Blog Post #4

“Writing addresses, invokes, and/or creates audiences” by Andrea A. Lunsford discourses the relationship between the audience and writers. She talks about how most writers use a method that involves fictionalizing the audience and explains the difference between actual and imagined audiences. In the past, I haven’t really learned much about writing for different audiences, and I don’t think my teachers really said much on the topic either. One thing in high school that was taught and the most useful element for writing to an audience for me would be tone; it helps pass on your attitude, personality, and perspective to your readers. Something that wasn’t so useful In high school, I can’t really remember honestly, but I would definitely say most of the time I thought of my audience as being my teacher or classmates. In high school, when we would write essays, the only person who would read those essays would be the teacher, or sometimes we might have to read our essay out loud to the class.

In the reading, I learned how online literature creates a challenge for weighing out an audience. I also learned that the three key elements—writer, audience, and text—make up the rhetorical triangle. Lunsford touches on how digital access to written work blurs the boundaries between writer and audience. In the future, when writing, I will think more about writing for a fictionalized audience and how it can play more into my writing. Reflecting on the audience can help you make good decisions about what material to include in your writing.