Down the Rabbit Hole of Writing
Writing can be a tricky craft. For most, there lies a delicate balance between staying authentic and inspiring an audience. In On Writing Well, William Zinsser starts his introduction by acknowledging the purpose of a writer is to say something other people will want to read. Despite technology evolving how we go about writing, an author's job never changes. However, he offers some contradiction later in his chapter on Audience: you are writing for yourself. This leads to his paradox: consider the reader constantly faces other distractions but write to please yourself.
"The reader is an impatient bird, perched on the thin edge of distraction or sleep. Now I'm saying you must write for yourself and not be gnawed by worry over whether the reader is tagging along."
William Zinsser, On Writing Well
Let's think about it another way: why do we read? Often, we study to gain insight on a topic or simply for a deep-seated interest in the subject. Have you ever put away a book because of terrible writing? Me too. Maybe the author wasn't authentic enough or lacked a clear train of thought. Nonetheless, many books grasp frantically for the reader's attention and fail miserably.
We could choose anything to flip through, but the basics come down to: can we connect with the writer and the text? We are more likely to delve in when the writer has exposed themself - even in a boring subject. Writing is a mutual bond between the writer who seeks to inspire and the reader who seeks to learn.
Carelessly going about your writing prevents readers from connecting with you and the text. Most of us have more important things on our to-do list, so the author should have a good reason to hold our attention. According to Zinsser, there is no excuse for losing readers for your sloppy handiwork. The other key factor is attitude. Some people won't get along with you. Writing for yourself helps you bond with your audience. The most effective authors write for themselves, leaving their inhibitions behind.
Enrooth, E. (n.d.). 10 Effective Tips to Reach Your Audience Through Writing. https://hoist.digital/content/blog/10-effective-tips-to-reach-your-audience.
Zinsser, W. K. (2008). 5: Audience. In On writing well: the classic guide to writing nonfiction (pp. 24–31). essay, HarperCollins.