Writing Rule: Know Your Audience

From practically the first day of journalism school (or maybe the second), I was taught to know my audience. Who am I writing for? If I'm writing an annual corporate report, my audience is made up of the company's shareholders. If I'm writing a computer manual, my audience is probably someone who has never used the product before. Therefore, write simply.

Before my surgery, my husband and I understood I was not to do any housework. We knew this presented a challenge, particularly since my husband had never done any laundry or ironing. Drawing on my experience as a technical writer, I buckled down and began writing step by step instructions. I covered every variable-- whites vs. darks, bleach or no, use stain spray on this item or that item. My notes were thorough, yet very simple to follow.

Today, post-surgery, my husband gathered a load of laundry and brought it out to the kitchen where I sat at the table. He then grabbed a notepad and pen and said, "Okay, go over these instructions again." I looked at him like he was crazy. He said, "Well, your instructions aren't very good."

"What? What do you mean? I wrote technical instructions for a living!"

He looked at me with a little grin and said, "I need the Reader's Digest version. Yours are too wordy."

I'd failed to follow a basic writing rule. My husband, like many others, is a "just the facts" man. He didn't need lengthy descriptions. He wrote on his pad:

Whites
Hot/Cold
Medium Load
Bleach 1/4 " in cup
Detergent under #1 on inside cap
Delicate setting

By not obeying the rule about knowing my audience, I wasted a lot of time writing instructions that wouldn't be followed.

I hope this simple anecdote will help you in your writing journey. Gear your writing towards the audience who will be reading it. Seems simple, doesn't it? Next time, I hope I'll follow my own advice. Write on, fellow writers!