Audience, Purpose and Content

Genre: Who? Why? What?

At the beginning of any writing project, no matter the size, the writer begins by asking two questions:

• What do I want to say?

• How can I best say it?

Helpful Terms

Audience	Who you are writing for This may include your intended readers (teacher, students) but it will often include others (general public, policymakers, students outside of your classroom). If you add these "outsiders" to your audience members, at least in your mind, your writing will likely become clearer and more detailed.
Purpose	Why you are writing Sure, you have an assignment. The real reason we write, though, is we have something to say. It may be helpful to take a step back and ask yourself, "Why does this assignment matter? What unique insight do I have? What problems exist that I have a new perspective on? Write from that unique place, that thing you understand or see clearly that you think others don't see as well.
Content	What you are you saying Information, examples, informing context, history, statistics, images, rationales, stories, quotations, etc.

 

Genre: The Takeaway

Not all writing is the same. There is NO single set of criteria for "good writing." A writer may convey content effectively and persuasively through making deliberate choices about genre, organization, and word choice. 

At the Academic Success Center, we refer to these two elements as genre and content. The most important part of the writing process is to have something to say and a reason (a purpose) for saying it. However, the degree of success a writer has in persuading an audience to listen to their ideas depends a great deal on the audience (Who is going to read this? Who should read it? What do they care about? Why do they need to know?) and the expectations that the audience brings to reading. How does the audience expect this information to occur? What other kinds of reading does the audience do? How can the writer best apply, alter, or adapt the writing to meet the readers' expectations or, in some cases, to fight against them?

Examples of Genre:

Notice that each of the examples below offers specific strategies for writing well, including the impressions those strategies leave on the reader. Writing is, after all, a relationship with a reader. Notice also that some of the links have additional sub-genres described. 

• Business Memo Links to an external site.
• Emails to Professors and Bosses
• Journal/Reflection Links to an external site.
• Letter to a Sick Relative Links to an external site.
• Press Release Links to an external site.
• Psychology Research Paper Links to an external site.
• Text Message Links to an external site.
• Thank You Card Links to an external site.

 

Help! I Don't Know this Genre!

Most of the time when writers struggle with writing-- when they find themselves facing writer's block or returning time and again to the introduction and revising it without moving much further on the project--it is a result of being unfamiliar with the genre. Simply put, the writer is unsure how to move forward because the writer does not know exactly what the reader expects or what the writing should look like. In this case, it's very helpful to ask for an example of the kind of writing you are tasked to do. Ask for a model during class, after class, or by email. Find out what the expectations are and obtain an example of what it looks like. Just like the above examples of writing genres, you will likely identify some tips and recommendations for making the writing more successful. It may also help you to think about organizing your ideas into a structure your readers will understand.