Who do you write for

When you write, who do you picture reading your writing?

Is it a friend? A customer? Your boss? One person? Many people?

I have a problem. When I write, I tend to imagine that I’m writing for a smarter, more experienced, more impressive person than myself. I picture that person as they sneer to themselves thinking about how obvious the points I’m making are. It causes me to doubt the writing that I’m producing.

Why do I do this?

I guess because we (at least in the US) grow up in a system where you are always trying to impress someone with more authority than you. Your teachers. Your coaches. Your bosses. Your clients. Your parents.

It seems natural that the people you would want to impress would be a level above you. Yet, when writing, that is a totally backwards way to think. My writing will be MOST helpful not to people who are more experienced than I am, but to those nearer the beginning of their journey.

It’s good to remember that. It takes the pressure off.