Martin Luther King Jr.’s Lesson for Writers

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”

Most of us know these words. They are from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech. But did you know that these lines almost weren’t part of the speech?

King only had 5 minutes to speak and he wanted to create a piece as strong as Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. The night before he was to give the speech, King worked with two speech writers. One of them told King to avoid saying “I have a dream,” because he thought the phrase had been overused to the point of becoming a cliché. King complied.

On August 28, 1963, King was about half way through the prepared speech when singer Mahalia Jackson called out to him. “Tell ’em about the ‘Dream,’ Martin, tell ’em about the ‘Dream’!”

King could have pushed forward and followed his original plan. Instead, he put aside his notes and spoke from the heart. He gave the speech that has gone down in history.

As writers, we can learn something from King.

You don’t have to do it alone. When King worked to create a high-impact speech, he brought in speech writers. They worked as a team. Writers often feel like they are working all alone. We sit at our desks and write and rewrite. We need to make an effort to connect with our fellow writers. We can do that here at Women on Writing or in critique groups or author events.

Weigh the feedback you receive. King listened to those around him but that meant he had to decide how to respond to contradictory feedback. Take the Dream out of the speech or play it up big? At some point, every writer gets contradictory feedback. A big part of learning how to rewrite is learning how to deal with incompatible comments. When this happens, ask yourself what is my vision for this piece?

Give your audience something to hang onto. King spoke from the heart with hope for the future. What can your reader take away from your writing? Perhaps it is a new insight or a sense of purpose. Maybe it is a new skill or, like King, a sense of hope.

It you can give your reader something of value, they will remember your writing. When they see your name again, it will bring them back for more.

--SueBE

To find out more about Sue Bradford Edwards' writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey.  Sue is also the instructor for  Research: Prepping to Write Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next session begins  March 2nd, 2020. 

Read More »

5 comments audience, feedback, Martin Luther King Jr., rewriting, Sue Bradford Edwards

Audience: Why You Have to Know Who They Are

You have to know who your audience is. Otherwise, you can’t give them what they want. Don’t see the link? Then you should have been with my husband and I when we were trying to pick out an audiobook for a recent road trip.

I had three different books already checked out. I just had to get him to choose one. They were:

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land. A journalist’s memoir about her struggle as a single mother to survive on a domestic’s salary. Land often contrasts her life with that of the upper middle-class who employed her.

Spying on the South by Tony Horwitz. Over 150 years later, the author retraces Frederick Law Olmstead's epic journey across the American South in the 1850s.

11/22/63 by Stephen King. A high school English teacher has the opportunity to travel back to 1958 and attempt to prevent the assassination of JFK.

But each title got voted down. I knew Maid was going to be a stretch, but it’s my book club book. I tried! Spying on the South also received a no vote because he doesn’t know who Frederick Law Olmstead is. Wait, I stand corrected. He knows who Olmstead is and that's why the book got voted down. 11/22/63 got a no vote from both of us because it is 30 hours long and we only have a ten hour trip. Trying to find 20 hours to finish a book when we get home is not a realistic goal.

Back to the library! By this point I was getting a little slap happy and started suggesting everything with a man’s well-muscled torso on the cover, a solid design element in the romance section. Not that I read romances, but those covers might convince me to give it a try.

This time we came away with:

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan. A modern middle grade fantasy set in the same world at Percy Jackson.

I Know a Secret by Tess Garritson. A mystery in which a female detective and a female medical examiner work together to solve crimes. Also a TNT series.

Case Studies by Kate Atkinson A private detective takes on three cold cases that took place in or around London.

What does this teach us about audience? Most people read a variety of books. I’m the children’s writer but my husband chose The Hidden Oracle. He also picked I Know a Secret. My choice was Case Studies. I will attempt just about anything except romance.

Another thing to remember about audience – go with the common wisdom and you are going to get it wrong. If you write romance, you are writing for romance fans, not women in general. Really.

