100 Stories, 100 Memories

I’m not going to lie. I started writing this article as my 93rd piece, but I won’t post it until I reach 100. As Demi Lovato once said…

I’m not going to lie. I started writing this article as my 93rd piece, but I won’t post it until I reach 100. As Demi Lovato once said, “I’m sorry (I’m not sorry).”

I didn’t think I would reach 100 articles on Medium when I first started writing back in December on my own website, patrickstewart.net. In fact, if you had told me six months later, I would own three websites, run a Medium publication, edit another, and have over 1,000 followers on two different platforms, I would have told you to screw off, but here I am. I am still working every day to get better and tell my stories the best I can.

I’ve been writing creatively since I was in the 5th grade and the first story I wrote was a fantasy adventure about knights, a princess, and a dragon. Of course, all of the characters were based on my classmates, and the entire story ran for nearly eight typed pages. Unfortunately (or maybe luckily), the story was lost a long time ago, and all I remember is the description above, and the princess was based on a girl I had a huge crush on at the time.

Now, I’m sitting at the threshold of a second career, and to be honest, there was certainly a part of me that hoped to be a star. Again, vanity, but if I were doing it only for the skill of writing, I’d be writing in a journal in the corner of my house. Instead, I’m writing online for anyone to see, so there has to be a tiny bit of vanity in there for anyone writing on Medium.

When I wrote my first book in 2008, I thought so poorly of my own work, I told everyone it was an experiment to see what the publication process in Apple’s iBooks looked like and not because I wanted to show everyone my work. Perhaps it was the early Taoist nature in me not wanting to be seen or celebrated. Or maybe it was my imposter syndrome rearing its ugly head, but when I made my first dollar in February, I was so excited I created my own “certificate” and had it printed, framed, and hung on my bedroom wall. Again, vanity, I know, please don’t DM me.

After a week on Medium, I started my own publication called The Taoist Online which originally was as just a brand name for myself but is now a thriving publication with over 1,100 followers across eight different social networks. That doesn’t include the extra 2,000 followers who follow my personal Medium and Mastodon accounts. I learned to hate social networks during COVID and quit nearly all of them except for Reddit. Now, I’m at a much healthier place in my personal life and mental health, so I’ve learned to use them to my benefit. Those networks aren’t going anywhere, and there are always new networks to join or try, but if I want to help people, I have to use them.

I’m surprised how little communities there are for sharing spiritual, religious, and philosophical ideas. Sure, there are subreddits, but each topic has its own sub, and the larger, more broad topics don’t have enough involvement.

The same is true for individual websites too. Their niche is so small it doesn’t appeal to a broad range of people. Why is The Taoist Online a new idea, and why did I think of it? Perhaps I’m not looking hard enough online, but I’m glad the publication has resonated with so many people worldwide. Having a publication expand quickly is stressful and has come with additional complications.

Originally, Simon and I believed we could run two websites and mirror the articles from Medium to the external site. In this two-site system, social media would point to an ad-supported blog which would generate some additional revenue, however, by early June, maintaining two websites became unmanageable and began to cost time with kids and family. So, thetaoistonline.org closed this week.

I also applied for a trademark from the United States Trademark and Patent Office in March. I raised $300 from the community to file paperwork in three weeks and so far, the application is still pending and if I’m lucky, will be accepted in early 2024. In the meantime, I’m lucky enough to have brought on an incredible team.

Amanda and Nathan are talented, dependable, and motivated to help in any way they can. As the publication grows, so too will their responsibilities, and I couldn’t do any of this without help. If we grow too much bigger, I will need to look for more team members, and who knows where I’ll go!

In the future, I want my writing to reach more people and continue to help them. I receive comments and emails every day from readers and writers who are thankful for the opportunity to write for the publication I started or have connected with the article's I have written.

So, as I move into my second batch of 100 articles, I look toward the future with hope and optimism that the work I’m doing is worth it for not just me, but for everyone who needs it.

Take care, friends!