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Why I became a Writer of Erotica on Medium

I didn’t come here to make money. It never even occurred to me. I discovered Medium when a Facebook friend liked the way I wrote a reply to her and suggested I write some stories. That was six years ago.

In the beginning, it was a lot of fun for me. I had no idea I had so many stories to tell. They seemed to just pour out of me. My friend called me prolific. And I’ve always enjoyed meeting new people, so it was a bonus to get to know other Medium writers through our lengthy replies to one another.

That was then. But along came the Partner Program — a way for writers to get paid and get their stories distributed to a wider audience across the Medium platform. In the beginning it was fun to see my name in lights on the Medium front page and highlighted as a “Top Writer in” Mental Health, Psychology, Poetry, and others. And it was a nice bonus to receive two or three hundred a month for a time.

I wasn’t counting on the money, and I honestly didn’t need it. It just made me feel good. And worthy. And accomplished. But the money began to spiral downward almost as soon as it arrived. I think there was about a year of it. And just about that time the friendships dwindled as well, as many Medium friends dropped off the radar.

Back then, in what now seems like a time of innocence uncorrupted by commerce…