Week 15 Lab: Advice to Writers site

For my last story lab (and last assignment for this class!), I looked around Jon Winokur's Advice to Writers website! This site was very interesting and full of great tips and ideas.


My favorite thing I saw was a piece of advice from just a few days ago, on November 24th. A contributor named Stephen Sondheim had this to say:


"The last collaborator is your audience…when the audience comes in, it changes the temperature of what you’ve written. Things that seem to work well — work in a sense of carry the story forward and be integral to the piece — suddenly become a little less relevant or a little less functional or a little overlong or a little overweight or a little whatever. And so you start reshaping from an audience."


This advice struck me as a unique way to view the writing process as well as helpful advice. Considering one's audience is a crucial element of effective writing. Quality writing should affect the reader in some way. The reaction of the audience becomes part of the writing experience itself after you (as a writer) pen a finished product. Sondheim's idea of a "last collaborator" jumped out at me as an especially creative way to name this phenomenon. Ultimately, the best writers learn to adjust their work to the audience. This doesn't mean writing fluff to please an audience or letting potential readers guide your core ideas or style; it does, however, involve a consideration of how you can bet communicate your ideas and employ your style in a way that helps the audience rather than blurring your intended meaning. Writing can quickly become excessive and overly complicated. The best writers learn to resist this and focus on engaging their audience.


I've enjoyed this final story lab and this class in general! This will be my last post on this blog. I've gained a lot from making it, perhaps someone else will have gained something from reading it (at least my stories).

Looney Tunes, Warner Bros. Source: Wikimedia