Who is Watching?

Or, more importantly, who will read this later? Probably my professor and my writing class. When I write an article for The Crescent, George Fox students, faculty, and staff might read it. When I write an email, I know exactly who will (hopefully) read it. When I write short stories, I usually have no idea who will read them.

When I wrote the first drafts of the short stories I am most proud of now, I never considered my audience. I wrote for myself. I wrote to know myself better, and I wrote to know others better. I wrote to pick through pain. I pulled memories apart, scattered them, and kept some bits for later. I collected favorite thoughts and stretched them as long as I could without snapping them.

Whenever I considered showing my stories to others, I struggled. I didn’t make enough sense, I thought, for others to understand. For years, my teachers were the only ones to see my work. When one of them challenged me to share my writing with my peers, I learned how to revise for others. Sometimes I reorganize my words for the sake of my audience, and this makes my writing better. I make minimal changes before testing my piece out on one or two people. These test-readers tell me how accessible my work is. They help me preserve my subtlety while pushing me to explore unclear parts of my work. By the time my work reaches more people, it is ready for their eyes.

Writing for myself first and others later has proven to be the most effective way for me to treat my audience. This method is also promoted by Peter Elbow in “Closing My Eyes as I Speak.” If you have other methods that work better for you, feel free to share in the comments below.