We are told men read nonfiction. I’m female and I read nonfiction. My son reads nonfiction. My husband? Almost never unless he is fixing something or building something. Urban fantasy, alternate history and science fiction are much more likely. I paid the price for ignoring this and had to try again.

Which of course sent me to the library and all those romance covers.

--SueBE

To find out more about Sue Bradford Edwards' writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey.  Sue is also the instructor for Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next session begins November 18th, 2019.

Read More »

5 comments audience, book choice, readers, Sue Bradford Edwards

"What Happens Next?" Thoughts on Audience & Storytelling

Photo via Pixabay

Did you know that there is someone out there in the world writing a novel in a day? Don't believe me? Read this.

While I have a hard time fathoming the idea that he is writing at least 50,000 words a day, this brought up a few thoughts on audience and story. One aspect of this writer's task is unique. He said this, "People will come by the bookstore or visit my race website, MikeRunsBoston.com. In exchange for making a donation to cancer research and prevention, they will be able to dictate a plot change, a new location, a character name, or pretty much whatever they want." If I lived near Boston, I'd go by just to watch him for a while and see what people suggest.

Can you imagine other people dictating what happens next in your story? Funny thing is getting feedback from other people often includes that. Sometimes people will flat out suggest something else - a different character, a different plot, a different idea. At its best, these suggestions are helpful insights into what could be missing in your story. At its worst, these suggestions can turn into an irritating dialogue that usually starts, "You know what would be so much cooler?"

The article also brings about an important aspect of storytelling I often forget about - the audience. He suggests a few important questions - "Who is your primary intended reader? Where do you want to take that person – how do you want to influence your key readership? What steps do you want them to take in their own lives, or with you, as the result of having read your book?"

When you are sitting at a desk in a bookstore and in exchange for someone's donation, you will change or add to your novel at someone's whim, you are basically accepting - however wild - the demands of your audience. Imagine that. Imagine you are writing in front of an audience and asking your potential fanbase, what they think and what they want different? This makes me wonder about what I would say to my own favorite authors.

I'm still in draft form in many ways in my own writing and I'm also still in short story land (although the question - where do I want to take my reader - still is important). Yet I am beginning to realize how much my audience matters. Who am I telling my story to? What would they want to see in this world I'm creating? What would I want them to walk away feeling like?

Most of the time when I write I focus on the story more than the audience. I sort of wrongly adopt the idea "if you build it they will come", in terms of audience. (Or I guess for a writer, if you write it, they will read.) Yet, that isn't the case, is it? So, as I sit down to write next time, I will challenge myself to ask the invisible audience before me, "What happens next?"

Do you think about your audience when you write? What do you imagine your own audience would tell you?

Read More »

5 comments audience, knowing your audience, Nicole Pyles

Identifying Your Audience

As I finalize a series proposal that I’m working on, I’ve had to face up to the fact that I’ve put off my least favorite section. Who is my audience? Maybe it’s because I’m a nonfiction author who loves her concrete facts. But trying to define a faceless group of people drives me a little batty.

Then I read a Writer’s Digest guest post by Dina Sitar. She recommends that when we write this section for a query or proposal we picture someone specific.

How would that work for me? I’m working on a proposal about urban wildlife. Who are my young readers?

To answer this, I climbed into the Jeep. Twenty minutes from my suburban home, I climbed out at the Riverlands. Families come to this conservation area all winter long. They can walk riverside trails but on twenty-two degree days like the day I visited they gather in the visitor’s center. Conservation biologists and docents have set up spotting scopes. Young nature lovers and their parents get to see cardinals, pelicans and, best of all, bald eagles.

Many of these kids know their wildlife, calling out the names of the birds they see and even asking about those they don't see. “Where are the trumpeter swans? Have you seen one?” But there are also new enthusiasts who are trying to learn the difference between a mature eagle and an immature eagle. And what do bald eagles eat anyway?

