For this blog post, I want you to start thinking about audience in relationship to writing and the writing process. Where does it fit into your writing process? How does it fit? When do you think about the audience?
In about 250 words engage in a brief discussion of audience making sure to talk back to/with your peers.
Conclude your post with a one sentence declaration about audience that you believe is most important about it.
Audience is one of the most important elements when it comes to writing. When beginning your writing process, you need to distinguish what type of group of people you are specifically writing to, or trying to reach and appeal to. Audience in relationship to writing is essential to know and focus on because it allows the writer to add more details, have a voice, and use diction that the audience being reached out to will enjoy and understand. As I am about to begin with my writing process, I am beginning to think about who I am aiming my article towards.I do not believe that It is hard to reach out to my audience for the upcoming paper since it will be all of my classmates which are all around my same age with similar interests. It will allow me to know what type of words to choose and what tone I should develop as well as making all of my readers truly understand and feel for my piece of writing. Audience in writing is not something you should think about only once and forget about it as if it means absolutely nothing, your audience should always be kept in mind while writing to remind ourselves of our diction and tone. Not only will it help with that, but it will make your piece of writing a million times better. Overall, the most important thing about writing to an audience is truly being able to fully reach out to them and making sure that they get what you want them to get out of your paper.
ReplyDeleteThe best way I can put the relationship between the audience and your writing is the relationship between a parent and their child. The common saying “ the apple never falls far from the tree” can be relevant to the relationship between the audience and writing; obviously your writing and your audience will always have many commonalities within their characteristics. Your audience gives you guidance and leads you down the path of the appropriate tone, diction, and rhetoric to make your literature as effective as possible. Ones writing is usually closely based off of the audiences interests, age groups and genders, and also the setting of the event as well. I would say the audience plays one of the biggest parts into writing. The structure of your literature is mainly focused around your target audience. As the author, your main objectivity is to go out of your way to please your audience and feed them what they desire in your work of literature. I definitely agree with Dominique that as difficult it is to grab your audiences attention, this upcoming paper will not be as tedious, purely because we will be speaking to our own classmates rather than talking to someone with no commonalities such as a group of senior citizens. Your audience should always influence the choice of your next words through out the entire paper. Never should the importance of your audience be lost as you go on writing out your feelings. Although it can be very easy to get off track as you write, to most authors the audience’s preferences are always subconsciously manipulating their writing structure. The process of writing should centrally be about expressing your individuality but the main element that develops your writing will always and forever be your audience.
ReplyDeleteBefore even planning to write, I consider who it will be that I am writing to. For this piece, my audience is the peers of my English class. So where does an audience fit in my writing process? It begins with the first step, planning, by organizing my piece I can effectively tune my writing towards the targeted audience. Surely I would not compose my paper as If I were writing to my little cousins daycare nor would I aim it toward grandmas’ bingo club. I intend to write my paper to my classmates, the majority of whom share the same age group as myself. As Dominique noted, we share similar interests which can make writing much easier. I am allowed to use the sort of diction, style, tone, etc. that I would normally use with persons similar to myself. Language and age group prove two vital specifics for an audience. Since I am close in age to my classmates, I can relate to them in ways different from other generations. Certain current events may be incorporated into my paper to strengthen a point or make a subject clearer since we have a similar understanding. However, it is not only before I begin writing that I reflect on my audience, but throughout my entire paper. All aspects of my piece must maintain uniformity. Knowing what audience one is writing to enables the writer to adequately construct their paper to create the most impact and influence on the reader, creating a stronger connection between the two.
