I have struggled with the idea of republishing stories. Because I have read re-posted stories and I did remember them. It was a little disappointing to think I was reading a new story and then remembering it.

Many people read books more than once, and enjoy doing it. But they aren’t asked to buy the book each time they read it. So if I do encounter a republished story, and I read it, I don’t clap for it again. I feel like I already did the first time. But maybe I should to help support the writer (writing is hard.) I am torn about this also. LOL!

I certainly understand wanting your old stories to see the light of day again. In fact much of my short humor from my first year on Medium came from old Facebook posts that I edited and posted here. But that was a private Facebook account for friends and family only. And none of them read Medium (that I know of.) So they aren’t seeing them again. They were new to everyone else.

I have had some success adding links to old stories at the end of new stories. I regularly see people clap for three or four stories in a “trail of story links” at the end of my stories. It is not as good as a new story. Still they add up.

And I think if you edit old stories significantly, they are almost new stories, but I still won’t clap for them if I remember them (probably. I am still deciding my stance on that issue.)

I am also torn because I have a multi-part travel story that I abandoned after one entry a year ago that I would like to complete and publish again. But I don’t want old followers to be annoyed. They are my core audience. I don’t write stuff that appeals to Medium homepage (essay) readers. But I think there will be more than enough new content to do it anyway.

Still, I don’t want Medium to become a continual loop of republished stories. Hmm…