Monday, October 8, 2007
Wrting for an Audience
Ar Glen Lake, Rick stated he always writes for his audience. In general, I'm aware of what group might read my piece, and assume my readers will be familiar with terms. My weaskness is in forgetting others, besides hunters and fishermen, might also read it. How much do you keep your audience in mind when writing? Or do you right for yourself, hoping others might like it? Is it different in writing a novel as compared to an essay or poem?
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2 comments:
I write with an audience in mind in the sense that I'm writing YA literature. But I think that is established when I get an idea (character often) I want to write about. That character or idea is of interest to a young adult. But in the end I am being true to the story, the character, and not so much an "audience."
Having said that, I admit that I have to fight an occassional tendency to edit things out that might offend parents/adults. Primarily those parents/adults who want to pretend kids don't know about sex or swearing or drugs or the like. Usually the character or story sets me straight--as long as I keep coming back to it.
Recnetly, the G.R Press ran a story where an instructor chose an anthology or book for an Advanced Placement class. Seems one of the selections had the f-word and some board members wanted the books returned or at the least the offensive pages removed. Have they not ever listened to kid's music? How do you protect kids from such words when it's in every movie, both theater and HBO? Besides do they really think kids aren't using these words?
Not a novel writer, I think you need to be true to your character. If he talks rough, he does. If he's a "pot-head" he is. It would be as weak to censor his language as it would be to throw the rough stuff in just to use it. Not that girls can't be equally as course.
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