Chapter 1: The Joy of Writing with Crabs

I've been actively writing on Medium for 28 months, consistently publishing twice daily. This routine has yielded a commendable level of success, thanks to the strategies I've crafted and shared with those interested. I'm incredibly thankful for how far I've come.

Now, I have an exciting revelation to share with my fellow writers: I have crabs. And I couldn’t be more delighted about it. Truly, I'm ecstatic!

Let me clarify what I mean. Having "crabs" as a Medium author is, in fact, a positive development. It’s certainly a better situation than the one I found myself in during my initial six months as a new writer and blogger back in 2022.

Initially, I was somewhat lost in my writing journey. My foray into blogging began as a way to create a portfolio for a content writing position I had secured, which turned out to be quite unfulfilling. Writing on Medium, however, was a far more enjoyable experience.

Once I realized my passion for blogging outweighed that for content writing, I started to relish the process. I began posting my work on Medium, and also explored Substack (meh), HubPages (definitely not great), Vocal (also lacking), and Ko-fi (just dabbling to see how it felt).

None of those platforms compared to the potential Medium offered in terms of income and audience engagement. I made a commitment to publish a new article every day.

Then, something unexpected happened—one of my articles went semi-viral. This occurred within my first 90 days of joining Medium and generated a surprising amount of income.

The article was titled, "I Hate the Bullshit Racism in My State." It was a passionate response to a particularly offensive truck decorated with hateful, right-wing slogans. After capturing a photo of it, I knew I had to share my thoughts:

This absurd, ignorant truck roams our neighborhood. What a jerk. Photo: Author

It seemed many shared my sentiments on this matter, as the article quickly gained traction. Unfortunately, it also attracted some backlash.

I was taken aback by how many were offended by my stance against racist and bigoted behavior. But I stand firm against those who believe their skin color grants them superiority.

This article became my "big fish," earning me over $1200. I thought I had cracked the code to becoming a successful writer on Medium. I was eager for my next big hit, hoping it would come soon.

However, things didn’t pan out as expected. I struggled to replicate that success. The more I pushed to create another groundbreaking piece, the more elusive it became.

Yet, I refused to give up. Realizing that I couldn't rely on divine intervention to produce another stellar article, I knew I needed a new strategy. After reflecting on my creative process, I decided to make a change.

I discovered it wasn’t necessary to produce a monumental article every month. Instead, crafting several solid pieces regularly proved to be much more effective. Emphasizing consistency worked wonders for me.

And this brings me back to the crabs reference in my title. The idea came from a recent conversation with my brother-in-law about our family trip to the Oregon coast in 2022. I wrote several travel articles about that experience, which you can check out here:

We would have been no match for a Megalodon.

While reminiscing with my brother-in-law, Ben, I learned that obtaining crab traps and a 24-hour permit to catch crabs is surprisingly simple. He mentioned it was much easier than fishing.

This led me to draw a parallel with my writing on Medium. Instead of tirelessly pursuing a "trophy fish" of an article, I could be setting crab traps to gather something not only more valuable but also tastier.

Now, I'm committed to laying out my daily crab traps—two at a time. By consistently publishing two well-received articles each day, I'll ultimately reap more rewards (income) than if I chased after that elusive trophy fish.

Here are my top crab traps for April, with 68 additional articles earning over $5 each.

The takeaway? Write frequently. Set multiple crab traps and keep at it. You’ll catch those crabs. Aim to produce 10 to 14 articles weekly instead of just one. And don’t forget the right bait for your traps.

Quality writing acts as effective bait. Attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation makes a significant difference. Selecting relevant images for your articles will captivate your audience. The title, subtitle, and hook play crucial roles in determining whether you land a bountiful catch or come up empty-handed.

It’s much easier to set two traps a day and gather numerous delicious crabs than to snag a rare marlin or trophy fish and hope for another catch soon after. The latter occurrences are quite rare. Stick to your crabs, just like The Professor.

© 2024 Jason Provencio. All rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, tips are always appreciated. Thank you for reading!

Chapter 2: Insights from the Craft of Writing

In this video, "Playwright's Spotlight with Bernardo Cubria," the discussion revolves around the intricacies and joys of writing, revealing insights that can inspire your own creative process.

Chapter 3: The Truth Behind Culinary Choices

"The Truth About Imitation Crab Even Some Pro Cooks Don't Know" dives into the often-overlooked details of imitation crab, shedding light on what many culinary professionals may not realize.