These kids and their parents came from all demographic groups including economic levels. There were boys and girls from preschoolers to middle school. These are the readers who form the audience for my series. And now that I can see them in my mind, I can write about them.

So who is your audience?

If you are writing a how-to or an inspirational piece for the Muffin’s “Friday Speak Out!,” they are your fellow women writers. They are people who, like you, are working to perfect the nuts-and-bolts of writing and marketing their work while juggling family, day jobs and life in general.

If you are writing a romance, maybe your audience is your best friend. This can mean something very different if you are a 30 something professional who likes steamy reads vs a Boomer who wants the roses and wine but not the how-to. Picturing your friend who would actually read your book can help you describe this person to an editor or agent.

Remember, you are describing this reader for someone who doesn’t know them. So get specific. How would your would-be publisher find this person among a group of varied readers? What distinguishes them from someone else who is female, forty years-old, and educated?

When you picture your readers, get specific. See their faces. Know their reactions. If necessary, go out and find them. Then get busy with that description. There are, after all, specific readers who need what you are writing.

--SueBE

To find out more about Sue Bradford Edwards' writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey.  Sue is also the instructor for Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next session begins March 18th, 2019.

Read More »

3 comments audience, know your audience, Sue Bradford Edwards

The Top 3 Social Media No-Nos

by Karen Cioffi

At this point in time, most everyone knows the importance of using social media marketing. It’s a powerful strategy that has the ability to bring traffic to your website, boost authority, and build your business.

But, there are certain things you should watch out for. Some of these No-Nos will help you avoid harming your credibility and authority, others will help you boost your visibility.

Here are the top three social media No-Nos:

1. Not using social media as part of your marketing.

I’d be surprised if you’re not already doing this, but if not, you must be a part of social media networks in order to create and broaden your visibility and bring traffic to your website.

Join the biggies, like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, Pinterest, and so on. I also use StumbleUpon and LinkedIn. There are lots and lots of them. Find a few that work for you and start sharing on them.

Then find the one or two networks that work best for you and ‘work’ them by posting to them more and engaging with other users more.

Be sure to use social sharing buttons on your blog posts. As you publish each post, share it to your networks. And, be sure to share the posts of other users. This helps create the engagement I mentioned above.

2. Promoting too much.

If you’re primarily promoting your products or services, this is a NO-NO. People want to be informed, they want you to help them. They don’t want to be sold to.

There’s a 80/20 marketing rule: Provide your audience with 80% useable information and 20% promotional content.

In fact, there’s so much information online that I think a better rule would be the 85/15 or 90/10 rule. Make yourself the go-to person for the information your audience is looking for. Then slip in the promo for the product or service that will help ease their pain, build their business, get them healthier, make them money or other solution to their problem.

Make it about your audience.

3. Using link-bait.

Okay, first let me explain what link-baiting is: It’s the practice of creating titles and links that are used specifically to get traffic to your website.

If the content (website) you’re sending the traffic to isn’t relevant to the ‘hyped up’ title, this is a NO-NO. Or, you may be sending people to outdated content or to fluff pieces (no substance or value).

People don’t like this and it will affect your social standing and authority.

Use these tips to help boost your results.

***

Karen Cioffi is a former accountant who is now a multi-award-winning author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, editor, and author-writer online platform marketing instructor. She founded and manages Writers on the Move (a marketing group), and presents online writing and marketing workshops and webinars.

Karen has published 12 writing and marketing eBooks, the most recent, Article Marketing: Increase Website Traffic with Properly Formatted and Search Engine Optimized Content.

In addition to this, Karen’s website, Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing, was named Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012.

>>>Want to get more traffic to you and your website? Check out Karen's online class, GIVE YOUR AUTHOR/WRITER BUSINESS A BOOST WITH INBOUND MARKETING. Visit our classroom page for details and enrollment.

Read More »

1 comment audience, Facebook, Google +, Karen Cioffi, link bait, marketing advice for writers, no-no's, online class, Pinterest for writers, social media, twitter, WOW class, WOW instructor

Should Writers Accommodate Infrequent, Inattentive Readers?

