By Edie Melson
How often do you consider your audience as you’re writing? Probably not as often as you should. I critiqued an article last week for a homeschooling newsletter and I was struck by two things. First, the depth of the research and the genius behind the conclusions the author drew. And . . . the boring way she conveyed that information. Ouch. As difficult as it was to share my insights without discouraging this budding writer, we all know how hard it was to receive this kind of a critique.
Tough stuff, but we’ve all tried to wade through writing so formal you had to wear a suit and tie to read it. The facts are there, but polished to the point where there’s no life left in the words. Here are some tips to avoid missing the mark.
- Define your audience. You have to have a clear picture of who you’re writing to. This means you need to familiarize yourself with the publication or website or group. A little pre-writing can save you a disappointing rejection.
- Define the mood. Yes, even non-fiction has emotion. It’s more subtle, but it’s there. For example, when I write for a Do It Yourself website I keep the articles upbeat and encouraging. The purpose of the website is to let people know they can accomplish a particular project—not keep them from even trying.
- Define the gender and the age. Men and women express themselves differently and our writing needs to reflect that. I spent a year as managing editor for men’s college magazine and I discovered this first hand. I finally had to come up with two lists or, word pools (which I explained in this post), labeled—Girlie Words and Man Speak.
Now it’s your turn—how do you tune into your audience?
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