Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Words to Write Wednesday: Know Your Audience!

I routinely ask students in my writing workshops who they are writing their book for. Invariably the answer is “Everyone will enjoy my book!” This is a true statement most of the time. Certainly, we write with the intention that one and all will enjoy our work. However, it is important that we are authentic when we write.


One way in which we can be authentic is to narrow our focus to the reader who will be most affected by our words. You can’t write to high schoolers without knowing about high school. Drive by one, observe the kids – how they congregate; how they socialize.


If you’re writing a fictional account of a fireman, you should know what a firehouse looks like. If you’re writing a book about marriage and you leave out the part where “the two shall become one” means she wears your favorite t-shirt as a nightgown, your book might end up sitting on the dresser.


Determining who you’re writing the book to and for will go a long way in capturing the mind of the reader because you include them in the scenario when you are authentic. Don’t assume you know your audience. Do your due diligence and get to know them!






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