Good question—who is out there in my audience? Until last year I thought I was writing for myself. My writing teacher rolled her eyes (at least that’s what I imagine she did. She was on the other side of the screen, so I’ll never know). She said, “A writer does not write for oneself unless she is writing in her journal. Who do you want reading your stories?”
“I was stumped. “I sort of want everyone to read my work, don’t I?”
Who’s your audience?
Teach: “Who do you write for?”
Me: “Ummm—myself? Maybe my mother?”
Teach: “Come on, Rach. Who is your ideal reader?”
Me: “One who wants to read my stories?”
Teach: “BZZZZZZZZ!” An Audience is the people you write for. A writer uses a particular style of language, tone, and content according to that audience. The audience is who you intend to have reading your writing.”
Me: “Ahhhhhhh…. that makes sense.”
What Would My Mother THink?
This is a blurb I finally wrote for that teacher as I began to formulate the basic idea behind the collection of short stories I’m almost ready to set free into the world:
My audience is mostly comprised of English-speaking Canadian women in their 30’s to 50’s. These women are highly educated and maintain profession jobs and are part of the hard-working middle class. Many of these women are or have been married, but might not be as satisfied as they wish to be. If they have children, these children belong to late-Millennial and Gen Z and do not share our work ethic or our outlook on life and what it means to “be good”.
My reader is trying all of the latest health trends in a fight to stop aging, especially if she has been sucked into the vortex of Internet dating and yoga clubs. Most of her ailments are stress-related. My reader may still want the more traditional things for which her mother has advocated, but she’s running out of time and energy. She feels the guilt of not living up to those expectations: after all, how can she be a good daughter if she doesn’t reflect her mother—her perfectly pressed clothing, hair never out of place, spotless house and her imperial morality. My reader—as are the characters themselves—is busy hiding her flaws.
My ideas and my audience have changed a bit, but that means I’m making progress, right?
Now, let’s talk about how I got from there to here….
Enter my ideal readers. Duh Duh Dunhhh
Ideal Readers?
IDEAL READER: The imaginary audience who would, ideally, understand every phrase, word, and allusion in a literary work, and who would completely understand the literary experience an author presents and then responds emotionally as the writer wished.
Even this definition did little for me. It is hard for me to imagine an imaginary person I’d like reading my work—until my imagination takes off and I see the Roxy Theatre filled with my clones reading, chuckling, crying and looking afraid at all the right moments.
Qualities of an Ideal Reader
Looking at my earliest work—the romantic flourishes, the eccentric vocabulary, intricate sentences…and the handsome male leads—it is obvious that I really was writing for myself. But that really isn’t who I want to write for anymore. Frankly, it’s pretty embarrassing now.
These days, I still write about what I love, and the male leads are ruggedly handsome and aging well, but the writing is more digestible and most of the frills have been replaced with details that matter and carry my message without having to make the reader work too hard. (At least I hope this is true!)
My Inner Ideal Reader
Teach: “Figured it out yet?”
Me: “Someone who lives in my head and helps me take a step back to see what I’ve really written?”
Teach: “Phewww…I thought you’d never get it!”
My ideal reader is someone I would choose as a friend: honest, open and real. I don’t want a cheer squad, nor do I want the schoolyard bullies.
- She’s analytical and hard to impress, but open-minded.
- My ideal reader reads between the lines and sees what I’m trying to do with my choice if images or vocabulary.
- She tells me when I’m “telling” the reader details rather than “showing” them—and then calls me on it.
- My ideal reader slaps my hand when I’m redundant, romantic or naïve. She’ll ask what I’m really trying to say and urge me to “kill my darlings.”
- She’ll look me in the eye and tell me I haven’t even skimmed the surface yet. “Put it away, Rach. Give it a rest—it’ll come to you.”
For me, it’s hard to have the imaginary ideal reader living in my head. I don’t listen to her enough yet, but she’s starting to sound a lot like someone I recently met…
A Specific Person or People
I know this is not the intended response, so I delve further and think of the man who changed my teens and made me want to be a writer more than I already did: Enter Mr. Stephen King.
In his writing memoir On Writing, Stephen King divulges so much about his life and process, but he also tells us his ideal reader is his wife, Tabitha.
We’re on the topic of Stephen King, so I’ll take a moment to urge you to read On Writing. At the very least, you should read his “Top 20 Rules for Writers”—I’ll make it easy for you. Here’s the link.
My Specific Ideal Reader
I met many amazing people in my online in writing classes, but one has become my ideal reader. She has all of the qualities I’m looking for—I hope all of you writers find your version.
Linda’s is the voice I hear in my head when I edit. She’s still teaching me to delve deeper and kill the lines I think I love. She is a patient woman. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank her enough.