One of the most common questions that writers ask themselves is, “Who am I writing for?” It’s important for us to ask ourselves, am I writing for myself or the audience? This was one of the topics discussed in this week’s readings of On Writing Well by William Zinsser. He talks about the many aspects of writing in great detail, I think a good excerpt that sums up the readings for this week are:
I’m talking about two different issues. One is craft, the other is attitude. The first is a question of mastering a precise skill. The second is a question of how you use that skill to express your personality.On Writing Well by William Zinsser, Chapter 5
Zinsser talks about getting rid of any clutter, the importance of words and their usage as an essential part of mastering the skill of writing. He goes on in detail but I think the best way to summarize his main point is, always simplify your writing. Are your words serving a purpose or are they there to look or sound nice? He insists that writers need to learn to use their words with care, and that a short sentence “can carry a tremendous punch.” As writers, we need to make sure that our writing communicates clearly and simply to the audience.
The other part of the main issue that Zinsser discusses is how we use the skill of writing to express ourselves. He declares that a fundamental rule of writing and style is to be yourself because the readers want a genuine voice. Another excerpt from the reading that I think is important for every writer to hear is:
Perhaps the style won’t solidify for years as your style, your voice. Just as it takes time to find yourself as a person, it takes time to find yourself as a stylist, and even then your style will change as you grow older.On Writing Well by William Zinsser, Chapter 5
Your writing style is something that will come to you naturally and evolve over time. It will be evident even if you have to write in third person because, as the author points out, “good writers are visible just behind their words.” Now that we discussed the craft and finding your identify through writing, what’s next? One of the most important parts of writing once you refine the skill and find your voice is figuring out who your audience is. Zinsser argues that a great mass audience doesn’t exist because “every reader is a different person.” Therefore, you are writing for yourself and not for the reader or an audience. How do you feel about this? He makes some good points but in the end, writing is always going to be for an audience as well as ourselves. Yes, he’s right in that readers are all different people but there is still a group of readers, our audience, that we are writing for.