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree with the general consensus in this blog that audience is the most important aspect of writing. For certain types of writing, audience is extremely important. For example, if you are writing a speech then yes, audience is very important. On the other hand though, I believe if you are writing creatively audience does not play such an important role. For example Tolkien, even though he wrote in the genre of “Fantasy” (typically thought of as a genre of writing only read by a younger audience) I would argue he did not write the “Lord of the Rings” for any particular audience. On one hand the book can be read by a younger audience as an escape from regular life, it can transport them to an alternate reality where the problems of everyday life can be forgotten. On the other hand it can be read by a more mature, intellectual audience who can read the book and enjoy it for the much deeper elements that are going on in the book, the catholic overtones scattered throughout the story, and the relationships being formed by different characters in the book. I would argue that Tolkien did not write “Lord of the Rings” for any particular audience; he instead wrote it so any particular person could pick up the book and take away from the book what they wanted to take away from it. Now say I am writing a research paper then of course I am going to take audience into consideration, but as I stated above if I am writing creatively I personally just like to put the essence of my feelings on paper, I could really care less who reads it. If I am writing informatively then I think about the audience at all times, thesis through conclusion, I always like to go back to my papers and read it as though I am someone who has never seen said paper before. In conclusion I believe in some occasions keeping your audience in mind can be very helpful in not alienating yourself from the reader.
ReplyDeleteAudience, in my opinion is an important factor in writing, however I do agree with Luc that it is not the most important and also about audience being especially important when giving a speech. It is inevitable to prepare a speech without first thinking of the audience, because the whole point of writing or giving a speech is connecting with one’s audience. If the audience is not considered when preparing the speech, they will have no concern about what it is they are listening to. When I begin the writing process I first think about the type of genre my piece will be. Then as I have picked my genre according to what creative piece I decide to write about, the tone and emotion I choose to satisfy the genre will follow and flow through my piece. My audience will find me. They will decide whether this is the type of genre they would like to read and escape into from time to time, far away from their reality, or maybe not so far and relating to their reality. Yet when writing an informational piece or an assigned piece that already has a genre, the audience should be the most important, because the author must find a language or diction that will satisfy their audience in order for them to relate to each other. The author must take into account the age of their audience. They need to catch their attention by relating to them through their language, using their lingo, or perhaps by giving examples that relate to random references of pop culture or objects within their audience’s range of life so far. Evidently in my opinion audience is the most important when writing a speech or assigned piece, however I agree with Luc that it is not the most important when writing creatively and just for fun.
ReplyDeleteThe audience and your writing go together like white on rice, in order for you piece or writing to be good you have to be able to engage your listeners into what you are talking about. When your coming up with topics to write about one variable that always comes to mind is what your audience is interested in and what type of audience you are targeting. For example a piece about the affect of steroids on baseball is not going to attract an audience that knows nothing about sports or baseball. Also I agree with Krya when she states that your writing is based on the audience interest, age group, and genders. Writing to a group of five year olds and a group of 17 year olds are totally different pieces of writing. Everything comes in to consideration like language, tone, structure, length of the writing and last images being able to engage with your audience is the most important part. Luc f made a very important point that i would like to point out, i disagree that audience is not the most important aspect of your writing because when your writing a piece whether if its a speech to a class or just an essay assignment that only your professor is going to read, you are still writing for somebody even if it is just one person. I believe that when writing an essay you always want to keep the audience in mind because at the end of the day you will always like your own essays but what other people think is what separates your best writings from your worst.
ReplyDeleteKnowing who your audience is before you begin writing a paper is essential. The audience could be a graduating class like in Billy Collins, or a group of little kids, or for this blog post the audience would be my peers in my ENC1102 class. The audience determines what type of language and style your writing is going to be like. Keeping the thought of who you’re writing for will help you stay focused on the style and language; instead of thinking about them once and then never returning to the thought again. I agree with Dominique and what she had to say about the upcoming assignment we are going to do because she is right the audience is going to be our classmates and we all share similar interests and we are all around the same age. However, some people might have a harder time getting grasped into the article than others. So you will have to come up with an amazing attention getter and keep it going throughout the entire paper. I also have to agree with Jonny on his point of making a paper to impact and influence the audience would make a stronger connection between them. Having the audience get what you want them to get out of your paper will help you keep that connection. Overall, the audience makes the paper stay focused throughout the entire thing, and they are the most important and crucial thing you need to think about when you start and end your paper.