Has the Internet created generations of infrequent, inattentive readers?

Photo from contentgroup.com.au.

This blog post is in front of you on your computer screen, or maybe on your tablet or phone screen. How do you read it? From start to finish? Reading only the words in bold? Clicking on the links first and then returning to the article? Do you check the comments before reading?

While some studies have found that we are reading less than ever, others argue that we are reading more than ever, but nearly all studies have found evidence that the way we read and the mediums we use to read are evolving.

Because of the Internet, we are exposed to shorter bursts of texts, which might be limiting our attention spans. According to an article that mentions Nicholas Carr’s book, The Shallows, our “hyperactive online habits are damaging the mental faculties we need to process and understand lengthy textual information.” In addition, The Poynter Institute’s Eyetrack Survey and an analysis by Jakob Nielsen suggest that we are losing the ability to concentrate on an article and/or book from beginning to end.

The Internet allows us to collect a wide range of facts and figures, but we are no longer taking the time to relate these facts to each other. College professors have noticed their students’ inability to read lengthy texts and have responded by either reducing their reading lists or encouraging them to read more print material and less online. Author Lancelot R. Fletcher coined the term slow reading, which has since grown into a small movement to encourage us to slow down while we read and take the time to think about and process it.

What does this mean for us as writers? Do we take our audience’s attention spans into consideration? Write shorter texts? Or create more breaks within texts? Shorter chapters?

What do you think? Should writers change the way they write to accommodate the reading styles of their audiences? Have you already noticed writers changing their styles to appease the masses?

These questions brought to you by Anne Greenawalt. 

Read More »

Leave a Comment Anne Greenawalt, audience, slow reading, targeted readers

Friday Speak Out!: The Power of the Story

by Sioux Roslawski

Why do we write what we do? Who is our audience? And the most important question, the most heartfelt one (and the one that is usually unspoken): Will our writing matter to anyone—does anybody really care? *

I got an answer to that last question recently. And the petite, curly-haired woman who delivered the answer changed my life with just a few soft-spoken words.

Just before Mother's Day, I was honored to celebrate the holiday by sharing my story—my birth mother's story—on a stage. It was the Listen to Your Mother St. Louis show. I had written a piece to submit, had gotten it critiqued, sent it in, auditioned, was chosen, rehearsed, had bonded with the other women, and had now performed for the second show of the day. The rollercoaster day—all highs and thrilling turns—was over. Or so I thought...

I was in an out-of-the-way spot, by the bathrooms, saying goodbye to my half-sister and my daughter and granddaughter. A woman—the petite and pretty one I mentioned earlier—walked up to me. The words seemed to tumble out.

“I enjoyed your story. I'm an adoptee too, and I know who my birth mother is, but she won't admit it.” We spoke for a while. I had already shared a little slice of my life (and bared my soul) in front of the microphone, so all I needed to do now was listen. It was like the two of us were having an intimate conversation, and I had started the dialogue when I was onstage. Now, it was her turn to reply.

Okay, perhaps I won't ever write a best-selling book that will snag rave reviews. Perhaps my little memoir stories won't make me an internationally-known writer. Most likely, I won't ever get rich writing. But my words do matter. My sister was glad our mother's story was finally told. My daughter was proud that that particular part of my history was shared in such a public way. And my telling my story spurred this woman to perhaps tell her own story some day.

Her story. I was prodding her to have the courage to share her unique-to-her story someday soon. Because that is of course how we parted. I reiterated that it was her birth mother's loss—she was losing out because she refuses to let her daughter into her life.(That was one of the first things that came out of my mouth—uncensored—after this lovely woman introduced herself.)

And then I said, “And you have a story to tell. Think about it. Think about submitting your story next year.”

Who knows who will be affected by the words we put down on paper? Who knows what spark will be ignited by our lines? But we'll never find out if we don't have the courage to write...

