For true authenticity, you don’t need to write for an audience

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Abstract

what the audience wants to read (or what I think the audience wants to read). This colours my writing.My favourite articles that I have written were created to sort through my thoughts and feelings. These were the articles in which the writing flowed. They were never intended to be shared but after I looked over those further, I felt these could be shaped to be suitable for an audience.In her book “The Way of the Fearless Writer”, Beth Kempton talks about “gaseous state writing”, which is a state of writing in which the writer doesn’t write for an audience. Instead they allow their writing to jump all over the place, alighting on different thoughts. It has one rule: to allow everything, write anything, and share nothing. It is at this stage we can find ourselves doing our most authentic and true writing.A lot of our writing can stop at this stage, never to see the light of day beyond the pages in our notebook. But it is also possible that this writing can be formed into something that others can read.

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And this is where you edit and rewrite.At this point, your writing can be tailored for an audience. The important thing here is not to lose your central message or distort your writing so much that it is not recognisably yours anymore. If you cannot fit your writing to an audience, then let it stay private.I think this approach is particularly useful for helping you get started with writing- what would you write if you knew that there wouldn’t be an audience?But the main thing with this is that it allows you to write, unrestricted and without needing to curb what you put down on paper. It allows you to be free- and that leads you to authenticity.<figure id="16f7"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*2Bh1leTHZKR_o-Vl"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@etiennegirardet?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Etienne Girardet</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></article></body>

For true authenticity, you don’t need to write for an audience

For true authenticity, you don’t need to write for an audience.

Read that again.

As a marketer, that’s a pretty controversial viewpoint. Everything we create is aimed at an audience, it’s a fundamental rule. It’s one of the first things I would advise any content creator to consider.

But there was something I noticed. When I am writing for myself- be it whilst journaling or exploring my thoughts- I find that this is when I am most honest to myself and I write what I truly want to say.

I often find that when I write online, I try to write what the audience wants to read (or what I think the audience wants to read). This colours my writing.

My favourite articles that I have written were created to sort through my thoughts and feelings. These were the articles in which the writing flowed. They were never intended to be shared but after I looked over those further, I felt these could be shaped to be suitable for an audience.

In her book “The Way of the Fearless Writer”, Beth Kempton talks about “gaseous state writing”, which is a state of writing in which the writer doesn’t write for an audience. Instead they allow their writing to jump all over the place, alighting on different thoughts. It has one rule: to allow everything, write anything, and share nothing. It is at this stage we can find ourselves doing our most authentic and true writing.

A lot of our writing can stop at this stage, never to see the light of day beyond the pages in our notebook. But it is also possible that this writing can be formed into something that others can read. And this is where you edit and rewrite.

At this point, your writing can be tailored for an audience. The important thing here is not to lose your central message or distort your writing so much that it is not recognisably yours anymore. If you cannot fit your writing to an audience, then let it stay private.

I think this approach is particularly useful for helping you get started with writing- what would you write if you knew that there wouldn’t be an audience?

But the main thing with this is that it allows you to write, unrestricted and without needing to curb what you put down on paper. It allows you to be free- and that leads you to authenticity.