Hello everyone,
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to post last Wednesday due to personal reasons. However, now I am back on track with Lucky #7: Know Your Audience.
One important thing to consider when you are writing is who you are writing for. If you are doing it just for yourself, that's your decision. However, your talent is a gift, and it's meant to be used to honor God and for the good of mankind, not to be a dirty little secret on your hard drive. Therefore, it is far better to show your stories to others, whether you are simply trying to make someone laugh or trying to expound upon the deepest mysteries of the universe. With that in mind, you need to figure out what kind of person you want to read your work. It is tempting to simply say "everyone", but that is not a good idea for two reasons:
1) Everyone has different tastes, so trying to please everyone with your writing is completely and utterly impossible. For example, one person may love your book because of all the swordfighting, and another person might hate it for the exact same reason, so you'll have to pick a side and leave someone unhappy.
2) It is far too vague an objective, anyway, and will make it very difficult for you to write because you won't have a clear goal in mind. It is like trying to choose a college with the only criteria being that it has to be a 4-year school. You need to use other parameters to narrow down your options.
So how do you figure out who your target audience is? The easiest way is to observe who is already reading your story. Are they your friends from Anime club? Or are they your coworkers from a major corporation? Are they children, teenagers, adults, or the elderly? Are they men, women, or both? Start from there and identify the following things:
What is their age group?
What is their gender?
How do they dress?
What are their key interests?
What other books would they read?
What kind of music would they listen to?
What kind of films would they watch?
What is their outlook on life?
The more you know about your target audience, the better. Here's an example I prepared myself, describing the audience I am trying to reach with the "Heart of Flesh" short story series. Obviously, you can read and enjoy my stories even if you don't fit the following profile.
Age group: Mid-teens to early twenties
Gender: Female
Dress: Sweatshirts/T-shirts and blue jeans. Multiple piercings and tattoos. Dyed hair. They make up their own style rather than following trends.
Key interests: Traveling, art, history, religion/mythology, other languages and cultures, martial arts/working out, video games, and, of course, sci-fi/fantasy
What other books would they read: "Dune", "Lord of the Rings", "The Chronicles of Prydain" ("The Book of Three", etc.), "The Outsiders", "That Was Then, This is Now"
What kind of music would they listen to: Hard Rock (Industrial Rock, in particular)
What kind of films would they watch: Deep, thought-provoking films like "Infernal Affairs", "A Bronx Tale", "The Dark Knight", and "Fireproof."
Outlook on life: This girl will be unusually intelligent, mature and sophisticated for her age. She prefers having a few really close friends to being popular with a million acquaintances. She has some "guy" interests, but still has a gentle, caring, and perceptive heart. She may not be particularly religious, but is seeking the truth, and will be restless until she finds it.
That's it for now. Until next time, stay posted.
