Remember Your Audience When Writing.

Who are you writing for?

Are you writing for Adults? Teenagers? Young Children? Seniors? Schools? Newspapers? Historians? Medical Services?

It is important to think about this, because you may reach the wrong readers if you don't, and your work could go to the wrong people.

What age group are you aiming for?

Is this a simple book aimed at babies learning their ABCs? Is it an adventure story that teenagers may enjoy reading? Is it an erotic story aimed at adults who enjoy sex, or even a romance, murder, or horror story that contains language and actions only adults understand?

Reading develops in stages, and writing a full-blown romp or totally horrific murder isn't appropriate for some children or teenagers! Also, could you imagine a baby reading a teenager's adventure or romance novel?

I think not!

What are your readers' interests?

Writing really is influenced by the audience. If you are writing about cars for example, then your goal would be to reach the audience who is interested in cars, on the other hand, if you are writing about make-up and you send it to someone who doesn't like make-up, then they will not read it!

Fact: Your writing needs to take into consideration the needs of your audience, so if you're writing to impress an audience of car lovers, its best to leave the make-up out!

Formal or informal?

Whenever I start a letter to a friend, I use an informal tone, like this:

Dear John,

The weather was amazing when we went to the park yesterday.

However, if I write a business letter, I might be more formal:

Dear Mr. Leigh,

I am writing to inform you about your overdue bill of $30. This has been outstanding for some time now...

A business letter or public speech needs a formal tone, while a letter to a friend should be more relaxed and informal.

The tone you use will depend on the type of writing you use.

It is the same with story writing which uses a more imaginative tone:

The sun was shining brightly in the sky when Jesse stepped into the park. She could feel the cool breeze on her back, and she enjoyed every minute of it.

Consider The Social Background of Your Reader

Readers come from a variety of social backgrounds, so the kind of writing you're reader reads can be influenced by this.

Be careful with your work, and check certain comments. A story talking about anti-racism would put a reader off if they are black for example, and you use language that comes across as racist.

Another example is that if your story is about homelessness then it may resonate with person's who have been homeless.

What kind of culture do the characters in your story live in? Is it about poverty, could it be a story that people living in countries affected by issues such as climate change might resonate with.

Considering the social background of your reader can help you decide which audience is likely to read your story.

Conclusion

Reaching audiences for your work can be difficult, but you can make it easier if you think about who might read your work, and the age and social background of your audience.

For example, while there are many stories that are educational and aimed at young teenagers experience on educating about and exploring puberty and sexual development, a full-blown errotica should be reserved for those who are over eighteen.

There are also some horror stories that young teenagers can't read, so it is important to clarify whether your story is adult horror or teen horror.

Considering the audience will enable you to reach the right audience, and it is critical in writing to ensure that you reach the right audience in order for your work to do as you intended it to do.