Hello mystery girl!!! Thanks for reading and kind wishes!
I will be happy to share some advice in an article I've been wanting to write for about a month now - hope it will help you. But for now here's the best advice I can offer you:
1. read carefully (look to see what in the piece speaks to you - make sure it's genuine, if the writing is not to your liking - move on, don't invest in writers that you are not going to enjoy reading...it's not worth it)
2. Clap 50 times
3. Respond to that article - in reference to how it moved you, taught you or made you reflect upon something in your life - this is why #1 is really important
4. follow them
Steps 1-4 will get you 100 followers in two months (in one month if you read about 20-30 articles a day)...so the amount of time you have will affect your ability to grow.
Others will want to come to your page and read something - in order to clap, comment and possibly follow.
Know this: some will not follow. Do not take it personally. So you don't want to start following people that you really aren't going to read or enjoy either - only to see them not follow you. Do you see what I mean?
Make it count - and make it mean something from the ground up if you want to build something meaning in Medium.
If you fake it or try to rush the growth - you will burn out or leave after a few months out of frustration. Think long term.
Start writing in your draft section. When you start publishing - publish your best. Let those pieces that you are showing speak for who you are and what you want to demonstrate so that those of us who want to reciprocate and follow know what we are getting into.
Some veteran writers are going to be very annoyed when you ask them point blank: follow me please.
Keep in mind we all had to find followers - and when people ask without reading or even knowing what we write or our style - it comes across insincere.
I want to help you - so I'm following. But please know - this is the exception. (I just checked and you didn't even clap this article of mine LOL - you clapped a comment...so those are the little things you have to be mindful of and understand)
If someone reads me, claps 50 times, comments GENUINELY and hits follow - I AUTOMATICALLY do the same. 100% of the time. It's worked for me - it can work for you.
We are here to help each other - ask for help. Read a lot - and you will start to get a feel for what can work for you.
Here's wishing you all the best!!!
