Don’t give up. Medium is slow. I have been writing for over a year and I still feel like no one sees my work. It helps to submit to publications because they have a wider reach. But frankly even in a publication my work can seem like it disappeared into a hole. I think even though I have over a 1000 followers, I really only have a couple dozen who regularly read and respond. It is not what I hoped for, but I built those connections over time and have come to value when the same person responds.I try to read and respond to my regular readers and we build a dialogue. But it is slow. Occasionally one story will go and reach a wider audience. I don’t know why or how, really. Better headline? Topic that triggers people? The right photo? The right number of minutes of read time? A good hook? Timely and topical? If I knew what worked I would do it every time. The other piece is that the Medium algorithm is stupid. It can’t tell good heartfelt transformative writing from gobbledygook. It just looks at if someone interacts with a piece of your writing and shows that person another piece of your work. That is why people publish so often here. Quantity allows you to build readership. Of course you need quality too. And self promotion. There are Facebook groups for medium writers that help you build your community of readers. I’m going to read your mother essay.