I think publications and how a big part of medium's distribution depends on them is a big part of this problem.. I've tried writing about things that I care about purely but this has resulted in articles that aren't fitted for any relevant pubs.. self publishing them always goes no where so nowadays, I just write what I care about but try to spin in in a way that makes it a considerable fit for some of the high acceptance publications.. this has still affected my results but atleast it keeps me sane knowing that there are people reading them. I have loved the way you write.. I don't think I can write close to how good you write because you make even the most mundane narratives quite interesting to read. I do not read much on medium either but I make sure I read a story from you every so often.. It helps me get out of the rut of reading medium meta and cliche advice. Thanks for the articles you've written and I hope you can still find a reason to keep writing here.