* I had to give a little nod to the band Chicago, in their early (and great) days, when they were brass-heavy.

* * *

Sioux Roslawski is a third grade teacher by day and by night (and on the weekends) she writes stories to send to Chicken Soup for the Soul and other anthologies. She also rescues dogs for Love a Golden, which results in constant dog hair in her car. More of Sioux's writing can be found on her blog—http://siouxspage.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Read More »

18 comments audience, Friday Speak Out, share your story, Sioux Roslawski, why write, writer inspiration

What I've Learned Working on a Weekly Newspaper

Writing for a weekly newspaper provides valuable lessons for writers of all genres.

My first writing break came when I was in high school. The local weekly newspaper asked if I would write a first-person sports feature about a Univeristy of Nebraska football player who was friends with my family.

I was 16 years old, determined to go to law school and eventually, write the Great American Novel.

Fast forward four decades. I'm a full-time freelancer, working the regional beat for the area's daily  newspaper. I write for other publications, too, but when you write from the comforts of your home office, you develop your own rhythm.

In July, the local weekly (which owns three weekly papers covering four communities) asked if I could cover a few stories. In November, I was named managing news editor of the Clearwater Record-Ewing News. Now, these two towns are separated by approximately eight miles on the highway. One has a population of approximately 387; the other, 419, based on 2010 census records.

Working on this weekly newspaper has taught and reminded me of several key lessons that are pertinent to writers of any genre.

• Know and use the stylebook. No matter what publication I write for, they use a specific stylebook (AP, CMS, etc.) and some take it to another level and have their own stylebook based on the original. If you are unsure of a writing rule, use the stylebook. It will make the proofreader's job so much easier!
• Determine your audience. The weekly has a wide age range of readers. We cover school events of all sorts, we cover town news stories (think human interest), and we cover what I consider breaking news items - fires, accidents, etc. Since a locally-owned weekly paper is the core news source representing the town, it's important to include a wide variety of coverage.
• Build your online presence. Have a website, update it frequently, and use social media to promote your work.
• Network, network, network. Since I live near both communities, I knew a number of "officials" from the area, like town clerks, police and fire chiefs, school officials. Now, I talk with school officials weekly to receive updates. I know who to call for information if there's a fire on Thanksgiving Day or if the town is holding a special election. Keeping those communication lines is important, not only for the current story, but for future reporting.
• Be accurate. It's a basic rule of Journalism 101: Check and double check facts. 
• Creativity counts. Even if you're covering the city council meeting, you can use creative lede to draw reader attention.
• Localize a national news story. Application of journalism at its finest. Look for a local angle to national headlines. When you personalize reporting, you increase readership. And trust me, there's been a lot of national news lately that affects everyone. 

Writing for a weekly has made me a better writer. Perhaps it's the perfectionist in me, but I used to agonize over a story's lede, let it simmer for an hour - or even a day - before I'd commit to the details of the story.

Not any more. Writing for a newspaper has forced me to focus on the immediate story, collect my thoughts, and prioritize. It's a good push for any writer.

You don't have to work at a newspaper to put into practice the lessons I've learned. Apply these principles to your writing and writing career, and you'll notice a difference.

by LuAnn Schindler 

Read More »

4 comments accuracy in reporting, audience, Creativity, localize, LuAnn Schindler, networking, newspaper industry, online presence, social media, stylebook, weekly newspapers

Who Is Your Audience?

If you are a writer who wants to publish online, in magazines or anthologies, knowing your audience can be the difference between an acceptance or a rejection letter.  This is because while the same topic may appeal to more than one group of people, how you approach it depends on your target audience. Let me show you what I mean.

I write activities and crafts for multiple markets.  Although the same game might be acceptable for a Gryphon House anthology, Education.com or Highlights for Children, I will have to use a slightly different emphasis for each market because their audiences are not the same. 

