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Seven stages of
writing assignments:

The idea of a mass audience
was an invention of
the Industrial Revolution
David Croneneberg,
Canadian, 1943 -

1. Develop your topic
2. Identify your audience  ◄
3. Research
4. Organize and prewrite
5. Draft/write
6. Revise
7. Proofread

Define your target audience, and how you will address them

Some ways of thinking of audience

• You are selling a product:
  what style of writing will appeal to them?

• You are explaining a sport:
  how would your vocabulary change if your audience were children?
  visitors from another country? your parents?

• Are you documenting an event:
  how would you detail the facts of a crime you witnessed?

Categories of audience:

• Is it simply a broad range of ages, education level, etc.?

• Is it your instructor who grades you or a teaching assistant? fellow students?  Professionals?

• Is there a sub-category to consider?
  For example, your teammates, or those you want to interest in your sport?

• What is the background of your audience?
  For example, you would write differently and use different vocabulary for a scientist than a playwright, a businessman than a athlete.

• Establish the type of writing that will be most effective in communicating. 
  c.f. writing types in the Writing Guides index

• Consider point of view or narrative types
  c.f. reading fiction

• Consider the most effective tone to take that matches your purpose
  c.f. Capital Community College:  Tone: A Matter of Attitude

Use this exercise to begin thinking about audience and readership:

Flash exercise contributed by Jason Ossman and  Dr. Brad Hokanson, Graphic Design I (DHA 3351) School of Design, University of Minnesota

See also:  Colorado State University. Introduction: Audience. In Writing Guides Adapting to Your Audience. Retrieved November 23, 2007 from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processses/audmod/index.cfm

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