ReplyDeleteI believe audience is the most important factor to consider when you begin the writing process, because no matter how well you write or how good your speech or paper is, if your audience does not understand where you are coming from it is pointless. Analyzing your audience allows you to determine the diction and rhetoric that should be used. The main things that I consider are age, gender, and political class. I agree with Jonny when he says “however, it is not only before I begin writing that I reflect on my audience, but throughout my entire paper. All aspects of my entire piece must maintain uniformity.” I agree with that mainly because if you start out relating to your audience then switch up you language or point of view, you will lose your audience and that may cause them to lose interest in your paper all together. Audience is most important in the writing process, without understanding your audience you will not be able to make a clear and concise point that your entire audience will understand, so without understanding your audience, your audience may not understand you.
ReplyDeleteI personally agree with “Luc F” throughout his/her entire entry. Audience is important for certain types of writing, but far less so in others. As he/she explains some forms of writing don’t really require a specific targeted audience, I believe this to be especially true when speaking of novels. The only actual problem I have with his/her entry is that you’re not going to see a 6 or 7 year-old typically pick up Lord of the Rings, so while in general, audience might not be the most important thing when writing, I believe it definitely has its place. It is generally clear that knowing whom your audience is will change your writing style in order to make the piece more suitable to whomever it is intended. Personally I remember back when I was in middle school, I had a project to write a children’s book, and even unknowingly I would simplify my vocabulary choices. Audience can also create a corrupt way of writing, especially by students writing term papers. A term some refer to as “engfish,” where students try to use long words just for the sake of sounding sophisticated, which in turn can take away from the content. In the end, if used correctly, I believe knowing your audience can enhance your writing if used correctly, however, for the sake of novels, audiences can also be chunked together in order to appeal to the general population.
ReplyDeleteIn writing there are many things to take into account. Before I begin writing, along with my main point, I consider the audience. I surely wouldn’t write an assignment for class the same as I would write a letter to my friends. Taking my audience into account is my second, if not first step in writing. However, I am very conscious of my audience through my entire writing process. I agree with Jonny when he said all aspects of his paper must maintain uniformity. It’s important to not changed or forget your audience while writing because your writing will lose effectiveness. For example, if I am writing a research essay, I’m not going to use my own free voice. When I am writing for my peers I like to make the essay interesting and with a lot of personality. Sometimes I like to write the way that I talk, so it is very casual. For example, I am writing that way talk now. Last semester, I wrote a Crots essay for ENC 1101. At first I felt awkward exposing personal information about specific moment in my life, especially in such a casual manner. However, my teacher told me I was really able to capture my audience and tell a story. Since then I have gained more confidence in my writing.
ReplyDeleteI believe that audience is among the most important factors in the writing process. Knowing who your audience is will be highly crucial in any type of writing. I agree with Kyra's statement that your audience "gives you guidance and leads you down the path of the appropriate tone, diction, and rhetoric to make your literature as effective as possible". The proper tone, diction and rhetoric would not be possible if one does not completely examine who their audience is. For instance, when writing to a younger sibling, one would use a more casual tone, diction and rhetoric. On the other hand, if one was writing to his classmates or professor, they would be more academic in their writing. It is also vital that one keeps their audience in mind during the entire writing process. This will ensure that the writer will have their ideas properly organized and supported well. In addition, it will allow them to have the best possible content throughout the writing. Overall, in the writing process, I believe the most important aspect about audience is to never lose track of who one is addressing to ensure that they will stay connected to their audience throughout their writing.
ReplyDeleteAudience is definitely one of the most important aspects to consider when writing, if not, the most important. If you do not think about the audience that you are writing for, you could lose the interests of them. When it comes to where audience fits in your writing process, I completely agree with Jonny when he said that the audience should be remembered the entire time and uniformity is completely necessary. If you start your paper off with vivid details and intelligent vernacular and then the middle is filled with simple words, the audience you are writing to seems to be unknown. If you are writing a speech to 8th grade graduates on their way to high school, the speech would be very different if it was for college graduates. You might use the sentence “In life, you will come across many obstacles, but with hard work, you can overcome them…” instead of “In life, you will encounter a myriad of impediments, but with determination and strong willpower, you can surmount them…” However, if you decide in the middle of your speech to start using larger words such as “myriad” or “impediments”, you would begin to lose the younger audience who might not know those words. The most important part about audience is that it should always be taken into consideration so that whatever information, message, or points you are trying to make are clear to the audience in which you are writing to, and so they understand and do not lose interest.
