Whatever you write, you must work with your audience in mind at all times. This applies writing whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction.
There are a couple of key questions to consider:
- Who is your work intended for?
- What is the purpose of your work, for example, is it to entertain, inform, challenge, inspire or persuade?
Once you have answered these questions, you can begin to plan and structure your efforts and you will find writing a lot easier.
This is a crucial process which will see your writing skills improve drastically. Why? Because, simply, you will communicate more effectively. You will use a tone and level of communication which is appropriate for your target audience. For example, consider the following about your audience:
- Their age range.
- Their level of education.
- The way they communicate with their peers.
- Their level of knowledge of the subject you are writing about.
Consider this quote:
“Communication takes more than words. It takes understanding.”
That sums it up nicely. Understand what makes a person or group of people tick and you will engage them more effectively. Here's an example: an author of children's stories will adopt a tone utterly different to an author of a scientific report. This is stating the obvious and represents both ends of the spectrum, but it illustrates my point.
Here are some more things to consider before you begin to write:
- Will your writing be formal or informal?
- Will it be concise or provide lots of detail?
- Will it provide specialized or technical information or will it be more general?
- Will you use plain English or jargon (industry- or activity-specific language)?
The more questions you ask of yourself, your writing and your audience, the better your work will be. Writing with a specific audience in mind will automatically engage that person or those people much more effectively.
If we want people to read every word of our work, we have to make them feel involved in some way. We must engage them. Then, what you have to say may well have an influence. After all, people tend to write because they have something to say.
Grab Their Attention
It is worth remembering that in many cases (for example, on the internet and within advertising and marketing), your intended audience is often made up only of potential readers: they can click the "back" button, look away or move on within less than a couple of seconds if they do not feel engaged instantly.
This, therefore, presents a challenge. It is then your job as a writer to turn these potential readers of your work into actual readers. And the best way to do this is by grabbing their attention with an eye catching headline, subject line or opening line (or, preferably, all three, if appropriate). Remember: a reader's interest is generated by curiosity and benefit. I.e., headlines should make the reader want to learn more about what they suggest or imply and they ought, too, to offer the reader a benefit - what's in it for them?
The next time you are surfing the internet or reading a newspaper or even walking down your local high street or main street, pause for a second and consider the writing that grabs your attention and try to work out why it succeeded where other writing failed.
In your own work, spend time on your opening or headline to get it right. When you are happy with it, see if you can improve it in any way (maybe by turning it into a question). Grab the attention of as many potential readers as possible and as quickly as possible.
Establish A Rapport - And Keep Their Attention
Use your introduction to establish a rapport with your audience. Use language that they will understand and can relate to. If you are writing a formal piece, such as a job application, stick to the rules of grammar and use plain English generally and jargon only as often as is required. Do not use jargon for the sake of it.
The simplest way to establish rapport is by using the word "you". But be warned: do not use "you" in formal writing (for instance, essays and legal documents) or when you mean "anyone".
Once you have established rapport, you need to keep the attention of your audience. I find the simplest way to do this is by keeping sentences and paragraphs short. Break up your writing where appropriate by using sub-headings, bullet points, italics, bold type, tables and, most importantly, plenty of white space.
All this invites your reader to continue. If you, as a reader, are faced with large blocks of text, you may instantly feel put-off.
Then, keep your writing tight: avoid repetition and the over-use of clichés, be careful with your spelling, grammar and punctuation, and remember the basics, such as introduce the point you are making, make it, then move on.
Conclude
If you are writing non-fiction, at the end of your work, you may want to offer a conclusion. This provides a nice way to wrap up your writing and bring it to a natural close. Whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction, there is nothing worse than leaving loose ends. Either conclude neatly (non-fiction), perhaps with a brief summary of your own viewpoint, or tie up every storyline (fiction).
Writing for yourself
Of course, you are perfectly entitled to write just for yourself, and to keep your work private forever. Writing for yourself serves many useful purposes. For example, it might well help should you feel the need to write purely for therapeutic reasons, it can help you plan and it can allow you to write more personal accounts. Also, the more you practice, whether writing for yourself or anyone else, the better your writing will be.
