Cynthia is an Aussie copywriter who loves rock climbing high ceilings and hiking amongst ferns.

The following is an interview with Cynthia Marinakos.

1. When did you first find Medium and why’d you choose to join the platform?

I first discovered Medium in 2017. I chose to join after reading awesome Medium articles for months. I got excited when I realized this is a place where every day people can write about many different topics, in their own voice. It scared the shit out of me to write under my own name rather than hiding behind clients. But I knew it would improve my writing so I gave it a go.

2. You’re well-known for your headline articles on Better Marketing. How did you personally start studying headlines that work and how can other writers do the same?

I started by analyzing headlines that ranked on the first page of Google search results. If a headline has made it to the first page, it usually means it’s bloody good. I looked for patterns and themes between the headlines, then investigated why they were so popular. …

When I started writing on Medium, I felt the same adrenaline rush you get when you’re at the top of a rollercoaster, pause for a moment, and then plunge down so fast the air is knocked out of you.

For months, I pushed, pushed, pushed, and felt unstoppable. I wrote and published every day, read countless articles, and learned as much as I could.

Perhaps you’re the same way. A new challenge makes you feel alive. You have so much to learn and explore that you can’t help but jump out of bed in the morning. …

After a year-and-a-half on Medium and 3,000 followers later, I’d like to say that I don’t experience envy toward other writers. Sadly, Elon Musk is still working on my robotic control system, and I stand before you as a flawed human being.

No matter what you have, you’ll always find someone who has more. Sometimes you won’t think twice about it, but other times, you’ll become envious and want that bigger, better, and shinier object. Clinical psychologist Lisa Firestone wrote in Psychology Today:

“Envy tends to be directed towards those with whom we compare ourselves, those with whom we feel we are in competition. As Bertrand Russell wrote, ‘Beggars do not envy millionaires, though of course they will envy other beggars who are more successful.’” …

As I type this sentence I can’t help but appreciate the beauty of this moment. The sound of the mechanical keys reminds me of my elementary school computer lab. A bunch of eleven-year-olds playing math games we actually enjoyed, chattering amongst ourselves, trying to beat our best friends. The keys clacked as we moved our characters and typed in answers to simple (though, not so simple then) math equations.

That young girl wished every day could be as fun as those. She just wanted life to be good and easy, especially since at that point, life was anything but. Of course, like many who think back to when they were kids, I couldn’t help but wonder: if that girl were to look at me now, would she be happy with where I am? Would she think my life was a good one? …

I’ve been writing since the early ’70s when I co-wrote my first book with Dr. John Schroeder, a cardiologist at Stanford on heart-healthy eating. Writing about transforming recipes into healthy meals opened up the new world of writing for me. Eventually, I found the courage to try my first love, fiction. I’ve taken many writing classes and honed my craft and in addition to writing, I have an editing business and am a writing coach.

The following is an interview with Helen Cassidy Page

1. How long have you been writing? When did you first find Medium and why’d you choose to join the platform?

I’ve put in my 10,000 hours and more, spending most of my time writing fiction. I’ve been in a wonderful writing group for more than 25 years. …

5 Tips

There are lots of ways to go about editing your work. What you do remains more or less the same, but how you do it varies.

These are five steps I take to ensure that my article would get an A+ stamped in the corner if I turned it into my high school English teacher. Apply them, and they can change the way you approach your work.

1. Think Like a Tweet

If you were to ask Google, “How long should a sentence be?” the average answer is 25 to 30 words. …

Do you ever feel like words are weighing on your chest? You just feel them there, fluttering like a hummingbird’s wings, ready to escape. But you ignore them because you don’t know what those words are. You don’t know what they’ll sound like or how they’ll look when you set them free.

This happens to me often. I feel the urge to spit out sounds and rhythms and letters, but I don’t know what they’re leading to, so I pretend I can’t feel them. …

Kelly is a writer both on and off Medium, coaches other writers, and runs the Creative Writing Academy on her Because You Write substack newsletter. With a background in teaching and health science, Kelly likes to uncover research and information that helps others improve their writing, relationships, and mental health. She lives on the edge of a rainforest in New Zealand.

The following is an interview with Kelly Eden

1. How long have you been writing? When did you first stumble upon Medium and why’d you choose to join the platform?

Writing has been my career for over 12 years now, but I always loved to write. I have journals and poem books full of writing dating back to age 6. Writing is the way I process everything. I’d been writing for print and online magazines and for private clients before I came across the Medium publication “PS I Love You” in October 2018 and sent them my first story, a short fiction called “Fish.” I felt like I needed a creative outlet because magazine work can become a little formulaic. …