Who are you, and why are you reading this? That is the big black and white question many writers consider when putting together their next writing piece. Conversely, another writer may say they write for themselves and not acknowledge the reader. Is there a right way? According to William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well, writing is for yourself.  But his simple answer does not make sense. What is the purpose of writing if it is not for someone to read it? Let’s explore both sides of the equation.

Writing for Yourself

Zinsser isn’t wrong when he states you must write for yourself. As with any art, you have to want to do it. It is this passion that drives you to practice to better yourself. This desire to improve and express oneself is what keeps an artist going. Without it, you probably wouldn’t be a writer.

“Remember to write for yourself, not for a market, and give yourself time to develop your own style, your own voice. It takes a lifetime. Enjoy it!”

Michael Morpurgo 

Although, if you want people to read your masterpiece, part of good writing is to consider the audience. 

Writing for an Audience

Two critical elements of writing are to make sure someone can and wants to read your work. First, there is a purpose for your writing. Whether it is for entertainment, journalism, directions, etc. there is someone at the opposite end who needs to understand what you have written. Therefore, it is vital to write well. In his book On Writing Well, Zinsser stresses building a solid writing foundation based on simplicity. Once that has been established, then you can layer style and personality back in. 

The second piece to writing for an audience is to get them to want to read your work- you have to understand who they are. However, it can be a challenge; Kip Langello has a unique approach to this problem. He decided to create a fictional audience of one and named her Peggy. He imagined a whole life for Peggy. She was married, worked at a hospital, and was an avid reader. After establishing who Langello would write for, he focused all of his efforts on her. He felt he wrote more consistently while keeping Peggy in mind. By defining his audience, Langello got what he wanted; he published his first novel.

Ultimately, there is a purpose for every piece of writing. When Zinsser tries to answer the paradox about his work, he admits he is not just writing for himself. Therefore, I feel the correct answer to the writer’s paradox is to write both for yourself and an audience. Make the writing clear; make it enjoyable. In other words, develop your passion for writing but remember the reader. Your audience must be able to follow your thoughts and hopefully ask for more.