ReplyDeleteAudience in a sense is one of the most important factors to consider when writing. If you are not writing a journal for yourself, obviously there is someone or group of people you are intending to read and react to your writing. I agree with what Aaron mentioned earlier their are about 3 factors that need to be considered when writing to your audience that include age, gender, and their class. Your paper throughout must be centered to focus on aspects, issues, and rhetoric that keep the attention and cause an emotional response. If that is not done throughout, then your paper or article has accomplished nothing because the audience it was intended for could care less. Each class of people have their different issues and type of writing that they prefer. The genre is very broad sometimes, while others are very specific. I myself notice myself losing interest in many different writing either because I could not relate toward it or the style it was written was not for me. An example would be a casual or formal tone. A casual tone could show sometimes that you are talking more from the heart and depending what it is could cause more of an emotion reaction. The formal tone on the other hand could show more of an important issue, but not necessarily life changing this and could be harder to engage the reader. More or less the audience is one of the many important factors of writing. I believe that the audience of younger generations are the most important because their view on things is still evolving very fast.
ReplyDeleteAudience no doubt plays a vital role in whatever writing you’re doing. Almost all the writing I’ve ever done has been for a teacher, so that of course places restrictions on how I wrote those papers. When famous authors sit down to write novel after novel they are definitely thinking about the millions of people and critics that will be reading their work. I wonder where audience plays into it for them though. I mean you want to believe they write because they love it, but id venture to say that some, if not most, of them write down words while thinking all about the millions they’re about to make off a single book. Audience plays a different role for someone like that than it would a student or the little teenage girl pouring her heart into the anonymous note she’s putting in her crushes locker tomorrow. For me the audience is fairly important. It persuades how much detail goes into the paper, or how much time I even bother spending on it. Beth’s spot on when she says that knowing your audience is essential and that it dictates the language and style of your work. It undoubtedly does, but I also have to side with Zoe and say writing isn’t completely about audience nor is it the most important thing. The substance is the most important, the body, what the paper is made of makes or breaks it; not who reads it.
ReplyDeleteThe first step a writer should take is to grasp the concept of who will be reading their piece of literature. Like Madison Watson said, knowing who your audience is, is imperative because one must strive to relate to their reader in order to keep their interest. Audience in relation to writing is the answer to many questions; such as what tone the writer should use, what the subject matter should be, how formal or informal to write, the structure of sentences, the use of humor, and the amount of creativity to use. What type of language, dictation, and the degree of vocabulary is all influenced by the audience as well. Writing to a specific audience includes not only satisfying yourself but also to inform, educate, inspire, thrill, and fulfill others.
ReplyDeleteFor example let’s propose a world renown rapper wanted to bust out with a new love song as their next single. He or she would have to take in account their audience and majority of them would hesitate as to even consider listening, let alone buying an album that strays so far away from what the artist normally produces. Their very own label would not allow such a thing because the company would not benefit enough finically.
Another, more specific example is the children’s books written by the infamous Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss captures the mind and attention of children by creating a fantasy land through rhyming and short sentences containing simple vocabulary. The use of pictures and bright colors are also another way in which Dr. Seuss addresses his audience. If Dr. Seuss were writing books for adults one might believe pictures would be obsolete. Dr. Seuss would increase the sentence structures with longer, more difficult vocabulary choices. You see, audience is the answer to everything.
Once you know your audience, you are ready to begin writing.
