Yes Lawson, it can be a grind, a thankless task even, but it does work. Back in 2021 was hitting the big numbers for a short period. Everything I wrote got curated and as a result I had about four stories went viral. I also got 500 dollars a month bonus from Medium for three months. Then sadly it all went down the pan with my accident. Now I am back at it, but still no curation or big reads. But I know for a fact that it does work if you stick at it and concentrate on your craft, exactly as you say. Good luck.