Many Gryphon House anthologies are written for use in the preschool classroom.  Because these books are for professional teachers, the layout of each piece must include learning objectives, vocabulary, appropriate children’s books, preparation steps and guidelines for assessment.  I have to keep in mind how the activity will work in a group setting and how it will help preschoolers meet developmental standards. 

Education.com is used by some teachers but the primary audience is made up of “involved parents.”  This means that I can’t assume there are a number of children on hand for any single activity, but it isn't completely disconnected from school.  I need to relate my piece to what they are studying in school and how this will enforce or expand on it.  This means that art projects also need to address math skills, reading skills or multicultural learning.  Fun and enrichment go hand in hand.

The audience at Highlights for Children isn’t either teachers or parents but the children themselves.  While adults may be present, you have to catch the young reader’s attention which shifts the focus yet again.  Education is a plus, but the emphasis is on fun and being able to do as much as possible yourself. 

No matter what type of writing you focus on, audience matters.  In travel writing if your audience is seniors or parents of toddlers, you might emphasize accessibility while an audience of teen boys would want high adventure. 

Not all women’s magazines have the same audience for your fitness article.  Women with young children might focus on family friendly fitness while young executives want a fitness regime they can take on the road. 

Learn to write with your target audience in mind and start catching the eye of editors with slots to fill.

--SueBE

Sue Bradford Edwards blogs at One Writer's Journey.  

Read More »

3 comments audience, slant

Write for Your Audience--Not Your English Teacher

Most of the books we read aren't anything like what
we wrote in high school. Credit | Elizabeth Humphrey

This past week, I’ve been getting about a dozen articles edited and ready for publication. They are written by others and I’ve noticed some similarities among the majority of submissions. They were written as if the articles (stories conveying a beginning, middle, and end) are reports written for a high school English teacher (thesis, supporting points, conclusion).

Now, don’t get me wrong, reports for English teachers are important. Necessary, particularly if you are navigating your way through high school. But judging your audience for anything you are writing and there are few publications that many of us write for that are directed at our English teachers.

But three-part essays are the writing experiences many of us are used to before we launch into writing for magazines. We may read books and books that look nothing like a high school essay does and still we continue to replicate the form.

Here are some tips for your drafts to catch yourself if you tend to keep your drafts out of high school:

1. It starts during the planning stages. Scribble out an outline. Doesn’t have to be an “official” outline. Just something that can guide you through your story and help you keep track of the information. I often find that if you sketch something out, the informal structure can give your story’s flow a more informal feel.
2. Watch your language. If you need to look up every other word you are using, take a step back. You want your general audience to understand what you are saying. If you don’t, how will they?
3. Massage your transitions. I know when I’m trying to write a research paper, my transitions use a lot more of the “therefore” and “however” language. What are your transitions doing? Are they formal or more informal? I know when I’m reading a well-written article, written for a general audience, the language is straightforward and the transitions seem easier.
4. Provide a soft landing. Some articles deserve to bring the article back to the beginning to make a point. Others just need to end. Don’t try to force an ending that isn’t there for the story.
5. Re-read! Read your story back to yourself—out loud—and read it as your audience would. Not as your English teach might.

That’s it…no false ending. Now, get out there and write!

Elizabeth King Humphrey is a writer, teacher and editor living in North Carolina. And she had some of the best high school English teachers. Ever.

Read More »

1 comment audience, editing, Elizabeth King Humphrey

Audience, Audience, Who Is My Audience?