People communicate differently with different people. For example, many of us don’t speak to our parents the same way we speak to our friends.One of the reasons is because we can anticipate their reactions. Like Jackie Young says, she wouldn't write a paper in her class the same way she would to a friend. If you try to coax the president into siding with your views in your regular slang dialect, there is a very low probability that you will be taken very seriously. Audience in relationship to writing is like wearing the proper attire to an event. For example, some clubs have a very strict dress code. If you are not wearing the proper attire, you will be rejected and will not be able to enter the club. The same thing is similar when it comes to writing. The audience may be the one who take into action of what you may be trying to pursue. If you fail to notice them, they too may reject you and not care for your piece. It is important to recognize the audience before you begin to write. I agree with Kyra that your audience is your “guidance.” It’s always difficult to listen to something that doesn’t relate to you. That is why it is essential that we know our audience and know their needs. The audience may be your boss, fellow civilians, or people with the same or different views as you. Knowing this, it will be easier to know how to state your plea, argument, or whatever you may be writing about. Audience is the key to the effectiveness of communication, understanding, and action.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dominique audience is very important when writing don’t write the same speech for commencement as you would for political rallies. Audience can make or break you agree with Dominique Audience is the most important component of writing. Audience somewhat defines what your writing will consist of. For example, you wouldn't write something so that people wouldn’t be able to understand. I wouldn’t write a speech or anything else if I didn’t know what audience I was targeting or what audience I want to target. Age religious preference and ect. Are some of the categories we look at before we write or want to produce writing? For example writing about a teenage love affair would be for the teenagers. In order to be on that next level which would be So the first thing that’s done is audience is picked or discovered then the creative juices start to flow even If the writing is for elementary school students because finding more simple ways to state certain writings is sometimes a must. If the writing is meant for high school students but is read to elementary students they wouldn’t be able to understand what you’re writing then you as a writer has failed because in order to be a good writer you have to intrigue your audience even if they are just children. Your mission is to please your audience so, it is important to know what kind of audience your writing for so that you can interest and bring understanding to your audience.
ReplyDeleteWhen I write my audience is everything. Yes, I am trying to portray my views, beliefs, and whatever point I am trying to make, but that goal in itself is impossible to accomplish without knowing whom I am speaking to and what the best way to communicate with them is. It is the audience that will determine if a writing has actually had any kind of impact within the world into which it has just been born. The audience is who determines if a written work will be a classic or a disappointment. It is the audience who will determine if the written work has actually accomplished the reason for which it was created or if it is something inconsequential, or an out and out mistake. Each of the great written works of history is such because of the profound effect it had upon those that read it. It is those who read a piece of poetry and prose, not those who have written it that will decide its ultimate meaning, how that meaning will be perpetrated, and the full effect of that work upon the people for which it was made. This is why it is so important for the relationship between an author an audience to be a linear one of mutual respect as oppose to the writer speaking down to, or patronizing their reader. The best authors are those that have faith in the minds of their audience to be able to embrace what they have written and use it to create a positive impact within their own mind, or the minds of others.
ReplyDeleteWithout an audience there is no point in writing. Even in a personal journal or diary, the audience is you. My point is that no matter what kind of writing you are doing there is always someone that you want to hear what you have to say. Of course the type of audience will always effect what it is that you will write and how you will write it. Like when Ben said that he has mostly written for teachers and that his writing was effected by that particular audience. I myself have written for a variety of audiences, all of which I give a different point of view to. I want my teacher audience to think of me as an intelligent individual with a lot of potential. When I write music I want my audience to hear something that they have never heard before and thus think of me as a one of a kind talent who is willing to push the boundaries. I could go on and on but it is very clear that no matter what I am writing about, the end result of my writing is directly related to the audience I am trying to reach. One is always looking to impress the person they are writing to or "wow" them in some way. All of us on this blog know that our teacher is going to read what we post. Although this is not supposed to effect the way that we write, it does in some way, shape, or form. My point? The audience effects how we write no matter what. Whether it be Facebook, and essay in college, or a new song, the goal is to reach a connection with the people who are reading it or hearing it.
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