“You are writing primarily to please yourself, and if you go about it with enjoyment you will also entertain the readers who are worth writing for.”

Zinsser, 1976/2016, p. 26

This is a statement from Zinsser’s book, On Writing Well. It’s the same book that just recently taught me I must do everything in my power as the writer to cater to my readers. I must hold their fragile attention spans with my carefully crafted words by thinking exceptionally clear. But now I must also enjoy myself… even though writing is meant to be tediously difficult.

Those were my first thoughts after seeing that sentence. In that moment, it seemed like Zinsser was contradicting himself. To explain the inconsistency, these are the original objectives he gave:

He made it a point to mention that this process is difficult because clear thinking is rarely simple. To be fair, most difficult things are. It’s annoying how it works that way. Yet, this effort is meant to serve our audience, not us.

These are the objectives he gave shortly after:

The paradox was striking. But it wasn’t until doing my own research that I started to figure it out.

Paul Jun, contributor for Medium, explains in an article that writing for himself constitutes a means for personal exploration. He describes it as “a way for me to project my thoughts onto a blank canvas, take a step back, [and] observe my thinking patterns and the way I expressed them” (Jun, 2013).

In earlier settings, Jun oftentimes found himself frustrated with the way those thoughts came out on paper. His thinking wasn’t clear, and his writing reflected that.

Writing for himself changed everything. His style became more vulnerable, his ideas were well-connected, and his messages were distinct. Jun was training himself and his readers to understand composition with a refined perspective, and this included his personal enjoyment of the writing process (Jun, 2013).

So, it is possible to carry out both objectives. Being yourself when you write can give you clarity, an achievement that’s pleasurable for both you and your audience. You can link dots that weren’t initially obvious, you can draw deeper meaning from your intended takeaways, and you can entertain others while focusing on catering to an audience of one: you.

Now, only time will tell how successful I become with this mindset. If you have any tips on how to best practice writing for yourself, I’m open to suggestions!

Works Cited

Jun, P. (2013, July 25). Don’t write for others; write for yourself. Medium. https://medium.com/@PaulJun_/dont-write-for-others-write-for-yourself-cf9e338a0977

Zinsser, W. (2016). On writing well: The classic guide to writing nonfiction. Harperperennial. (Original work published 1976).