Lately, I've had a lot of time to ponder the importance of an author's audience. In bed with a vicious bug, I had a lot of time to read a variety of books, magazines, and short stories. In between my reading marathons and my naps, my son started reading more advanced chapter books to me. That same week, I turned in a manuscript and was approached to edit a couple of manuscripts.
Without meaning to, I started comparing the unpublished works (including my own) to the published works.
Audience became very clear to me in these instances:
• With my son's chapter books, they make it easy--big numbers or letters adorn the outside so that even he knows if a book might be too difficult for him to read. The authors have a specific target audience when they are writing.
• The manuscript I worked on was a middle-grade work of non-fiction. As I wrote, I tried to keep in mind that age group, but, in all honesty, I may have over-shot my audience. In some ways, I was also writing to try to impress new-to-me editors and I might have lost some focus on my true audience.
• In the adult books area, one author did not seem to have an idea who the book's audience was. The subject matter weaved around: sometimes it delivered to one audience, then, I turned the page for the narrative to dart over here, then trying to please this audience over here.
• One author clearly had herself for the audience. Not really confident that anyone really wanted to hear what she had to say, she floated around throughout the manuscript. She wrote things that, she admitted, she wasn't sure she wanted anyone else to read. Except that now she has decided to work for publication for those outside her family circle.

As storytellers, aren't we seeking an audience to listen to the tale we tell? Don't we ultimately want someone to hear what we have to say? To have someone engage with what we are putting forth? We know our audience exists, right?
Much of my writing has a pre-defined audience with whom I am trying to communicate and engage. Instead of trying to figure out the next best seller (Think a vampire romance trying to cater to the Harry Potter crowd with a little of Hello Kitty thrown into the mix), perhaps I should take more time to discover my audience. Who wants to read what I have to write?
As writers, ultimately, when we sit down to write, who are we serving? Ourselves or our readers?

Elizabeth King Humphrey, a writer/editor/coach, lives in North Carolina.

Read More »

6 comments audience, Elizabeth King Humphrey

You never know where you'll find an audience

I grew up in a family of educators. My dad was my high school English teacher. I must have inherited the grammar gene from him. My mom was my Kindergarten teacher and by the time I was ready to go to college, she'd taken over as the elementary media specialist. I'm positive I inherited the love-to-read gene from her. From both, the gene that controls creativity was passed on. Several extended family members were educators also, covering a variety of disciplines. Unfortunately, none of them passed on the mathematics gene!

These people were my first audience. They would listen to me read, would listen (or at least hear) the made-up stories that I would spin. They were my encouragers, always telling me that I could do anything I set my mind to, that I should follow my dreams.

Once you grow up and go to college - or off on your own, for that matter - you tend to lose touch with that audience. Or maybe you simply don't experience the encouragement as often as you did in the past.

When I graduated from high school, my godfather handed me journal and said, "Tell your story." I wasn't sure I wanted to write private thoughts in the book; what if someone else read it? I didn't realize that I was my own audience until I started college and a composition teacher told us that even if nobody else reads your work, you read it and you are the audience.

I wrote off and on, filling five journals during a twenty-year period. No feedback except from myself. And I was OK with that.

Then, my work started getting published. It was an interesting curiosity to me when I'd open my email program and receive letters from people who had ready my work and offered kind words. Sure, some of them were from family members, but most were from strangers. A new audience to write for!!

Now, I blog daily about my opinions, my writing career, and life on the dairy farm (city girl goes country). It replaced my hardbound journal, but I sent the link to a few family members - those early encouragers - and they would comment.

But I wondered how many people read my ramblings. Was I simply writing for myself? I found a program which tracked visitor paths. Yesterday, alone, I had hits from spots all around the world: Texas, France, Nebraska, New Jersey, Brazil, Spain, New York, Thailand, Canada.
And the interesting thing about the counter: many of those visitors had previously read my blog.

A world-wide audience! Wow! I'm still in awe that someone in Spain would stumble upon my blog and read, and read, and read. But it certainly opens up the possibilities for topics.

My parents are retired now, but they still encourage and support my writing habit. My dad is my clip master. He gathers extra newspapers or magazines and cuts my clips for me. And my mom volunteers at the local library and spearheads the 'Friends of the Library' committee. Recently, she invited me to speak about freelancing and read a few selections for a "Brown Bag at the Library" lunch program. I wasn't sure what to expect, but about 15 people (the town has 800 citizens) showed up and listened, and talked about writing wishes they had.

I offered encouragement.

Read More »

4 comments audience, Family, LuAnn Womach