Who's Your Audience? Make Them Up!

Summary

In this video, the speaker explores the concept of writing for an audience, emphasizing the challenge of crafting content without direct feedback. They discuss the idea of fictionalizing your audience—a strategy to help writers connect with readers by imagining who they are and what roles they play in the story. Over time, through observation and feedback, writers can refine this fictional audience into a more concrete understanding. The speaker highlights how iterative learning and audience engagement are key to improving one's writing and creating a lasting impact.

Takeaways

• 😀 Knowing your audience is essential for successful writing, whether you're persuading, entertaining, or teaching.
• 😀 Writers often have to imagine their audience since they can't directly observe them, especially in solitary work.
• 😀 When writing, you create a fictional version of your audience, tailoring your content to this imagined reader's needs and expectations.
• 😀 Writing styles should vary based on the role you assign to your audience, e.g., a middle schooler vs. a middle-ager.
• 😀 In certain types of writing, especially creative work like poetry, considering your audience’s habits and preferences can shape your writing's focus.
• 😀 Writers must carefully balance the role they assign their readers—if the reader rejects the fictionalized role, they may stop reading.
• 😀 Broad, generic writing that tries to appeal to everyone often fails to connect with anyone effectively.
• 😀 Writers should focus on creating a profile for their ideal reader, aiming to craft content that resonates with a specific group, not everyone.
• 😀 Understanding your audience takes time and feedback, and it becomes more accurate through trial, error, and real-world responses to your work.
• 😀 The key to becoming a better writer is iterative practice, learning from feedback, and adjusting your writing based on audience reactions over time.

Q & A

Why is it important for writers to know their audience?

Knowing your audience is essential because it helps you tailor your writing to connect with them. Whether you're trying to persuade, entertain, or inform, understanding what your audience cares about allows you to craft content that resonates and engages effectively.

What challenge do writers face when writing without an audience present?

Writers often struggle to adapt their work when they cannot observe their audience directly. Unlike a teacher who can adjust based on student feedback, writers must imagine how their audience will react and shape their writing accordingly.

What is the concept of a 'fictionalized audience'?

A 'fictionalized audience' refers to an imagined version of the reader. Writers create this fictional reader to help guide their writing, even though the actual audience is unknown. This audience might play a specific role or take on a particular identity within the context of the writing.

How does imagining a reader's role impact the way a writer approaches their work?

Imagining the reader's role helps the writer to focus their intentions and communicate more effectively. By casting the reader in a specific role—whether as a collaborator, observer, or adversary—the writer tailors the tone, content, and style to match that role.

Why is it important for writers to consider the specific audience they are writing for?

It's important because different audiences have different expectations and interests. Writing for middle schoolers versus adults requires different language, themes, and tone. Understanding the audience ensures that the message will be received and understood as intended.

What is the role of a reader in a writer's creation process?

The reader plays a crucial role in the writer's process by helping shape the final version of the work. A writer imagines the reader's response, and through feedback (whether real or imagined), the writer learns to refine and improve their writing.

How can writers improve their understanding of their audience over time?

Writers can improve by sharing their work, receiving feedback, and observing how their readers engage with it. Over time, as they interact with their audience more, they can refine their understanding of who they are writing for and adjust their approach.

What does the phrase 'your audience doesn't have to accept the role you've placed them in' mean?

This means that if a writer assigns an audience a role that is unappealing or alienating, the audience might not continue reading. It's essential to ensure that the role the writer casts for the audience is one they can connect with, or else they risk losing their reader.

How does feedback from an audience help a writer grow?

Feedback helps writers to see their work from different perspectives and learn what resonates with their audience. It allows them to refine their approach, correct misunderstandings, and create more engaging content in the future.

What is the relationship between a writer's fictionalized audience and real-world feedback?

A writer's fictionalized audience is informed by real-world feedback. While the audience in the writer's mind may remain a fiction, it becomes more accurate and robust as the writer gains actual experiences and learns from reader responses over time.