Try Everything On Medium To Find Your Voice

Summary

Agnes Laurens, a writer from Bunnik, The Netherlands, discusses her journey on Medium, reflecting on her initial encounter with the platform, her passion for writing, and her experiences in finding her voice while aiming to help and connect with her readers.

Abstract

Agnes Laurens, a seasoned writer and violinist, shares her personal narrative about engaging with Medium. Initially captivated by the platform's layout and community interaction in 2016, she signed up but only began writing consistently in 2018. Agnes values the sense of community and the ability to have a voice on Medium, which she equates to a family and a home. Her writing journey is marked by a quest to find her niche, which she describes as encompassing her life experiences, thoughts, and observations. Agnes encourages writing about diverse topics to discover one's voice and is preparing to launch a Patreon page and newsletter for her followers.

Opinions

Agnes was immediately drawn to Medium's user-friendly layout and the vibrant storytelling community.
She views her writing on Medium not just as a passion but as meaningful work.
Agnes does not write on Medium for the earnings but appreciates the potential to eventually consider it work.
She emphasizes the joy and sense of belonging she feels as a Medium writer and premium member.
Agnes's writing is versatile, covering personal anecdotes, advice, and reflections inspired by various sources, including conversations and movies.
She believes in the importance of exploring different writing topics to grow as a writer and to engage with the audience in multiple ways.
Agnes is proactive in building her readership, inviting readers to subscribe to her mailing list and follow her on social media platforms.

When I saw the website of Medium back in 2016, I searched for something I needed then. I don’t remember what I was looking for, but the site popped-up first in the search engine was Medium.

I did find what I was looking for, luckily. But I was hooked by the wonderful layout of the website of Medium. The way people communicate with each other through their stories, the interaction of people on someone else’s stories and answers back to their readers. I loved it immediately. I signed up as well. But I started writing now and then only from 2018.

Back then I didn’t know you could earn some money through writing on this site. I still don’t care about your earnings, but to me, it sounded good to have something I can work for, something to call work eventually — it is work for me, but something I like very much and it became my passion. I can have a voice too on Medium, I thought. And I can write about everything I love to write about.

I didn’t think about this site for a while after signing up. It was in July 2019 when I became more serious about writing here on Medium. Since then I wrote almost every day.

Writing gives me joy, it gives me the voice I want to have and to spread through a great community, even I feel I have kind of a “family” I need, I guess. But since October 2019 I became a premium member. It is my best decision ever I made. I read more stories, I interact more with you and that’s what I like about Medium. It feels like home.

My voice

Since I’m writing on Medium I’m trying to find my voice. I mean, what do I like to write about, what kind of stories do my readers like to read, etc… It’s kind of a fun game being here.

I’m still trying to find my voice here. I write what I love to write about, I write what I like to write about, I write where I’m good to write about and where I am good at in real life, but I also want to see what I can do for my readers. I mean, where can I help my readers with? What tips from my life is worth sharing? I am willing to tell my real-life stories, what I have been through because I want to warn you for certain things that might happen in your life, so you know the signs to get you out of situations you don’t want to be in. Or I just to tell you what worked for me from situations I have been in, and maybe it will work for you too. That is my ultimate goal for writing. But I also love to share funny stories too.

I don’t really have a niche. My actual niche is everything I have experienced and I want to warn you about, all the things I love to do and what I know to write about. I also write about thoughts I have or even things I have seen or heard through conversations I got with people, even watching silly movies or other videos gives me a lot of inspiration to write about. Movies and videos have a point of truth somehow, even when it’s a fantasy movie. The creators of the movie got their inspiration through life experiences, or maybe dreams. You can think about how that love scene has to do with our reality.

I think it is important to know your voice where you want to write about, even if you have more than one of two topics you want to write about. Write about a topic you never have written about before — once in a while — and take a look at how that turns out for you and your other stories.

Agnes Laurens is a writer. She writes for the local newspaper. Agnes lives in Bunnik, The Netherlands, with her husband and three daughters. Writing is — aside from playing the violin — one of her passions since childhood. She is on Twitter and Instagram.

As soon as my Patreon page is ready to be launched, you’ll be the first one who will get notifications when you subscribe to my mailing list and subscribe to my Thoughts.