CRyder Design

A Brief Introduction

As I writer, I often find myself trying to tell stories. I believe stories are a great way to form a connection with an audience and keep them engaged. Audiences don’t like to be left on a cliffhanger; they want to keep reading to know how the story ends.

I can not only focus on writing what the audience would want to read. I must factor in what I want to write and how I want to tell the story. I often ask myself periodically as I write “What am I writing for?” and “Who am I writing for?” Yet, the answer varies depending on what I am writing.

A blog post and a scholarly paper each warrant different answers to these questions. My tone, writing style, and the balance of writing for the audience and myself will all be different. A blog post will be more casual in nature whereas a scholarly paper will be more formal.

Who to Write For

Writing is no simple task. Typically, as a writer, one writes for the purpose of their work being read. But is that the sole purpose? Not necessarily. It is essential to find a balance between writing for your audience and writing for yourself. In his book, On Writing Well, William Zinsser discusses the paradox of who a writer should be writing for: themselves or their audience.

It is common for writers to write for their intended audience in hopes of keeping them engaged throughout the piece; Zinsser assures that writers should not be concerned with this. He answers the paradox through an explanation of the importance of craft and attitude in writing. He considers craft to be the skill of writing well, and attitude to be the expression of your personality. Zinsser believes that when it comes to craft, write for the reader; and when it comes to attitude, write for yourself.

As a writer, it may seem that choosing whether to write for your intended audience or yourself is important. However, using both craft and attitude in your writing is what is truly important. Zinsser states that you should not be losing readers because of careless mistakes in your writing, but if you lose them because they are not a fan of your style you are not at fault.

Conclusion

Author Lindsey Carson states, “Although it’s not necessarily wrong to do one or the other, we should still be cognizant of how much of our writing leans a certain way” (“Are You Writing for Your Audience or Writing for Yourself?”).  This supports the idea of finding a balance between the two. Writing should not necessarily be leaning in one direction or the other.

All in all, writing will either be read or ignored. There is no method that all writers can adopt to ensure their audience will thoroughly read their piece. “So, whether your writing is for yourself or for your readers, just know that at the end of the day, they will either find it enticing and read it or simply ignore it” (“Are You Writing for Your Audience or Writing for Yourself?”).