OPEN THREAD

Who You Write For

A great thing about Medium’s open platform is the incredible diversity of voices. Here you’ll find writers sharing knowledge in their fields, from programming to psychology to Gothic literature. (Really.) You’ll find professionals promoting their expertise, and you’ll find writers crafting poetry and fairy tales for the sheer joy of it.

In this month’s Open Thread, we asked, “Who do you write for?” As writers, the very question can chafe, implying that our work only has value if someone else says it does. But we’re not talking about writing just for clicks or claps. We’re talking about writing to connect, writing to communicate with readers. After all, if you want anyone to read your work, it helps to consider who that “anyone” might be, and how you can be useful or interesting or amusing to them.

We got almost 100 responses. Here were some that stood out. Thanks to everyone who participated!

— Amy Shearn, Creator Support @ Medium

I write for new writers and developers, to share information that I have learned and my journey to transition into a freelance content writing career. — Heather Cooper

I try to be as authentic as I can and write about the things that I’m passionate about because I want to genuinely connect with people, and I can’t do that unless I’m true to myself. Even if that means publishing old-fashioned fairy tales in the age of the smartphone. — E. Ardincaple

I most definitely write for myself, and it took me a very long time to do so, to understand that, even though I am writing to others, I can only express what I am so, before anyone can enjoy my writing, I should enjoy it. — Ju Wakabara Romualdo

I write to share the gained knowledge in Programming hoping it might help someone struggling with the concept somewhere out there. — Richardwachara

I write for people who want to learn more about themselves through Gothic literature. — Alicia Domínguez

I have been blogging about psychology for more than 14 years now… I write to share what excites me, and in doing so, I also feel like to spread awareness about psychological issues. — Saif Farooqi, PhD

I write as a way to communicate about shared human experiences. Reading is how I understand myself and life…I would like to participate. — Kit Desjacques

I write to share health and science knowledge with the general public. — Nita Jain

I write for and to 12-year-old me who is still healing. I appreciate writers I can connect with and learn from and hope to do the same for others. — Claudia Koomson