I was also a beneficiary of two of the $500 bonuses due to a lucky coincidence of several articles going sermi-viral and making my earnings much, much higher than normal.

And yes, it certainly surprised to be a "top writer" in several categories for a few weeks. I was back to a more normal income in July, though this month I have one story that has broken $100 already by itself. It could fizzle out tomorrow or it could go on a few more weeks.

I think a sliding scale could help. Pay X for the first 1,000 views, 99% of X for the next, 98% and so on, decreasing. That would spread some money downward and encourage more struggling beginners.