In his book On Writing Well, Stephen King admits that he writes for someone— his wife— and that everyone else is secondary. If his wife approves, then he continues. If she doesn’t, he’ll rewrite it until she does.
Regrettably, I don’t have a wife. I’d love to share them with my parents, but they speak predominantly in Spanish, so English is not their strong suit.
But I already know who I write for: myself.
Rather, my past self. I write for a me that hasn’t experienced what I experienced, that hasn’t been challenged how I’ve been challenged. If I could speak to my past self, I would tell him to look at these writings, and hope there’s something of value he can take. If I can get my past self’s approval, then I will continue. If I know my past self would disapprove, then I’ll rewrite it until he does.
Perhaps in the future, I’ll change who I write for. But it’s important to know who you’re writing for, at all times. Something as frivolous as saying an ‘audience’ or ‘everyone’ won’t cut it— it’s too abstract.
Write for an individual, and your confidence in writing will skyrocket. No longer will you need to worry if your writings will satisfy your audience, because your audience isn’t who you’re writing for. By definition, the audience are spectators, watching or listening to the performance. They do not want to be included.
Write for someone and the crowd will appreciate you.
Here’s my inspiration for the day.