Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Gregory Wolanski

What to expect after writing on Medium for 12 months as a designer. See my numbers & what writing can look like after a year.

I would start by writing about people, but I know you’re here for numbers.

Numbers

29,358 views, 11,394 reads, a 39% read ratio, 582 “fans” (it’s a Medium thing), and 525 followers.

People

Writing has a real impact on your ability to communicate clearly. After 12 months, I still can’t communicate everything I’d like to clearly, but I can assess a lot more accurately whether I’m able to convey something clearly or not.

Thanks to writing, I’ve met wonderful people (hey there! :).

Working with my phenomenal editor constantly reminds me how important relationships and trust are at work.

How to start writing?

I don’t know. It took me over 12 years to start. One day, I just got really angry about not writing and… started writing. I’ve made it to my 13th month. That’s all I know.

Useful constraints

A white sheet of paper scares not only writers but also designers.

I decided to deal with it as a designer would — by making up constraints:

I write in English (even though I’m not a native speaker and English is not my primary language)
Around two A4 pages (3,600 chars) per article (thanks, Mr. Ogilvy!; it makes everything easier)
Once a month (as someone who has never written and wants to publish articles in a foreign language, I’m able to publish smoothly a maximum of one text a month; after 12 months, I know that as a non–native speaker, I can only send out a newsletter with links once a week)

The writing trap

There is a trap in this whole writing thing. I’m a designer. Writing isn’t and won’t ever be my main occupation. Writing will never be the main “thing I do.” However, it gives off the incorrect impression that it could be.

Before I wrote three articles about pro bono work, I did a lot of design work on this topic. Then, as a form of rest, I decided to write 12 articles. At times, I felt like I was writing too much and doing too little. That’s why, in December, I published the Open Source Design 500 list, and in January, I published the code that I wrote to create this list. Now I’m working as a designer on my next open source project. I hope it will allow me to maintain a healthy balance between designing and writing.

Questions I started asking myself

Where do I want to publish this article?
Why do I want to publish this article?
Will this article harm me in the future?
Do I want to try to write something time–specific or timeless?
Where is the border between my know–how and the know–how of my clients?

Tips & tricks

It doesn’t matter what text editor you use, but if it’s hard for you to concentrate while writing, try OmmWriter — it helps me.
Remember that you don’t find time for important things in life, you make it.
The Pomodoro technique helps to get things done.

What’s next

Copying the articles from Medium to gregorywolanski.com and creating a newsletter for people who want to read me every month.
An attempt to publish articles outside of Medium (on other websites and on paper).
Next meta article about writing in 9 years.

Writing is thinking. Communicative, clear thinking — at least ultimately. Thinking in a way that makes something pleasantly tangible. Thinking that can be stopped and put back and to which you can return — rested or tired, sleepy or not, unusually inspired or extremely down to earth. “I have a better word for that.” “This sentence is too long.” “There’s a missing link between these two paragraphs.” This is building something.

I think I started writing and publishing when I realized that I could no longer buy being better at what I was doing. A new computer, tablet, or piece of software will not make me a better designer, a better man. Writing can, though; it has that power. I feel that. I believe that.

The articles I published in 2017

On writing as a designer was originally published in Prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

On writing as a designer

Cool stuff, every week

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