Target audience

Patricia T. O'Conner

In her advice for writers in Words Fail Me, Patricia T. O'Conner addresses the question of for whom do writers write, and she says two things that seem, and in fact are, contradictory. Yet they are both true.

First, she says to write for yourself. Write what you want to read. I've heard writers say that because others weren't writing the kinds of books they like to read, they decided to write them themselves.

Lately I have begun writing sermons — and sometimes even preach them — partly for this very reason. I rarely hear the kinds of sermons that keep me alert and inspired on Sunday mornings. So I try to write them myself.

Yet O'Conner's second point — and major point — is that a writer must write for the reader. Children's books, romance novels, sci-fi novels, newspapers, college textbooks and that letter to your mother all have very different readers. So you can't very well write the same way for each. And if you write solely for yourself, you may lose your audience entirely, for they aren't you.

O'Conner writes, "As much as possible, try to anticipate your reader's needs, sophistication, likes and dislikes, attention span, mood, tastes, and sense of humor. In our personal relationships, this kind of discretion is called tact; in writing, it's called knowing your audience."

I like her mention of tact. That's sensitivity to those you are attempting to communicate with. Thus, while trying to to please yourself, you must also try to please others.