How do you write what people actually want to read?
By Andrew R. Duckworth
It is an impossible task to write what people actually want to read—not because fewer people are reading at least quality content nowadays, which is true. It is an impossible task because it is impossible to write for everyone and, at the same time, cater it to everyone’s taste when it comes to style, tone, etc. And even with this, why would one want to write for everyone?
I tend to write about issues which are important to me. What is important to me might not be all that important to the next person. My writing over data centers, the ever expanding world of tech and the autocracy it is inevitably leading to, perhaps those are topics that resonate with others. But also perhaps those same people have read enough about such things. Perhaps they’ve grown tired of our impending doom. That’s a possibility and, I would say, an understandable possibility in a world that never slows down. Perhaps others live right next to a data center and are reminded on a daily basis of just how terrible data centers are. So, why would they read about it? They have direct experience. If anything, these are the people that should be writing about such experience, unless, of course, they live in a city that will jail you for mentioning the quality of drinking water.
So, to put it simply, I don’t really begin the writing process by thinking of who might read my work. That isn’t really the important part for me. The important aspect of my writing, for me, is that I’m getting my thoughts out to the world, whether they are read by others or not. Perhaps someone thirty days from now, or maybe three months from now, or maybe three years from now will see this writing and it will resonate with them. Someone will see it and at least appreciate the fact that I committed my thoughts to writing, whether they fully agree with it or not.
It all contributes to an ongoing dialogue where we can all contribute if we so choose, whether we decide to blog-post, write poetry, or just write a simple message on Facebook, or Instagram, or any of the other social media apps that exist. I choose to be a part of that dialogue. Sometimes, I might make sense. Sometimes, I might make no sense at all. It will entirely depend upon the reader and my ability to deliver the message. But I suppose that if my main concern was who would read my work, I might not write at all.
