Collecting Perspectives, Not Just Stories

Incorporating pre-published Medium stories was the most effective way to weave together various perspectives while maintaining control over the overall length. This approach allowed me to splice, summarize, and quote as needed, all while keeping the original story linked as a credible source.

Including pre-published articles requires minimal effort from contributors. Until Medium enhances its collaboration features to incorporate revenue sharing, contributors will only see indirect benefits from their participation. By encouraging the submission of pre-published works, contributors can maximize their return with minimal time investment, breathing new life into older narratives.

To enhance these stories, I found it beneficial to gather writers' unpublished thoughts or reflections on their pieces—essentially primary data. These reflections typically took the form of summaries or elaborations, adding depth beyond mere paraphrasing.

The collected perspectives thus create a dialogue between pre-published content and primary data, fostering more engaging and nuanced contributions.

To summarize:

• Pre-published stories are ideal for including diverse voices in collaborations.
• Aim to gather primary data, such as reflections or additional thoughts from your writers.
• Your role is to curate perspectives and weave them together effectively, rather than simply restating ideas.

Start with an Engaging Question

Most research pieces commence with a central question that informs methodologies, narrative structures, and writing styles. For "Writing Without Wind," I posed the question, "How do you write when the world weighs you down?"

This open-ended question invited various interpretations, resulting in practical advice, emotional responses, and reflections on writing motivations. Attempting to categorize these perspectives would have been counterproductive.

Conversely, a more straightforward question, such as "Should writers continue to write despite hardships?" would likely lead to binary responses, affecting the overall structure and narrative flow of the piece.

This principle applies to your prose as well. Because the initial question was emotive, I could share personal anecdotes and use affective language throughout. I didn’t have to focus on external research or fact-checking contributors' viewpoints.

However, if the question were, "Will the Scottish independence movement endure after Humza Yousaf's resignation?" the writing would necessitate a more analytical approach, with fact-checking and critique playing larger roles. Additionally, due to its contentious nature, further background research on contributors’ political histories would be required.

To summarize:

• Begin your collaborative story with a single, thought-provoking question.
• Tailor your research question to align with the narrative you wish to create.
• Consider the types of contributions you anticipate and what is necessary to ensure an accurate, well-rounded piece.

Exploring Diverse Formats

The structure of "Writing Without Wind" was relatively straightforward, featuring each perspective presented individually in an unordered list. The breakdown resembled this format:

[Title & Introduction]

[Perspective A]

[Perspective B]

[Perspective C]

[Conclusion]

The piece ultimately took on a monologic form, with each perspective standing independently instead of engaging directly with others. If given the chance to rewrite, I would invest more time in creating dialogues between ideas.

For instance, if one writer asserted that audience considerations should be secondary to a writer’s motivation, while another argued the opposite, that tension would be fascinating to explore.

Engagement among voices depends on your goals for the piece and the nature of the contributions received. It wouldn’t make sense to address a contentious political issue if all contributions shared the same viewpoint; instead, the article could focus on the nuances in their arguments.

Thus, remain adaptable and flexible in structuring your narrative. This is where your creativity as a writer shines: determining how to represent each voice and construct a compelling story.

To summarize:

• Don’t hesitate to create dialogues among ideas—each voice doesn’t have to stand alone.
• Be flexible with your structure and modify it as needed.
• Prioritize a narrative that captivates readers; the possibilities are endless.

Closing Thoughts

Thank you for journeying through this exploration of collaborative storytelling! I hope my insights provide valuable lessons for your own writing endeavors.

This article is part of an ongoing series titled "Writing about Writing." My goal is to enhance my skills and confidence as a writer. Reflecting on my experiences is crucial for my growth, and I intend to utilize this series as a platform to share my thoughts, lessons, and challenges.

What insights have you gained since beginning your own Medium journey? Feel free to share in the comments!

Peace, love & cheesecake :)

The first video titled "7 Hacks I Learned from Posting 1,700 Stories as a Top Writer on Medium" explores effective strategies for elevating your Medium writing game.

The second video, "How to Write Medium Stories Millions of People Want to Read," offers insights on crafting compelling stories that resonate with a wide audience.