the best advice I have read and still struggle to follow is choosing topics that you can frequently write about; consistency, as you know, is key. When deciding what and how to write, I know if you show your perspective in terms of how you think, your vulnerability and provide value in helping people move from one position to another, this will resonate with readers.
Outside this general advice, a couple of things have helped me tremendously in my writing journey. One has been the interaction between other writers. The comments, highlights and claps all provide good forms of feedback to sharpen and adapt your writing.
Additionally, with the current Medium algorithm, I imagine a significant factor in helping to promote your own stories is the interaction with others. Another significant factor has been working and writing with publication editors. They appreciate what their readers want and can help give constructive feedback to help with your writing and getting published. I found that with a publication that is no longer on Medium because of the changes. Ah, Medium creators is a Medium publication that offers tons of advice on writing personal essays and more. I highly recommend following.
I hope this helps, and I hope you don't mind me saying that in your essay, you mentioned validation. If I understand correctly, I would say you don't need anyone to validate your writing, I have read your previous work, and I know you have a good sensibility to write from your heart. As long as you are happy, that's all that matters. So keep writing from the heart and don't think too much about the outcome; the rest will come. I wish you the best of luck and look forward to reading more of your work.
