Trust Me, I’m a Reader: Writing for Your Audience

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy
 

“Trust your reader.” You hear it all the time, but what exactly does that mean? Do you just assume they’ll figure out what you mean? That can lead to confusion, which you certainly don’t want, so what’s a writer to do? Who do they really trust?

Believe in Yourself

Trusting your reader is all about believing that they can and will pick up on the things you leave as clues in your story. Not just mystery-type clues, but hints about backstory, world building, characterization, etc. The things you write and then wonder, “Will my reader get this or do I need to explain more?”

As someone who writes for teens, I face this every time I sit down to write. My youngest readers are ten years old, my oldest are adults. While I want every age to be able to sit down and enjoy my books, if I write for the adult audience, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll leave my younger readers behind. What each of those readers pick up on is different.