Thanks for the great information. I am just getting started on Steemit and am going into this with my eyes open and my expectations low. Your post reassures me that this is something that relies on a lot of hard work to get to a higher plateau but can also be a great spot for one to hone one's writing and blogging skills. I am recently retired and have a lot of opinions and a lot of time. So this looks like it could be a nice way to keep my mind sharp. Thanks again for the story.