Listening to critics is one of the hardest parts of being a professional. But what if I told you that to be a successful writer, you must constantly think about how the reader will perceive your writing. It’s important to not forget the reader, we must remember to write for them, for they have final say. Your readers will judge you; they will instantly have a connection with your writing or be confused, and… they will almost always let you know how they feel about your writing.

An important aspect of writing is your lead in sentence. Starting off your piece with a strong beginning should hook your reader, and fast. With each sentence building on what came before it. In William Zinsser’s book On Writing Well, he explains that “Your lead must capture the reader immediately and force him to keep reading.” William’s book explains that we shouldn’t just count on the reader to read all the way through. We must let them know quickly, why this article or book is for them. I know from personal experience that if I enjoy the first few sentences of an article, I will continue to take my time and read the entirety of it.

But if you’re struggling to perfect that lead in sentence, it can be easy to forget your own voice and style. One thing you don’t want to lose when tailoring your work is your uniqueness. You want your audience to recognize you, regardless of the many topics you may write about. Zinsser breaks this down by saying “Don’t alter your voice to fit your subject. Develop one voice that readers will recognize when they hear it on the page.”  

This article written by MasterClass agreed with Zinsser about voice being important for the reader, saying “…you can help establish your own writing voice by picking one style and sticking to it.” Once you know what comes naturally to you, it will make all your future writing that much easier. Your readers will always know if you’re writing too much fluff or exaggerating.  

As you write, ask yourself, who am I writing this for and what do I want the reader to get out of this? It can be hard to remember when you’re a few pages deep into your persuasive argument or novel, but I always try to go back and read what I wrote by placing myself into the reader’s shoes. This was something I never did as a young writer, but it has allowed my work to improve in tone and storytelling. When you make the reader a priority, he or she will notice. Don’t write without a purpose or a plan. Write with the reader in mind and find what they can take from it. With purposeful writing, your work will stay with the reader long after they stop reading.

While these examples come from difference sources, they have a common theme of putting the writer first, before our own needs. This may not be something they teach you in grammar school but it can be what propels our writing forward as we become seasoned. The most important thing when trying to improve our writing, is to do it for the reader, rather than to make ourselves look better. They will always know when we are being genuine or fake. Rather, we should strive for clarity and style that will last through generations. This is what makes a writer successful.