Not that I really expected anything to truly be different now that we're into a new year, but suffice it say, I no longer care to subscribe to 2021's newsletter. And we're only a little over a week in, for Pete's sake. By now, everyone knows about the mob of Trump-supporting rioters that stormed the United States Capitol this past Wednesday. People have weighed in on this non-stop over the past several days, so I won't rehash all the details, but -- as was the case for many people, I'm sure -- this threw the biggest emotional wrench into my wellbeing this week.
I've been feeling horribly anxious ever since, and I've found it very difficult to write much outside of my client obligations. Somehow, giving relationship advice and chattering on about general self-improvement doesn't seem like the thing to do right now. It already felt like people weren't really in the mood to improve themselves or their lives much this January, but the turmoil created by this event has only made things worse. Perhaps I should consider branching out soon and writing more about social issues, politics, and the like. It might give me somewhere productive to channel the very intense, strange feelings I've had this week.
I'm appalled not only by the fact that people who claim to be proud American actually did this but that there's been a sad lack of consequences for it overall. Yes, by now, the FBI has tracked some of these people down and started making arrests, but that's nothing compared to what would have happened here if these had been Black Lives Matter protestors instead of a horde of white Trump supporters. Donald Trump has been banned from several major social media platforms for inciting violence, but he's yet to be impeached or removed from office for this.
There's quite a lot of evidence that these same people are planning even more violence to come between now and Inauguration Day on the 20th, as well, so I hope someone with some authority is taking this seriously. I'm scared for soon-to-be President Biden and Vice President Harris. I'm saddened to see family and people I thought were friends condoning what's happened here. And most of all, I'm a little ashamed to be an American right now -- especially when you consider additional factors like our failure to handle the COVID pandemic with any sort of grace. It's a lot to unpack, and I haven't been feeling like my productive, optimistic self at all.
........
Beyond the obvious and despite my lack of overall productivity, this month hasn't been a terrible start to my year. Things continue to be going incredibly well over on Medium. Unless something's going hyper-viral at a given time, building my following always seems like incredibly slow going. I'm not going to sneeze in the face of any steady progress, though. At 4.1K followers, I have a larger audience on Medium after a single year on the platform than I've had anywhere else online in my entire life. To someone who never even dared to dream of finding a readership for her "real" writing, that's incredible.
It's been great to finally feel like my writing has a readership, as well as to earn some money for it. The more I make blogging, the more time and creative energy I can justify devoting to that in the future, so I'm incredibly grateful for everyone who's read my things and supported me on this journey. I'm mostly echoing what so many other Medium writers have said themselves, but it's accurate enough to bear repeating. If you're consistent, determined, and willing to grow, you can succeed on Medium and similar platforms like News Break. You just have to keep at it, even when it seems as if you're getting nowhere.
Speaking of News Break, after one month on the platform, I feel confident recommending them, as well -- especially if you're interested in citizen journalism or general interest content. Everyone's contract seems to be a bit different, depending on where they're coming from and how experienced they are on other platforms, but I can confirm that they've honored the terms of mine as promised. They've cleared my first payment and scheduled it for deposit, so that's much-needed money in my pocket this month that will allow me to spend even more of my time writing great content.
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